Wild Monster
Matthew Harrington
As a great deluge rained down from the skies above the two sisters sat in their aged grey sedan parked outside the large and imposing Jefferson High School building. Rain pelted the ground as the sky rumbled with thunder the deep black clouds alight with lightning, the sights and sounds clashing all around them. This storm had been raging since earlier that morning, getting stronger and stronger with each passing moment, the clock now closing in on 3 PM. You couldn't stand outside for a moment without being drenched. Despite the harsh weather conditions, the sisters couldn't seem to stop smiling.
"What time is it, Kendra?" Maia asked her sister as she struggled to see through the downpour. They were waiting for their third sister, Elaine. It was her very last day of her last year of high school and both older sisters, Maia and Kendra, were so very proud of her success, they couldn't be happier at everything their baby sister had achieved. They were so proud that Maia had decided to splurge, stocking up on junk food, popcorn and purchasing a few little gifts for Elaine, gifts they'd all enjoy for sure. It wasn't every day your sister graduated from high school.
"It's three oh seven, three more minutes." Kendra replied checking the clock on the dash, she could hardly contain herself, nearly bouncing with her excitement. She glanced into the back seat at the plastic bags carefully placed as far under her chair as possible. Turning back around she spoke again. "She's gonna love the gifts." Again Kendra smiled wide and this time didn't resist, bouncing up and down in her seat, a large shimmering pink gift bag in her hands. It was the only place Maia had agreed for it to sit, the oldest sister vehemently refusing to let Kendra buckle it into a seat-belt in the back seat.
Sighing happily, Maia leaned back in her seat smiled blissfully and nodded. "This is gonna be a good day!" Silently Kendra stopped her bouncing and tightened her grip on the bag, nodding her agreement, in her opinion it already was a great day and nothing could possibly change that.
As the clock struck 3:10 PM the school bell rang and almost instantly students ran out of the building and into the parking lot with cheers of freedom as they went, most not even stopping to attempt to cover themselves from the falling rain, not caring that they were getting soaked. It wasn't long before their sister came out of the building. Elaine held a thick textbook above her head and searched for the car, despite her best efforts her chestnut hair was still being slowly dampened by the wildly moving torrents of rainwater, her chocolate eyes darting back and forth in an attempt at finding the gray sedan. Elaine shared the same eye color as both sisters sitting in the car and the same hair color as Maia, however Kendra differed from both of them with black hair. With their close age and extremely similar looks one would not be surprised to learn they were sisters.
"Oh, there she is." With Elaine still frantically searching for the car Maia honked twice and watched in amusement as Elaine hurried through the rain, looking as if she was attempting to dodge the raindrops coming at her from every direction, she dove into the back seat of the car completely soaked from head to toe. So much for dodging. She was thankful that Maia had thought to turn on the heater, she instantly began to bask in the warmth coming from the little air vents, crowding her entire body around one and idly noting a plastic bag brush against her foot from beneath Kendra's chair.
"Hey! How's our graduate?!" Kendra twisted around and reached out to hug her sopping wet sister, completely unbothered by the water that now drenched her own clothes from the hug.
"Great! I'm loving this weather." Maia smiled at Elaine's sense of humor and elbowed Kendra gently, urging her to bring out the present. Kendra met Maia's eyes and gave her a discreet nod, clearing her throat she gazed at Elaine in the back seat, her hands squeezing the giant gift bag on her lap.
"Well, you're gonna love this even more." Kendra produced the gift bag and wiggled it in front of her sister. Elaine took a moment to realize what was being moved around directly in front of her face but soon she squealed with joy and bounced in place -much like Kendra minutes before- while clapping cheerfully.
