33: Storm Preparations

Glorfindel was still working at his office when Daeron sought him out. "As of five minutes ago, we’re now under martial law. Mayor Whitman has declared a state of emergency. There’s to be no unnecessary travel and the town is pretty much shut down."

Glorfindel nodded. "Marian called me to let me know," he said. "There’s a meeting tonight at seven with the college president for all the administrators. Richard wants to organize the college so we don’t have a panic. I’ll need you to keep an eye on things here while I’m at the meeting."

Daeron nodded. "No problem. I’ve set up a rotation of watches for the rest of us."

"Amroth and Della are on their way back," Glorfindel said. "I called them earlier. If they left within a half an hour of my call, they may still be able to get here by tonight."

"I’ll rearrange the schedule to include them, then. As it is, unless you want to bring Derek back here, someone has to remain at Edhellond at all times. Otherwise, I think it would be wiser to just shut the place down and have everyone move here for the duration."

"Who’s at the mansion now?"

"Holly, Sarah and Ron. Everyone else is here helping with clearing the snow on the walkways between certain buildings. College maintenance is setting up a series of guide ropes for people to use if they need to move from one building to another."

"Classes will be canceled," Glorfindel said with a frown.

"But people still have to eat and I think they’re planning to keep the student center and library open so people don’t suffer too much from cabin fever. Maintenance will have its hands full keeping the walkways cleared if this snow continues falling at the rate it is."

"That ice storm is coming and it will make things worse. In the meantime, I’ve made up a to-do list to prepare ourselves for any eventuality. First thing I want is for people to do their laundry. There are a limited number of machines, so people will have to sign up to use them. If they can, have roommates combine their laundry to save time. Some people may only have a few things to wash if they did laundry earlier but we want people to have as many clean clothes as possible because if we lose power no one will be doing laundry."

"Makes sense. Anything else?"

"Remind everyone to charge their electronics — laptops, phones, MP3 players, e-readers, whatever." Daeron nodded. "Boredom is as much an enemy as the snow," Glorfindel continued. "To that end, we need to organize games and mini-courses to keep the children amused. I was hoping Zach could come in but he called me this morning to tell me he’s at Nicole’s helping her out. Seems all four children are down with the Norovirus."

"That’s rough. I’m glad Zach is there for her, but we’re in luck because Jud is here."

Glorfindel smiled. "Is he now? Well that’s the first bit of good news I’ve had all day. Where is he?"

"At the moment he’s crunching numbers for me, doing an inventory of all our supplies, such as toilet paper and cleaning solutions and the like."

"When he’s done with that, ask him to start organizing games that people can play in small groups. I know there is an entire shelf of board games in the game room, but if he can come up with other ideas that would help. We should also offer classes as well. I’m thinking hands-on stuff rather than having them sit there listening to a lecture. If they are physically occupied with a task, they shouldn’t feel quite as bored."

"Any suggestions?"

Glorfindel gave him a sly grin. "Well, I was thinking basketweaving, but I don’t think we have the necessary supplies."

"Basketweaving?"

"Hey, if it was good enough for Finrod, it’s good enough for us," Glorfindel replied with a laugh. "Unfortunately, I haven’t a clue as to how to make one."

"And how is it that the King of Nargothrond knows how to weave baskets?" Daeron asked with an amused smile on his lips.

"It was part of his... um... occupational therapy, as they would say today, after he was re-embodied."

"Ah, I see. Well, I know Holly has plenty of wood and such for bow-making. Perhaps we can have classes in that."

"It’s certainly an option. Talk to the others and see what you can come up with. The more activities we can offer, and make mandatory, the less likely people will snap because they are forced to remain indoors."

Daeron nodded. "Do you want us all to move here or should some of us stay at the mansion?"

"No, I would prefer everyone to come here. Let them know. I’ll call Ron. He can get Derek ready. The rest of us will have to go in shifts to bring back any extra clothing and such. I’ll ask Holly to empty out the kitchen and bring everything here. I’m sure Grace would welcome the extra supplies, especially staples."

