Writing Wrongs with Henry Fairchild: The Fellowship Caper, Part 1

As I scrambled through the woods, branches ripping at my clothes, panting, sweat dripping down my forehead, I tried to figure out when exactly I had gone insane.

I’m not a warrior. I’m not even particularly adventurous. I’m a software engineer. I certainly enjoy a good hike and being outside, but that’s a far cry from racing through the woods straight towards a band of ravening Orcs. Particularly when one is wearing nothing but a t-shirt, flannel pants, and extremely well-worn slippers.

But perhaps I should start at the beginning.

When I saw the ad in the InterFiction Gazette that said they were hiring reporters, I applied on a whim. I enjoy their articles, of course, but that’s as far as it goes. Mostly, I liked the humor of it: the idea that reporters could go inside books and talk to the characters directly. I didn’t think the reporters actually interviewed characters. I believed the articles were as fictional as the novels I read.

For that matter, I thought the novels I read were fictional.

I suppose they still are.

Perhaps it’s just my definition of fiction that’s faulty.

Either way, I’m not so sure I have any idea where the line between fiction and reality is anymore. Which is why I’m out here racing through a fictional forest in one of my all-time favorite books.

It’s a moot point, anyway, because I don’t have time to tell you all the details. Suffice to say, I got the job and the badge, and was given my first assignment: to interview Gimli from Lord of the Rings. That sounded fun. I went home from new employee orientation and started flipping through Fellowship of the Ring to get ideas for my article. I sat at my desk for a while and started typing up an amusing piece of fiction in which Gimli first accused me of being an elven spy, and then later came around to liking me so much he said it was a pity I wasn't a dwarf. I didn't finish the piece, as it was getting late... but I was enjoying the creative outlet.

I thought the assignment was a creative writing piece!

I never expected to be woken up in the early hours of morning by a strange glow emanating from the badge I had carelessly tossed on my nightstand. 

I sat up as the glow woke me out of a very restful slumber. I was upright and had my feet in my slippers before I realized it wasn't the sunlight peeking in through my window that had disturbed my sleep. I picked the badge up, staring at it through sleep-blurred eyes. It was blinking a steady blue beat. I turned it over, confused, trying to figure out how it worked and how to shut it off.

Then the world collapsed. Nothing made sense. It was horribly unpleasant. All my senses were turned inside out. And when it stopped, I found myself flat on the grassy ground. A great roaring filled my ears, and at first I thought it had something to do with my sudden transportation, but then I sat up and glimpsed the huge river through the trees. I rubbed my eyes in the early sunlight and stared around.

Could it be possible? It wasn’t possible. I must be dreaming. This was a strange dream brought on my a late supper and reading Lord of the Rings right before falling asleep. And yet... entering the clearing was a very small person, draped in a cloak of strange grayish-green coloring. His shoulders were bowed and his steps were uncertain and weary. He sat in the clearing and closed his eyes.

It was Frodo.

And that's where we'll leave Henry for now. Make sure to swing by next week to find out how his first adventure in the Realm of Fiction turns out!

Also, don't forget to go nominate your favorite characters for the Inaugural Silmarillion Awards! All the nomination categories are now open! Find out more HERE