Stories only walls can tell
by Natta
Summary: The first time Frodo brings Sam to meet Merry, he can't help noticing something is wrong. Deals with dark themes, such as child abuse.
****
'Come on Sam, unless you fall in, and I don't think you will, it's not so bad. Sam, I told Merry we'd meet him here, it'll be okay. You'll like him, he is 18, so he's only two years younger than you.' The tweenager took a few steps toward the big, imposing Brandywine River. Frodo pulled back his shoulder-length, auburn hair and looked at his watch. (A/N I made up my own appearances for the characters long before the film so no comments there please!)
'We're early. I really like the river, but I never learned to swim for some reason. I left Brandy Hall when I was 23 (Made that up, I have no idea.) so by that time I should have learned to swim. Maybe my father, who was a Baggins, didn't like the idea of me swimming.' Sam took a few shuddering steps toward the water. He looked down and saw the water was deep enough to drown a hobbit. Suddenly when he was deep in frightened thoughts Frodo shouted.
'Hey, Sam! There...' The sudden call made Sam flinch and fall in. His first thought was that he should never had come here, and this would be the end of him, and oh no, Frodo can't swim. But suddenly, just a few seconds after his own fall he heard another splash in the water and a pair of arms gripped him. Just a second later, he noticed he was over water and being pulled up on the ground. His saviour got up too.
'Sam, are you okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken you here!' The other hobbit looked at him.
'Oh, so you're Sam? I've heard a lot about you. You know, you should learn how to swim before you jump in over here.' Sam looked at him to see if he was serious, but he didn't think so. Merry had curly blonde hair, about the same length as Frodo, but he looked awfully thin. Not like someone who tries to watch his figure, but like someone who is starved or too afraid to grow. Sam had seen that happen before, with his younger brother. He was so scared of a few older lad's so he just got thinner, though he ate good. Sam decided not to say anything about it and instead rose.
'Shall we go? I'm okay, just a little shaken. Maybe we could hang up our clothes somewhere to dry.' They found a tree and Sam started to hang up his jacket and shirt. He looked at Merry.
'Shouldn't you hang up your things too?'
'No, they'll dry anyway. Doesn't matter if I take them off or not.'
'You could catch a cold. Come on, it's only us here.' Sam took a step against Merry, who immediately backed off. Frodo caught his gaze and his eyes told him to drop the issue. Sam sat down, confused about what was going on.
'I'll just go and see if I can find any wood,' Merry mumbled and turned around. After he had left, Sam turned to Frodo.
'Now I need an explanation.' Frodo looked as if he was trying to find the right words, then spoke up.
'I have been worried for him for a long time, and so has Bilbo. I don't think his father is treating him well. He seems very afraid of him. The reason he wouldn't take off his shirt is that he has got bruises and cuts all over his body. I know that, cause I've seen it at times before, when he thought I wasn't watching. His mother is nice, but she is too afraid to care. We would like to take him back with us to Bag End, but we can't prove his wounds come from his father's abusive treatment. He would never admit it if anyone asked, he is too afraid of his father to do that, and no one can take him away from his parents without their approval, or proof that he is indeed being mistreated.' Sam's face was filled with pity and anger against the master he had never met.
'We've got to do something! How long has this been going on?' Frodo looked down.
'I don't know, but I think he would have been about ten, at least that's the first time I saw anything. Sam it's not easy, I've been talking this over and over with Bilbo and Paladin, that's his uncle, Pippins father.'
'Who's Pippin?'
'That's Merry's and my little cousin. He's only ten and I don't know him very well, but Merry likes him. If we could get Merry away from his father, that's the place he should live. But Sam, have you got any idea how hard it is to prove anything?'
'But if Merry isn't telling anything, then how can you be so sure he is being abused? I mean, it could be something else, couldn't it?'
'He has told me. But he would never say a word to anyone important, who would talk about it with his father. But he wouldn't have had to say anything, I could see it in the way he acted around his father. I don't think I've seen anyone being more scared in my life. His father is very big, tall and muscled, and Merry's still growing. He doesn't stand a chance.'
'But it sounds horrible! There must be something we can do!' Frodo shrugged his shoulders.
'Not unless we can talk Merry into telling people. Then, but only then, we can take him away. He's coming back now.' Merry dropped a pile of wood next to the fire. Sam looked first at Frodo, who nodded, and then turned to Merry. The young hobbit felt something tense in the air.
'What?'
'Merry, you've got to tell someone about you father.' Merry flinched, but wasn't ready to say something just yet.
'What? What about him?' Sam looked perplexed.
'You know what I mean. You told Frodo. Please, you need to tell someone about the things he's doing to you.'
'I don't know what you're talking about. He's no different from other parents.' They heard a call.
'Meriadoc!' Merry looked behind him, a frightened expression on his face.
'I've got to go now' he whispered and took off towards the voice.
A/N I'm writing something dark here! My first goal when I'm writing stories is to make them without too much humour. (Maybe I'll make one of them later...) I'm playing big here...please leave me a note and tell me what you think about it!
by Natta
Summary: The first time Frodo brings Sam to meet Merry, he can't help noticing something is wrong. Deals with dark themes, such as child abuse.
