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Disclaimer: All recognizable names, faces, dates, places, etc. are not mine.

And once again, you HAVE to read my story Omega first. Otherwise, this will not make any sense at all. Now go read it. Shoo! Still reading? Then I know you've done as I asked.

Chapter 1

"Wow! And that's the story?" asked a chocolate-skinned boy of about fifteen.

"That is the story, as I live," answered the storyteller, smiling.

"And you were there, weren't you, Pengolodh?" said the boy's younger sister, wrapping her arms round her knees and staring up at the Elf with wide brown eyes. "I bet you saw Adam and Eve get created!"

Pengolodh laughed. "No, Deborah, I did not. That first moment was all that we were permitted to see of your history."

The older brother frowned, puzzled. "Then how did you all get here? I mean here in our Earth or whatever you people call it. I thought the Valar didn't want you leaving Aman."

"We call it Ennor still, Elijah," said Pengolodh. "And as for the permission of the Valar to leave their lands, remember that the light of the Two Trees was restored and all the Children of Iluvatar were gathered together. Yet surely you did not think that every last one of them would be content, even then, to dwell within the confines of Aman forever!"

"Then how'd you get their permission to go?"

"I was coming to that. We who wished to leave Aman went before the Valar to ask their consent-"

"You went before the Valar to ask them if it was okay to leave their domain?!" cried Deborah.

"Yes. Why should we do otherwise?"

Deborah was silent, and Elijah commented, "Well, obviously they said yes, 'cause I sure don't see any doom or curse hanging over you."

"And how would you know if I was doomed or cursed, eh?" inquired the scribe.

"Just didn't think you all would want to repeat all that from before. What, am I wrong?"

Pengolodh laughed again. "No, Elijah. You are right. Now as I was telling you, before you both so discourteously interrupted me, we were given leave to depart and even to return, if such was our desire."

"And so you came," grinned Elijah. "You and a bunch of other people."

"And I, for one, am glad you did," added Deborah. "Have you ever been back?"

"Not yet," said Pengolodh. "Why, I have only been here for ninety-seven winters!"

"Listen to the Elf," grumbled Elijah. He mimicked Pengolodh. "'I have only been here for ninety-seven winters.' That's probably longer than I'm gonna be ALIVE."

"Guess a thousand years is as a day to him," said his sister cheerfully.

Pengolodh nodded toward the doorway of the library, and his two listeners spun around. "Mom!" said Deborah jumping up. "Pengolodh was just telling us the story!"

"Was he now?" said the matronly woman in the doorway. "Well, you all were in here a long time. I went ahead and made dinner-"

"You didn't have to do that, Mom!" protested Deborah. "I could have done that while we were talking!"

"Right," said Elijah. "Because you're just so good at multitasking."

"You really can't seem to do more than one thing at one time, dear," said the mother, and Deborah said nothing, for this was unfortunately quite true. "Dinner is ready," added her mother. "And your father is ready to eat. Come on and let's eat. You too, Pengolodh."

Pengolodh followed the threesome into the kitchen for the meal.

oo00oo

"You busy right now?" asked Deborah of Elijah the next day.

"No. I'm done with school for today. Why?"

"There's someone Pengolodh wants us to meet."