The Adventure of Primrose Gamgee
(based on Characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien)
The sun was getting ready to set over the hilly hamlet known as Hobbiton. At this time, most of its residents could be found in the neat, furnished holes in the hillsides that they called home, resting after a day of combined work and play.
Near the end of the little town, though, one hobbit was still hard at work.
"Oh, dear....I'll never be rid of these dandelions at the rate I'm going." he grumbled, though the dandelions were really the last thing on his mind.
Standing up, the hairy little creature was only about three feet five inches in height. there was dirt on the knees of his short pants, and he had since taken his waistcoat off and tossed it to the side while working so long in the sun.
Although he was getting older (he was now 73 years of age), his large brown eyes were still keen, and now they squinted as the looked down the hill and the road leading out of Hobbiton. "Where in the Shire could she have gotten to? "
It was then that he heard a voice--it seemed to float through the air and settle into his large, slightly pointed ears. Upon listening a moment, he recognized the words as a song, though not one he'd heard before.
"Cormamin lindua ele lle! Cormamin lindua ele lle!
Cormamin lindua ele lle, nae saian luume'
Oio naa elealla alasse', mani nae lle umien?
Mellonamin, nae saian luume', mae govannen! Mae govannen!
Namaarie, mellon! Namaarie, mellon!
Ta nae seasamin, mellon en mellonamin!
Namaarie, mellon! Namaarie, mellon!
Aa' menealle nauva calen ar' malta, Namaarie, mellon! "
The small person at the top of the hill looked downward. Far off, he could see a tiny figure, a blaze of auburn that marked the figure's head.
"At last." the little creature at the top of the hill sighed.
So as to stop calling him a "creature", let me inform the reader that the first little person mentioned here is a hobbit, one by the name of Samwise Gamgee. In the past he's been on more of an adventure than most of his kind have (or care to have) in his lifetime, and now is trying to settle into a quiet life. He started off rather well at this task, but was disrupted a bit by the birth and growing up of the little hobbit for whom he was waiting.
As said little hobbit came closer, Samwise could make out the details of it's shirt and knee breeches, usually worn by a male of the folk. He knew however, that the auburn curls on the little one's head only appeared short because she usually wore them tied behind her neck, and that she was in no way a male.
"Papa!" she called, running the rest of the way up the hill.
"Tiny Rose." he answered her, glancing down at her feet and noting the dirt caked in the fuzzy hair there. "Where have you been? "
She looked up at him, a smile visible on her round face (even though it had almost as much dirt on it as her feet). "Why, Papa, I told you that Iau and I were meeting in Woody End to hunt. "
Sam grinned. "Iau." was what his daughter called her elf-friend, Iaurethirion. "I know, Primrose, but I didn't realize you'd be gone this long--it's been three days. "
"I'm sorry, Papa, but this fellow was kinda hard to catch."
With that she heaved a sack off of her shoulder and dumped it's contents. A coney almost as big (if one could call a hobbit big) as Primrose's little brother Tom lay on the ground between them.
Sam's already round belly seemed to leap with joy inside at the prospect of good food. He chuckled, then an inquisitive look crossed his face.
"Tiny Rose, where did you learn that song you were singing? It's one these ears have never heard. "
The twenty-year old girl grinned. "Cùth and I made it up." she said with a chuckle. "He sang the first part to me when we met each other today, and I had made up the second part by the time I left. "
"Well, at least you're learnin' some Elvish." Sam said, beaming. "It's somethin' your ol' dad was never good at pickin' up, altogether. "
"Primrose Gamgee!"
Sam turned, and Primrose looked sheepishly around her father. In the open round doorway of their hobbit - hole stood a solid little woman, her arms folded and a stern look on her face. Three brown curly heads peered around her sides.
"Where have you been, girl?" the hobbit woman repeated.
Behind him, Sam heard Primrose gulp. Bending down, he picked up the coney by the ears and held it up for his wife to see.
"Tiny Rose's been gettin' us supper, Rosie." he announced. "Possibly a couple of dinners and an elevensy, too. "
Rose Cotton-Gamgee rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. "Primrose, you said you'd only be gone a day. "
Primrose put her hands behind her back and looked at the ground. I'm sorry, mum. "
Her mother let her arms drop to her sides. "Primrose, the next time you go hunting, please be more generous with the amount 'a' time you think you'll be gone. "
"Yes, mum. "
One of the owners of a curly head at Rose's side tittered, and Rose gave the top of the head a soft rap with her knuckles. "Hush, Tom. Go in and wash for supper. Ruby, be sure he cleans behind those ears a' his. Biggest ones I've ever seen on a hobbit only thirteen....."
The two little hobbits rushed back into the house. Rose set her eye on the eldest Gamgee child in the household again.
"As for you, you'd better take a bath before you come to the table! You look as your father might if he spent a week straight in the garden! "
"Yes, mum." Primrose said, obviously relieved that her mother's wrath had not escalated. Obediently she hurried into the house.
Rose watched her disappear down one of the smials (tunnels) that led toward the Gamgee's washroom. She sighed deeply, and soon felt Sam's hand on her shoulder.
"Now, Rose, you've got to quit that worryin'. Tiny Rosie can take care of herself. "
She turned her eyes to meet his. "I know, Sam, she's been trained by her uncles and her elf-friends and all --it's just--why does she have to go hunting now? Why not later? "
"Like she says, she's got to keep in shape." Sam answered, knowing exactly what his wife was thinking. "Besides, no one knows what happened to that Hobson Tussock boy. "
"I know enough." Rose answered him, looking him straight in the eye. "People saw 'em walkin' toward Woody End an' he never came back! "
"Darlin' Rosie, that was months ago, now." Sam said softly, stroking the long hair that seemed to flow down his wife's back. "Now you know you need t' quit that worryin'. Give it t' the Lor' above an' he'll take care of it. "
Rose closed her eyes a moment. when she looked back up at her husband, her face was more relaxed. "Thank you for the reminder, Sam. "
She kissed him on the cheek. "Now, let's get in there for supper, before those kids tear up the place. "
Running his tongue over his lips, Sam gratefully followed his wife into the hobbit hole and down the smial to the large room where the family ate.
Within an hour, the remainder of the Gamgee family was seated around a handmade table, one which had been built and rebuilt over the years. Sam and Rose Gamgee had had thirteen children altogether. Most were out on their own somewhere, a few married. The ones that remained at home were Primrose, age twenty, Bilbo, nineteen, Ruby, seventeen, Robin, fifteen and Tolman (Tom) at thirteen.
