Other Worlds Than These

[feawen]

Anahera had found it difficult to sleep on a bed so high and soft, she was used the the cool openness of a tent and a fur skin bed on the floor. Even in darkness the village of light enough to see the shapes in her room and the noise kept her wake. Rasing late into the night she picked up her bag and softly walked out of her room, out of the inn, out of the village until she saw the soft fluffy shape of sheep and a small bright fire. She nodded at Elspeths suprised looked and ruffled the dogs head. Elspeth was finding it difficult to sleep as well, too many thoughts ran though her head. And so on their first night together, saying very little and both deep in their own thoughts, to two kept watch over the flock, as the sky slowly brighten.

[Earniel]

The suddeness of the bright light and crackle of lightning appearing right in front of him, made Indigo fall backwards in surprise. The charcoal piece he had been holding went flying from his hand and disappeared in the grass. His sketch pad fell open on his face.

By the time Indigo had extracted himself from his sketch pad and pulled himself up, the mysterious light had disappeared again without a trace. Well, not entirely without a trace. There were two people clad from head to toe in green, lying on the ground where the light had briefly appeared.

Funny thing was, Indigo could have sworn they hadn't been there a few seconds before. He had a pretty good view all around him from where he had been sitting, and the tiny shepherd on the distant field had been the nearest human being since an hour or so until these two showed up.

When the two figures didn't stand up immediately, Indigo walked over to them to check. "Hullo," he said. "That was quite some freak lightning, are you two alright?"

It was at that point that Indigo saw he had been wrong about two things. The first one was that the two weren't dressed in green. The second one was that, in fact, they weren't dressed in anything! And although Indigo averted his gaze as soon as he realised that, he couldn't help noticing with reddening cheeks, that one of them was a young woman.

"Well, that's not something you see everyday," he said to himself, half loud.

[Midge]

Lur and Lantie lay on the grass for a few moments - the land was no longer undulating beneath them and despite their good balance, they needed a bit of time to acclimate.

Both felt no reason to speak - they were listening for the voice of Maleldil. They knew that Fixed Lands and floating islands both existed, but there had always been water in between the two. This clearly was something Maleldil wanted to teach them. However, instead of the deep, still, quiet voice of Maleldil the twins were used to, they heard a higher-pitched, strangely accented voice.

"Are you two alright?" Lur looked at the speaker, who was a bright pink color and looked to be a child. Suddenly the pink one looked away, as if embarrassed.

"We are well. Are you ill, young one?" asked Lur, as he got to his feet, swaying slightly. He could think of no other reason for any being to have the coloring this one did.

Lantie, meanwhile, lay on the ground with her eyes closed. Everywhere she'd been on Perelandra, she could always smell a certain sweet scent. Her mother had told her it was the scent of the world, of the archon Perelandra. Here, no matter how delicately she searched the airs, that scent was gone.

"Brother," she said, and her voice trembled, "I do not think we are in Perelandra. The air is different here. There is no sweetness in the wind. It is an empty aroma."

Then she, too, noticed the pink child. She looked at Lur and they both remembered a festival not many years back when their father had recounted the strange hue of the skin of Ransom, the man who saved their world from certain destruction.

[Earniel]

"Who, me? Oh no, I'm quite alright, thank you," Indigo said quickly. "Just a bit... surprised, yes, surprised, that's all."

Did these people not notice they were naked? Perhaps they had a shock. He better break it to them gently. Turning around, Indigo took his coat of the ground on which he had been sitting and shook the grass of it. Then he dug into his pack, he was certain he had forgotten to take his rain cloak out of the pack this morning. Now it could come in handy, ah there it was.

Both item of clothing were on the short side for the two big folk, and would no doubt look absolutely ridiculous, but at least they would cover the more private bits.

With a garment each in his hands, he turned again to the two still very green people, just in time to hear the woman exclaim that they weren't in Perelandrum or something of that nature.

"You are in Gondor, miss," he said. "Anorien, to be precise. Can't say I've ever heard of a place called Perelandrum and I've looked at quite a bit of maps."

