The Dork of the Rings or Joel Beckerman Goes to Summer Camp
Joel Beckerman, a seventeen-year old fan of The Lord Of The Rings, had just returned from his summer vacation, spent at the country club-ish Camp Inspiration. He was covered in bug bites and poison ivy, sitting in front of his computer screen. This was the first time in two and a half months that he had been able to get online, so the first thing he did was access his Lord of the Rings/ Dungeons and Dragons/ Dragonlance Role Players Club Chatroom.
He looked away from the screen for a moment, and stared blankly out the window when an instant message alert interrupted his train of thoughts. It was his best friend Gavin Myer, known to the rest of the LOTR/D&D/DL RP Club as Legolas Majere. Since Joel had created the chatroom, and the club itself, he chose Aragorn Elessar Telcontar as his online alias.
LegoMajere: Hey, good to see you're back already. How was it?
AETelcontar: I'm covered in bug bites and rash, my feet are blistered and my raging allergies have died down now that I'm back in my climate- controlled house.
LegoMajere: That bad, eh?
AETelcontar: There were some redeeming factors.
LegoMajere: Really?
AETelcontar: Yes, I met a girl.
LegoMajere: Tell me all about it.
AETelcontar: Just like you Gav, you always want to know everything. Well it went a little something like this.
~~~~~~~~3 Weeks Earlier~~~~~~~
Joel was walking happily through the forest surrounding his cabin, ecstatic that he had been able to ditch the arts and crafts session scheduled for that afternoon. He turned a few corners on the trail, and hiked until he reached a clearing. He settled down under a tree and pulled out one of his Tolkien books. Joel was never without at least one, if not all of the English professor's novels. He had been a big fan ever since reading The Hobbit for book report in the second grade. Joel skipped through the well worn pages of one of his favorites, The Return of The King, to his favorite section, the appendices. He had just begun reading The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen when he heard a female voice singing.
He looked all around him but did not see a source of for the mysterious singing. He followed the sound deeper into the forest. It sounded something like a girl singing the elvish part of the song Breath of Life from The Two Towers Soundtrack. Joel crossed a tiny stream and walked up to the top of another hill and the singing grew louder. He knew he was getting close. Then it felt as if he had walked right into one of Tolkien's tales. There, standing twenty feet in front of him was a tall girl with long black hair. Her voice echoed off the trees and rocks, deeper and ethereal. She turned in Joel's direction, and he was stunned to find out that she resembled Arwen Evenstar, who in turn resembled Luthien Tinuviel, the most beautiful creature to ever grace Middle Earth with her presence. Overwhelmed by what he was seeing, and utterly confused as to where he had wandered to, Joel ran towards the "elf", calling out to her.
"Arwen! Arwen!" He called. The girl spun around and looked at him in confusion.
"Who are you and why do you call me by that name?" She asked as she moved closer.
"I believed you to be Arwen Evenstar, of whom I was reading", at this he held up his book,"but if you are not her, then you walk in her likeness" Joel explained, and suddenly felt stupid. This girl was too pretty and probably too cool to even understand what he was talking about.
The girl's blue eyes sparkled as she laughed. "Well then, I should take that as a compliment. It has been said that resemble the great Evenstar, and I hope my fate will not be unlike hers. I'm guessing you are.Aragorn?"
Joel breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, only sometimes. My name is Joel Beckerman, of Stockton."
The girl smiled. "We are akin from afar then, for I am Holly, I used to live in Stockton but I have dwelt for a time in the land of my mother's kin, in far South Beach, Miami". Holly pushed her hair behind her ears and Joel swore they were pointed.
"How long did you live in Stockton? It must not have been long, for surely I would have remembered you if I had met you. Did your father keep you locked in the attic?"
"No but I."
There was a voice calling for Holly from the brush and from the low bushes, a tall figure emerged. Another teenager, tall and strong resembling the actual Aragorn: tannish colored skin, silver-grey eyes and amazingly, a machete at his side which Joel thought was the famed Anduril at first glance. He was far cry from Joel's awkward glasses, sunscreen-covered nose and pocket protector. And from the looks of it, this guy was Holly's boyfriend.
"Hello Beren."
"Hello Holly, we need to be getting back to camp now." He took Holly's hand and led her away from Joel.
"Namaarie Joel." She turned and linked her arm through Beren's and they disappeared. ~
~~~~~~~~Present Day~~~~~~
LegoMajere: Really? It happened just like that?
AETelcontar: Exactly like that.
LegoMajere: Amazing. May I give you a bit of advice Jo?
AETelcontar: Sure.
LegoMajere: I know you are the Elessar and all, but maybe you need to move on and broaden your horizons. Elves can be way overrated. Maybe next time you'll meet a Rohirrim.
AETelcontar: You know something, Gav? You're obsessed. I think you have a problem.