The rest of the family waited some time before Primrose, scrubbed pink and shiny, came from the bathing-room of the hobbit-hole.
Rose checked her over before letting her sit at the table, and finally Primrose was allowed to take her usual seat to the right of her father at the head of the table.
"Tom, would you say the blessin', please?" Sam asked his youngest son.
"Papa!" Robin cried with some dismay. "I thought it was my turn! "
"Don't argue with your father." Rose answered, giving a sharp look. "Besides, your little brother was sick last Sunday and missed Worship meetin'.
Let him say the blessin', and your turn will come 'round again. "
Robin sighed a little, but nodded and bowed her head.
"Lor' above, we thank you for this meal you've given us, an'--an bless mum an' Papa, an' Primrose, an' Ruby, an' Robin, an' Mister Merry an' Mister Pippin in their doin's, an'......"
For a few minutes, the family thought Tom was going to ask a blessing for everyone in the Shire and anyone he knew of beyond. Robin snickered, Ruby elbowed him, and Primrose just shook her head with it still bowed. Finally:
"......and Lor' please bless this food. Amen. "
Sam raised his head, a wide grin on his face. "Very good, son. "
"Hope the food's not cold." Robin muttered.
The family ate and talked, which usually took a while. Sam and Rose wanted to know everything their three children had done during the day when they had been out of their sight, and in turn, Sam and Rose told each other if they'd heard from people they mutually knew. Naturally, whenever Primrose came back from a hunting trip, the other children wanted to know all about it.
"Did you see any wild animals, Primrose?" Tom asked his eyes wide.
"Of course." Primrose answered with a grin. "Didn't you see the coney I brought home? "
Robin frowned. "No, Primy, real wild animals! "
"Oh, yes." Robin's sister answered with a gleam in her eye. "There was this huge dragon I ran into while I was out there....."
"Primrose," came her mother's voice.
"Honest, mum! This lizard was so big it could've been related to a dragon! "
"Now, Tiny Rose," her father said after swallowing. "You know better than to tell a half truth. "
"Sorry, Papa. "
When supper was finally over, Ruby helped her mother clear the table and wash. Primrose went out to Sam's shed to make herself some new arrows and Robin followed her. Tom, who was yawning constantly just before supper ended, was sent to bed.
"I'm headin' for the sittin' room, Rosie," Sam said, standing up from the table and placing a hand on his back.
Rosie nodded, glancing with concern at him. Bending over flowers and weeds for hours daily took his toll on him, she knew, especially now that he was in his seventies, but she never said anything. She knew it was what he loved.
Sam headed for a smial that led deeper into the hill. At the far back of the house was a room not close to any of the others, where the family sometimes sat and talked. Sometimes, it was the perfect place for Sam to sit and think.
The rug which had been braided by Ruby and Rose was soft under his feet as he made his way to the chair by the fireplace. As he sat down, some of his joints complained.
For a moment, Sam closed his eyes. He liked to think at this time of the evening, when he was by himself--often saying a little prayer for each of his children, the ones in the home and out. He also often thought of Frodo.
Oh, Mister Frodo, how I wish you hadn't gone away, he thought to himself. I do miss you so.
A tear slid down his cheek. It had been so many years since the "grand adventure"--the conspiracy, sneaking off, the Ringwraiths, Tom Bombadil, the Fellowship, the journey, Mount Doom...
The hardest part had been watching Mister Frodo change. The elder hobbit once spoke quite crossly to him, which had hurt Sam, but he never would have left him, even then. It had been that awful ring......
"Papa? "
Sam opened his eyes. His older daughter stood there in the doorway, looking quite different than she had in the afternoon--her hair was now down and on her shoulders, and she wore a dressing-gown.
"Yes, Tiny Rosie?" he said softly, wiping away the tear with the back of his hand.
"Are you okay, Papa?" Primrose asked, stepping into the room and moving to stand in front of him.
Sam sighed and gazed at her a moment. If the truth were known (and not much of Hobbiton did), the hunting, hand-to-hand fighting, tree-climbing Primrose could be very gentle and affectionate.....when alone with her father.
"Yes, Tiny Rose." he answered, smiling while a last tear escaped his eye. "I was just thinking. "
Primrose got on her knees and looked up at him. "About Mister Frodo?" she asked softly.
The little hobbit's father gazed into her eyes a moment. Primrose had heard everything about the adventure--and seemed especially impressed by the friendship between her father and the hobbit she had never met. "Yes--I was thinking about Mister Frodo. "
Primrose looked at the floor. "I wish I had known him. "
Sam sighed deeply. "So do I, Tiny Rose.
Out of the corner of his eye, a thick book bound in brown leather caught his eye. "Tiny Rose, would you read to your old Papa? "
His daughter's eyes sparkled. "Yes, Papa. "
She stood up and walked over to the fireplace. Standing on her toes, she reached up and tugged the book off of the mantel, then carried it back in her arms.
As she opened the book, Sam's mind wandered again to the time he had recieved it.
A stranger had come into Hobbiton, which was unusual in itself. No one really knew how he had come or from what route. From what Sam later understood, he had come into the Shire looking for work of some sort. Eventually, he was evidently directed the the Hill, and to the Gamgee home.
Sam opened the door, and was surprised to see there someone rather tall and lean, not quite as tall as a man or even an elf, but he certainly was not a hobbit.
"Hullo!" Sam had said, certainly meaning to be friendly, but with surprise in his voice as well. "What is it that I c'n do for you, sir? "
The "creature", for lack of a better word at the time, smiled and bowed slightly. "Hello, sir. You're Mayor Gamgee, I presume? "
Sam thought the stranger's language a little odd, but nodded. "I am. "
"My name is Berliac Goodbody--or so they call me in these parts. I was wondering, sir, if there was any work I could do. I'm travelling and could use some money. "
Sam had allowed him in, and, after a talk with Rose, the stranger stayed for some time. People in Hobbiton, of course, naturally talked; "Those Gamgees are getting to be a queer lot; almost as odd as the Bagginses....." but the stranger never did do the Gamgees or anyone else any harm. He was always friendly, regardless of how others treated him, and always had a smile. Sometimes, he said he needed to go and be alone, and he did. He always returned, somehow, with a brighter look about him.
One day, Sam's curiosity had gotten the better of him. Although perhaps he shouldn't have, he followed Mister Goodbody on one of his little walks. He went into a little grove of trees at the edge of Hobbiton. Sam stayed about a furlong back, watching. Goodbody had gone to the center of the grove, gotten on his knees, closed his eyes, and began talking. To whom, Sam couldn't quite figure---though Mister Goodbody had started by saying "Dear Lor', " after he was done talking, he said "Amen," and Sam had wondered if it wasn't some kind of funny elvish talk.