He held out both garments out to them, while keeping his head averted, expecting realisation to kick in any moment now and for them to grab the offered clothes quickly to cover themselves up.

[Midge]

Lur and Lantie stared at the child, who was talking about names of places and offering them some things. Lur took the one that had a strange shape - it was a column and it had odd protrusions on the side. He thought it felt like some of the beasts' coats that he'd stroked on Perelandra. Lantie took the other which was flowy. It reminded her of the way the soft grass of the floating islands felt on her hands when she relaxed on them.

But the twins had more important things to think about.

Lur gaped at the child as Lantie asked him, "Do you know Ransom? Is he here?"

[Earniel]

"Ransom?" Indigo scratched his head. "No, I don't think I've heard that name before, but I'm just a visitor in these lands. Was he supposed to meet you here? I haven't seen anyone for hours, until you two showed up. Is he um... green like you?"

Somewhat embarrassed Indigo could just stop himself saying 'naked' instead of 'green'. All the same it was very distracting!

He noticed they had taken the clothes but made no indication of putting them on.

"You might want to put those on." he said with a nod towards the clothes.

[Midge]

Lantie and Lur were both disappointed to find that this boy had never heard of Ransom. Lantie told Lur, "It is the will of Maleldil. The good of meeting Ransom is not why we're here. We are here for another good and we will not put it aside." Lur nodded in agreement. He knew that Maleldil only gave them good.

Lantie sat down on the soft grass while Lur addressed their small friend, brandishing the thing he'd been handed. "Now, young one. My name is Lur and this is my sister Lantura. We are to put these strange things on what, you say?"

[Earniel]

"Indigo Bolger, at your service," Indigo said with a small bow.

The things that had been troubling him were now becoming too numerous to be easily ignored. And it wasn't just the fact that he was having a conversation with two obviously naked, and undeniably green people.

The point was that he smelt adventure, and that always had the tendency to pop up when you were least expecting it, didn't it? The trouble was that Indigo wasn't sure whether he liked the thought of that. The time of his irresponsible tweens was now some time behind him.

"Let us perhaps start at the beginning, if I may," he said instead. "Those 'strange things' as you call them, are clothes. People wear them for comfort and protection. And if you don't know what clothes are -while that may explain why you appear so very oblivious to the fact that you are stark naked- you are obviously haven't met anyone else. You have no belongings or gear with you so you can't have travelled far. Your names are alien, definitely not Gondorean. Furthermore, you call me 'young', and since I dare say I'm probably the oldest of us three here, (he was just a bit upset they had thought him a child) you clearly have never heard of, seen or met Hobbits, or Halflings as we're called in these parts. And finally, you are green, and I most definitely have never heard of people with green skins. White, brown or black? Yes. Green? No. That ought to be about it."

He paused a moment for breath. "So clearly, you are not from Gondor or any of the nearby nations and you clearly haven't been here long either. In fact, if I didn't know better, and I'm not sure I do, I'd say you fell out of the sky not a few minutes ago! So all that leads to the question, if you excuse me for being so curious, where did you come from and what are you doing in Gondor?"

[Midge]

Lur and Lantie watched the small person - Indigo, he called himself - with amusement as he turned bright red and told them about things they'd never thought of.

Lur smiled. "First, the problem is not that we are green, but that you are red. We have never heard of anyone who was brown or black, but we hear stories of one man in our world who was white-skinned. Second, on behalf of me and my sister, we apologize for mistaking your age. All people in our world who are your size are very young.

"Now, you say we are in Gondor. Well, Lantie, there's something that we know. Exactly what we are doing we do not know for sure. Only a few moments ago, we were running across the soft mat of a floating island toward a bright round light at midnight and now we are here, talking to a strange person in a strange place in midday. We know that Maleldil brought us here so we may learn new things and be made older. We are not young, but we are not very old after all.

"Well, Indigo, I have one more question. How on earth are we to wear these?"

Lur spread out the strange clothes he'd been given. He saw now that they were shaped similar to a man's torso and he put his arms through the protrusions. The fabric was scratchy on his skin and the back was left open, creating a strange cool feeling down his back and legs. It covered him only down to his mid-thighs.

