7: How the Rest of the Week Went

Wednesday, the morning was spent in the kitchen learning the fine art of making gingerbread men and decorating them. While Deirdre Clannach was there in a supervisory role, the class was actually conducted by the cooks. Even the Twins admitted afterwards that it had been a fun class.

“Especially getting to eat what we made,” Elrohir said with a grin.

“Just as well, since there will be no lunch,” Nimrodel retorted.

Because the kitchen was being used as a classroom on Wednesdays, no lunch would be provided on that day. Students could go to one of the other dining halls in the college or into town for a bite. None of the Elves were particularly hungry and opted out of lunch altogether, going their separate ways. Before the afternoon activities began, Glorfindel and the Twins went to Phil Gordon’s office and shortly thereafter all the paperwork was dealt with.

“You can begin assisting next week,” Phil said. “Stop here on Monday about a half hour before we start and we’ll work out a schedule that won’t interfere with your other classes. In the meantime, if you want to join us this afternoon, that will be fine.”

“Are we doing the same activities?” Elladan asked.

Phil shook his head. “Students can either swim laps, run or work out at the gym. We didn’t bother with sign-up sheets for any of these. Everyone just needs to show up in appropriate clothing.”

“We’ll go and change then,” Glorfindel said and the three ellyn left.

The ellith decided to go to the gym while all four ellyn decided to run. Shane and Jud decided to join them while Zach and Matt opted to swim laps. Lily and Cassie joined the ellith at the gym.

“This is not a race,” Phil told the runners as they gathered outside the Academy grounds. “Go at your own pace. Slow to a walk if you need to. The course is clearly marked out. Just follow the yellow signs with the black arrows.”

“How long is the course?” someone asked.

“Three miles in one direction and then you turn around and come back,” Phil answered, holding up his hand to still the groans that came from some of the students. “You do not need to run the entire course, though hopefully by the end of the term you will be able to without too much trouble. There are markers indicating every half mile, so try to do at least one mile. If you can’t run any further, then walk the rest of the way back.”

The four Elves glanced at one another. “Six miles,” Daeron said softly. “That’s not very far.”

Glorfindel shrugged. “Nothing says we can’t run the course again.”

The Twins nodded and Daeron shrugged. “How many times are you figuring to run the course?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Glorfindel replied. “As many times as it amuses me to do so, I guess.”

Daeron snorted and the Twins grinned. Glorfindel turned to Jud and Shane. “Don’t try to keep up with us,” he admonished. “Go at your own pace.”

“I think we can handle it,” Shane said. “I ran track back in school.”

“Me, too,” Jud said.

Then Phil blew on his whistle and all talking ceased as the Elves and the Mortals set off. The Elves kept to a steady ground-eating lope that was neither fast nor slow, keeping in the middle of the pack at first. Shane and Jud kept up with them for a while but Jud finally slowed to a jog after the first mile and was left behind. Shane continued to stay with the ellyn for another half mile and then she slowed as well. Elrohir turned and gave her a cheery wave as he and the others continued on, never slowing down or even looking as if they were out of breath, moving to the head of the pack. They were the first ones to reach the three-mile marker and were halfway back to the two-mile marker when they met the front line of runners. They shouted out words of encouragement as they passed the other students. Jud was not with them, but Shane still was. They saw her shake her head in disbelief as they passed her and smiled.

As they were approaching the starting point where they saw a number of students gathered who had only done the first mile, Glorfindel asked, “Want to go again?” and his fellow Elves nodded. He waved at Phil who gave them a surprised look when they didn’t slow down. “We’re going again,” Glorfindel shouted. “Six miles isn’t much.”

Before the man could respond they were off. This time, however, Glorfindel quickened the pace a bit. “C’mon, you sluggards,” he called to the other three ellyn. “Let’s see who gets back first.”

