May 18, 2003

A Story
Lilly

You know, I'm pretty new to this site myself, but I've seen a lot of articles submitted by a lot of people who know a lot about the LOTR (a lot~;)). But one thing I haven't seen submitted (perhaps due to my tardiness in joining you here) is HOW you all first came across the LOTR, and how you came to be such big fans of it.

I first decided to read them my freshman year (I say this very importantly, as though that wasn't only last year!). It was October, and perhaps you can agree that unless you were born in that month, it can be a tiresome one. I read to pass the time, and at that time I had nothing to read. I had read the Hobbit in fifth grade (confession: I didn't care too much for it then), but had always put off reading the LOTR. I'm not too fond of series.

Well, the school library had put the books up on display...I remembered the Hobbit well enough, so I decided that even a series would be better than boredom. So, I checked out the FOTR. I started it and was pleased that all the old charm of the Shire had survived...

I was hooked from the moment Frodo got ahold of the ring!

The punchline is, I didn't realize that the first two books had cliffhanger endings until I finished the FOTR. ACK! What happened next?? The next day I dashed to the school library and...

it was closed. There in the darkened window sat the TT, staring at me. BLAST YOU, CURSED WINDOW!! CONFOUND THE LUCK!!

Right after school I harried my mom into taking me to the city library. I went to the counter and demanded a copy of the TT and...

thier only copy had been checked out three years ago. and never brought back.

Well, to spare you the pain I went through, I'll wrap up and say that that very night I bought all three books at Wal-Mart (blessed, blessed Wal-Mart). And I was pleased. I cheered for Sam as he fought Shelob and cried for Frodo and...well, became a fan. Now I've re-read the Hobbit (which I now love), bought the Sillmarillion, and read anything else Middle Earth I could find.

So now I'm here.

What are your stories?

~Lilly