Perturbed with Stewed Oliphaunts...
Determined to leave the wastes of the Morannon behind him, Frodo marched smartly into Ithilien, in search of lunch.
"I don't get it," he said. "There used to be lots of things around here. Potatos, herbs, rabbits..."
"But no fires," said Maggie sadly.
"What's the matter with a fire?" Frodo asked. "Were they afraid it would be unsafe?"
"Fires around here do have that history," Merry pointed out.
"Suppose someone did see our smoke," said Frodo. "Who could possibly mean us harm today?"
Before Maggie could answer, a crack in the woods put Frodo on alert. He sneaked away from the place where we would have lit a fire, had it been allowed...
...and hid deep inside a fern-brake. Just in case.
Peachy and Mariole crept forward to investigate.
"Look!" whispered Mariole. "It's the meadow where the Rangers ambushed the Men of Harad."
"And the place where Sam's oliphaunt got away," Peachy whispered back. "I wonder if it's still about?"
A brief examination of the area revealed a couple of suspicious mounds, still steaming.
"He is still around here!" cried Merry. "I knew it!"
Another crackle in the underbrush pushed Mariole's nerves past the breaking point. "The Rangers are going to fire on me!" she wailed. "Please, don't shoot! I'm not an oliphaunt!"
"It's only me," said Maggie. "I think I've found the answer."
She led us farther into the woods. "It's an oliphaunt, all right, but it's made of stone!"
"How'd it make that mess, then?" Merry demanded.
"I'm not sure," she said, "but look what else I found. This must be the old trail to Henneth Annûn."
Reading faint signs in the grass, she led us along a swift-flowing stream...
...then down a way so narrow we were forced to go single-file...
...until we came to the place where we could view Faramir's old hideout.
"Behold Henneth Annûn, the Window of the Sunset," cried Maggie. "I believe we are almost at the right time of day to appreciate the beauty of the sunlight shining through the falling water."
With uncanny skill, she led us to a path below the waterfall...
...and then directly behind it. Alas, we were still early for the setting sun to turn the curtain into ever-changing colors. The water fell in an unbroken sheet of gray just beyond our faces.
"Wait a minute!" Frodo shouted.
"What's wrong?" asked Maggie.
"This isn't Henneth Annûn." He looked up at the roaring river. "This is Niagara Falls!"
"Mariole was here a year and a half ago, when she saw the Lord of the Rings musical in Toronto."
"And that's not the Forbidden Pool. You can tell it isn't; it's even got a tour boat bobbing around in it!"
"This is the Forbidden Pool-- over here, in New Zealand. Middle-earth, that is."
"I'm sorry," said Maggie. "I must have taken a wrong turn. I guess I was distracted when I noticed the Fred and Maggie Pool next door."
"Wow, Fredegar would love this!" Merry cried. "Does anyone fancy a soak?"
"You are not taking this Quest seriously," Frodo grumped. "That's it; I've had it with the lot of you!"
So saying, he marched off in a huff towards the Morgul Vale. Chastened, there was nothing for the rest of us to do but follow him, and hope we could calm him down before anything untoward happened to him. After all, with every step he came closer to the Spider's Lair...
Click here for a complete list of our NZ adventures.
"I don't get it," he said. "There used to be lots of things around here. Potatos, herbs, rabbits..."
"But no fires," said Maggie sadly.
"What's the matter with a fire?" Frodo asked. "Were they afraid it would be unsafe?"
"Fires around here do have that history," Merry pointed out.
"Suppose someone did see our smoke," said Frodo. "Who could possibly mean us harm today?"
Before Maggie could answer, a crack in the woods put Frodo on alert. He sneaked away from the place where we would have lit a fire, had it been allowed...
...and hid deep inside a fern-brake. Just in case.
Peachy and Mariole crept forward to investigate.
"Look!" whispered Mariole. "It's the meadow where the Rangers ambushed the Men of Harad."
"And the place where Sam's oliphaunt got away," Peachy whispered back. "I wonder if it's still about?"
A brief examination of the area revealed a couple of suspicious mounds, still steaming.
"He is still around here!" cried Merry. "I knew it!"
Another crackle in the underbrush pushed Mariole's nerves past the breaking point. "The Rangers are going to fire on me!" she wailed. "Please, don't shoot! I'm not an oliphaunt!"
"It's only me," said Maggie. "I think I've found the answer."
She led us farther into the woods. "It's an oliphaunt, all right, but it's made of stone!"
"How'd it make that mess, then?" Merry demanded.
"I'm not sure," she said, "but look what else I found. This must be the old trail to Henneth Annûn."
Reading faint signs in the grass, she led us along a swift-flowing stream...
...then down a way so narrow we were forced to go single-file...
...until we came to the place where we could view Faramir's old hideout.
"Behold Henneth Annûn, the Window of the Sunset," cried Maggie. "I believe we are almost at the right time of day to appreciate the beauty of the sunlight shining through the falling water."
With uncanny skill, she led us to a path below the waterfall...
...and then directly behind it. Alas, we were still early for the setting sun to turn the curtain into ever-changing colors. The water fell in an unbroken sheet of gray just beyond our faces.
"Wait a minute!" Frodo shouted.
"What's wrong?" asked Maggie.
"This isn't Henneth Annûn." He looked up at the roaring river. "This is Niagara Falls!"
"Mariole was here a year and a half ago, when she saw the Lord of the Rings musical in Toronto."
"And that's not the Forbidden Pool. You can tell it isn't; it's even got a tour boat bobbing around in it!"
"This is the Forbidden Pool-- over here, in New Zealand. Middle-earth, that is."
"I'm sorry," said Maggie. "I must have taken a wrong turn. I guess I was distracted when I noticed the Fred and Maggie Pool next door."
"Wow, Fredegar would love this!" Merry cried. "Does anyone fancy a soak?"
"You are not taking this Quest seriously," Frodo grumped. "That's it; I've had it with the lot of you!"
So saying, he marched off in a huff towards the Morgul Vale. Chastened, there was nothing for the rest of us to do but follow him, and hope we could calm him down before anything untoward happened to him. After all, with every step he came closer to the Spider's Lair...
Click here for a complete list of our NZ adventures.