The Last Journey of Master Samwise
(Author's note) In the appendixes to The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien briefly described how Sam passed into the West at an old age. This is my attempt to draw that out into a full story. I hope you enjoy it; and as always, please let me know what you think of it so I can improve my writing.
Chapter 1
Shire Year 1482
63 years after the destruction of the Ring
A cool early fall breeze blew over the hills around Hobbiton. Washing over Bag End, it came down to the party field, where it sifted through the leaves of the Mallorn tree, ablaze in colors of gold. The hiss of its passing through the branches added to the peaceful tone of the evening. An orange sun had just dipped below the horizon, but the sky still glowed with its light.
Most of the hobbits had gone indoors for the night, their day's work done. A few lingered on the roads and outside their houses; but none had any reason to be in the party field, save one. At the foot of the great tree lay a grave marker carved of pallid stone. On its face was the inscription "Rose Gardner 1384-1482". Sitting in front of the grave, gazing at it steadily, was Sam. Now ninety-nine years old, he was spending his evening as he had most these last few months: by the grave of his late wife. Every day at dusk he would stay there for hours thinking of times past, thinking of the sixty-two years they had spent together.
She had died suddenly on mid-summer's day. A few days earlier she had been fine, Sam and her enjoying their life together. They had been walking about the hill as they often did when she suddenly couldn't stand. Sam had wanted to call a doctor, but she had insisted that the feeling would pass. He helped her home where she tried to rest, but she got no better. Finally they called for a doctor; but his diagnosis was grim: she was dying, and he could do nothing for her but give her some herbs to ease her pain.
She was so pale. Sam's thoughts drifted over those last days of her life as they had many times. She seemed fine the week before. Was there something I missed? Something about her I should have noticed? The doctor said there wasn't any way we could have known. Rose told me the same thing… His mind wondered the same things he had wondered a hundred times already.
The years had had their effect on Samwise. His once red hair was now a swath of grey, and that itself was thin around the crown of his head. A back that had borne so much through life was not quite as straight as it once had been. Though it had taken sixty-three years for this to happen, the last three months had been the most difficult.
Many of his sleepless nights were spent thinking about what happened. Many hours had gone by as he thought simply about the fact that she wasn't there. Just before she died, she had told him that he had to move on with his life. "I may be gone," she said, "but I only want you to be happy. Go on doing the things we used to do. Go enjoy your life, and don't forget that we'll meet again in the unknown worlds." He tried to do just that, yet he found it so hard to move on. He and Rose used to journey to all the parts of the Shire. After their children had grown up, that meant visiting grandchildren, Rose's family, and friends all over. But Sam hadn't traveled any farther than Hobbiton since his wife's passing. He spent most of his days indoors now. Even his garden, which had occupied so much of his life, had been untended for months. Usually expertly-maintained shrubs were overgrown, and the grass was long overdue for trimming.
As his garden declined, so did the number of visitors to Bag End. This certainly wasn't due to a lack of friends, for he was the most well-known hobbit all the Shire. It was from the fact that he didn't encourage them to come over anymore. He just didn't have the passion for conversation as he once did. His daughter, Elanor, would be coming to visit him the next day, so that would be a nice change of routine. His routine could use that variety these days.
After the last rays of the sun's glow had disappeared from the evening sky, Sam got up, ready to head inside as usual. He walked over the party field to his front door, entering Bag End tired and sleepy, where he spent little time doing anything before heading to bed.