"I’ll get right on it," Daeron said. "With regards to laundry, if we’re to let everyone have a go at it before we lose power, some people will have to be doing theirs in the middle of the night."

"Well, these are college students," Glorfindel said with a thin smile. "Most of them are used to being up at all hours. And with classes cancelled, they can sleep in. I doubt if anyone will complain."

"You’re right there," Daeron said with a chuckle. "I’ll let you get back to work."

"Actually, I’m on my way out. I’m going to stop at the clinic and check on Alex and then go on home and pack my own bag. I’ll grab a bite there and then go on to the meeting, so you’re in charge until I get back. Hopefully the meeting won’t last too long, but with Mortals, you never know. They have a penchant for dragging things out."

"Tell me about it. All right. I’ll make sure no one’s moved the Academy while you’re gone."

Glorfindel chuckled as the two left the office and went their separate ways.

****

Alex was fast asleep when Glorfindel arrived at the clinic, so he didn’t stay long, just long enough to get an update on the Man’s condition and then he headed home, making his way across the campus, ignoring the guide ropes that were the only indications of where the walkways were. His only concession to the weather was a fleece-lined jacket, but he wore no gloves or hat. He made good time and was at the mansion after about a half an hour. He found Ercassë and Serindë busily emptying out the pantries, as well as the fridge and freezer.

"We’re going to put the freezable things into an ice chest," Ercassë informed him, "and Ron will load it on a sled along with the rest of our supplies."

"Where’s Derek?" Glorfindel asked.

"Helping Ron. He claimed to be feeling much better after sleeping most of the day. The two of them are shuttering windows and turning off the water so the pipes don’t burst. Everyone’s been here to pick up personal items except for Barry, but he should be here soon enough. Amroth and Della, of course, aren’t here."

"But they will be sometime tonight, I hope," Glorfindel said, "so we need to keep the place open until they get here."

"It’s going to take several trips to get everything we need over to the Academy so I don’t think we’ll be shutting the place up too soon. One of us can remain here until they arrive and fill them in with what’s happening."

"I have a meeting in a couple of hours, so I’m going to pack my bag. Can you see that it gets to my office?"

"Sure. No problem."

"So now the only question is Derek and how do we get him back to the college," Glorfindel said with a sigh.

"I asked Ron about it and he said he had it all figured out and not to worry," Ercassë told him.

"Then I won’t. Well, I’d best leave you to your work," Glorfindel said, leaving the kitchen and making his way to his room. He encountered Vorondur in the hallway and took a few minutes to update the ellon. "Don’t worry about Derek," Vorondur said. "It’s all been arranged."

"Thanks. In the meantime, let everyone know that as soon as I get back from my meeting, I want to hold our own meeting to address various situations. Have Daeron set one of the classrooms up for us. We’ll meet around ten. I’m hoping Amroth and Della will be back by then."

"Will do," Vorondur said and the two ellyn departed.

****

The meeting with the other administrators was not as long as Glorfindel feared it would be. Richard Martina, the college president, did not suffer fools gladly and kept the discussion on point, refusing to allow people to wander from the subject at hand. He was aided by Sheriff Carl Graff who gave them a run-down on the situation in town.

"All roads are closed, and unless you have minors or elderly family members depending on you, we are encouraging faculty and staff to stay where they are and help keep order among the students."

"I plan to organize everyone into teams with responsibility for certain buildings," Martina said. "Unlike most community colleges, we have a substantial student population that lives on-campus simply because of our remote location, which means that I want coordination between faculty and the resident assistants to ensure calm among the students."

When Glorfindel told them what plans he had already instigated for the Academy, Martina gave him a nod of approval.

"Thank you, Loren. Obviously you’ve had experience in this kind of thing before."

"Being besieged by snow isn’t much different from being besieged by an army: you still end up not being able to go anywhere," he said with a slight smile.

Eventually, the meeting came to an end with everyone knowing what was expected of them. As they were leaving the conference room, Glorfindel remained behind to speak with Martina and Graff. "All the Elves are or will soon be at the Academy. If at any time you feel a situation is getting out of control, call me or Daeron and we’ll send someone over to help."

