The Flying Elf of Boxing Day

It happened twenty Christmases ago, and still feels like it was yesterday,

Back then the full moon had already, but today’s full moon made me want to write of it:

Legolas called out to me from his prominent position within the inside of the frame,

That poster my sister had gifted me the night before (in Mexico we gift on Christmas Eve)

Hung on my bedroom wall as would a protector over my dreams,

Yet in my dreams he called to me – you remember the image? Him with the river flowing to the hills behind him, foreshadowing his journey far into the West?

Yet in my dream only Sam and Frodo had gone off,

the rest were still together, Boromir and Gandalf too,

and Legolas was calling me to join them, that it was my turn to take my place amongst them, if you will!

So in the frame I saw Legolas leap away towards the valley,

(not the river, just the valley)

and I promptly followed through,

climbing through the wooden frame and landing in the woods.

The valley was down below us, and we had to cross it soon,

a cliff drop steep enough to panic anyone, except the Fellowship and us.

For I was not alone amongst the Fellowship, my cousins were there too:

Chema, Luis, Noe and Nico were given hoverboards to fly as Aragorn, Boromir, Pippin and Merry taught them to,

my sister Gina went off with Gandalf to learn a spell or two,

and so sorry, darling Cati, I don’t know why you weren’t there too!

(But you were missed, let me assure you, before I go back to the story of that dream of fandom moods).

I asked Legolas why no hoverboard for me, and he said, matter-of-factly indeed,

We Elves fly just the same!

I did not get it then, but my attention was detained:

Merry and Pippin were goofing off – of course – and my cousins followed through,

but Luis lost control of his hoverboard and went down before our eyes,

Boromir broke off after him, but my instinct was so swift,

and I just jumped off the cliff!

In the freefall I wondered what in heck had I just done,

what was I thinking, how that could help anyone?

And Legolas was helpfully by my side:

You got this, he said, it’s your instinct and you can fly!

Well, helpfully probably just in his head, just like he had been days before when he told Gandalf, Gimli, Boromir and Aragorn that he’d go find the Sun as he leapt over the snow and left them carrying hobbits in the freezing cold.

Still I thought I understood – but dare I believe it so?

I was Elven, I could fly!

I saw Boromir nearly catch my cousin and I plunged even further down –

yet I was Elven, but did not yet know how to fly!

I came to the bottom of the cliff, and braced myself for the crash,

but came to a halting stop instead and swung upwards with no way to know even why!

And so I went up, unsure of how to stop of at least come level with others,

passing helpful Legolas again

(You got this! You can fly!)

And Merry and Pippin who had by then helped my cousins fly in safety,

And Aragorn who broke off to try to reach for me,

And up and up I went, higher than the cliff we’d started from,

And I made a mad grab for the tree branches within reach,

And promptly lost control again and fell and fell and fell,

past Aragorn who was trying to reach me,

and helpful Legolas

(You got this! You can fly!)

And Boromir with my cousin Luis safely in tow,

And braced myself again for the crash,

But saw the ground approaching fast and suddenly pull away as my flying powers took me up again!

I tried to reach for Luis’ hand as I passed him one more time, and Boromir tried to hover after me,

And helpful Legolas went up with me a little bit

(You got this! You can fly!)

And Aragorn reached out to me just a second late,

So all I could do was desperately grab for the branches of the trees

Before I was pulled back down by gravity.

I waved helplessly past Aragorn

And helpful Legolas encouraged me

(You got this! You can fly!)

And saw Merry and Pippin take my cousins safely across the valley,

And Boromir guiding Luis to them,

And desperately grabbed at tree roots and any plants that I could see

When I knew the crash wouldn’t come,

But maybe, just maybe, I could perhaps try to ground myself again?

But my undiscovered Elven magic threw me up back to the sky

before I could find a way to stop me getting yet again in my own way.

And as I flew back upwards I saw Boromir making sure my cousins were safe with the young hobbits,

And helpful Legolas

(You got this! You can fly!)

And Aragorn slightly closer this time but still not fast enough to catch me,

But before I could grab any branch to stop myself, down and down I went again!

I waved helplessly past Aragorn,

And helpful Legolas

(You got this! You can fly!)

And saw Boromir coming back.

I didn’t brace myself for impact this time around – I just attempted to grab hold of anything I could, and let my magic powers take me up once more,

and this time I took my time to stare around me, the lushness of the valley, the glimmering robes of Aragorn, Legolas and Boromir as they flew in turns to catch me –

and I can hear you asking now, what about Gimli, where has he been this whole time?

He had watched the thing unravel and gone off to find the wizards, and now I could hear his booming voice:

There she is, going up and up amongst the trees!

And I was going up and up and desperately reaching out for the tree branches

And there was no way to stop!

And Aragorn beelined for me but missed again,

And Boromir went flying past with no success,

And helpful Legolas twirled beside me for a time

(You got this! You can fly!)

And Gandalf send a spell that I felt flew past my ears

– I’m not sure that’s how magic works, but hey! –

and Gina tried her own magic then, with no avail.

Up and down, up and down, Goblin lead them up and down!

That’s another story, I reminded myself,

Swifter than the speed of light,

Goblin lead them up and down!

I did not feel like an Elf at all I felt like a Goblin then!

How could I stop the sway?

How could I even ground myself again?

I just went up and down, desperately reaching for the branches of the highest trees when I was at my highest height and at the roots of the trees when I didn’t hit the ground,

But I kept going up and down, past helpless Boromir and Aragorn,

Past helpful Legolas

(You got this! Just remember how to fly!)

Past Gandalf and my sister, who kept trying their magic on me,

Past Gimli, a surprising cheerleader in all this weird thing!

And just like you I was wondering too when was this ordeal going to end?

The back and forth, the up and down, the desperate attempts to ground myself,

The helplessness of myself and the Fellowship as well,

Legolas excepted,

the feel of not being as good as my kin

– be it my cousins or be it the Elf –

the wondering why my brain was keen on not allowing me to rest!

Is it 6 minutes per REM thing?

It felt like 6 years!

Or maybe I exaggerate in an attempt to win your sympathy,

But at that moment I didn’t know how to react and my confusion is there still today.

In any case I leave you now, likely just as lost as me,

But believe me, I’m the first to ask,

What’s going on in my head, that I spend my time of rest in such anxiety inducing dreams?

Oh I didn’t say the ending yet, did I?

Helpful Legolas grabbed my hand at long last,

And my shaking feet touched the ground,

And he stared into my eyes as he told me it was my destiny to help the Fellowship with their quest,

So I skipped away with him.

And of course that’s not what I consider a romantic dream, like my boyfriend back then very jealously said,

Not with Legolas nor with Orlando Bloom!

My most romantic dream with him came later, while I was fasting,

And Orlando Bloom was feeding me bread like there was no tomorrow while Jack Sparrow

(not in my dream Johnny Depp, but Orlando was Orlando)

danced on the next table with my sister as they sang.

But I might just tell you that dream another time.