"For me?!" At Kendra's nod Elaine squealed once more, wiggling around in a strange little happy dance in the back seat. "Yay! Gimme." Elaine quickly snatched the bag so fast Kendra didn't even seen her hands move and Maia had to do a double take. When had she gotten so fast? Holding their breath Maia and Kendra waited for Elaine's reaction. Slowly, as if teasing herself, Elaine removed the silver and white tissue paper and looked inside the bag, her eyes widened in surprise once she laid eyes on the gift. Not even a second after that she let out a squeal and began to jump up and down in her seat again, the car shaking with the force of her movements. She felt like she was about to burst from the excitement.
"Oh my God!" She repeated several times getting louder and jumping higher each time before suddenly stopping her bouncing and leveling her sisters with the brightest smile and most gleeful expression of all. "Tolkien-Mania!" Kendra and Maia shared amused looks as they watched their sister dissolve into a complete fangirl, now giggling madly in the back seat and rolling around in the back.
Maia and her sisters definitely enjoyed delving into the world Tolkien had created, going as far as learning how to speak some Sindarin -though it was mostly limited to random words and a few useful phrases for Elaine. It had proven very useful indeed. Elaine still fondly remembered the time she'd told her former Algebra teacher to "go kiss and Orc's butt". To this very day poor Mr. Siller still had no clue what it was his student had said to him, and Elaine and her sisters still found it extremely funny.
Elaine laughed again, a surge of pure joy and excitement filling her chest, she literally felt as if she were going to burst. Instead she quickly launched herself forward and hugged her sisters completely forgetting about the soaked state of her clothes. After nearly strangling them in her happiness she sat back down in her seat again before taking out the large array of Tolkien inspired gifts, each wrapped tightly in protective dust covers as well as a plethora of plastic. "Thank you! Thank you!"
"Your welcome, hun." Maia said and kissed her sister's cheek before sitting back in her seat. "Now, buckle up. The sooner we get home the sooner we can dig into those." She said as she buckled her seat belt and pulled out of her parking spot carefully. In the twenty minutes they had been sitting there the rain had somehow gotten stronger and it was getting even harder for her to see, even with the wipers going as fast as they could. Maia however, decided against informing her sisters of this and instead hoped beyond all hope that they could make it through without any incidents.
"Yay!" Elaine cheered and proceeded to jump in place once again, which proved slightly difficult within the confines of her seat-belt, the bouncing of the car not helping Maia's plight at all. Quite suddenly a thought occurred to Elaine and she stopped jumping -much to Maia's silent relief- Elaine's eyes darted down to the movies in her hand then back at her sisters, her eyes narrowed. She'd noticed the looks of childish glee on their faces, the very same look that she expected they'd seen on herself. They were all so excited about watching a series of Fantasy movies on a Friday night. "We are such nerds." she lamented and burst out laughing.
"Hey, it's not that nerdy! J.R.R Tolkien wrote series of utter genius." Kendra defended and turned to look at her sister, their inevitable argument quickly ensued. Both girls were so focused on each other and expressing their points that they didn't notice just how hard it was for Maia to see anything through the hard rain. Even the rapid flashes of lightning could barely be seen in the darkness of the clouds and nonstop pour of rain.
"And you're the nerdiest of all of us!" Elaine argued with a huge grin, laughing even louder when Kendra's jaw dropped, a slightly insulted look on her face.
"She's right, you kno
w." Maia stated and laughed when she felt Kendra's glare on her. Quickly she attempted to defend herself from her sister's wrath. "Well! You're the only one that actually read the book, or books."
"And you've read them more than once!" Elaine remarked and mentally attempted to count all the times she's seen her older sister reading the Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Hobbit... and so on.
"Hey, they're great and interesting books and I love to read! That doesn't make me a nerd." Kendra defended and glared at her sisters, resisting the urge to smile as she did. She had to admit they did have a bit of a point, but of course she would never admit that out loud. She'd rather be tarred and feathered.
"Yeah, it does." Maia and Elaine said in sync, wide smiles covering their faces. Maia's smile soon fell however, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she tried to see through the rain, she could only just faintly see the lights of the car just ahead of her. With the lack of visibility it was getting very dangerous.