Elladan and Elrohir both gave yells of glee and the race was on. At first, the Twins were ahead, while Glorfindel and Daeron brought up the rear, but slowly, almost imperceptibly, Glorfindel began to overtake them with Daeron not far behind. All along the track they met other students coming back, many of them walking, though a few were still running or, rather, jogging slowly. All of them were dripping with sweat and they stared in disbelief as the Elves ran by looking as fresh as they had went they first started to run.

By the time they had gone four miles, Glorfindel was definitely ahead, though the other three were right on his heels. At the last moment, as they were all nearing the end of the course, Daeron put on a sudden burst of speed and was able to beat Glorfindel to the end by only a few inches. The Twins came in together a few seconds later laughing.

“Do we go again?” Daeron asked Glorfindel with a grin, catching his breath, though none of them were all that winded.

Glorfindel, however, shook his head. “You go if you wish. I’ve had enough running for a time.”

Elladan snorted. “What’s the matter, Loren, feeling your age?” He gave the ellon a sly smile.

Elrohir snickered and Daeron’s grin grew wider. Glorfindel gave them an arch look. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” he said haughtily and the other three started laughing.

“I can’t believe you guys ran twelve miles in about the same time as those who managed to do six and you don’t look at all beat,” Shane gasped. She was standing with the other students, sweat dripping from her, her hand on her side as if she were suffering a stitch.

Glorfindel shrugged. “We know how to pace ourselves,” he said diffidently.

Shane and the other students gave him disbelieving looks, which he ignored. He noticed Phil staring at them with some intensity and smiled. “So, is that it for the day?” he asked. “I, for one, could do with a hot shower.”

Phil nodded somewhat absently. “Yes. That’s it for the day. Thank you everyone. Have a good evening. Friday we’ll be either hiking or doing nature walks. We’ll see you then.”

****

Thursday, they visited the Gates of the Arctic Resort, which was an hour away to the west just on the outskirts of the national park and reserve by the same name. This time, the Twins did not even bother to join in the tour but slipped away unnoticed by the Mortals into the nearby woods, returning in time for lunch. Their whispered report was similar to the one they had given about Rainbow Lake and the other Elves nodded in satisfaction. Afterwards, they visited the Arctic Gate Safari company which was situated in Wiseman and was run by the same family who ran the Gates of the Arctic Resort.

“Same family, different branch,” Doug Borland, the safari manager, quipped with a smile and a wink and there were grins all around. “We offer a wide variety of activities for people of all ages, abilities and interests,” he continued, “from sleigh rides to cross-country skiing. Most activities will require a guide so it will be your job to see that our customers not only have a fun time, but a safe time, particularly the children. As you were probably told at the resort, one of our attractions is the igloos that we build on the grounds of the resort once the snow comes. For an additional fee people can sleep overnight in them, rather like camping out. We offer traditionally-made igloos as well as plexiglass igloos which allow people to see the Northern Lights in comfort without having to step outside. Those are particularly popular.”

“Any chance of us getting to sleep out like that?” someone asked. “It sounds like a lot of fun.”

“It is,” Doug said with a nod, “and yes, we let our employees sleep in the igloos. They have to sign up and take turns. We reserve Wednesday nights for them beginning the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. Our paying customers get the other six nights.” He stressed the word ‘paying’, giving them a wink, which caused them all to laugh. “Actually, we like to have our employees help build the traditional igloos,” he continued. “We make it into a party with pizza and hot chocolate and a bonfire. I believe you already saw the plexiglass igloos that are already up and are used in the summer months by people who want to camp out without bothering with a tent.”

The students all nodded. “We saw them when we were at the resort,” Cassie said. “They looked really weird out there without any snow about them.”

Several of the other students nodded and Doug laughed. “Undoubtedly they do, but people still like to sleep in them whatever the season. Now, if you will follow me I’ll show you a scale model of an igloo so you get an idea of how they are constructed....”

“Did you build igloos crossing the Ice?” Daeron asked Glorfindel quietly as they followed the crowd.

