LOTR Sightings!

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Enough sightings to make you question the seeming non-existence of Middle-earth.

The Setting

My mom's birthday. We - a bunch one short of a Fellowship - were wandering about the shores of the "mighty" Manila Bay.

The Sightings

1. We were in the car, looking for a parking space. I was looking outside, then I saw this.

Pub 1418

Now to a hapless ignorant, that wouldn't have elicited a comment, let alone a second look. I pointed to it, and said: "Wasn't that supposed to be '1420'?"

2. We were out of the car. I was blundering about the wide sidewalks, occasionally looking down. Then I stopped. There, in front of me, was Idril's emblem,

made of arkose sandstone and marble - don't ask: my course requires us taking up Geology -, probably 4 feet square. After overcoming awe, I moved on, only to be confronted by another emblem: Lúthien's.

"OK, this is weird," I said. Hey, what else could I say? So I walked on, expecting those two patterns just to be shown alternately. No. Elwë's emblem, this time.

Witty comment needed. Unfortunately, only I was there, probably the most unwitty commentator ever."

"Was the architect of this place an LotR fan?" Not exactly the most original comment.

3. Same sidewalk. Same gait. Different view. Remember the globe thingy Ar-Pharazôn built in Umbar, the one with the big poster that said

Pretty Maia kissed my butt!

Well, I saw about a hundred of those, scattered strategically all over the place. It clicked. There was a haven - actually a sea port - in sight. This was a bay. The Ar-Pharazôn victory sign was erected here. Was this the ancient bay of Belfalas?

I hit a lamp post, and collapsed. The last sentence I made up.