Sam had been so fascinated by the Mr. Goodbody's doings that he started in surprise when he said, "Hello, Mister Gamgee. What brings you out here? "
The hobbit looked to see the stranger now standing and looking straight at him. Sam could feel his face growing hot.
"Er--beggin' yer pardon, Mister Goodbody, sir, I meant no harm...."
Goodbody smiled. "I know. I am a stranger in these parts, and I'm sure you've been curious about what I've been doing on my little walks. Being the mayor of Hobbiton, I'm sure you're concerned about your town. "
Sam blinked. Truth be known, the "Mayor" of Hobbiton didn't do much more than preside over a special feast now and again--as the people generally took care of their own buisness.
"You see, I am on a special mission." Mr. Goodbody explained, sitting down and patting the grass beside him. Sam came over and seated himself.
Mr. Goodbody proceeded to explain his mission--to tell everyone he could about the Lord, or "One" Above--and what He had done for the world. He had sent His Son to die for the sin of the world, and made a plan for everyone to be saved from that sin.
"But....I don't understand." Sam had said incredulously. "Why would someone so high 'n' mighty do such a thing---lettin' his own boy die so people who were 's bad as you say could be--uh--'saved' like you were sayin'? "
"Because of His love." Goodbody said, looking into Sam's eyes. "He created all--and He loves all. He cannot, however, accept that which is evil. You have a soul inside you, Mister Gamgee, and unless you let the Lord Above cleanse you of that evil, when you pass from here, that soul cannot enter into the wonderful place He is preparing for those who follow him. "
Sam had thought of the "Grand Adventure", and everything he and his friends had done to rid the world as they knew it of evil. He explained this to his house guest.
"Certainly this was a great evil," Goodbody agreed. "--but in the eyes of the One Above there are other evils. They may be small in the eyes of those who abide here, but in His eyes, evil is evil and wrong is wrong. "
Goodbody explained then that there was another place--one which the One Above wished for no one to go--but it was the only place for the soul to go if it could not enter the place He was preparing. It was a place of pain and torment, which lasted for a great Eternity. It was a place prepared for the great Enemy of the One Above, who had tried to usurp Him long before the world began.
Sam mulled these things over in his mind. "So....how d' you--how d' you get right in the sight of this "One" fella yer talkin' about? "
"Tell Him you know you've done wrong." Goodbody said with a gentle smile. "Tell Him you are sorry for those wrongs, and that you want to be forgiven. "
Sam did some more mulling. "Eh--but what sorta wrong does this One fellow not like? I mean, wrong is wrong an' all, but I don' see what I've done that'd make him mad with me. "
Berliac Goodbody drew a deep breath. "Mister Gamgee--have you ever lied? "
"Well--well--I s'pose. Back when I was a lad--well--maybe when I was older, too......."
"That, then, is enough to keep you from the place the One is preparing." Goodbody said in a soft voice.
A wieght seemed to have been placed upon Sam's heart. He could feel it, and he didn't like it. "And....you said....a person has jus' t' say they're sorry? "
"Yes--then do your best to live as the One Above would have you to. "
The wieght upon Sam's heart became yet heavier. He looked around. "But--but you--I mean, well, how d' you tell Him? I don't see no one. "
Goodbody placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Ah, this is called faith. Faith is believing in something you cannot see. "
Sam remembered seeing his house guest kneeling under the trees, talking to what seemed to be no one. "So then--that's Who you were talkin' to before? "
"Yes."
"Okay, but...." Sam stammered, squirming a bit. "I never did talk to no one I couldn't see before. "
"That's all right." said Goodbody. "I'll help you. "
He did. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, and Sam did too, figuring that was what he sould do.
"Now, you can repeat after me, if you like, Mister Gamgee--just use words you feel comfortable with. "
"All right. "
"Dear Lord, "
"D--dear Lor'..."
So it began. Once they were done with the little talk, felt--better. Later on, he had had trouble describing how he felt.
"It was--sort of an empty feelin' inside--not the sad kind of empty, though- -an' not as though someone had taken my innerds out. The heavy feeling I'd had around my heart was gone, though, and I was--happy. Real happy. "
Sam remembered that the first thing he'd wanted to do was tell someone--and he did. He and Goodbody had gone back to the Gamgee home, and Sam told Rose and the children yet in the house what had happened. Mister Goodbody had explained to them what he had to Sam, and everyone in the house "got changed", too. A few days later, Goodbody took them to a spring nearby. He said that to show what happened to them on the inside, they should show it on the outside. They would go under the water, and come back up, just like the Son of the One Above had once done, and to show how He had died, gone under the ground, and come back out to life again. At first the Gamgees had been scared, of course, none of them knowing how to swim, but Goodbody only took them to where they could still stand up in the water, and most of their body was still dry (of course until after they had gone under), so it was all right.
It seemed like that had been so long ago. Mister Goodbody had left, then, this special Book with the Gamgees. He told them that it would show them how the One Above wanted them to live. Sam, of course, knew how to read, and had taught his children such. The Book was written in an odd sort of language, but Mr. Goodbody had said that they would understand it the more they read it; and they did. He had stayed about another year and taught them from the Book, then said he had to go. Sam was very sad; he begged Goodbody to stay, but he'd said:
"Now, Samwise--I must go. I need to tell other people about the Great Gift of the One Above. "
So the Gamgees had said goodbye--and Sam remembered a pain as he watched Goodbody go back down the road out of Hobbiton as he'd felt watching Mister Frodo sail away to the Havens.
"Where were we?" Primrose mused aloud, looking into the open book in her lap.
Sam blinked, tearing himself from his thoughts and focusing again on his daughter. "Eh--th' leader o' th' One's people went wrong, s' he chose a new leader an' th' old leader died, I think. "
"Oh, yes..." Primrose said, flipping through the Book. "Here we are, in the eighth part:
"'This book of the law shall not depart out of th-thy mouth; but thou shal-- shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do accor-- ding to all that is written there-in--for then thou shalt make they--thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good suc-success.
"Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.'"
Sam grinned with pride. Ages ago old Mr. Bilbo had learned him his letters, but he'd never had to read any peculiar language. He was so happy that his 'little girl' had taken the time to learn hers, too, under the tutelage of her own old dad, and had exceeded what he could ever have done.
Primrose finished the chapter, then yawned widely.