This time both sisters noted Maia's concentrated look and dropped the argument altogether. "It got worse." Kendra noted, turning back to look at the road.
"I can't see a thing." Elaine marveled as she looked behind them, leaning forward and squinting in an attempt to see better.
"Maybe you should stop for a while, if we can't see the other cars then they can't see us." Kendra reasoned, she hadn't noticed before but now that she had she was getting very worried. They shouldn't be out in this unless they absolutely had to, with this weather they were risking their lives being on the road. "We can wait it out and start up again when it clears up."
Maia was silent for a while, her attention completely on the road she hardly even acknowledged the words Kendra had spoken but she caught on and realized the wisdom behind her words. "Yeah," Maia searched through the downpour for a place to stop, "yeah, you're right. Elaine is there any-"
"MAIA!" Kendra screamed, Maia didn't get a chance to turn when suddenly something smashed right into them, hard.
A cacophony pierced the air; the sounds of shattering glass, crashing and crunching of metal, the clash of rain and thunder, and the ear-splitting sounds of terrified shrieks. The sisters held on to anything they could find for dear life as the car whirled around in what felt like an endless array of circles.
Then, as they were still spinning and attempting to recover from the first hit... they were hit again.
The girls were jolted forwards. Maia trying desperately to see her sisters but she couldn't seem to turn her head no matter how hard she tried to. And the pain. She was in so much pain, it consumed her entire body and rendered her incapable of movement.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, everything was still and silent. The girls were all conscious but unable to move, pain paralyzing their bodies, their minds muddled and lethargic. With no choice they watched in utter horror as another pair of headlights appeared, heading straight for them from ahead. Terrified screams pierced the air once again when, suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder boomed and a brilliant white light surrounded them.
Then… Nothing.
It was quiet. Not a single sound could be heard and there was… peace. A pure sensation of calm and complete serenity. Confused, Kendra opened her eyes, and what she saw made her gasp in awe.
Above her there was magnificent white gazebo with intricate molding shaping the roof above, the entire structure alight with an ethereal light that made it shimmer and glisten. The ethereal light surrounded her on all sides and there was nothing but an endless star filled sky as far as the eye could see.
"Maia! Kendra! Where are you? Where are we?" Elaine's voice called from somewhere nearby, Kendra turned quickly to find her but she could see nothing, and yet she could feel that she was not alone. Somehow she could feel that her sisters were there with her.
"Elaine, where are you? I can't see you! Are you with Kendra? Are you both okay?!" Maia's voice came next, nearly frantic as she was looking for her younger sisters. Happy that both her sisters were okay Kendra breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm fine, Maia!" Elaine exclaimed, Kendra speaking the same words only second after, but still they could not see anything but the stars and the gazebo that surrounded them. Kendra began to wonder if they were even there at all and if this was just some elaborate hallucination due to drugs given to her at the hospital -if the crash they suffered was even real. Maia's voice soon put the irrational panicked thoughts about the hospital on the backburner. She had to find her sisters first.
"Where are we?"
"Do not be frightened, my daughters" a new female voice spoke suddenly, soft, comforting and beautiful. "You are with the Valar, and you are safe." A pure soft light began to gleam from above them gently and the girls felt warmth caress them.
"The Valar?" Kendra's voice filled the silence that had settled after the arrival of the light and it spoke of her disbelief and bewilderment. This was either an extremely elaborate prank or they gave her some really great drugs at the hospital or she was just having an extremely strange dream. A feeling bubbling deep in her core whispered to her that it was none of those, but reality and she suddenly felt sick.
"That can't be! The Valar aren't real!" Elaine insisted, she too felt like this was true and she hoped above all hope that it was, but she wasn't going to get her hopes up. The Lord of the Rings was just a story, there was no way she was really arguing with one of the Valar. If this was all fake Maia and Kendra really went through a lot to pull off something this special for her graduation, but it was definitely not funny.
