**Birthday Party in the Barrow** (May, 2005)

[Gil-Galad]

"Do i type with boxing gloves on! well...yeah actually, more the challenge!"

[THE Ka]

She sat quietly watching everyone began to either wake up, or finally say their leaves as they left the party. Maybe she should too?

By far, for the Ka at least it was a party full of little social events or happenings and just much painting and mantience of the room's order, even as drunk as it could be. Her guises were mostly likely up at this hour, trying to make something to eat or trying to retrieve a book from the bookshelf in her absence. In a way, she did and did not want to go.

"Maybe a little longer", she told her self.

[Ealasaide]

As the crowd began to thin with many of the other wights saying their final good-byes and taking leave of the party, Ealasaide finally caught up with the dog who had taken off a bit earlier in a furious chase after someone's cat. She found Codijune standing under the buffet table with the cat pinned beneath her paws. She was giving the cat's coat a good licking.

"Oh, Codi..." she sighed and grabbed hold of the dog's collar, pulling her off the poor, soggy cat. Freed at last, the cat jumped to her feet and stalked away with as much dignity as she could muster, her bottlebrush tail quivering with anger.

Codi woofed softly after the departing cat, then looked up at Ealasaide and wagged her tail.

"Yes, I saw you bathing the cat," said Ealasaide. "I don't think she enjoyed it. You're lucky she didn't scratch your big ol' ears off." She bent down and took hold of the leash, figuring it was about time they took their leave as well. She looked around for the Barrow Wight, hoping to pay her respects, but found him already in conversation with someone else. Not being the sort to interrupt, she waved across the room and, placing her palms together, bobbed a quick, shallow bow.

"Thank you & a very Happy Birthday to the Downs!" she called. "May there be many, many happy returns of the day."

With that she turned and stepped through the door into the fresh night air. With each step she took away from the barrow, her image and that of the dog grew fainter and fainter until eventually they disappeared entirely, vanishing into the mist.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

'H' watched the guests (and their respective dogs) leave. The party had been fun, but "life - I mean, death - goes on", she reminded herself. She packed her beloved Yamaha grand piano onto a cart, thankful that virtual pianos were easier to transport than 'real' ones. Then shedding the 'H' identity and becoming the efficient, all-seeing Estelyn again, she headed for the broom closet. She would have to look around to make sure everyone was gone and had taken their possessions (and none of The Barrow-Wight's!) before finally closing the door. Then the occasion would fade into memory, memory would become legend, legend... - anyway, she would then sweep the thread into Elvenhome as a mathom - no longer useful, but not a thing that one would want to throw away.

She waited politely while the last party guests paid their respects to The Barrow-Wight...

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Patting the Barrow Wight on the back, Hookbill left the party with the sense of a job well done... or at least done. And not so much a job, more a sequence of events. But all the same, it had seemed a success. Hookbill floated over the Barrow hills before going back to the Old forest to learn more poetry from old Bombadill.

[Formendacil]

Having finally found the broom closet and retrieved his items, Formendacil timdly made his way back to where the party had been. Had been, for most of the people had left by now. Sneaking through the kitchen, he grabbed the last articles belonging to him, and then dashed for the door, hoping to make it out before the Barrow-Wight noticed.

Overstaying one's welcome was not a good idea in this, of all places.

He made it to the door with nary a hitch, and with a mental prayer of joy, dashed out into the Downs.

Oh megablox, he muttered. The Downs were covered in their famous fog. Just another adventure/mishap in the life of a crazy Tolkien fan.

I really should stick to LEGO, he thought, and set off into the mist.

[Mithalwen]

Having got word of the party late and had a fearfully long drive in an ancient car then getting appallingly confused in the one way system at Bree and thus making a detour via Tharbad, Mithawen's possesing spirit arrives just as everyone else is leaving. A tall black-clad figure with a lot of unkempt rusty blonde hair )think funereal and anxious highland cow)briefly emerges leaves her present on the step and beetles of again, desperately hoping that the car starts before anyone notices. It does and she heads back to her home on the coast, tossing a badge with "Adanverieth" written in tengwar on to the passenger seat and feeling quite relieved that she doesn't have to go through the ordeal of being sociable.