"Good job, Tiny Rose." Sam said, standing. "I think it's time you and I both went to bed. "
His daughter yawned again, closed the Book and set it on the floor. "Good idea, Papa."
She stood and picked up the book, but stumbled. Sam took the book from her, and set it on the mantel.
"Come on, little one, let's get us some rest."
He put his hand on her shoulder, and took her to her room. Afterward, he retired himself.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Oh, for goodness sake!" Sam muttered, pulling his tunic over his head and stumbling out of the room. "Coming! "
He passed down the smial and finally to the front door. Upon opening it, he looked down to see a little hobbit, his hands behind his back and an almost frightened look in his wide eyes.
Sam grinned gently, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Yes, Freddy?"
"S-sorry to bother you, Mister Mayor, sir." the hobbit boy stammered, rubbing his foot on the ground "But---"
Sam blinked, finally become fully awake. "Freddy," he said, bending down and looking the boy in the eye. "Out with it, or Miss Rose'll have my head for lettin' the cold morning air in. "
"Well, sir, it's th' Ploughmans, sir." Freddy answered. "My dad heard Mrs. Ploughman sayin' they haven't enough food t' last a week, an....well.....Mama says you don't like t' hear about folks bein' in need, and you not bein' told. "
Sam frowned. Freddy's mother was right. Hobbiton's mayor didn't like to hear about anyone bad off. He had been that way himself, before Mister Frodo had left him Bag End and all.
Tearing himself from his thoughts, he said, "What do they need, exactly? "
"A bit of everything, as I understand it, sir. "
"Good. We'll take care of it, Freddy. Now go on home."
"But sir--"
"I won't tell the Ploughmans it was you who told me, son. "
"Thank you, sir."
The little hobbit scurried down the road. Sam closed the door, turning to find Rose standing there in her morning coat. "Who was that? "
"Freddy Hornblower from down the way." Sam answered her, stifling a yawn. "He said the Ploughmans 're in dire need of vittles. "
Rose frowned. "All right. I'll have Robin go out and get some milk, and Ruby and I'll make some bread. "
Sam nodded. "I think there're some things ready to pick out in the garden. I'll send Tom with a basket. "
Rose shook her head. "Too bad those folks 're so proud. They wouldn't take charity outright if they were starving. "
There came a yawn from behind her. "Wh--who's starving? "
Rose turned to see Primrose there, dressed but with her hair in a tousled mess.
"No one's starvin' as yet, Tiny Rose." her father answered. "The Ploughmans are outta food again, though, and we were just discussin' what we were going to send to them. "
Primrose tilted her head. "I could do some hunting. "
Rose shook her head. "Primrose, you just came back from a hunting trip. "
"But mama--"
"Rosie." Sam interrupted, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We're all to use what we've got, you know, and Primrose is good at huntin'. Plus, the Ploughmans need it. "
Rose sighed. "Oh, all right....."
Primrose gave a little jump. "Yay! "
"Just a moment, hobbit girl." her mother said sternly, grabbing the back of Primrose's shirt before she could make it to the front door. "Before you go anywhere, you'll brush that hair and eat a decent breakfast! "
Her daughter's shoulders drooped a bit. "Yes, mother. "
She trudged off to the washroom. Rose shook her head and Sam chuckled.
"I can't believe that girl." Rose muttered.
"Neither can I." Sam agreed. "She's the only hobbit I know who'll put hunting--or anything, for that matter--before eating. "
When the other children were up and they were all around the table, Sam told the children about Freddy's visit, and what he wanted each of them to do that morning. Primrose ate as fast as she dared under her mother's watchful eye. When she was through, she put her plate in the washbasin and headed out to the shed. Before the dishes were washed, she was back in with a quiver full of arrows over one shoulder and her bow over the other.
Rose sighed. "Primrose--"
"I'll be careful, Mother." her daughter assured her a gleam in her eye.
Sam got up from the table and came over. "Come on, Tiny Rose, I'll see you out."
He led her to the front door and outside. The sun was just beginning to make the morning mists disappear.
Sam got on his knee in front of his daughter. "I know you will, Tiny Rose, but please be careful. "
Primrose looked at her father quizzically. "Papa?"
Sam shook his head, making his grey-tinged brown curls bob. "I just have and odd feelin', lass." he took her hand.
The hobbit girl grinned and bowed her head.
"Lor' above, we thank you fer all you've given us, an' fer th' opportunity to help another. Lor' do protect this little one as she goes, whatever she may come up against. In Yer Son's Name, Amen. "
"Amen." Primrose repeated. She looked into her father's eyes a moment, then gave him a hug and started down the road.
"Tell mother I should be back in about four days at the least!" she called back.
Sam waved an answer back to her. He stood and watched her until she was out of sight. Afterward he turned and headed back into the house, wondering what the "odd feelin'" he had was about.
Primrose walked along the path out of Hobbiton, sometimes cutting through feilds, or climbing large rocks and jumping off the top to the ground below.
She sang many an old song as she went, some made up by she and her elf- friends, and some taught her by her father.
O! Wanderers in the shadowed land
despair not! For though dark they stand,
all woods there be must end at last,
and we see the open sun go past.....
Primrose sighed, kicking a stone on the path. Papa said that Mister Frodo had taught him that.
"Oh, I wish I had known you, Uncle Frodo." she sighed.
Her father had always said that that was what he would have liked his children to call the hobbit whom they all knew was so dear to him. The other children had gazed at their Papa in wonder as he told stories of the past, but Primrose could see the pain in his eyes when he mentioned his dear "Mister Frodo". She sometimes imagined she could feel it, too.
Before she knew it, she was at the edge of a deep stand of trees--one she knew her father himself had planted before she was born.....
"Hail, perinath-mellon! What brings you to our fair wood today? "
Primrose jumped. She partially wanted to laugh and partially to feel ashamed of herself.
"Iau, how dare you sneak up on me like that!" she scolded mockingly, turning and looking up at the Elf.
Her friend tilted his head, letting his wood-brown hair fall on his shoulders. "You were in deep thought, Primrose." he said. "Normally you would not allow me to sneak up on you. "
Primrose sighed. "No...I mean, yes....err..." she blushed. "I was--I was just thinking of Papa. "
The young Elf nodded--one hundred was certainly young for an Elf. "I thought as much." he said. "Never have I met a young person so deeply in tune with her father."
Iaurethirion squatted down and looked her in the eye. Primrose's brown eyes met his leaf-green ones, and as usual, she felt as though she could fall into them. "Now, mellon," he continued, "What brings you here? You and I parted only yesterday. "
To Be Continued..
