The
monsters are all missing
And
the nightmares can’t be found
And
in their place there seems to be
Good
feelings all around
Instead
of screams
I
swear I can hear music in the air
The
smell of cakes and pies
Are
absolutely everywhere
-
Nightmare Before Christmas
Jay, upon his return to the shore house, was
pleased to find everyone on the ample wrap-around porch, talking cheerfully
enough. Katie, as always, had felt the
need to lug her entire sound system to Ocean City with her. Apparently, she had decided to hook the
thing up and was now enthralling the group with modern earth music. Even now, he could hear the strains of
“Masquerade” on the salt-laden air. It
was Katie’s favorite show, after all.
From the looks of things, she was giving the
Fellowship an in-depth play-by-play of the entire musical. He smiled as his favorite cousin did an
astonishingly good pantomime of “Why So Silent...”. She had always possessed the same spark of melodrama that he had…
ever since they were children forced to take piano and singing lessons. Within that practical, no-nonsense exterior
beat the heart of an actress. Only she
lacked the conviction to disappoint the family in favor of her dreams.
Adventure and security were both things that
Katie craved… unfortunately they did not mesh well at all.
“Katie… you do that almost better than I do.”
He called as he came up the walkway.
She flushed pink, a color that benefited from
her now loose auburn hair. “Thanks… I
think. I was just explaining your show
to these guys. Boromir made the mistake
of asking what you do for a living.”
“Ahem… I’m an actor.” Jason nodded.
“So we’ve heard. A sort of minstrel… only you do not wander like one of ours
might.” Aragorn replied.
“If going from here to Middle Earth in the midst
of a drunken stupor isn’t wandering, I don’t know what is.” Jason smiled.
“I think I like this… musical… of yours,
Jaycen. There are deeper forces at work
here than mere entertainment.” Legolas, the most artistically inclined of any
of them commented, his sharp ears attuned to the music. “I’ve never heard such a tale… a love story
that ends in such a way…”
“Yeah…” Jason sighed. “It would probably kill an elf to be
betrayed and abandoned like that… but then again, elves are beautiful by their
very definition… so no elf would ever have to endure the sort of life that the
very mortal Phantom did.”
“Perhaps… now, what does your cousin do to
earn her keep?” Legolas asked.
“Me?” Katie said. “Oh, nothing nearly as interesting as Jay. I’m just a secretary for a little medical
office.”
“Secretary?
Is that something like a scribe?” Frodo asked.
“Something like that… I set up appointments
for Dr. Jacobs and do the billing.
Answer the phones… do very minor nursing duties if everyone else is
busy… things like that.” She shrugged.
“Billing?” Legolas repeated. “Doctors charge fees for their services in
this place?”
“Of course.” Katie replied, confused as to the
dark look that passed over the elf’s face.
“Barbaric world…” he mumbled.
Jason stepped in this time. “It’s not the same here, Legolas. Our doctors aren’t born with their healing
gifts. They have to study for many
years and at great expense. And some
doctors perform operations that would be considered downright miraculous even
in Elvish medicine.”
“Such as?”
“Well… like replacing sections of your heart
with synthetic parts… reattaching a severed limb… using beams of light to
correct failing vision…” Katie supplied.
Legolas had the good grace to look at least
mildly impressed at such feats, but said nothing.