Lantie held hers up and saw no arm-holes. She wrapped it around her chest and found a little clasp which fell under her left arm. It went down almost to her knees. She stepped back, held her arms out and looked toward Indigo.

"How is this?"

[Earniel]

Indigo was going to protest that he was a very nice shade of pink, rather than red. For an artist colour mattered. But then he realised he was probably blushing very much and dropped the issue.

His pride was mollified by Lur's apology. "Don't worry about having mistaken me for a child," he said. "It's a common mistake for people who have never met a Hobbit. Hobbits, my people that is, don't grow much larger than this. But the people of this land are usually your size or taller."

Which would make it easier for him later to find these two fitting clothes, he thought with some relief but he didn't say that out loud.

"Maleldil, you say? Sound Elvish. In any case if he sent you here to stay for while and learn, he could have given you some supplies and clothes or even some money! You won't get far without any of them. Why, you two could have starved or frozen to death in the night if you didn't know which way the village was! Very unthoughtful of him, I think."

If Indigo had all too dramatic ideas about the thought of going hungry and cold in the night being bad enough to be considered lethal, one should not forget he was a creature of habits and well-used to comfort. To be hungry and be without food is very much unthinkable for a Hobbit.

"As for the clothes... yes, I'm sure that will do for now," he said weakly as Lantura showed her makeshift dress. His cheeks coloured even more deeply as he was trying not to look at her too much. She had a nice figure, that had to be said, and was graceful in her movements. But Indigo generally preferred women, even if he was to be painting them, to be wearing a bit more fabric than just a Hobbit's cloak.

"He was grateful he could turn to Lur and explain that the opening was meant to be in front. Indigo took off his own waistcoat for a moment to demonstrate how the coat was to be worn. "It's going to be a bit tight across the shoulders," he said by way of apology. "We're lucky I bought it a few size too big or it wouldn't have fitted you at all. There, well that ought to be acceptable for now. Why don't you two come with me back to the inn? I'm sure the innkeeper has some spare clothes your size that will be more comfortable than these. And you can tell me some more of your country where all people are green during lunch."

[Midge]

Lantie was shocked. "You mean we have to wear these all the time? They are fun for now, but they must be difficult when you want to run or swim!"

Lur shrugged his shoulders to get used to the feel. "I do not understand this either, but we are not in Perelandra anymore. Perhaps here we must do as they say. If they came to our land, they would no doubt want to do as we do."

At that moment, Lur heard it. The still voice that had been silent for what felt like a long time. Go, it said. Follow the Halfling and he will teach you.

"All right!" Lur said. "Off we go!"

[Earniel]

"There are different clothes for different activities," Indigo hastened to explain, fearing for a moment that Lantura might just decide to forgo clothing entirely and strip right away to emphasise her point.

He was about to expound it further and explain that they would really find talking with people here far simpler when clothed -that in fact a lot of things were a lot easier when clothed- when Lur suddenly exclaimed they should go. Their sudden eagerness was somewhat surprising, but Indigo was starting to realise that came easy to these siblings. They had an aura of youthful enthusiasm and willingness that Indigo found rather endearing, if a bit tiring at times.

"Well then," he said, "if you've decided to join me, just give me a moment to gather my things and we'll be on our way!"

[Midge]

As they set off, following the Halfling, Lur and Lantie wondered what else he might teach them. On the way they discussed the things they'd learned - that pulsing balls of light through which one might travel far and fast did exist, clothes and, what interested them most, that Maleldil's good changed with the world.

Lantie looked thoughtful. "In Perelandra, it is good not to be clothed. The air is comfortable and we have no need of clothes. In Gondor, it is not good not to be clothed. Clothes are good and being bare is not. Brother, what do you think? Can a thing be good in one place and not good in another?"

"Clearly, Lantie, it is so. I would not have thought it, but Maleldil has His own ways and we only know them because He tells us, and that is true." Lur walked in silence for a bit. "But this is a strange good for me, sister. My clothes rub against my skin and make it tingle. If clothes are good, this sensation should feel pleasant, and because it is Maleldil's will, it is pleasant to my heart. But my skin is turning my mind away from this good because it seems that it does not find this rubbing pleasant.