(based on Characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien)
The sun was getting ready to set over the hilly hamlet known as Hobbiton. At this time, most of its residents could be found in the neat, furnished holes in the hillsides that they called home, resting after a day of combined work and play.
Near the end of the little town, though, one hobbit was still hard at work.
"Oh, dear....I'll never be rid of these dandelions at the rate I'm going." he grumbled, though the dandelions were really the last thing on his mind.
Standing up, the hairy little creature was only about three feet five inches in height. there was dirt on the knees of his short pants, and he had since taken his waistcoat off and tossed it to the side while working so long in the sun.
Although he was getting older (he was now 73 years of age), his large brown eyes were still keen, and now they squinted as the looked down the hill and the road leading out of Hobbiton. "Where in the Shire could she have gotten to? "
It was then that he heard a voice--it seemed to float through the air and settle into his large, slightly pointed ears. Upon listening a moment, he recognized the words as a song, though not one he'd heard before.
"Cormamin lindua ele lle! Cormamin lindua ele lle!
Cormamin lindua ele lle, nae saian luume'
Oio naa elealla alasse', mani nae lle umien?
Mellonamin, nae saian luume', mae govannen! Mae govannen!
Namaarie, mellon! Namaarie, mellon!
Ta nae seasamin, mellon en mellonamin!
Namaarie, mellon! Namaarie, mellon!
Aa' menealle nauva calen ar' malta, Namaarie, mellon! "
The small person at the top of the hill looked downward. Far off, he could see a tiny figure, a blaze of auburn that marked the figure's head.
"At last." the little creature at the top of the hill sighed.
So as to stop calling him a "creature", let me inform the reader that the first little person mentioned here is a hobbit, one by the name of Samwise Gamgee. In the past he's been on more of an adventure than most of his kind have (or care to have) in his lifetime, and now is trying to settle into a quiet life. He started off rather well at this task, but was disrupted a bit by the birth and growing up of the little hobbit for whom he was waiting.
As said little hobbit came closer, Samwise could make out the details of it's shirt and knee breeches, usually worn by a male of the folk. He knew however, that the auburn curls on the little one's head only appeared short because she usually wore them tied behind her neck, and that she was in no way a male.
"Papa!" she called, running the rest of the way up the hill.
"Tiny Rose." he answered her, glancing down at her feet and noting the dirt caked in the fuzzy hair there. "Where have you been? "
She looked up at him, a smile visible on her round face (even though it had almost as much dirt on it as her feet). "Why, Papa, I told you that Iau and I were meeting in Woody End to hunt. "
Sam grinned. "Iau." was what his daughter called her elf-friend, Iaurethirion. "I know, Primrose, but I didn't realize you'd be gone this long--it's been three days. "
"I'm sorry, Papa, but this fellow was kinda hard to catch."
With that she heaved a sack off of her shoulder and dumped it's contents. A coney almost as big (if one could call a hobbit big) as Primrose's little brother Tom lay on the ground between them.
Sam's already round belly seemed to leap with joy inside at the prospect of good food. He chuckled, then an inquisitive look crossed his face.
"Tiny Rose, where did you learn that song you were singing? It's one these ears have never heard. "
The twenty-year old girl grinned. "Cùth and I made it up." she said with a chuckle. "He sang the first part to me when we met each other today, and I had made up the second part by the time I left. "
"Well, at least you're learnin' some Elvish." Sam said, beaming. "It's somethin' your ol' dad was never good at pickin' up, altogether. "
"Primrose Gamgee!"
Sam turned, and Primrose looked sheepishly around her father. In the open round doorway of their hobbit - hole stood a solid little woman, her arms folded and a stern look on her face. Three brown curly heads peered around her sides.
"Where have you been, girl?" the hobbit woman repeated.
Behind him, Sam heard Primrose gulp. Bending down, he picked up the coney by the ears and held it up for his wife to see.
"Tiny Rose's been gettin' us supper, Rosie." he announced. "Possibly a couple of dinners and an elevensy, too. "
Rose Cotton-Gamgee rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. "Primrose, you said you'd only be gone a day. "
Primrose put her hands behind her back and looked at the ground. I'm sorry, mum. "
Her mother let her arms drop to her sides. "Primrose, the next time you go hunting, please be more generous with the amount 'a' time you think you'll be gone. "
"Yes, mum. "
One of the owners of a curly head at Rose's side tittered, and Rose gave the top of the head a soft rap with her knuckles. "Hush, Tom. Go in and wash for supper. Ruby, be sure he cleans behind those ears a' his. Biggest ones I've ever seen on a hobbit only thirteen....."
The two little hobbits rushed back into the house. Rose set her eye on the eldest Gamgee child in the household again.
"As for you, you'd better take a bath before you come to the table! You look as your father might if he spent a week straight in the garden! "
"Yes, mum." Primrose said, obviously relieved that her mother's wrath had not escalated. Obediently she hurried into the house.
Rose watched her disappear down one of the smials (tunnels) that led toward the Gamgee's washroom. She sighed deeply, and soon felt Sam's hand on her shoulder.
"Now, Rose, you've got to quit that worryin'. Tiny Rosie can take care of herself. "
She turned her eyes to meet his. "I know, Sam, she's been trained by her uncles and her elf-friends and all --it's just--why does she have to go hunting now? Why not later? "
"Like she says, she's got to keep in shape." Sam answered, knowing exactly what his wife was thinking. "Besides, no one knows what happened to that Hobson Tussock boy. "
"I know enough." Rose answered him, looking him straight in the eye. "People saw 'em walkin' toward Woody End an' he never came back! "
"Darlin' Rosie, that was months ago, now." Sam said softly, stroking the long hair that seemed to flow down his wife's back. "Now you know you need t' quit that worryin'. Give it t' the Lor' above an' he'll take care of it. "
Rose closed her eyes a moment. when she looked back up at her husband, her face was more relaxed. "Thank you for the reminder, Sam. "
She kissed him on the cheek. "Now, let's get in there for supper, before those kids tear up the place. "
Running his tongue over his lips, Sam gratefully followed his wife into the hobbit hole and down the smial to the large room where the family ate.
Within an hour, the remainder of the Gamgee family was seated around a handmade table, one which had been built and rebuilt over the years. Sam and Rose Gamgee had had thirteen children altogether. Most were out on their own somewhere, a few married. The ones that remained at home were Primrose, age twenty, Bilbo, nineteen, Ruby, seventeen, Robin, fifteen and Tolman (Tom) at thirteen.
