Hobbit Burglars
"Merry, are you still here?" Pippin Took asked apprehensively. He felt alone in the dark; although he was sure Merry was crouching in the shadows right next to him.
"Yes, Pippin, I am." Merry Brandybuck replied, sounding quite exasperated.
"Oh, what exactly are we doing, anyway?" Pippin asked.
"We're gonna pay Lotho back for stealing that expensive brooch from Bilbo, those sweets from Sam, that apple he picked from my tree!" Merry explained to Pippin, who sometimes forgot things while he was preoccupied with something else, since Merry had told Pippin the main plan while they were buying things at the market.
"Exactly how are we supposed to do this?" Pippin asked, waiting for the answer, which he already knew.
"First we are gonna steal the items back, but this will probably only work for the brooch, since, mind you, he's probably eaten the sweets and the apple, but we can steal some coins for those."
"How do you know we aren't going to get caught?"
"Well, that's the beauty of planning, Pippin. I overheard this morning that Lobelia, Lotho, and Otho are all going out tonight. Where, I did not hear, but they are leaving. And it seems they should be doing so right about now!"
Moreover, just as he predicted, all three Sackville-Bagginses walked out of their house, and made their way down the street, in the opposite direction of where Merry's and Pippin's hiding spot in the hedge across the path. They waited until they could no longer hear their stuck-up voices, then crawled out of the hedge and looked around the house. This place would be easy to break into, since hobbits prefer one-story houses, and the Sackville-Bagginses were no exception, especially if they had not locked the door.
"Well, Pippin, it's just as I thought. They have locked their door, but, did they lock their windows?" He went around the house until he found a window that must have lead into Lotho's room, and then checked it.
"It's just as I expected it, my dear Pippin, the clumsy oaf left it unlocked." "Now all we have to do is crawl in, here I'll give you a boost up." He gave Pippin a leg up, until he reached the window and pulled himself in the room.
"Yeouch!!" Pippin cried as he hit the floor and hit his head on the edge of a chair sitting by the window against the wall, and right next to the bed sitting in the corner.
"What is it, Pippin?" Merry asked, listening for an answer. He wanted to be sure Pippin was okay, since they were friends, and would run in after him if ever in trouble.
"I'm fine," Pippin said, his face appearing at the window, "I just smashed my head on this handy chair just sitting here, by the wall and next to the bed; I hope he wasn't expecting us."
"Naw, he probably just has his mommy read him night-night stories, hey, give me a hand up."
"Okay," Pippin said. He reached down clasped Merry's hand, until he got a hold of his own, and climbed up onto the window ledge. He then gingerly took a step onto the chair as Pippin jumped off it.
"Now, where is that brooch?" Merry asked to himself, "Pippin be on the look out for some spare change as well. Ah! Here it is!" Merry said as he finally laid eyes on the brooch, which was on the shelf of a bookcase on the other side of the room. "Pippin, I've found the brooch!"
"Ooh and I just found twenty gold pieces!" Pippin cried out in amazement. "This sure is more than enough to cover Sam's sweets and your apple, plus at least five gold pieces for you and me to have each."
"Gosh, I wonder if he stole all that money." Merry asked aloud. "I mean, he's stolen other things, just look at what we've found. Maybe he is a no-good stealing plunderer."
"Oh, Merry, isn't a stealing plunderer kind of redundant?" Pippin asked, although he was sure it probably was; he did not want Merry to be too annoyed with him.
"That isn't the point Pippin. My point is, maybe we should report him to the authorities." Merry was rather worried, since they knew Lotho was no good, but not a "stealing plunderer."
Just then, they heard the door open. Then, they could again hear the stuck-up voices of the Sackville-Bagginses. They had only been gone about fifteen minutes.
"Mommy, I want some sweets!" Lotho's whiny voice was recognized.
"Lotho, not now, it's time for bed, why don't you head on up to your room?"
"Alright," Lotho said reluctantly. He started down the hallway to his room, where, of course, Merry and Pippin were right now.