"I wonder if there is a way to make my skin follow Maleldil's good the way my heart does."

[Earniel]

Indigo was happy they reached the inn soon enough. He took his two guests along to the back entrance, near the kitchen, where there was less people around. He didn't want to take them straight through the large entrance and the common room. All those curious people might frighten them and while he knew there would be talk soon enough about two green siblings, he'd rather it wasn't talk about two green siblings barely dressed in ill-fitting Hobbit-clothes. These two strangers didn't deserve to be ridiculed just because their Maleldil-guardian had sent them on a trip so poorly equiped.

Indigo asked Lur and Lantura to wait for a few moments at the entrance so he could go inside first and make arrangements. The innkeeper's wife was luckily the first one he encountered when he walked through the backdoor and just the person he was looking for.

"Ah, little Master Bolger, you have returned early!" She said as she was wiping her hands on her apron. Guests who appreciated her cooking as much as the Hobbit did, were always welcomed in her kitchen. "Have you come to have an early appetiser before dinner? We have some delicious goose today!" She said with a conspiratory wink.

"That is very kind of you, Mistress Rosian, and indeed, a very tempting offer." said Indigo with a short bow. His mouth already watered. "However, I have another favour to ask of you. You see, in the fields I have come across two wandering young people who -through certain circumstances- found themselves far from home and even without so much as... um clothes.

Mistress Rosian clasped her hands to her face in surprise. "Goodness gracious me!"

"Yes, quite," said Indigo remembering all too well the sight of the two Perelandrians turning up before him. "Since I could hardly leave them wandering where they were, I have brought them along to see that they are somewhat better provided for."

"Certainly, little Master," said Mistress Rosian, somewhat uncertain. "But why haven't you brought them straight in?"

"Well, that is another matter, they look a bit... eh, unusual, as in their skin is entirely green."

"Green! Green, you say? Like cabbages?"

"Not quite that particular shade, but something like it, yes. I suspect their mother when expectant, may have lived too closely to copper mines. I've heard that can turns people's skin green."

"Oh my! Really, copper mines?" Mistress Rosian was quite amazed.

"So the tales go, I'm told," said Indigo, not really convinced that that was the real reason his two companions were green, but happy to have stumbled on a workable explanation. "At least, up near the Everdim Hills where there are copper mines, people often speak of seeing green rabbits and green kittens and the like, but we're getting distracted. I was wondering, Mistress Rosian, if I could possibly burden you with helping these two in some proper clothes, especially the young lady? It appears , perhaps due to the stress of finding themselves alone, she has forgotten certain things concerning ladies' ...matters." Indigo looked at the woman imploringly. "It's only natural that I could not possibly ask you to do this out of the goodness of your heart, so off course everything they need can be charged to my account."

Mistress Rosian who began to suspect her generosity was being called into question, immediately protested as Indigo had suspected. "Oh, nonsense, little Master, I couldn't possibly expect my guests to pay for another's wellbeing! Why, bring them in, Master Indigo! Bring them in and we'll soon set them straight!"

Mistress Rosian bustled straight to the back door and motioned Lur and Lantura in. "Come in, you two poor ducklings!"

Indigo introduced Mistress Rosian to the twins, saying she would see them clothed into something more fitting and less itchy.

[Midge]

Indigo came hurrying back from ... the inn, he'd called it, Lur remembered. He had a plump woman following him. She stopped short when she saw Lur and Lantie, but quickly rushed toward them a moment later.

Lur was beginning to accept a couple of things about the two of them being in this world: First, that the customs of this place were extremely different from their world and that they were going to have to learn many new things here; and second, that clearly he and Lantie were the only people who had a green hue to their skin. He expected people would always be surprised the first time they laid eyes on the twins.

Indigo introduced the woman with him as Mistress Rosian. Lantie stepped forward and said, "I am Lantura and this is my brother Lur. We are from Perelandra. Are you here to teach me more about clothes?"

[Earniel]

To her infinite credit, it took Mistress Rosian but a heartbeat to answer "Yes, why yes, I think I can do that, dearie."