The rest of the family waited some time before Primrose, scrubbed pink and shiny, came from the bathing-room of the hobbit-hole.
Rose checked her over before letting her sit at the table, and finally Primrose was allowed to take her usual seat to the right of her father at the head of the table.
"Tom, would you say the blessin', please?" Sam asked his youngest son.
"Papa!" Robin cried with some dismay. "I thought it was my turn! "
"Don't argue with your father." Rose answered, giving a sharp look. "Besides, your little brother was sick last Sunday and missed Worship meetin'.
Let him say the blessin', and your turn will come 'round again. "
Robin sighed a little, but nodded and bowed her head.
"Lor' above, we thank you for this meal you've given us, an'--an bless mum an' Papa, an' Primrose, an' Ruby, an' Robin, an' Mister Merry an' Mister Pippin in their doin's, an'......"
For a few minutes, the family thought Tom was going to ask a blessing for everyone in the Shire and anyone he knew of beyond. Robin snickered, Ruby elbowed him, and Primrose just shook her head with it still bowed. Finally:
"......and Lor' please bless this food. Amen. "
Sam raised his head, a wide grin on his face. "Very good, son. "
"Hope the food's not cold." Robin muttered.
The family ate and talked, which usually took a while. Sam and Rose wanted to know everything their three children had done during the day when they had been out of their sight, and in turn, Sam and Rose told each other if they'd heard from people they mutually knew. Naturally, whenever Primrose came back from a hunting trip, the other children wanted to know all about it.
"Did you see any wild animals, Primrose?" Tom asked his eyes wide.
"Of course." Primrose answered with a grin. "Didn't you see the coney I brought home? "
Robin frowned. "No, Primy, real wild animals! "
"Oh, yes." Robin's sister answered with a gleam in her eye. "There was this huge dragon I ran into while I was out there....."
"Primrose," came her mother's voice.
"Honest, mum! This lizard was so big it could've been related to a dragon! "
"Now, Tiny Rose," her father said after swallowing. "You know better than to tell a half truth. "
"Sorry, Papa. "
When supper was finally over, Ruby helped her mother clear the table and wash. Primrose went out to Sam's shed to make herself some new arrows and Robin followed her. Tom, who was yawning constantly just before supper ended, was sent to bed.
"I'm headin' for the sittin' room, Rosie," Sam said, standing up from the table and placing a hand on his back.
Rosie nodded, glancing with concern at him. Bending over flowers and weeds for hours daily took his toll on him, she knew, especially now that he was in his seventies, but she never said anything. She knew it was what he loved.
Sam headed for a smial that led deeper into the hill. At the far back of the house was a room not close to any of the others, where the family sometimes sat and talked. Sometimes, it was the perfect place for Sam to sit and think.
The rug which had been braided by Ruby and Rose was soft under his feet as he made his way to the chair by the fireplace. As he sat down, some of his joints complained.
For a moment, Sam closed his eyes. He liked to think at this time of the evening, when he was by himself--often saying a little prayer for each of his children, the ones in the home and out. He also often thought of Frodo.
Oh, Mister Frodo, how I wish you hadn't gone away, he thought to himself. I do miss you so.
A tear slid down his cheek. It had been so many years since the "grand adventure"--the conspiracy, sneaking off, the Ringwraiths, Tom Bombadil, the Fellowship, the journey, Mount Doom...
The hardest part had been watching Mister Frodo change. The elder hobbit once spoke quite crossly to him, which had hurt Sam, but he never would have left him, even then. It had been that awful ring......
"Papa? "
Sam opened his eyes. His older daughter stood there in the doorway, looking quite different than she had in the afternoon--her hair was now down and on her shoulders, and she wore a dressing-gown.
"Yes, Tiny Rosie?" he said softly, wiping away the tear with the back of his hand.
"Are you okay, Papa?" Primrose asked, stepping into the room and moving to stand in front of him.
Sam sighed and gazed at her a moment. If the truth were known (and not much of Hobbiton did), the hunting, hand-to-hand fighting, tree-climbing Primrose could be very gentle and affectionate.....when alone with her father.
"Yes, Tiny Rose." he answered, smiling while a last tear escaped his eye. "I was just thinking. "
Primrose got on her knees and looked up at him. "About Mister Frodo?" she asked softly.
The little hobbit's father gazed into her eyes a moment. Primrose had heard everything about the adventure--and seemed especially impressed by the friendship between her father and the hobbit she had never met. "Yes--I was thinking about Mister Frodo. "
Primrose looked at the floor. "I wish I had known him. "
Sam sighed deeply. "So do I, Tiny Rose.
Out of the corner of his eye, a thick book bound in brown leather caught his eye. "Tiny Rose, would you read to your old Papa? "
His daughter's eyes sparkled. "Yes, Papa. "
She stood up and walked over to the fireplace. Standing on her toes, she reached up and tugged the book off of the mantel, then carried it back in her arms.
As she opened the book, Sam's mind wandered again to the time he had recieved it.
A stranger had come into Hobbiton, which was unusual in itself. No one really knew how he had come or from what route. From what Sam later understood, he had come into the Shire looking for work of some sort. Eventually, he was evidently directed the the Hill, and to the Gamgee home.
Sam opened the door, and was surprised to see there someone rather tall and lean, not quite as tall as a man or even an elf, but he certainly was not a hobbit.
"Hullo!" Sam had said, certainly meaning to be friendly, but with surprise in his voice as well. "What is it that I c'n do for you, sir? "
The "creature", for lack of a better word at the time, smiled and bowed slightly. "Hello, sir. You're Mayor Gamgee, I presume? "
Sam thought the stranger's language a little odd, but nodded. "I am. "
"My name is Berliac Goodbody--or so they call me in these parts. I was wondering, sir, if there was any work I could do. I'm travelling and could use some money. "
Sam had allowed him in, and, after a talk with Rose, the stranger stayed for some time. People in Hobbiton, of course, naturally talked; "Those Gamgees are getting to be a queer lot; almost as odd as the Bagginses....." but the stranger never did do the Gamgees or anyone else any harm. He was always friendly, regardless of how others treated him, and always had a smile. Sometimes, he said he needed to go and be alone, and he did. He always returned, somehow, with a brighter look about him.
One day, Sam's curiosity had gotten the better of him. Although perhaps he shouldn't have, he followed Mister Goodbody on one of his little walks. He went into a little grove of trees at the edge of Hobbiton. Sam stayed about a furlong back, watching. Goodbody had gone to the center of the grove, gotten on his knees, closed his eyes, and began talking. To whom, Sam couldn't quite figure---though Mister Goodbody had started by saying "Dear Lor', " after he was done talking, he said "Amen," and Sam had wondered if it wasn't some kind of funny elvish talk.
