View Single Post
Old 01-30-2004, 09:16 PM   #88
Hilde Bracegirdle
Relic of Wandering Days
 
Hilde Bracegirdle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: You'll See Perpetual Change.
Posts: 1,488
Hilde Bracegirdle has just left Hobbiton.
Sting

Surinen

“Halloo-oo! Is anyone there?” came a peculiar voice with a peculiar accent, sounding thin and hollow from outside the tent.

Almost as soon as Surinen realized that he had once more drifted off to sleep, and was pleasantly bobbing at the surface of his slumber, someone pulled him up to consciousness, and that rather roughly. “Get up, get up!” Narayad hissed grabbing his arm. “We’ve company, someone is outside, hurry!” Sitting up, Surinen shaken and bleary-eyed, immediately looped the cord that held his knife over his shoulder and followed Narayad out of the tent and into the open air.

“A rope…a rope would be nice…” the voice reflected rather loudly in the night, apparently from inside the well. Both of the outriders ran over to the rim of the opening and carefully crouching down, peered into the darkness it held. They could see nothing, but heard the unmistakable sound of water and something splashing about in it.

“The water’s in,” Surinen whispered rapidly in the dialect of their people. And after another moment added, “And it looks that you have caught a very large frog already!” Narayad frowned in the blackness about him. It was not a time for jokes and they did not know who this was, only that is was obviously someone from outside.

“Hey there,” the well began again. “If you would be so kind as to help me to get out, I would be most grateful.”

“Ah, a talking frog, Narayad!” Surinen continued, smiling. “Perhaps we should take it back to our lady Ayar and make a present of it. What do you say?”

“Enough friend. What does he say?” The other outrider asked, for he had no understanding of the stranger’s language, but knew that having worked among families who spoke several languages as well as their own mother tongue, Surinen might understand.

“It seems he is stuck,” came the reply, “and is need of our aid. But how he came to fall in our well in this vast desert and without our hearing his approach, I do not know. It is quite puzzling.”

“Halloo! Are you still there?” the man in the well queried.

“Yes, yes! We are still here.” Surinen said suddenly breaking into common speech. “Do not worry, we will get you out.”

“Ah! Thank you.”

“Quickly, running back to the tent, Surinen returned with a long length of rope and his grey shawl thrown over his shoulder. Lowering the one end carefully into the dark he asked, “Do you see the rope?”

“Rope? Rope! Yes, I have it now.” And after a few minutes and a great deal of scuffling and splashing a man emerged, his dark hair the color of a raven, reminding Surinen uncomfortably of his dream. He wondered vaguely what might have befallen the songbirds, and if he had been chased by them into the well. Stepping forward he wrapped the shawl around this stranger to protect him from the chill of the evening air. “Are you alright then?” the outrider asked sincerely, clasping him around the shoulders.

“Yes, I am much better now,” the man replied.

“Very good! Come, come!” he said gesturing toward the tent. “You must take coffee with us to get warm again. Should my friend here look for your horse…er camel?” he said fishing for a clue. He had noticed that his guest had not so much as a water skin with him, and looked tired, but not haggard and so he had concluded his mount must have simply wandered away. “So sorry, excuse my boldness!” he said after the man looked at him as though he had asked him to recite some notably bad piece of Haradrim verse backwards. “It is not my business, is it? Very well. I am Surinen, and this strong fellow here is Narayad.” Recognizing his name Narayad bowed slightly, still looking at the stranger darkly. “We just finished digging the well you fell into today. It is too bad that you had not happened by earlier in the week, and so avoided such unpleasantness.”

“Yes, it was an odd chance wasn’t it? But still I am glad to have had your help, and had I been a little earlier or much later, I would still be in the pit wondering how to get out. I am Rôg,” the stranger said and offering no further explanation, much to Surinen's dismay, he followed the others, walking to the small tent a stone’s throw away.
Hilde Bracegirdle is offline