She gave Indigo a questioning look. She had been asked to provide clothes, teaching about them was quite a different beast.

"I did say they were far from home," Indigo said as way of apology.

"So you've said, little Master. So you've said indeed. But how far from home exactly, you'd say?"

Indigo shrugged. "I have no idea, Mistress Rosian, unless the name Perelandra is more familiar to you than it is too me."

"No, it is not, but I talk and talk and talk and in the meantime our guests are left standing on the porch. Come in, Lantura, Lur."

Now a woman with a mission, Mistress Rosian turned back inside and yelled, "Randulf, Randulf, where are you?"

One of the older inn's servants came running.

"Randulf," Mistress Rosian said, with her hand on Lur's shoulder. "You take young Master Lur here and prepare a bath for him. Then I want you to get some of the clean clothes out of my son's wardrobe, bring them to our guest and instruct him how he is to wear them. Answer any question he might have to the best of your ability. And afterwards, prepare the double bedroom on the first floor."

Randulf looked at Lur in surprise, he leant towards his mistress and whispered "But Mistress, he's... he's green."

"Of course he's green," Mistress Rosian said with the certainty of those in the know. "He can't help it, he's not from around here. Things are different in foreign places, you know. It probably has to do with copper mines, don't ask me now, I'll explain later. Now off you go!"

Smiling she turned to Lantura. "You come with me, my dear. I'll have a nice bath prepared in no time for you as well. You'll feel much better afterwards. And then we'll get you something more comfortable to wear."

While the bath wasn't strictly necessary, Mistress Rosian intended to show what her hospitality was worth in full and secretly she intended to find out if these two were really as green as they pretended...

[Midge]

Lantie felt as though she was in a bit of a whirlwind. She and Lur had been ushered inside and swept off to separate rooms. Mistress Rosian had filled a wooden tub with water. Lantie was happy to see bubbles in the water and she hoped that they had the reviving properties of the bubble-trees at home. If you walked into one of their bubbles, you got a crisp eye-opening of the mind and body. It was exactly what she needed. So she hopped directly into the tub with it was full, splashing Mistress Rosian.

"Lantura!" she gasped. "You need to keep the water in the tub."

Lantie was disappointed to find that the bubbles were not life-giving like the ones from home, but to her amazement, the water was hot. Mistress Rosian had bubbles all over her hands and took the opportunity to scrub down Lantie's whole body, from her hair to her toes.

"There!" she said. "Now you're all clean!" She reached behind her and plucked up two clothes for Lantie. One was a deep red color and one was a tawny gold.

"Here, dear. Which do you like better?"

Lantie just stared at the clothes. "Are they good? Why should I just not wear both?"

-=-=-=-=-

Lur's experience was very similar to Lantie's, except that the wrinkly man who led him away didn't scrub for him. He handed him a soft, firm piece of something he called "soap" and said, "Okay, lad. You rub it all over your body and your head and it'll take all the dirt off you." While Randulf left Lur to his bath, he began gathering some clothes that Lur would need.

As he finished, he turned around to see Lur inspecting the soap bar. Randulf rushed over to grab it as Lur stuck out his tongue to taste it.

"No, no, no!" Randulf sighed and pulled up his sleeve. "You rub it on your skin like this." He rubbed the soap in circles on his arm, making a lather. "It's to make you clean. You don't EAT soap."

Lur protested, "But it's got bubbles on it!" He, like Lantie, was hoping for the bubbles to be similar to the bubble-trees.

Finally, Randulf got Lur his proper wash and handed him the clothes. "Put these on."

Lur held up a clothes that had two protrusions on it, like Indigo's coat did earlier, though it didn't have the column in the middle. Still, he did as Indigo showed him - he flung it around his back and stuck his arms through the holes. When the cloth was pulled up to his shoulders, however, the cloth around his back had no give and he could only bring his arms a very little way back in front of him.

"Randulf?" he queried. "Is this RIGHT?"

[Earniel]

Happy to see Lur and Lantura in safe hands, Indigo walked to the common room. He felt he was in dire need of a drink.