"Merry, are you still here?" Pippin Took asked apprehensively. He felt alone in the dark; although he was sure Merry was crouching in the shadows right next to him.
"Yes, Pippin, I am." Merry Brandybuck replied, sounding quite exasperated.
"Oh, what exactly are we doing, anyway?" Pippin asked.
"We're gonna pay Lotho back for stealing that expensive brooch from Bilbo, those sweets from Sam, that apple he picked from my tree!" Merry explained to Pippin, who sometimes forgot things while he was preoccupied with something else, since Merry had told Pippin the main plan while they were buying things at the market.
"Exactly how are we supposed to do this?" Pippin asked, waiting for the answer, which he already knew.
"First we are gonna steal the items back, but this will probably only work for the brooch, since, mind you, he's probably eaten the sweets and the apple, but we can steal some coins for those."
"How do you know we aren't going to get caught?"
"Well, that's the beauty of planning, Pippin. I overheard this morning that Lobelia, Lotho, and Otho are all going out tonight. Where, I did not hear, but they are leaving. And it seems they should be doing so right about now!"
Moreover, just as he predicted, all three Sackville-Bagginses walked out of their house, and made their way down the street, in the opposite direction of where Merry's and Pippin's hiding spot in the hedge across the path. They waited until they could no longer hear their stuck-up voices, then crawled out of the hedge and looked around the house. This place would be easy to break into, since hobbits prefer one-story houses, and the Sackville-Bagginses were no exception, especially if they had not locked the door.
"Well, Pippin, it's just as I thought. They have locked their door, but, did they lock their windows?" He went around the house until he found a window that must have lead into Lotho's room, and then checked it.
"It's just as I expected it, my dear Pippin, the clumsy oaf left it unlocked." "Now all we have to do is crawl in, here I'll give you a boost up." He gave Pippin a leg up, until he reached the window and pulled himself in the room.
"Yeouch!!" Pippin cried as he hit the floor and hit his head on the edge of a chair sitting by the window against the wall, and right next to the bed sitting in the corner.
"What is it, Pippin?" Merry asked, listening for an answer. He wanted to be sure Pippin was okay, since they were friends, and would run in after him if ever in trouble.
"I'm fine," Pippin said, his face appearing at the window, "I just smashed my head on this handy chair just sitting here, by the wall and next to the bed; I hope he wasn't expecting us."
"Naw, he probably just has his mommy read him night-night stories, hey, give me a hand up."
"Okay," Pippin said. He reached down clasped Merry's hand, until he got a hold of his own, and climbed up onto the window ledge. He then gingerly took a step onto the chair as Pippin jumped off it.
"Now, where is that brooch?" Merry asked to himself, "Pippin be on the look out for some spare change as well. Ah! Here it is!" Merry said as he finally laid eyes on the brooch, which was on the shelf of a bookcase on the other side of the room. "Pippin, I've found the brooch!"
"Ooh and I just found twenty gold pieces!" Pippin cried out in amazement. "This sure is more than enough to cover Sam's sweets and your apple, plus at least five gold pieces for you and me to have each."
"Gosh, I wonder if he stole all that money." Merry asked aloud. "I mean, he's stolen other things, just look at what we've found. Maybe he is a no-good stealing plunderer."
"Oh, Merry, isn't a stealing plunderer kind of redundant?" Pippin asked, although he was sure it probably was; he did not want Merry to be too annoyed with him.
"That isn't the point Pippin. My point is, maybe we should report him to the authorities." Merry was rather worried, since they knew Lotho was no good, but not a "stealing plunderer."
Just then, they heard the door open. Then, they could again hear the stuck-up voices of the Sackville-Bagginses. They had only been gone about fifteen minutes.
"Mommy, I want some sweets!" Lotho's whiny voice was recognized.
"Lotho, not now, it's time for bed, why don't you head on up to your room?"
"Alright," Lotho said reluctantly. He started down the hallway to his room, where, of course, Merry and Pippin were right now.