"I appreciate that, Loren," Martina said with a grateful look and Graff also nodded in approval. "We have no idea how long this storm will last and tempers will become frayed soon enough."

"Even more so with an ice storm on its way," Glorfindel said.

"Ice storm?" Martina asked. "Are you sure? I haven’t heard anything about it and I’ve had the weather station turned on all day."

"Me neither," Graff added, frowning.

"It’ll be here by Thursday morning," Glorfindel assured them and both Men knew enough about the ways of Elves not to question his statement.

"That’s all we need, ice on top of snow," Graff said with a sigh of disgust. "That’s just going to make things worse."

"Perhaps, but there’s little we can do about it, unless you have the ability to wish the entire town of Wiseman to Tahiti."

Both Men laughed. "Don’t I wish," Graff said. "Okay. I’ll let everyone know about the ice storm so they can prepare. Some won’t heed my warning, though."

"That’s not your problem, but you might stress the fact that the last time someone ignored a warning given by one of us you had several students and townspeople out in another blizzard."

Both Men grimaced at that recollection. "Please don’t remind me. I still have nightmares about that," Martina said.

Glorfindel nodded. "So do I," he said and took his leave.

****

Returning to the Academy, Glorfindel was pleased to see that the place was bustling with activity. Students were rushing about laughing and consulting one another in groups of two or three before rushing off again. Glorfindel made his way to his office dodging the students.

"What’s going on?" he asked when he saw Elrohir walking towards him.

"Blame Jud," the ellon said with a broad smile. "As soon as Daeron told him about games, he immediately created a scavenger hunt, taking odd objects that he found and hiding them and coming up with clues. Then at dinner he made an announcement and as soon as they were done eating, those who weren’t doing laundry or are still sick in bed, have been running around hunting for the clues. They’ve been at it for quite a while."

"And this is just the first day," Glorfindel said, smiling as he watched a couple of co-eds running down the hall giggling, clutching at scraps of paper.

"Don’t worry," Elrohir assured him with a grin, "Jud won’t be running out of ideas soon. You should see the list of games he’s already compiled."

Glorfindel chuckled. "A pity Brethorn isn’t here."

"Who?"

"A Reborn with a penchant for playing games while stuck inside during a blizzard. Long story, and I wasn’t even there at the time. Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it."

"I look forward to hearing it," Elrohir said. "It’s rare that you speak of Valinor and your life there."

Glorfindel shook his head. "My life is here now with you and your brother and our friends."

"But you still miss it, or rather you miss certain people."

"Yes, of course. That goes without saying, but it’s no different than you missing your parents. You and Dan could have gone West at any time, but you didn’t and I had vowed that I would remain with you until you were ready to take the Straight Road. Now enough. We have a blizzard and an ice storm to contend with. Which room is our meeting in?"

"Room one-oh-three," Elrohir answered.

"Good. I see we still have thirty minutes, so I’m going to go freshen up a bit. I’ll see you there."

Elrohir nodded. "Oh, by the way, you’ll never guess how Ron got Derek back here."

"Yes, I was meaning to ask. So, just how did he do it?"

"Called up Paul Pettingill who came over on his snowmobile and gave Derek a ride, so he never saw any of us walking on the snow as we lugged supplies over here."

Glorfindel smiled. "Clever. I should’ve thought of that." Elrohir took his leave and Glorfindel stopped at his office long enough to grab a toiletry bag out of the haversack that was on a chair and went in search of the nearest men’s bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, he was heading for the meeting room and found almost everyone already there, including Vorondur. Only Ercassë and Serindë were missing for they were still at the mansion waiting for the arrival of Amroth and Della. A few minutes later, Elladan and Elrohir showed up and Glorfindel called the meeting to order.

"First of all, thank you for being willing to give up the comforts of your own beds during this crisis."

"It’s not as if we’ve not been down this road before," Elladan said with a shrug.