Glorfindel shook his head. “Constructing an igloo is labor intensive,” he answered. “We usually just piled the snow up into large mounds and then burrowed inside for insulation since we did not always have the wherewithal to make fire. Generally we huddled in groups of about a dozen, keeping the elflings in the middle where it was warmest.”

Nimrodel shook her head. “It must have been a truly horrifying experience.”

Glorfindel shrugged. “We survived,” he said quietly, “or, at least, most of us did,” he amended, looking suddenly sad.

Nimrodel squeezed his arm and gave him a sympathetic smile. Then they turned their attention to what Doug was telling them about constructing igloos, but Glorfindel’s mind was not on the lecture. Instead, he was wandering through a white hell that had no end while, high above, the stars glittered with icy indifference as he and his fellow Elves struggled across the Helcaraxë. His mood remained pensive for the rest of the afternoon and evening. The other Elves respected that and left him to himself, steering their clueless Mortal friends away to play billiards after dinner while Glorfindel wandered outside and ended up spending what passed for night sitting in a tree gazing at the stars for an hour or so before the sun was rising again.

****

When they met for breakfast the next morning, the other Elves were relieved to see that Glorfindel’s mood had lightened. They asked no questions though Zach wanted to know where he’d been all night.

“I k-k-kept waking up to see if you were b-back,” he told him. “I w-w-was worried.”

Glorfindel gave the young man a chagrined look. “Forgive me,” he said with all sincerity. “I never meant to worry you. I couldn’t sleep so I decided it wasn’t worth going to bed.”

“So, you suffer insomnia?” Lily asked. “My mom suffers from it from time to time. She says it’s a real pain.”

“Something like that,” Glorfindel replied turning his attention back to his scrambled eggs, not willing to elaborate.

After breakfast was the last class of the week: ‘Dealing With Children of All Ages’. This class was larger, consisting of two sections; the other two sections would meet during the second half of the morning. As they filed into the classroom Glorfindel saw Deirdre standing by her desk looking nervous. He stopped to say hello while the others found seats.

“What’s the matter?” he asked solicitously.

Deirdre gave him a wan smile. “I’m wondering who will be taking over this class.”

Glorfindel shook his head. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said quietly. “Most of these students are barely out of childhood themselves.” He gave her a conspiratorial smile and she hid a giggle behind her hand, her eyes brightening with returned humor. “And as I told you earlier, I haven’t a clue about children these days. It’s been some time since I’ve had to deal with them.”

Then it was time to start, so Glorfindel found his seat and Deirdre welcomed everyone to the class. “Over the next two months we will be learning strategies for dealing with children as well as with their parents or guardians,” she told them. “The winters here are harsh and keeping anyone amused in sub-zero temperatures is a difficult task. We will be learning different games and songs you can teach the children as a way of distracting them. We will also look at ways to keep the adults amused as well.” She flashed them a knowing smile and there was some light laughter from the students. “In some cases,” Deirdre continued, “you will not be dealing with children and their parents at all, but with groups of adults who have decided to come here to celebrate the holidays. They are not going to be interested in visiting Santa... well, not all of them.” Now there was genuine laughter through the classroom. “At any rate, it will be important for you to know how to conduct yourself with them as well. They will not be interested in singing songs and playing games as such but they will be interested in other things.”

She paused to take some hand-outs from her desk, giving them out to the students in the front row to pass back. “Here are some simple holiday songs that you can teach your young customers.”

The students leafed through the half dozen pages filled with musical scores. Glorfindel could hear Daeron softly humming the tunes under his breath as he read through the hand-out. None of them sounded at all familiar. Apparently they were not familiar to the other students as well because a number of them made comments to that effect. Deirdre nodded.

“While you are encouraged to have the children sing songs they already know,” she told them, “remember that children naturally love to learn new things. These songs are taken from different cultures where Christmas is celebrated. The tunes are simple enough to learn quickly, so it’s really a matter of memorizing the verses. If any of you play a musical instrument, one that is easily carried, such as a flute or even a penny whistle, that will make it more fun for everyone in your group.”

