Disclaimers: I do not own The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien does.

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I had an interesting conversation with my friends, Eldhoron and Adeleidhis, about theories. The question led me to perceptions versus reality, since I was interested in finding out how we perceive the same characters differently. The answer on perception is down below. Read on and enjoy. :)

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"Frodo," Drogo Baggins said, dragging his twelve-year-old son over to a chair, "we're going to have a little lesson on perception."

The blue-eyed lad stared at him in confusion. "What's perception?"

"Ooh! I love perception!" Primula, Drogo's wife announced at random. Drogo looked on at the parlor window in agony. That was not what he wanted to hear right now… or was it? He didn't know! He just wanted to get on with the lesson and be done with it!

"Now Frodo," Drogo pointed to the window, "what do you see out there? What's your view on life?"

"My view on life?" Frodo looked at his father in confusion. Was he serious? "Well, you'll have to tell me what life is first!" He smiled, cheekily.

Drogo eyed him suspiciously. "No. Just what do you see out there, beyond the window? Tell me what you see."

"Okay," Frodo looked at the parlor window in boredom. He wasn't going to see anything today. Oh, wait! There was a grey squirrel running through the garden! "Oh, that squirrel's in for it!"

"He's cute!" Primula said, blushing. "Aww! Look at his little furry tail!"

"Well, I think the squirrel is going to be eaten by a hawk," Frodo said, curtly.

"And that's the lesson!" Drogo announced, clapping his hands once.

"I don't get it," Frodo admitted, quite confused. "Mama and I were looking at the same squirrel. Nothing happened to it!"

"Ah, but that, my dear boy, is the point! You haven't picked up on the lesson. The lesson is perception and what your mother saw and you saw was the same squirrel, but from a different view." Drogo said, curiously.

"So, our views are different," Frodo said, interested. "Sounds intriguing." He looked up, asking his parents, "Can I go and play now?"

"Of course," Primula said, shooing him away.

"Thanks!" Frodo said, calmly, getting up from his chair and running off to play another game by himself.

"Well Prim," Drogo held onto her arm, "he'll learn the meaning of perception someday."

"I'll go make us some tea," Primula said, patting him on the shoulder, before entering the kitchen.

Drogo chuckled, wondering if the lesson was too easy or too much for the boy. Either way, if Frodo didn't learn perception from him, Drogo feared he wouldn't learn it from anyone. And that would have been the end of the world for him!

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Thanks for reading. :)