Wonderful journey
- Anastasia
Jason sighed and leaned against the Ford
Explorer he had somehow managed to rent last minute on Fourth of July weekend. While Gandalf stood beside him, the rest of
the Fellowship hung back about fifty feet away, eyeing the grey minivan
cautiously. Legolas had once more
readied an arrow much to Jason’s dismay.
The elf had already come entirely too close to shooting his stereo, his
alarm clock, his Mister Coffee, and his next-door neighbor’s cat.
“Guys, come on. I told you… it’s like a wagon, only faster and more
comfortable. Completely safe, I promise
you.” Jason explained yet again.
Gimli was the first to take Jason’s word for
it and climb into the Explorer through the side door, then Boromir and Legolas,
followed by the four hobbits and Aragorn brought up the rear. Gandalf had claimed shotgun… in exactly
those words, much to Jason’s surprise.
Jason started the vehicle after some quick instructions on how to
operate a safety belt. Thanks to the
gentle hum of the engine and the chamomile tea that Jason had given them, a
good number of the Fellowship drifted off to sleep before they were even beyond
the end of the Lincoln Tunnel. Gandalf
was awake, gently humming along to Jason’s radio and smiling over a map of New
Jersey.
“So… I take it you’ve been here before?” Jason
asked tentatively.
“To New York?
Yes, I’m afraid. Busy, bustling
city… never did like it for very long… I prefer London. But this world you live in has its charms
I’ll admit.” Gandalf replied brightly.
“You know… you knew about my world?”
Jason asked in amazement. “You can go
back and forth between Middle Earth and here?
Then… why didn’t you just send me back when I showed up? It would’ve saved you a lot of trouble. I mean, I nearly got Pippin and Merry killed
that one time… and don’t even mention that business with the goblins.”
“Jaycen, Jaycen… calm yourself. I can transport myself from world to
world with relative ease. But another
person? That’s a far more clever trick
than I can do at a moment’s notice.” Gandalf explained.
“Oh… so… that’s why you need to ‘figure out’
how to get everyone back? This little
break is for you to gather your concentration?”
“In a manner of speaking. I have every expectation that the solution
to this problem will present itself to me before the week is out. Solutions are rather odd like that.”
“Hmm.” Jason said by way of reply. In all honesty, he would be very sorry to
see his newfound friends go back on their adventure and leave him behind. The time he’d spent with the Fellowship had
easily been the only time in his life where he’d felt he truly belonged. Hell, that’s why he was an actor! When playing a part, he could pretend he
belonged somewhere, anywhere… for a few hours.
In Middle Earth, he was himself… but a better version of himself. He could be chivalrous and heroic with fear
of being laughed at. His archaic
interest in swordplay, archery, and horsemanship were appreciated, as was his
familiarity with a variety of Middle Earth creatures and their habits. Being an AD&D player had paid off big
time.
Truth be told, he wanted to go back with them…
but how could he tell that to Gandalf?