“So when would we teach them these songs?” someone asked.

“At any time,” Deirdre answered. “Teach them a song at the beginning of the tour as a way of breaking the ice. You might be in charge of several families at the same time and no one is going to know anyone else. Teaching them one of these songs will be a good way of making them comfortable. Now, can you think of any other times when singing would prove a welcome distraction?”

There was some thoughtful silence from the students and then Mithrellas raised her hand. “Possibly when we’re trekking through the woods,” she said. “I believe that there is a point in the tour when we lead the children to wherever it is this Santa Claus lives.”

Deirdre nodded. “Indeed. In fact, if you look on page three, you’ll find a lovely song from Africa about visiting Father Christmas. It’s been translated from the original Swahili and....”

****

Not everyone was musically inclined, it turned out, and there was some embarrassed laughter among the class but nothing malicious. Daeron offered to teach anyone who could not sing well to play the songs on penny whistles. “I noticed that there is a small music store in town where you can buy them very cheaply,” he mentioned and Deirdre thought it was an excellent idea.

Evan raised his hand. “Do we have to be... um... musically challenged...”

“You mean tone-deaf,” one of the other students interjected amidst much laughter.

“... in order for you to teach us how to play the penny whistle?” Evan continued, ignoring the interruption.

Daeron shook his head. “Not at all. Anyone who wishes can join the lessons. If there are a lot of people interested, we can split the groups up into manageable portions. I’m not the only one who knows how to play the penny whistle. Dan and Roy are very good and I think Della knows how as well.”

“Would you be willing to offer lessons to the rest of the students, not just this class?” Deirdre asked.

Daeron nodded. “We can set up a schedule for the evenings and weekends. It really won’t take long to teach the basics. Once they’ve learned that the rest will follow.”

“Thank you,” Deirdre said gratefully. “I will speak to Ms Goodfellow about it, but I don’t think she will object. I know the owners of the store you mentioned. I will speak to them about it and perhaps we can get a student discount on the price of the instruments. If there are a lot of people interested in learning, they will probably have to order more. I doubt they have too many in stock.”

Daeron nodded. “As I said, it will not take long to teach the basics. Even if we have to wait a few weeks for them, there will be plenty of time.” Then he turned to the rest of the class with a smile. “So, how many of you want to learn?”

All the Mortals raised a hand. Glorfindel raised his as well. Daeron gave him a strange look, but the ellon just smiled back at him.

****

As they were leaving the classroom at the end of the session, Daeron pulled Glorfindel aside and let the others file out. “Two things,” he said softly. Glorfindel gave him an enquiring look. “First, when did you suddenly forget how to play a penny whistle?”

Glorfindel smiled broadly. “I didn’t, but I think it’s time to act a little less competent in everything.”

Daeron snorted. “A little late for that, but I get your point.”

“And the second thing?” Glorfindel asked.

Now Daeron’s eyes brightened. “Did you notice that when Zach sang he never stuttered?”

“Truly?” Glorfindel exclaimed in surprise. “I admit I wasn’t paying much attention as these songs are as unfamiliar to me as they are to the rest of the class.”

“Yes,” Daeron replied. “Deirdre did a good job of finding these songs. They’re simple enough to learn quickly and yet they are also fun to sing. At any rate, what I said about Zach is true. I’ve been studying his speech patterns over this past week and I have a pretty good idea what sounds trip him up the most. I noticed that when Deirdre mentioned singing, his eyes lit up and he did not appear anxious, not like when Marian mentioned having to tell stories.”

“Hmm... so what are you saying?” Glorfindel asked.

“I may have a solution to Zach’s problem,” Daeron said, “at least in the short term.”

“What? Have him sing every time he opens his mouth?” Glorfindel demanded, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Well, not exactly,” Daeron said with a sly smile, “but something like. At any rate, I need to think it all through first.”