****
'Come on Sam, unless you fall in, and I don't think you will, it's not so bad. Sam, I told Merry we'd meet him here, it'll be okay. You'll like him, he is 18, so he's only two years younger than you.' The tweenager took a few steps toward the big, imposing Brandywine River. Frodo pulled back his shoulder-length, auburn hair and looked at his watch. (A/N I made up my own appearances for the characters long before the film so no comments there please!)
'We're early. I really like the river, but I never learned to swim for some reason. I left Brandy Hall when I was 23 (Made that up, I have no idea.) so by that time I should have learned to swim. Maybe my father, who was a Baggins, didn't like the idea of me swimming.' Sam took a few shuddering steps toward the water. He looked down and saw the water was deep enough to drown a hobbit. Suddenly when he was deep in frightened thoughts Frodo shouted.
'Hey, Sam! There...' The sudden call made Sam flinch and fall in. His first thought was that he should never had come here, and this would be the end of him, and oh no, Frodo can't swim. But suddenly, just a few seconds after his own fall he heard another splash in the water and a pair of arms gripped him. Just a second later, he noticed he was over water and being pulled up on the ground. His saviour got up too.
'Sam, are you okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken you here!' The other hobbit looked at him.
'Oh, so you're Sam? I've heard a lot about you. You know, you should learn how to swim before you jump in over here.' Sam looked at him to see if he was serious, but he didn't think so. Merry had curly blonde hair, about the same length as Frodo, but he looked awfully thin. Not like someone who tries to watch his figure, but like someone who is starved or too afraid to grow. Sam had seen that happen before, with his younger brother. He was so scared of a few older lad's so he just got thinner, though he ate good. Sam decided not to say anything about it and instead rose.
'Shall we go? I'm okay, just a little shaken. Maybe we could hang up our clothes somewhere to dry.' They found a tree and Sam started to hang up his jacket and shirt. He looked at Merry.
'Shouldn't you hang up your things too?'
'No, they'll dry anyway. Doesn't matter if I take them off or not.'
'You could catch a cold. Come on, it's only us here.' Sam took a step against Merry, who immediately backed off. Frodo caught his gaze and his eyes told him to drop the issue. Sam sat down, confused about what was going on.
'I'll just go and see if I can find any wood,' Merry mumbled and turned around. After he had left, Sam turned to Frodo.
'Now I need an explanation.' Frodo looked as if he was trying to find the right words, then spoke up.
'I have been worried for him for a long time, and so has Bilbo. I don't think his father is treating him well. He seems very afraid of him. The reason he wouldn't take off his shirt is that he has got bruises and cuts all over his body. I know that, cause I've seen it at times before, when he thought I wasn't watching. His mother is nice, but she is too afraid to care. We would like to take him back with us to Bag End, but we can't prove his wounds come from his father's abusive treatment. He would never admit it if anyone asked, he is too afraid of his father to do that, and no one can take him away from his parents without their approval, or proof that he is indeed being mistreated.' Sam's face was filled with pity and anger against the master he had never met.
'We've got to do something! How long has this been going on?' Frodo looked down.
'I don't know, but I think he would have been about ten, at least that's the first time I saw anything. Sam it's not easy, I've been talking this over and over with Bilbo and Paladin, that's his uncle, Pippins father.'
'Who's Pippin?'
'That's Merry's and my little cousin. He's only ten and I don't know him very well, but Merry likes him. If we could get Merry away from his father, that's the place he should live. But Sam, have you got any idea how hard it is to prove anything?'
'But if Merry isn't telling anything, then how can you be so sure he is being abused? I mean, it could be something else, couldn't it?'
'He has told me. But he would never say a word to anyone important, who would talk about it with his father. But he wouldn't have had to say anything, I could see it in the way he acted around his father. I don't think I've seen anyone being more scared in my life. His father is very big, tall and muscled, and Merry's still growing. He doesn't stand a chance.'
'But it sounds horrible! There must be something we can do!' Frodo shrugged his shoulders.
'Not unless we can talk Merry into telling people. Then, but only then, we can take him away. He's coming back now.' Merry dropped a pile of wood next to the fire. Sam looked first at Frodo, who nodded, and then turned to Merry. The young hobbit felt something tense in the air.
'What?'
'Merry, you've got to tell someone about you father.' Merry flinched, but wasn't ready to say something just yet.
'What? What about him?' Sam looked perplexed.
'You know what I mean. You told Frodo. Please, you need to tell someone about the things he's doing to you.'
'I don't know what you're talking about. He's no different from other parents.' They heard a call.
'Meriadoc!' Merry looked behind him, a frightened expression on his face.
'I've got to go now' he whispered and took off towards the voice.
A/N I'm writing something dark here! My first goal when I'm writing stories is to make them without too much humour. (Maybe I'll make one of them later...) I'm playing big here...please leave me a note and tell me what you think about it!