Baltimore, MD
By Lil’freeper
“Is this Mordor?” Frodo asked. Rooftopscovered the hills like a blanket of gravel.
“Almost,” answered Lil. “Thisis Suburbia on the outskirts of Baltimordor.”
Frodo looked uneasy. “Are there orcs here?”
“Some of the children are mistaken fororcs. They wear grungy, ill-fitting clothesand wander around in packs making mischief.But have no worries, Frodo. They’re still inschool.” Frodo checked his sword to besure. The blade was sharp and bright and showedno glimmer of the telltale blue glow that indicatedorcs were near. But Lil spotted a yellow schoolbus in the distance. “Care for some dinner,Frodo?”
“Always,” the hobbit cheerfully answered.
Waves sloshed against the shore in a gentle,musical rhythm; the water of the ChesapeakeBay was a curious blend of murk and blue sky.A thin line of trees in the distance markedthe other side of the inlet. This had long beenthe realm of Men. They gathered food from theestuary, built villages and cities on its shores,fought battles, fell in love, lived and died.
Nearby Lil and Frodo came upon some ferociousmachines at the Ordnance Museum on AberdeenProving Ground. “What manner of wizardrymade these?” wondered Frodo.
“Worse than wizards, my good Hobbit, thisis the work of Engineers! These are the machinesof war and also of peace.”
Lil and Frodo continued their journey southwardalong the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Justwithin the borders of Baltimordor was a smallbit of land jutted out into the water; uponit was the ruins of a star-shaped fort.
“A great battle was fought here, one soferocious and dire that the men inside the fortalmost lost hope. But the great flag never felland the men prevailed. It inspired the anthemfor a nation.” Lil hummed a few bars.
“It is a magnificent flag,” saidFrodo.
“I’ve never been in a wagon such as this.What kind of creature pulls it?” askedFrodo.
“It is yet another of the Engineers’ machinesand runs on electricity. It travels very fastand even goes underground.”
“Let us hope they did not delve too deeply,”said Frodo.
Security is tight in the great capitol cityof Washington, DC. Indeed the security detailat the White House Visitors’ Center became impatientwith Frodo’s refusal to relinquish his swordand would not allow him to pass through themetal detector. Instead he suffered the indignityof riding the conveyor belt through the x-raymachine. The insult was quickly forgotten asFrodo became fast friends with a variety offlat Presidents.
“It makes me think of the great towersraised by the Numenoreans of old. The man ithonors must have been great indeed.”
“He was one of the Fathers of our countryand the first President: George Washington,”answered Lil.
“And in this house lives our current President,the greatest of our time.”
After admiring the White House, Lil andFrodo jouneyed to the southern bordersof Washington, DC. When they reached thePotomac, Lil waved a fond goodbye to Frodoas he continued on his way to North Carolinawhere Overtaxed lived.