“A singing Elf,” Glorfindel said with amusement, shaking his head as the two left the classroom.

“Is there any other kind?” Daeron asked, giving him an innocent look and Glorfindel laughed.

****

The rest of the morning before lunch was unscheduled, though Deirdre had told them before dismissing the class that later in the semester they would spend the time helping out at the post office answering children’s letters to Santa or helping to wrap toys and putting together Christmas baskets for those in the community who could not afford presents for their children or Christmas dinner.

“Unfortunately, we do have a number of families who need help during the holiday season,” she said, “but for now, the rest of the morning is yours to do as you please.”

So, everyone went their separate ways. Daeron decided to go into town to visit the music store. The ellith joined him, saying they wanted to visit the Sundance Spa and indulge themselves with a massage. The Twins simply disappeared without a word and Glorfindel decided it was as good a time as any to do his laundry. Their Mortal friends scattered to pursue their own amusements until lunch time.

Directly after lunch they all climbed into buses which then headed towards the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Reserve. One of the athletic coaches, who introduced herself as Bev Larsen, accompanied them on the bus and apprised them of what they would be doing as the driver headed for the James Dalton Highway.

“There are several marked trails in the park,” she said as she handed out maps of the area. “The blue trail is the easiest, while the orange and green trails are of medium difficulty. The red trail is the most difficult and should only be attempted by those who are used to mountain climbing, though you don’t actually need any equipment for this.”

“So what is the purpose of this?” Elrohir asked.

“The purpose is conditioning,” Bev explained, “as well as familiarizing yourself with the different trails. Over the next few weeks we’ll take you to other areas where the resorts are located so you can become familiar with the trails there. The safari companies offer nature walks and snow-shoe walks and the like and there will be people wanting to hike through the wilderness. You’ll need to know where the trails are and what you might see along the way that will interest your clients. So, look over the maps and decide which trail you would like to try today. I would recommend not doing the red trail. Most of your clients are not going to be interested in doing any hard climbing. The green trail is less difficult than the orange trail but both can be done by anyone who is in reasonably good health.”

The Elves and their friends looked over the maps. “How long will it take us to walk any of these trails?” Lily asked Bev.

“The average person can do the blue trail in about an hour,” she answered, “while the green and orange trails generally take longer, an hour and a half at most. It doesn’t matter which trail you choose to walk today. Eventually you’ll be exploring all the trails and getting to know them as well as possible. Each has its own charms. Remember, once the snow starts flying, the trails will take on a whole different look. Right now we just want you to have a good time. This is why we’ve chosen Fridays for this activity. Walking the trails is a good way to wind down from the week.”

There were nods from the students and they went back to looking over their maps. “So, which trail do we choose?” Nimrodel asked.

“The green trail looks interesting,” Matt ventured, “but I wonder how many of us will actually take little kids along it? It’s more likely that we would take them on the shortest and easiest trails.”

“But we won’t necessarily be dealing with children all the time,” Cassie pointed out. “Some of our adult clients are likely to want more of a challenge.”

“Which trail do you want to take, Loren?” Daeron asked, implicitly letting their nominal leader make the choice.

Glorfindel smiled. “Well, I’m tempted to take the red trail just for the fun of it, but why don’t we see which trails everyone else takes and do the trail that has the least number of people on it.”

They all agreed to that and when they reached their destination, the six Elves and the six Mortals hung back to allow everyone else to go on. It turned out that there were wooden sign posts pointing to the different trails. Each trail was clearly marked with the same color as was on the map. The blue and green trails shared the trail for a bit before the green trail veered off while the orange and red trails had separate starting points. Most of the students seemed interested in taking the less strenuous trails. Only a couple of other students opted for the orange trail, so the Elves and their friends went that way.