"It's a fantasy." Maia exclaimed. She like her sisters was beginning to feel that this wasn't just some sick joke or a seriously twisted dream. But logic weighed against the desires of her heart and she just had to hammer home the point that this wasn't supposed to be real.
The voice laughed gently, as if she were greatly amused by their attempts at educating her on the difference between what is real and what is simple fantasy. "No children," She replied mirthfully. "Listen to me closely, my daughter, under our guidance, J. R. R. Tolkien traveled into our world to put in motion the events meant to pass. The events which I am sure people of your world are now aware of, though they know it simply as series of fictional works by the name of The Lord of the Rings, not as the prophetic events we know them to be. I am sure you would recognize the name he used as he lived in our world."
"The name?" Elaine asked, her voice sounding as bewildered as both Kendra and Maia felt.
"He was reborn upon his arrival. He lived as a Hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins." Shocked the girls fell completely silent. "Upon his return to your realm, he was allowed to write tales of his adventures, so that it would aid future travelers, such as yourselves. He was also allowed to write the adventures of another into his tales, though those events have yet to come to pass. Know this: All that you know of my world is true."
"That's impossible!" Elaine whispered.
"You say that but here you are in my realm." The female insisted, you could hear the amusement in her tone as Elaine fell silent.
"But it is impossible, or at least it should be!" Elaine whispered once more and this time the female was patient and a little less mirthful.
"Not so, child. There are many portals to unknown worlds and times of which little is known to your kind but fantasy and lore." The voice answered calmly and kindly. "Many such worlds exist, even more that I myself am unaware of. We are not alone in this world and it is foolish to think that ours is the only world that exists." She chided gently. Silence followed her worlds, the girls unable to think of how to respond to that. The voice took the silence as a chance to move on and started once more.
"You, like J. R. R. Tolkien, have been summoned to guide events and put in motion the events that are meant to come to pass, and guide the destinies of those involved. As he did as Bilbo Baggins and the adventure to the Lonely Mountain... You shall do the same in the identities you will receive. "
For a moment the brilliant light above them
glowed brighter, blinding them, forcing them to look away briefly. When it faded the girls opened their eyes and found themselves faced by two Valar, a man in celestial blue robes, his shoulders caressed by long silken silver hair, and his face handsome and positively perfect and angular. Adorning the crown of his head was a crown that seemed to radiate an ethereal light. Beside him a gorgeous woman with equally perfect features stood, her hair cascading down around her in a waterfall of night black, atop her head a circlet sparkled, it's design making it seem as if her head were adorned with actual stars. Both the man and the woman's eyes were like liquid gold and somehow their bodies were surrounded by an aura of pure bright light.
"Welcome, my daughters." The male spoke, his voice deep and strong. "I am Manwë, Lord of the Valar. This is my wife, Varda, Queen of the Stars." Immediately the girls dropped to their knees in respect, unsure if they should be afraid or not.
"Arise children. Do not fear." The female's gentle musical voice requested. Still unsure the girls hesitated for just a moment before slowly rising to their feet, their eyes wide with awe. Without needing to say a single word, the girls seeked the comfort they received from being in the presence of one another and reached out to take ahold of each other's hands.
"You are here to guide the events that are to come to pass, and to direct the individual destinies of the creatures involved. It is a task that has been assigned before... and now it is up to you to accomplish this quest. To succeed." It wasn't a question but the girls felt the urge to nod anyway. "You know of the Dark Lord Sauron?" The girls nodded once again, not trusting their voices in the presence of such magnificent creatures. They were so beautiful and powerful a person couldn't help but feel insecure around them.
"He is once again causing unrest throughout Middle-Earth. This land is being haunted by so much darkness, by Sauron as well as forces much stronger and darker than he. It is necessary for you to save our world from these evils." Manwë spoke firmly. The girls opened their mouths to offer replies, whether of assent or dissent was never learned as Varda lifted a hand and halted them.
Wild Monster Page 1