PIPPIN'S DAY?
Peregrine Took could only think of a hundred and one reasons why this adventure sucked. Not only did he despise their current situation but he also had to voice his complains. "The ground is too hard!" "I'm starving!" or "It's too cold!" the company soon got annoyed at the young hobbits consistent complains. "For goodness sake!" shouted the Gondorian after a comment from Pippin, "Stop bothering us with your problems, think about something pleasant for once!"
When they made camp that evening and were waiting for Sam to feed them Pippin went and sat underneath the shade of an old willow tree. The ground was too hard and the wind blew fiercely but instead of complaining, he took the older Gondorian's advice. He dreamt of a day long ago.
It was a warm July morning and a younger Pippin was getting ready for breakfast. He was combing his hair unusually nice and he had even put his good suspenders on. At the breakfast table, he wolfed his food up and did his chores at the speed of light. By midday, he had finished everything and could finally enjoy this superb day.
He ran to the gate of the Great Smials and past the gardens to the stable. Then he saddled his pony and was off. He galloped at a great pace everything around him was a blur and his carefully combed hair turned from delicate curls into a mop of sandy strands. The horse crossed a stone bridge, then climbed a grassy hill and jumped over a fence. Twenty minutes later he had reached a secluded area near the brook behind a Tookish settlement.
The spot was a beautiful green paradise. There was a lush green turf covering the ground, there was the compelling aroma of a dozen flowers and the sweet melodies of a family of mockingbirds. Pippin took out a fresh loaf of bread from his pack and munched while waiting. Soon the sound of humming reached the young hobbits ears and he jumped up and ran to the edge of the brook to see the owner of the upbeat tone. The Hobbit was Meriadoc Brandybuck, he had ridden all the way to be with his cousin on the anniversary of their friendship. "Hey, Merry!" cried Pippin with joy, "Hey, Pip!" answered Merry with the same happy tone.
After the pleasantries, they agreed to ride to town and get some sweets. The ride to town was a brief one riddled with humour. The town was made up of orderly brick houses and hobbit holes. There were plenty of stores and taverns available to the friends. The pair stopped at a bakery and bought a bag of ginger biscuits and sweet pie. Then they bought a bag of liquorices from a lad and went to the park. They sat down near a fountain and narrated to each other what had happened from the time they last saw each other. Merry told him about the new pony he had gotten and Pippin told Merry about his visit to Bree.
They spent the rest of the day riding, laughing and most importantly eating. When they reached the smials it was long after the sun had set and dinner had been served. The rest of Merry's stay had been a blur of adventures with both there ups and downs.
Pippin was abruptly interrupted from his musings when Sam came and gave him a bowl of food. That night he didn't complain but recalled memories of the Shire and narrated a numerous amount of them to the company. That night wasn't filled with the misery of all the others but with the laughter and friendship of the fellowship. It was a night to be recalled when everything else was grim.