It turned out to be a lovely walk for the Elves and even the Mortals visibly began to relax as the beauty of the woods took hold of their souls. Elrohir and Elladan went on ahead, eager to commune with the trees, while the others took their time, stopping once in a while to let the Mortals catch their breaths or just to admire the view. While there was some climbing, most of the trail was flat and not too strenuous. They came upon a small lake or pond that reflected the mountains around them and they spent some time exploring the area. The Twins returned to them from further up the trail, which was now veering back towards the park entrance.

“The woods are more alive here than anywhere, have you noticed?” Elladan said, speaking in Sindarin. “It’s almost as if....”

“As if what?” Glorfindel asked when the younger Elf hesitated.

It was Elrohir who answered, though. “It’s almost as if others have been through here before us and have wakened the trees.” Elladan nodded vigorously. The other Elves paused and glanced at one another, letting the implication of Elrohir’s words sink in.

“Something wrong?” Zach asked when he noticed their pensive expressions.

Glorfindel shook his head. “No, nothing’s wrong. Come. We’d best be going. It’s getting late and we’ve lingered here long enough.”

They continued on their way and were soon back at the park entrance where they joined the other students as they clambered back into the buses. Glorfindel was the last to get in, pausing for a moment as he started to step up to glance over his shoulder. He had a feeling he was being watched, yet there was no one there, just the trees.

“Well, are you coming or going?” the bus driver asked good-naturedly.

“Sorry,” Glorfindel said as he climbed the steps. “Just taking a last look.”

The driver nodded as he closed the door and once everyone was settled in their seats he set off back to Wiseman.

“Someone was watching us,” Elrohir whispered to him. “Did you not feel it?”

Glorfindel nodded.

“Friend or foe?” Nimrodel asked.

“Not a foe,” Elladan answered firmly, “but as for being a friend....” He gave her a shrug.

“We’ll have to come back without the Mortals,” Daeron suggested.

Glorfindel nodded. “Yes, I think we will have to do just that.”

“Tomorrow?” Elrohir asked.

Glorfindel shook his head. “Best to wait. We already promised we would go to see Matt’s girlfriend’s band play.”

“That’s not until the evening,” Mithrellas pointed out.

“Which is when I plan to go back,” Glorfindel said, “when there is no one else around.”

The others nodded in understanding and then they made a conscious effort to join in the conversations around them as the others on the bus were describing what they had seen along the trails.

****

Friday evening after dinner was apparently movie night and everyone congregated in the dining hall where popcorn and sodas were offered. The movie that night, oddly enough, was The Watcher in the Wood. The coincidence was not lost on any of the Elves, but they enjoyed the movie along with the other students nonetheless. Afterwards, Glorfindel took the Twins aside. “Meet me outside in fifteen minutes,” he said simply and the two nodded.

A quarter of an hour later, dressed in dark clothing, the three ellyn climbed into Glorfindel’s mini-van and they were soon heading back to the park. The highway was deserted and they met no one in either direction. Glorfindel pulled the van off the road a few yards from the park entrance and the three Elves climbed effortlessly into the trees that bordered the road, crossing into the park without tripping any security alarms. Under the light of the setting sun they split up with Elrohir taking the blue trail and Elladan the green trail while Glorfindel took the orange trail. They met up with one another an hour later.

“Anything?” Glorfindel asked them but they shook their heads.

“Whatever or whoever was here earlier is gone,” Elrohir said.

“There’s one trail we haven’t taken,” Elladan pointed out.

“Too risky,” Glorfindel said with a shake of his head, “and it’s getting late. Let’s go.”

They left the park the same way as they got in and soon they were headed back to Wiseman where they found the other Elves waiting for them in the reading lounge. By now it was an hour past midnight.

“Nothing,” Glorfindel said before they could ask. “I’m for bed. See you all at breakfast.” With that he left them and climbed the stairs to the third floor, slipping silently into his room so as not to disturb Zach. He lay on the bed with his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling contemplating many things. He had refrained from telling the others that the presence they had all sensed had felt familiar to him, though he could not say why and that disturbed him more than anything.

It was some time before he allowed himself to slip onto the Path of Dreams.