Joel Beckerman, a seventeen-year old fan of The Lord Of The Rings, had just returned from his summer vacation, spent at the country club-ish Camp Inspiration. He was covered in bug bites and poison ivy, sitting in front of his computer screen. This was the first time in two and a half months that he had been able to get online, so the first thing he did was access his Lord of the Rings/ Dungeons and Dragons/ Dragonlance Role Players Club Chatroom.
He looked away from the screen for a moment, and stared blankly out the window when an instant message alert interrupted his train of thoughts. It was his best friend Gavin Myer, known to the rest of the LOTR/D&D/DL RP Club as Legolas Majere. Since Joel had created the chatroom, and the club itself, he chose Aragorn Elessar Telcontar as his online alias.
LegoMajere: Hey, good to see you're back already. How was it?
AETelcontar: I'm covered in bug bites and rash, my feet are blistered and my raging allergies have died down now that I'm back in my climate- controlled house.
LegoMajere: That bad, eh?
AETelcontar: There were some redeeming factors.
LegoMajere: Really?
AETelcontar: Yes, I met a girl.
LegoMajere: Tell me all about it.
AETelcontar: Just like you Gav, you always want to know everything. Well it went a little something like this.
~~~~~~~~3 Weeks Earlier~~~~~~~
Joel was walking happily through the forest surrounding his cabin, ecstatic that he had been able to ditch the arts and crafts session scheduled for that afternoon. He turned a few corners on the trail, and hiked until he reached a clearing. He settled down under a tree and pulled out one of his Tolkien books. Joel was never without at least one, if not all of the English professor's novels. He had been a big fan ever since reading The Hobbit for book report in the second grade. Joel skipped through the well worn pages of one of his favorites, The Return of The King, to his favorite section, the appendices. He had just begun reading The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen when he heard a female voice singing.
He looked all around him but did not see a source of for the mysterious singing. He followed the sound deeper into the forest. It sounded something like a girl singing the elvish part of the song Breath of Life from The Two Towers Soundtrack. Joel crossed a tiny stream and walked up to the top of another hill and the singing grew louder. He knew he was getting close. Then it felt as if he had walked right into one of Tolkien's tales. There, standing twenty feet in front of him was a tall girl with long black hair. Her voice echoed off the trees and rocks, deeper and ethereal. She turned in Joel's direction, and he was stunned to find out that she resembled Arwen Evenstar, who in turn resembled Luthien Tinuviel, the most beautiful creature to ever grace Middle Earth with her presence. Overwhelmed by what he was seeing, and utterly confused as to where he had wandered to, Joel ran towards the "elf", calling out to her.
"Arwen! Arwen!" He called. The girl spun around and looked at him in confusion.
"Who are you and why do you call me by that name?" She asked as she moved closer.
"I believed you to be Arwen Evenstar, of whom I was reading", at this he held up his book,"but if you are not her, then you walk in her likeness" Joel explained, and suddenly felt stupid. This girl was too pretty and probably too cool to even understand what he was talking about.
The girl's blue eyes sparkled as she laughed. "Well then, I should take that as a compliment. It has been said that resemble the great Evenstar, and I hope my fate will not be unlike hers. I'm guessing you are.Aragorn?"
Joel breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, only sometimes. My name is Joel Beckerman, of Stockton."
The girl smiled. "We are akin from afar then, for I am Holly, I used to live in Stockton but I have dwelt for a time in the land of my mother's kin, in far South Beach, Miami". Holly pushed her hair behind her ears and Joel swore they were pointed.
"How long did you live in Stockton? It must not have been long, for surely I would have remembered you if I had met you. Did your father keep you locked in the attic?"
"No but I."
There was a voice calling for Holly from the brush and from the low bushes, a tall figure emerged. Another teenager, tall and strong resembling the actual Aragorn: tannish colored skin, silver-grey eyes and amazingly, a machete at his side which Joel thought was the famed Anduril at first glance. He was far cry from Joel's awkward glasses, sunscreen-covered nose and pocket protector. And from the looks of it, this guy was Holly's boyfriend.
"Hello Beren."
"Hello Holly, we need to be getting back to camp now." He took Holly's hand and led her away from Joel.
"Namaarie Joel." She turned and linked her arm through Beren's and they disappeared. ~
~~~~~~~~Present Day~~~~~~
LegoMajere: Really? It happened just like that?
AETelcontar: Exactly like that.
LegoMajere: Amazing. May I give you a bit of advice Jo?
AETelcontar: Sure.
LegoMajere: I know you are the Elessar and all, but maybe you need to move on and broaden your horizons. Elves can be way overrated. Maybe next time you'll meet a Rohirrim.
AETelcontar: You know something, Gav? You're obsessed. I think you have a problem.
