A Texas fourth-grader was suspended last week after he proclaimed that he could make his friend disappear using a magical ring.
The boy had just watched "The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies" days earlier, and was apparently inspired by the fantastical film.
Aiden Steward, 9, brought a ring to Kermit Elementary School on Thursday and told a classmate he could make him invisible. In the "Lord of the Rings" series, Bilbo Baggins stole a magical ring from Gollum, and is endowed with special powers.
Aiden's father, Jason, assured school administrators that the "magic ring of invisibility" was not real.
"I assure you my son lacks the magical powers necessary to threaten his friend's existence," he wrote in an email. "If he did, I'm sure he'd bring him right back."
Nonetheless, the school considered Aiden's declaration a threat.
"It sounded unbelievable," Jason told the Daily News, insisting that his son "didn't mean anything by it."
He also expressed frustration at the district's decision to remove Aiden from school instead of sending a letter home.
"Kids act out movies that they see," Jason admitted.
"When I watched Superman as a kid, I went outside and tried to fly."
Principal Roxanne Greer declined to comment, citing student confidentiality policies.
The suspension is Aiden's third since entering the district in August.
He was previously disciplined for referring to a classmate as "black," and for bringing the "Big Book of Knowledge" to school.
"He loves that book," Jason insisted. "They were studying the solar system and he took it to school. He thought his teacher would be impressed."
The children's encyclopedia contained a photo of a pregnant woman that the school allegedly found inappropriate.
