Yet another elfling Anomen tale. The lad simply cannot stay out of trouble.
With Elrond at his side, Gandalf stood at the door to the Hall and looked about him expectantly.
"Where is Anomen? I had thought he would want to see me off."
"He was in the library just now," volunteered Elladan and Elrohir with one voice.
"Would you like us to fetch him for you?" Elladan added.
"If you would. He will be disappointed if he does not have an opportunity to bid me farewell."
The twins hurried off. A short time later they burst back outside, highly excited.
"Anomen had destroyed the library," Elrohir announced importantly.
"Destroyed the library?" said their father. "How do you mean?"
"I mean destroyed it," replied Elrohir. "Ruined it. Wrecked it."
Elrond raised his eyebrows. It seemed highly unlikely that an elfling should be able to destroy a library within the space of a few minutes.
"Let us see what has happened," he announced calmly. He walked with Gandalf and the twins to the room in question. There stood a furious Erestor who, upon hearing alarming noises, had come running from his nearby chamber.
"Has the Hall been attacked by Orcs," he fumed, "that such a mess should be created!"
Truly, the library was in a remarkable state. Bookcase after bookcase had fallen over, each case resting on another, and books had cascaded onto the floor.
"You see!" Elrohir exclaimed triumphantly. "Anomen has destroyed the library!"
"The library is not destroyed," said Elrond mildly. "Once the bookcases have been righted and the books restored to their places, it shall be as it was before. I very much, wonder, however, how Anomen managed to push over so many bookcases in such a short time."
"It was not necessary for Anomen to push over all these bookcases," said Gandalf. "It only required that he knock over one."
"Mithrandir," objected Erestor, "I know Men do not have vision as keen as that of Elves, but even so you must see that more than one bookcase has been knocked over. The evidence lies before us!"
"I am not blind," retorted Gandalf sharply. "Many bookcases are indeed fallen, but Anomen knocked over only the one."
"Oh, and the others toppled over out of sympathy," Erestor said sarcastically.
Elrond raised his hand.
"Peace, Erestor. Let us listen to Mithrandir's explanation."
"Amongst Men," said Gandalf, "there is a game wherein the players match the ends of tiles together, generally according to the number of dots carved or painted upon the game pieces."
"I have seen that game played," said Elrond. "They call these tiles 'dominoes', do they not?"
"Yes," agreed Gandalf. "Now, when the adults are not playing with these tiles, sometimes the children of Men will take them and line them up on end in long rows, each tile close to its fellow. After all the dominoes are in place, a child will knock over the first one, which will bring down the second one, which will bring down the third one, and so on and so forth. If each tile has been carefully placed, then all the tiles shall be brought down by the fall of the first one. Men call it the 'domino effect'."
"Oh ho!" chortled Elrond, amused at the idea. "So you think that Anomen has been playing dominoes with these bookcases."
"In effect, yes."
"I don't see what is so funny about that," spluttered Erestor. "Anyway, how did Anomen manage to knock over the first domino, as it were? Anomen is not large for his age!"
"True," conceded Gandalf, "but even a small elfling could topple a bookcase if he tried to climb up the front of it. That bookcase there is clearly the first one to have fallen. Erestor, would Anomen have had any reason to climb atop it?"
"Ye-es," said Erestor slowly. "He might have—although no good reason, I can assure you! You of course know that Anomen has a penchant for reading the most outrageous works of fiction—fairytales of Men and that sort of trash. I caught him wasting his time over a book about unicorns—arrant nonsense about beasts laying horns in the laps of maidens. I took the volume from him and warned him not to meddle with it again. For good measure, I put it on top of that bookcase so that he couldn't reach it even by standing upon a chair. Imagine! a youngling of his age reading such salacious narratives!"
"Salacious?" inquired Elrond, both eyebrows canted.
"Of course! Elrond, we are talking about beasts putting horns in the laps of maidens. Horns! Laps! Maidens! Brrr!"
Here Erestor, aghast, shook himself all over the way a dog shakes water from its coat, as if by doing so he could free himself from the taint of the mingling of horns and laps and maidens.
"Erestor," exclaimed Gandalf, "if the book truly was salacious—which I doubt—you couldn't have done a better jog of encouraging Anomen to spare no effort at laying his hands upon it once more!"
"I am afraid I must agree with Mithrandir," said Elrond. "Men have a tale about 'forbidden fruit'. The gist of it is, that nothing is more desirable than that which has been forbidden, a truism for the young of both Man and Elf. I see now what has happened. Anomen tried climbing up the shelves to reach the book. The case toppled forward. Anomen leaped clear, but the bookcase crashed into the next one, bringing it down. As the second case fell, it brought down a third one, and so it continued, until all these bookcases were downed and their contents dumped upon the floor."
"Well," growled Erestor, "that may be so, but as he brought down the first bookcase, he is responsible for the fall of the subsequent ones. Where is the scamp? He is going to have to put back each and every one of these books!"
Elrond sighed.
"He has no doubt fled in terror of punishment. He still fears mistreatment and is not convinced that he will merely be held responsible for dealing with the consequences of his actions—no more, no less."
Erestor calmed himself at once.
"You are right of course," he said soberly. "The poor lad is certainly in a state of great fear and is hiding himself somewhere. I do wish he would trust us. I know I have a nasty bark, but I would never hurt him. Not even Glorfindel would hurt him."
"Especially not Glorfindel," murmured Elrond. "Well," he said more loudly, "we shall simply have to wait for Anomen to calm himself and return to us. Mithrandir, it is altogether likely that the lad may not come forth before nightfall. Indeed, he may stay out so long that it will be necessary to send Glorfindel in search of him. You had better be on your way."