"Yes, I know, but I just felt it necessary to show you my appreciation for all that you’ve done. Second, Alex is doing much better and Dr. Lawrence assured me that, barring any complications, he should be able to return here in a matter of days."

"That is good news," Gilvegil said with a smile and others nodded in agreement.

"Thirdly, thank you for thinking to have Paul bring Derek back here via snowmobile, Ron. That was clever thinking on your part."

"The Rangers have been deputized by the mayor to help the police maintain order," Vorondur said. "I happened to be talking with Paul about it and mentioned our dilemma. He was the one to suggest he bring Derek back."

"And where is Derek staying?" Glorfindel asked Daeron. "I don’t think his room is ready yet, is it?"

"No, and it won’t be for a couple of days," Daeron answered. "In the meantime, he and Jud are bunking together in the reading room. Luckily, one of the required pieces of equipment we asked everyone to bring was a sleeping bag. Jud is borrowing Alex’s for the time being."

"That’ll be fine," Glorfindel said. "If necessary, I’ll ask John to keep Alex at the clinic until this is all blown over. He’ll at least have a bed to sleep in and the clinic has its own generator, so if we lose power, they’ll be okay."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Glorfindel continued.

"Carl Graff was also at the administrators' meeting and it is pretty much what we’ve been told: Wiseman is under lock-down until further notice. There’s a curfew on and Richard is going to enforce it here on campus as well. I told him and Carl that if they need us to help they only have to call."

The others nodded again. "Jud is organizing the games and activities," Daeron said, "and so far, people are responding positively. He also came up with the idea of having people stay with anyone who is sick so that they don’t feel isolated. To that end, he’s forming a care brigade, as he calls it, whereby a person visits with a sick person, bringing games or books or music while their roommate gets a break to do their own thing for a while. It seems to be popular with the students, especially those who’ve been sick and are now recovered."

"This doesn’t solve the problem of keeping infection down though," Glorfindel said. "People can reinfect one another."

"True," Daeron averred, "but as Jud told me, since there’s no way to escape from it, it’s best to simply keep on keeping on and hope for the best and I agree. If worse comes to worst, we will be nursing them all at some point or another, but there are people who won’t get the virus or suffer only minor symptoms and they will be able to help out when others are incapacitated."

"Then we will worry about that if and when it happens," Glorfindel said. "What about classes? Any ideas of what we can offer?"

"And there’s where Jud came to the rescue again," Daeron said with a fond smile for his assistant. "He came up with a questionnaire for students to fill out asking for their preferences in terms of different activities that might be offered. They’re on my desk now waiting to be tabulated. Knowing what the students would like to see should help us plan better and insure that what we offer will be well received."

"Good, then I think we’re in pretty good order. We just have to wait and see how badly this ice storm hits. As long as we’ve prepared for the worst and hoped for the best, I think we’ll make it through this. What about....?"

He was interrupted by the door opening and everyone looked to see Ercassë and Serindë with Amroth and Nimrodel. "Are we late?" Amroth asked with a smile.

"No, you’re just in time," Glorfindel said with a smile. "We’re just about finished here and I was about to suggest that we go to the cafeteria and see if Roy would make us some of his famous hot chocolate."

"I’m willing," Elrohir said. "Let’s go."

"Sorry to ruin your honeymoon," Glorfindel said as everyone filed out of the classroom. "Although you don’t look particularly upset about being called back here so soon."

Both Amroth and Nimrodel started laughing. Glorfindel stopped, giving them a puzzled look and everyone else gathered around them. "Was it something I said?"

Nimrodel giggled and Amroth smirked. "No. It’s just that we have some news of our own."

"And that would be what exactly?" Glorfindel asked with narrowed eyes.

Amroth wrapped his arms around Nimrodel, kissing her lightly on the forehead before answering Glorfindel’s question. "Can’t you tell? Della is with child and we think it might be twins."

****

Note: Glorfindel mentioning Brethorn and the blizzard is in reference to events in Elf, Interrupted: Book Two, chapter 125.