[Estelyn Telcontar]

Merisuwyniel had watched the antics of the various Itship members with the faint, fond smile usually seen on a mother watching her offspring prevailing victorious on a ballfield or icerink. However, though her Elven immortality made her less susceptible to the constraints of mortal hurriedness, she agreed with Grrralph that Vogonwë must be found so that their mission could proceed.

“We shall find your beloved or perish in the attempt!” she exclaimed dramatically, though rather unnecessarily, since there was no apparent danger at hand. Pimpiowyn took comfort in her words and dried her tears, thus freeing Grrralph’s hands to begin packing his baggage. “Gather ‘round so that I can count nos-” her gaze fell on Grrralph, and she quickly amended, “assure myself that all peopl-” Falafel’s reproachful gaze met hers, “see if everyone is here before we leave,” she finished.

The companions gathered and she began to count: “Pimpiowyn - here, Earnur - here, Grrralph - here, Gateskeeper?” She looked around, for he had fallen silent and she wanted to reassure herself that he was still with them. He nodded from behind the others, and she continued: “Kuruharan – here, Chrysophylax – here, Falafel – at my side, as always. Please all check to see if your equine companions are present.”

“But where is Buttercup?” Pimpi asked.

“Of course!” exclaimed Merisu. “Not only is she missing, so are Mordaenárur and his Entish Broom!”

“Where could they have gone?” wondered Earnur.

“Perhaps they fell into a plot hole,” Merisu suggested.

“There’s a plot???” the others exclaimed in astonished unison.

“Indeed there is,” the Elven maiden stated with great certainty. “You may believe that all of this occurs of your own free will -”

“Not mine,” muttered the Gateskeeper, but since his voice could hardly be heard, his comment was ignored by all.

“I firmly believe that Providence watches over us to guide our way,” she spoke, waxing eloquent and louder in her enthusiasm. “We have been given a Task, and no obstacles can stop us. A day may come, when the courage of Women, Men, Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Horses, and Mythological Creatures fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of Fellow/Galship, but it is not this day! An hour of dulled swords, lost bows, lame feet and shattered horseshoes when the Age of Questing comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we walk!”

“Let me check the cart with the Entish pieces before we search for the Balfrog and the Nazgrrl,” she said in a more matter-of-fact tone, striding over to it to ascertain whether all of the wooden artefacts were accounted for. She furtively patted the pocket of her skirt to feel the outline of the wooden foot. The Bow was, as accustomed, strapped securely to her back.

The Entish Thighs were obvious, since they were the largest items on the cart. Behind them, a commotion began – a piece of wood jumped up and down, shouting “Pick me! Pick me!!” Merisu continued her tally unruffled (saving the ruffles on her impeccably tailored and ironed blouse, of course). The breadbox, yes, here it was; (“Pick me, oh, pick meeeee!!!” ) there was the Foozle also. (“Heeere, pick me!!!” ) Finally she looked to see what was the cause of the ruckus. A long wooden staff moved up and down vigorously to free itself of the weight of a heavy Thigh. Finally it arose, hovering above the cart – it was the Entish Broom! Attached to it was a pale pink, lavender-scented envelope. Written on it in awkward letters was the name “Mareesuu”.

Merisuwyniel, astutely gathering that its contents were meant for her eyes, opened it quickly and perused the message inside. “What’s it say?” Pimpi asked impatiently. The Elven maiden cleared her throat (for dramatic purposes only – Elves never have frogs in their throats!) and read aloud:

Mordy and I love each other and have decided to stay together forever. Since vacation with a group of Questers is not our idea of a honeymoon, we are flying away. Well, I’m flying, Mordy’s riding, of course – guess who has the wings on in this family! Tee-hee! Thanks for everything you did for me – I’ll never forget you and the others.

Buttercup (formerly known as Grrruff, the Nazgrrl)

PS – The Entish Broom wants to stay to be reunited; since Mordy has me for flying now, we’re leaving it with you and the other pieces.

[The letter has been reconstructed from oral records of this reading, so the spelling and grammar might not be quite as penned by the original author. Any improvements are no doubt due to Merisu’s kind heart, generous spirit, and ready wit.]

“Well, since we no longer need to search for them,” she said, “we can follow the trail Grrralph has found and go off to rescue Vogonwë. I think we can trust Orogarn Two’s steed to have enough horse sense to find us even if its master cannot.”

“Rescue??” Pimpi asked apprehensively. “I thought we only need to search for him! What makes you think he needs rescuing?”

“I received a message by O-mail,” Merisu explained patiently. “It wasn’t very clear, since he is only Half-Elven, but I saw him surrounded by Zerls.”

“What’s a Zerl?” Etceteron asked.

“Zerls are dangerous creatures!” Kuruharan answered, shuddering. “Very hostile!”

“Not really,” the Elf answered. “They may be of no practical use, but they are nice and soft and furry and make a pleasant sound.”

“So would an ermine violin, but I see no advantage in having one,” Grrralph commented.

“At any rate,” Merisu continued, “if they have overly favourable circumstances, they multiply very quickly; under crowded living conditions, they can become aggressive. We cannot leave Vogonwë to torment and worse. Let’s hunt some Zerl!”