Sam had been so fascinated by the Mr. Goodbody's doings that he started in surprise when he said, "Hello, Mister Gamgee. What brings you out here? "
The hobbit looked to see the stranger now standing and looking straight at him. Sam could feel his face growing hot.
"Er--beggin' yer pardon, Mister Goodbody, sir, I meant no harm...."
Goodbody smiled. "I know. I am a stranger in these parts, and I'm sure you've been curious about what I've been doing on my little walks. Being the mayor of Hobbiton, I'm sure you're concerned about your town. "
Sam blinked. Truth be known, the "Mayor" of Hobbiton didn't do much more than preside over a special feast now and again--as the people generally took care of their own buisness.
"You see, I am on a special mission." Mr. Goodbody explained, sitting down and patting the grass beside him. Sam came over and seated himself.
Mr. Goodbody proceeded to explain his mission--to tell everyone he could about the Lord, or "One" Above--and what He had done for the world. He had sent His Son to die for the sin of the world, and made a plan for everyone to be saved from that sin.
"But....I don't understand." Sam had said incredulously. "Why would someone so high 'n' mighty do such a thing---lettin' his own boy die so people who were 's bad as you say could be--uh--'saved' like you were sayin'? "
"Because of His love." Goodbody said, looking into Sam's eyes. "He created all--and He loves all. He cannot, however, accept that which is evil. You have a soul inside you, Mister Gamgee, and unless you let the Lord Above cleanse you of that evil, when you pass from here, that soul cannot enter into the wonderful place He is preparing for those who follow him. "
Sam had thought of the "Grand Adventure", and everything he and his friends had done to rid the world as they knew it of evil. He explained this to his house guest.
"Certainly this was a great evil," Goodbody agreed. "--but in the eyes of the One Above there are other evils. They may be small in the eyes of those who abide here, but in His eyes, evil is evil and wrong is wrong. "
Goodbody explained then that there was another place--one which the One Above wished for no one to go--but it was the only place for the soul to go if it could not enter the place He was preparing. It was a place of pain and torment, which lasted for a great Eternity. It was a place prepared for the great Enemy of the One Above, who had tried to usurp Him long before the world began.
Sam mulled these things over in his mind. "So....how d' you--how d' you get right in the sight of this "One" fella yer talkin' about? "
"Tell Him you know you've done wrong." Goodbody said with a gentle smile. "Tell Him you are sorry for those wrongs, and that you want to be forgiven. "
Sam did some more mulling. "Eh--but what sorta wrong does this One fellow not like? I mean, wrong is wrong an' all, but I don' see what I've done that'd make him mad with me. "
Berliac Goodbody drew a deep breath. "Mister Gamgee--have you ever lied? "
"Well--well--I s'pose. Back when I was a lad--well--maybe when I was older, too......."
"That, then, is enough to keep you from the place the One is preparing." Goodbody said in a soft voice.
A wieght seemed to have been placed upon Sam's heart. He could feel it, and he didn't like it. "And....you said....a person has jus' t' say they're sorry? "
"Yes--then do your best to live as the One Above would have you to. "
The wieght upon Sam's heart became yet heavier. He looked around. "But--but you--I mean, well, how d' you tell Him? I don't see no one. "
Goodbody placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Ah, this is called faith. Faith is believing in something you cannot see. "
Sam remembered seeing his house guest kneeling under the trees, talking to what seemed to be no one. "So then--that's Who you were talkin' to before? "
"Yes."
"Okay, but...." Sam stammered, squirming a bit. "I never did talk to no one I couldn't see before. "
"That's all right." said Goodbody. "I'll help you. "
He did. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, and Sam did too, figuring that was what he sould do.
"Now, you can repeat after me, if you like, Mister Gamgee--just use words you feel comfortable with. "
"All right. "
"Dear Lord, "
"D--dear Lor'..."
So it began. Once they were done with the little talk, felt--better. Later on, he had had trouble describing how he felt.
"It was--sort of an empty feelin' inside--not the sad kind of empty, though- -an' not as though someone had taken my innerds out. The heavy feeling I'd had around my heart was gone, though, and I was--happy. Real happy. "
Sam remembered that the first thing he'd wanted to do was tell someone--and he did. He and Goodbody had gone back to the Gamgee home, and Sam told Rose and the children yet in the house what had happened. Mister Goodbody had explained to them what he had to Sam, and everyone in the house "got changed", too. A few days later, Goodbody took them to a spring nearby. He said that to show what happened to them on the inside, they should show it on the outside. They would go under the water, and come back up, just like the Son of the One Above had once done, and to show how He had died, gone under the ground, and come back out to life again. At first the Gamgees had been scared, of course, none of them knowing how to swim, but Goodbody only took them to where they could still stand up in the water, and most of their body was still dry (of course until after they had gone under), so it was all right.
It seemed like that had been so long ago. Mister Goodbody had left, then, this special Book with the Gamgees. He told them that it would show them how the One Above wanted them to live. Sam, of course, knew how to read, and had taught his children such. The Book was written in an odd sort of language, but Mr. Goodbody had said that they would understand it the more they read it; and they did. He had stayed about another year and taught them from the Book, then said he had to go. Sam was very sad; he begged Goodbody to stay, but he'd said:
"Now, Samwise--I must go. I need to tell other people about the Great Gift of the One Above. "
So the Gamgees had said goodbye--and Sam remembered a pain as he watched Goodbody go back down the road out of Hobbiton as he'd felt watching Mister Frodo sail away to the Havens.
"Where were we?" Primrose mused aloud, looking into the open book in her lap.
Sam blinked, tearing himself from his thoughts and focusing again on his daughter. "Eh--th' leader o' th' One's people went wrong, s' he chose a new leader an' th' old leader died, I think. "
"Oh, yes..." Primrose said, flipping through the Book. "Here we are, in the eighth part:
"'This book of the law shall not depart out of th-thy mouth; but thou shal-- shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do accor-- ding to all that is written there-in--for then thou shalt make they--thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good suc-success.
"Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.'"
Sam grinned with pride. Ages ago old Mr. Bilbo had learned him his letters, but he'd never had to read any peculiar language. He was so happy that his 'little girl' had taken the time to learn hers, too, under the tutelage of her own old dad, and had exceeded what he could ever have done.
Primrose finished the chapter, then yawned widely.
