Assassin Omega

Aragorn Fights Dust-balls

The rest of school was... Surprisingly normal. No other representatives from other Middle Earth community showed up to kick jocks in the butt.  After the last class of the day ended, I walked over to the middle school block (as I was in the senior school part) and met up with Kari. 

"Hey, Kari, did you hear what happened in the senior block?" I asked.

Kari frowned. "No, what happened?"

So I told her, because what are good sisters for if not spreading news of fantasy people attacking jocks?

Kari's eyes grew wide. "Woah... That's so cool. Did the Dunedain actually shoot the guy?"

I shook my head ruefully. "I wish."

Kari whistled softly. "I really hope things are that interesting when I get to senior school."

"I don't." I said, folding my arms as we walked back home. "There is a curse. They say..."

"May you live in interesting times." Kari finished.

"Exactly."

The rest of the way back home was walked in silence, each young woman busy with her own thoughts. 

When we got home, Dad opened the door for us. "How was school?" he asked, and Kari and I chorused, "Good.", then made a beeline for the pantry after placing our bags to the designated 'bag spot' in a corner. 

As Kari and I sat at the table, eating Anzac biscuits (don't judge me) my Dad outlined how his day  went.

"So tonight I'll be making curry, how does that sound?" He asked.

"That sounds great!" I said as Kari clapped her hands with glee.

"Now, girls, how was your day?"

Kari looked at me. "Well..." I began. "You'll never guess what happened today..."

I had almost finished when the door banged open and Mum came through with her hands full of shopping, and demanded to hear my fantastical story.

"Did you get hurt?" Mum asked anxiously, always the practical parent.

I shook my head. "Nah. The jock - I think his name was Jaxxon...? - he got more busted up than me. Hey, Mum, can we get the clay out?"

"Sure." Mum answered. "Have fun. The table can be set up in Kari's room, if you like."

"Sure!" Kari answered chirpily, and ran off to find the clay and the low table we always craft on.

A few minutes later, Kari and I had found the clay, and Kari was struggling with a table leg while I looked for the figures we had made last time.

"I found the fellowship! There's Aragorn, Gandalf..." I sorted through the figures. "Where's Gimli's axe?"

Kari paused in her table-unfolding. "I think he got put in the second container. The one labeled 'Treasures from Lothlòrien'."

I looked at the container I was holding. It read 'Shire Gifts'. Yes, we label all our containers of clay models covered by cotton wool according to parts of the story. Why not?

I found the 'Treasures from Lothlòrien' box, and the third one with 'Plunder for Isengard'. That's all the model boxes we have. They contain all the characters. We don't keep the structure, but occasionally we exhibit them at clay shows, if there's one nearby. We won a prize for a set-up of the Mines of Moria once. We had SO many LED lights in that. Kari makes most of the stuff, but I'm not bad myself, and I can do the technical aspects alright. Kari's humming as she drums her fingers on the table as I open the three model boxes. She pulls out the models, and lays them all side-by-side. We play rock-paper-scissors for our favourite characters, then trade them.

"Gandalf (the grey) for Gimli and Legolas?" Kari bargains. 

"Sure." I reply, and we swap.

"Boromir for Yeomer?" Hmm... I'll think about it.

"Treebeard for Tom Bombadil?" WHAT. No! Treebeard is mine. Hisssssss.

At last, all the characters are set out on the tabletop, and the roleplay begins.

Five minutes later, Mum came upstairs. I guess she was a little apprehensive about what all the yelling was about, from the cries of 'RUN! THE NASGUL ARE UPON US!! from Gandalf to a very dramatic love scene, to Yeomer ordering out the Rohanim.

"What's all this about?" she asked, looking at the clay figures flung far and wide across the room. 

"Well..." Began Kari. "The situation now is that Gandalf and Treebeard are protecting Fangorn from Sauron, Gimli and Legolas have confessed their love to each other while held prisoner by the forces of Isengard, Merry and Pippin have taken a long trip of exploration on my bed, and... Where even is Aragorn?"

"I have absolutely no idea." I admitted, but Kari searched quickly, and after about twenty seconds Aragorn was found under Kari's bed.

"And Aragorn is going on a long trip to fight dust-balls in the Paths of the Dead to find Boromir, Yeomer and the riders of Rohan." Kari finished, holding a dust-covered Aragorn figure in one hand and waving the other about for emphasis.

"That's nice." said my Mum, who went back downstairs and presumably told my Dad, because we heard him crack up. 

I love my crazy, Lord of The Rings-obsessed family.