Chapter 1

The first time I was called a fool, I was just eight years old. I had gone and climbed through Auntie Saphies' window. I had fallen through and had broken her best dishes. That night I had not gotten any supper and I had to pick up every single little piece of broken dishware. I cannot now remember why I had climbed through that window – probably a dare that Fatty Bolger had taunted me with (he loved to do that sort of thing). The next time I had been called a fool was at Bilbo's 111th birthday party. Merry and I had decided to mount into Gandalf's cart and steel the finale of the fireworks. Everything went according to plan, until we lit it inside a tent. Everything blew up – literally. Gandalf had been furious. Merry and I had to wash dishes all night because of our juvenile trick. It was two weeks later; Bilbo had left in a puff of smoke, never to be seen by any hobbit eye again, Frodo had been made master of BagEnd, Sam was made Frodo's gardener, Merry was being trained to be Master and me, well I have been foolish.

Stuck in a well was where young Peregrin Took was. Rocks had fallen down when he tumbled over the edge and had pinned Pippin down – thankfully none had landed on his leg. The worst thing was that no one knew Pippin was down there. The next to the most horrible thing was that today, in the month of Thrimidge, a storm was brewing. Pippin could not afford to get soaked, as he knew he would. Surely, the young hobbit would get ill if he did. He always did if he got wet.

Pippin looked up with fearful eyes. The sun was setting and pain was settling in. Why had he climbed up here in the first place? The poor lad could not remember. He began to hum out of boredom.

"In a hole,

Sits a hobbit,

Who has no role,

Except to be a git.

Fell down a well,

An act of folly.

Perhaps to get a shell

Or a lolly…."

Peregrin sang. His voice was clear and gentle. However, it was filled with sadness.

Chapter 2

Merry, who was walking home, heard muffled voices. He stopped and frowned. It was not voices, it was one voice and it was singing. The hobbit's mouth opened in an 'o' shape. He knew who it was. "Pippin," Merry whispered as he rushed to where he heard the singing. Peering down into the well, his frowned deepened. Meriadoc knew he had heard singing, but the honey haired hobbit could not see anyone. "Hello…Pippin," Merry called out

"Merry," Pippin whispered. His voice was confused and startled.

"How did this happen," Merry cried back.

"I am not sure. I-I think I was trying to get something and I fell in."

"Have you been in there all this time," Merry asked with a slight sound of humor in his voice.

"Yes," Pippin replied sheepishly.

"Pip," Merry said as he laughed, "There's an exit down there. Do you see it?"

Peregrin looked around and saw it. He tugged at his cloak, ripping a corner of it, and scrambled for it. When he reached the small door, he could not find the handle. Perhaps pushing, Pippin thought and did just that. The door moved and fell. Hastily, Peregrin crawled through the small opening and after a short time; he came to the end of the crawl space. He stood and dusted himself off. Merry was there waiting for him. He grinned at his cousin and patted him on the shoulder. "Come cousin, let us go to your home, where I was headed by the way," Merry said with a pause as he jabbed Pippin in the ribs lightly, "Tomorrow I think you need to start your Thain lessons, keep you out of trouble." The two cousins laughed as they headed home. Pippin felt much better even though he had spent quite a few hours in a hole. Perhaps he was not such a git as he thought he was.

The End