A few minutes later he had arranged with the innkeeper to have his dinner with his new companions in his own quarters. They'd only be gaped at in the common room.

Then he relaxed a bit with a cool pint of excellent Gondorean beer. All things considered, he thought, he hadn't done that badly, if there was a scale to be judged on for meeting naked green strangers. He just hoped Mistress Rosian would succeed in getting Lantura and Lur dressed properly and keep them that way.

[Midge]

Mistress Rosian clucked and gave the gold dress to Lantura. "You only can wear one dress at a time, dearie. Any more and you'd bake from the heat, not to mention looking silly." Although probably not as silly as you looked wearing that Hobbit's cloak, she thought to herself. "And the red dress would make you look like Yule had come early!"

Lantura looked confused. Well, did the girl not even know what Yule was? She must have had no proper upbringing at all - Mistress Rosian had to show her everything from undergarments to jewelry and she didn't even know about Yuletide!

Once Lantura was dressed and had gotten used to the feel of the gown, Mistress Rosian plopped her down in a chair and began to brush her hair. "Oh, darling, it looks as though your hair hasn't been brushed in a hundred years! Do you know anything about taking care of yourself?"

Lantura replied, "Well, you know, I'm very young, but Mother and Father taught me what was important, of course."

Yes, all the basics, like washing and dressing and brushing your hair... thought Mistress Rosian. She turned to where she was facing Lantura. "Are you an elf of some kind? They're always saying strange things like that and you don't look no 'very young'. I'd say you were twenty-five if you were a human. But then, if you were an elf, twenty-five would be very young."

Lantura had that look again. "What's an elf?"

-=-=-=-=-=

Randulf turned to see Lur with his arms up the legs of the trousers. "No, no, no! Those go 'round your legs!"

He whipped them off Lur's arms before they tore and held them out for him to step into. "Well, I never thought I'd be dressing a man your age like he's a baby."

Lur answered, "I'm not very old, you know. Are those who look like me older in this world?"

Shocked at his ignorance, Randulf cried, "Yes! They are!" He handed Lur the shirt and vest, and thankfully, he was able to put them on correctly. When Lur was passed the pair of socks and shoes, though, he looked positively lost.

Randulf sighed. "They go on your feet, lad." As Lur leaned over to try to put them on, he murmured "This is not how Maleldil teaches us usually. He is patient and we learn quickly with Him." Interested, Randulf perked his ears up.

"Hrm? You have a regular teacher? How'd he miss pants and shoes and baths?"

Lur smiled. "These are not things we do in our world. Our days are filled with happiness and playing and joy. We do not worry with these things in my world because they are not necessary. But Maleldil has shown me that they are necessary here. So I am learning."

As Randulf ran though Lur's hair with a wet comb, he said, "Well, I'm thankful for that, at least."

[Midge]

Though they didn't know it, it was at the exact same moment that Mistress Rosian and Randulf stepped back from their respective charges and said out loud,

"Well, now. You look like you're ready."

Lur and Lantie met in the hallway. Lur found it remarkable that here, in this place, these clothes felt right. The way Lantie looked in the clothes that Mistress Rosian had found for her reminded Lur of the way she looked back home where clothes were not worn. He felt the same similarity for himself. When she noticed Lur, Lantie swiftly came to him.

"Lur! Your clothes are good on you. I find my clothes (Mistress Rosian called it a 'dress') good on me. I'm glad we are learning good things for different worlds. Maleldil must have great plans for us!"

Lur laughed and began walking down the stairs with the others. "I agree, sister. Your dress is good for you too. At the moment, though I love considering Maleldil and the different goods he has given to the different worlds, I must confess. I have been hungry for some time now. Shall we go see if there are any fruit trees nearby?"

Mistress Rosian turned red. "What's wrong with my stew and my ale? Too good for it, after I've given you clothes and all!" She pushed through the two of them to the hearth where her pot of thick stew bubbled hot. The dinner room got quiet for a moment, cautious about the anger of Mistress Rosian.

Lur looked confused. He knew Lantie knew the answer no more than he did, but he asked her anyway.

"'Stew'? What is stew?"