It was well past midnight, and the Downers had all long since retired to their trailers after a hard day's work. Only the CG animator remained, hunched over her precious computer in the darked studio. When she heard footsteps behind her, she replied without even moving her eyes from the screen.
“Ah, yes, I'm coming to bed soon – just let me show you these ghosts, rendered and lit. There! How do you like that? So much for green termites!”
She whirled her office chair and burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! Nice costume!
Mac, is that you?
Volo??....hey, what's that in your hand....?”
The beast replied: “This is called lye.”
“Heehee...”
“And this is called chemical burn....”
....
The sky turns from black to gray.
Birds begin to sing.
Yawning Downers stumble into the studio, clutching mugs of coffee or tea.
“What's that smell?” asked
Aganzir, wrinkling her nose.
“It smells like something burned!” remarked
Boromir, looking accusingly at
SPM.
Sauce retorted: “I didn't burn anything!...Hey...it's coming from in here...”
The Downers filed into
Rikae's office and stared in confusion.
The CG animator's work space had never been a paragon of tidiness...but this was truly bizarre.
The ubiquitous empty Pepsi bottle beside her computer was now filled with a thick, greasy substance, and ashes were heaped on the chair and scattered across the floor.
SPM picked up the bottle and examined it.
“It's fat!” He exclaimed, proud of his detective skills.
Lommy, already in her Balrog costume, was examining the ashes on the chair. Suddenly, she let out a strangled gasp. Everyone turned toward her.
The actress plucked something out of the cinders with her false claws and held it up in silence. Her face was white and her hands shaking. The object sparkled in the light from the monitor.
It was one of
Rikae's leaf-shaped earrings.
SPM dropped the bottle in revulsion, and it exploded with a liquid *pop*, splashing its contents around the room.
Macalaure burst into tears.
Brinniel wished she'd recorded the sound of the exploding bottle.
The Balrog put her arm around the Orc to comfort him.
“At least she finally lost that pesky last ten pounds!”
Boromir mused “I wonder what it's really like to be burned alive.”
Durelin remarked crossly “You people better not blame ME!”
Legate climbed onto a chair and waved his hand to get everyone's attention.
“This is certainly a terrible tragedy. Our special effects are going to suffer horribly, for one thing! But
Rikae died doing what she believed in...! And we're going to finish this movie...for
Rikae...and send the proceeds to her wife...er, or whoever...and kids!”
“Hear, hear!” proclaimed the fanboy.
“And what's more, we'll find the people responsible for this...mess...and give them what they deserve!”
“Look!” shouted
Gil-Galad, pointing to
Rikae's prized 60th anniversary “giant book of death” edition of LOTR on the table.
The book lay open, and the pages were turning of their own accord. Back and forth they flipped, faster and faster...
and suddenly stopped – at the very first page.
Mithalwen walked over to the book, and, before her eyes, a luminous silver line appeared on the page, underlining two phrases. She read out loud, in her best Galadriel voice:
“
glimpses that had arisen unbidden of things higher or deeper or darker than its surface.”
“
In spite of the darkness of the next five years I found that the story could not now be wholly abandoned, and I plodded on, mostly by night...”
Then – signed in the margin -
“J.R.R. Tolkien”
Day 1 has begun. Wolves, shut up (er...with the PM'ing!
). Everybody else: SPEAK! NOW!!!!
The Cast and Crew
The dearly departed:
Rikae (mod) – CG Animator - Rendered and Lighted on Night 1.
Those still with us:
Volo - Gollum
Legate of Amon Lanc - Sound Master/
Saruman
Macalaure - The 7th orc in the 3rd row
Boromir88- Sir Boromir, playing Denethor
Mithalwen- Galadriel
Shastanis Althreduin - Legolas' stunt double
Durelin - Special Effects Pyrotechnician
The Saucepan Man- Set Catering Manager
Xyzzy - Young Fanboy
Brinniel- Wacky Foley Artist
Thinlómien- Non-Winged Balrog
The Sixth Wizard- Protester against Dwarven Comic Relief
Anguirel- Celeborn
Kath - Make-up Artist
Gil-Galad - Zombie-Gil-Galad
Aganzir - Smeagol
Rune -Tolkien geek who is estatic about being an Elf extra
Diamond18 - Lady in charge of Wigs and all other False Hairpieces