"Good job, Tiny Rose." Sam said, standing. "I think it's time you and I both went to bed. "
His daughter yawned again, closed the Book and set it on the floor. "Good idea, Papa."
She stood and picked up the book, but stumbled. Sam took the book from her, and set it on the mantel.
"Come on, little one, let's get us some rest."
He put his hand on her shoulder, and took her to her room. Afterward, he retired himself.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Oh, for goodness sake!" Sam muttered, pulling his tunic over his head and stumbling out of the room. "Coming! "
He passed down the smial and finally to the front door. Upon opening it, he looked down to see a little hobbit, his hands behind his back and an almost frightened look in his wide eyes.
Sam grinned gently, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Yes, Freddy?"
"S-sorry to bother you, Mister Mayor, sir." the hobbit boy stammered, rubbing his foot on the ground "But---"
Sam blinked, finally become fully awake. "Freddy," he said, bending down and looking the boy in the eye. "Out with it, or Miss Rose'll have my head for lettin' the cold morning air in. "
"Well, sir, it's th' Ploughmans, sir." Freddy answered. "My dad heard Mrs. Ploughman sayin' they haven't enough food t' last a week, an....well.....Mama says you don't like t' hear about folks bein' in need, and you not bein' told. "
Sam frowned. Freddy's mother was right. Hobbiton's mayor didn't like to hear about anyone bad off. He had been that way himself, before Mister Frodo had left him Bag End and all.
Tearing himself from his thoughts, he said, "What do they need, exactly? "
"A bit of everything, as I understand it, sir. "
"Good. We'll take care of it, Freddy. Now go on home."
"But sir--"
"I won't tell the Ploughmans it was you who told me, son. "
"Thank you, sir."
The little hobbit scurried down the road. Sam closed the door, turning to find Rose standing there in her morning coat. "Who was that? "
"Freddy Hornblower from down the way." Sam answered her, stifling a yawn. "He said the Ploughmans 're in dire need of vittles. "
Rose frowned. "All right. I'll have Robin go out and get some milk, and Ruby and I'll make some bread. "
Sam nodded. "I think there're some things ready to pick out in the garden. I'll send Tom with a basket. "
Rose shook her head. "Too bad those folks 're so proud. They wouldn't take charity outright if they were starving. "
There came a yawn from behind her. "Wh--who's starving? "
Rose turned to see Primrose there, dressed but with her hair in a tousled mess.
"No one's starvin' as yet, Tiny Rose." her father answered. "The Ploughmans are outta food again, though, and we were just discussin' what we were going to send to them. "
Primrose tilted her head. "I could do some hunting. "
Rose shook her head. "Primrose, you just came back from a hunting trip. "
"But mama--"
"Rosie." Sam interrupted, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We're all to use what we've got, you know, and Primrose is good at huntin'. Plus, the Ploughmans need it. "
Rose sighed. "Oh, all right....."
Primrose gave a little jump. "Yay! "
"Just a moment, hobbit girl." her mother said sternly, grabbing the back of Primrose's shirt before she could make it to the front door. "Before you go anywhere, you'll brush that hair and eat a decent breakfast! "
Her daughter's shoulders drooped a bit. "Yes, mother. "
She trudged off to the washroom. Rose shook her head and Sam chuckled.
"I can't believe that girl." Rose muttered.
"Neither can I." Sam agreed. "She's the only hobbit I know who'll put hunting--or anything, for that matter--before eating. "
When the other children were up and they were all around the table, Sam told the children about Freddy's visit, and what he wanted each of them to do that morning. Primrose ate as fast as she dared under her mother's watchful eye. When she was through, she put her plate in the washbasin and headed out to the shed. Before the dishes were washed, she was back in with a quiver full of arrows over one shoulder and her bow over the other.
Rose sighed. "Primrose--"
"I'll be careful, Mother." her daughter assured her a gleam in her eye.
Sam got up from the table and came over. "Come on, Tiny Rose, I'll see you out."
He led her to the front door and outside. The sun was just beginning to make the morning mists disappear.
Sam got on his knee in front of his daughter. "I know you will, Tiny Rose, but please be careful. "
Primrose looked at her father quizzically. "Papa?"
Sam shook his head, making his grey-tinged brown curls bob. "I just have and odd feelin', lass." he took her hand.
The hobbit girl grinned and bowed her head.
"Lor' above, we thank you fer all you've given us, an' fer th' opportunity to help another. Lor' do protect this little one as she goes, whatever she may come up against. In Yer Son's Name, Amen. "
"Amen." Primrose repeated. She looked into her father's eyes a moment, then gave him a hug and started down the road.
"Tell mother I should be back in about four days at the least!" she called back.
Sam waved an answer back to her. He stood and watched her until she was out of sight. Afterward he turned and headed back into the house, wondering what the "odd feelin'" he had was about.
Primrose walked along the path out of Hobbiton, sometimes cutting through feilds, or climbing large rocks and jumping off the top to the ground below.
She sang many an old song as she went, some made up by she and her elf- friends, and some taught her by her father.
O! Wanderers in the shadowed land
despair not! For though dark they stand,
all woods there be must end at last,
and we see the open sun go past.....
Primrose sighed, kicking a stone on the path. Papa said that Mister Frodo had taught him that.
"Oh, I wish I had known you, Uncle Frodo." she sighed.
Her father had always said that that was what he would have liked his children to call the hobbit whom they all knew was so dear to him. The other children had gazed at their Papa in wonder as he told stories of the past, but Primrose could see the pain in his eyes when he mentioned his dear "Mister Frodo". She sometimes imagined she could feel it, too.
Before she knew it, she was at the edge of a deep stand of trees--one she knew her father himself had planted before she was born.....
"Hail, perinath-mellon! What brings you to our fair wood today? "
Primrose jumped. She partially wanted to laugh and partially to feel ashamed of herself.
"Iau, how dare you sneak up on me like that!" she scolded mockingly, turning and looking up at the Elf.
Her friend tilted his head, letting his wood-brown hair fall on his shoulders. "You were in deep thought, Primrose." he said. "Normally you would not allow me to sneak up on you. "
Primrose sighed. "No...I mean, yes....err..." she blushed. "I was--I was just thinking of Papa. "
The young Elf nodded--one hundred was certainly young for an Elf. "I thought as much." he said. "Never have I met a young person so deeply in tune with her father."
Iaurethirion squatted down and looked her in the eye. Primrose's brown eyes met his leaf-green ones, and as usual, she felt as though she could fall into them. "Now, mellon," he continued, "What brings you here? You and I parted only yesterday. "
To Be Continued..