[Child of the 7th Age]

Child, Birdland, and Piosenniel raced out of the confines of the cave and stood in amazement. Everywhere they looked there were ashes and doom. The party pavillion was wrapped in a circlet of dark cloud and shadow.

Giant birds, black and red with long evil beaks, skirted dangerously low overhead, making harsh, raucous sounds. They swooped down intermittently onto the site where the party had taken place just a few minutes before.

But where, oh where, was everyone now? Where were Frodo and Samwise and his sweet little girl? What had happened to the spinning Galadriel? The tables, the food, the half tipsy guests? Even the carts filled with supplies and provisions.

It was difficult to see anything, but Birdland strained her eyes. She surveyed the scene with utter amazement and a surprising sense of detachment and calm. As the senior member of the trio of conspirators, she seemed to have an instinctive understanding of what had occurred.

For the first time in her entire existence, Birdland was unable to come up with a joke. She whispered softly to Child: "I'm not sure if there's anything left."

"What do you mean?," Child replied, "Nothing left. Those are my friends down there. Even that dreadful Mithadan. There has to be something left! We're already dead, so we can't be killed. Dead bodies don't just fly away."

Birdland and Piosenniel nodded slowly to each other. They at least understood.

Birdland gently explained to Child who seemed to be near the point of tears: "She,....she did it. She of the flying red hair who claimed to control the REG. Perhaps, for once in her life, she was not lying. And it might be possible, it just might be possible to sweep away everyone attending the party into an alternative universe, perhaps the universe where Sauron still rules."

"So what do we do now? I may live on the Barrow-downs, but I do not want to have that nasty Sauron as a neighbor. He was quite miserable to Frodo and Sam." moaned Child.

Birdland queried, "I can still see some possibilities. We, the three of us, could go retrieve the REG and either attmept to reprogram it or thrust it into the void."

"Also, there may have been some inhabitants of the Downs who weren't at the party, who were off posting on the boards. If some of them returned, they could help us search for that REG. And look, down below!"

A few miserable survivors were crawling out from under the dark cloud which had been the party pavillion. Vaguely, Child made out the form of Mithadan who appeared to be hobbling along on one leg. Who was that beside him? Perhaps Frodo Baggins and Rose? And look, her own pony was coming up the hill.

Child looked straight at Piosenniel and Birdland, "You two are the smart ones. Now tell me what should we do next?"

[ May 23, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]