"Yes," agreed Gandalf reluctantly. "I suppose you are right. Tell him that I am sorry I could not bid him farewell."
Elrond promised that he would, and Gandalf departed the Hall, making for the south. He had agreed to meet Radagast near the Gap of Rohan, and then the two of them would journey together to Isengard, for Saruman, the head of their order, was desirous that they should share with him what they had lately learned about conditions in the lands through which they had passed.
On the wizard strolled for several hours. As he walked, he sang in his gravelly voice, which none save Hobbits and crows seemed to appreciate—and Anomen, of course, for whom the Istar could do no wrong. Gandalf could have howled like a wolf and the elfling would have found him melodious.
At length, the wizard stopped for tea—yes, such was the influence of the Hobbits upon Gandalf that tea had become a regular part of his daily routine even in the Wild. He had just unpacked his camp kettle when he became aware that he was not alone. Someone was lurking in a nearby bush and spying out his every move. The wizard's eyebrows bristled, and he addressed the bush.
"I know you are in there, so you may as well come out of there right now," called Gandalf.
Whoever was in the bush kept perfectly still.
Gandalf sighed and then arose. Reaching for his staff, he walked over to the bush and thrust the stick into its midst.
"Ow!"
"Come out if you don't want more of the same."
Anomen crawled from the bush, rubbing at his pate.
"What were you doing in there," Gandalf demanded sternly.
"Hiding."
"I know that! Why were you hiding?"
"So I wouldn't be found."
Gandalf's bristling eyebrows seemed to grow in volume.
"Anomen Elrondion, you tell me right now why you were hiding in that bush."
As every youngling knows, it is very bad to be addressed by one's full name. Anomen quailed.
"So I won't be punished," the elfling stammered. "On account of the library," he added hastily, eyeing Gandalf's staff apprehensively.
"And you think that running away and hiding in a bush will keep you from being punished?
"If I can't be found, I can't be punished." Anomen said stubbornly.
"So you are going to spend the remainder of your immortal life cowering in a bush. How very clever of you!"
Anomen colored and looked at his feet.
"And now," continued Gandalf, "I have got to turn about and return with you to Rivendell."
Anomen looked up.
"Oh, no, Mithrandir, you needn't. I can find my way back."
"I am sure you could, but whether you would, that what I want to know."
Anomen looked down. Had he forfeited the wizard's trust?
"I am sorry, Mithrandir," he said sadly.
"I won't say, 'That's alright, my lad'," continued Gandalf, "because it is not. But you needn't spend the rest of your life looking at your feet. You have made a mistake, and you will have to return to Rivendell and face the consequences. But lift up your chin so that you are not forever tripping!"
Obediently, Anomen looked up.
"That's better. Well, as you are here, we might as well make the best of it—I will, anyway! I was about to collect more sticks for the fire, but now I needn't. Look sharp! I'm thirsty and want some tea!"
Anomen scurried off, grateful to be given something to do, and quickly returned with an armful of dry branches. To light camp fires, Gandalf usually made use of flint and steel, reserving his magic for important occasions. Today, however, knowing that Anomen was feeling sorrowful, he kindled a blaze with a great flourish of his staff and an impressive, albeit unnecessary, incantation. Anomen's face brightened with the fire. Without being prompted, he cheerfully seized the camp kettle and ran off to fill it. He was rewarded when, after tea, Gandalf lit his pipe and commenced blowing far more smoke animals than he otherwise would have for his own amusement.
"Mithrandir," Anomen ventured timidly after awhile, "are you sure it is quite necessary for you to turn back."
"I have said that I don't wish to leave you to your own devices."
"Oh, I understand that," Anomen said hastily, "but if I were to accompany you, I wouldn't be left to my own devices, would I?"
"You mean 'accompany' me as in to go on this journey with me?"
"Yes," Anomen said eagerly.
"And what of Elrond, who at this very moment is probably wondering what has become of his charge? Not to mention poor Glorfindel, who is the one who will shortly be sent in search of you—again!"
"I am friends with many birds hereabouts. I am sure one wouldn't mind carrying a message to Lord Elrond."
"Hmmph!" snorted Gandalf, putting on an air of skepticism. The truth was, though, that the wizard regretted the fact that his busy schedule, as it were, prevented him from spending more time with Elrond's fosterling. He had always been a little sorry that circumstances had required him to relinquish the elfling to the elf-lord's care.
'And after all, what harm could it do if he journeyed with me?' he asked himself. 'I merely go to meet Radagast and then on to Isengard. I am on foot; Anomen wouldn't slow me down appreciably. My legs are longer than his, but he will make up for that with his boundless enthusiasm. For every step I take, he will no doubt take three, aye, and still have energy to spare!'
Aloud he said gruffly, "I suppose I could use your services as a skivvy. I am rather tired of scavenging firewood, hauling water, and scouring dishes. Mind you, I expect you to work hard, and no complaining!"
Anomen assured him that he would work very hard indeed.
"Very well, then. Hunt up one of your bird friends."
Anomen went aside and gave several bird calls, returning with a crow perched upon his shoulder. Gandalf, meanwhile, had taken a small piece of bark and scratched the runes for 'G' and 'A' upon the smooth side.
"Elrond should guess from these signs that you are in my company," the wizard said to Anomen as he handed the bark to the crow. Clutching the bark in its beak, the bird launched itself into the air and flew off toward Rivendell. Then, the tea break at an end, wizard and elfling arose and headed south, making for the Gap of Rohan. First, of course, they would have to travel through Dunland—and their path through that land would be very long indeed.