ESCAPADES
I'll tell you all this right now: this was my very first Lord of the Rings fan-fiction so please take it easy on me! I had no clue what I was doing, although I did think it was awful cute.
**** It was a bright, sunny day in the Shire. Birds were chirping and bugs were bussing about. The trees were swaying gracefully in the slight breeze that there was. And perched in one of these trees was young Peregrin Took. Beside him sat his friend Merry. They were poised and ready for anything that might come their way. After a short while, a hobbit of gentle visage came around the bend. Pippin, as the Took was called, gave his companion a swat and pointed to the hobbit. Merry nodded.
"The ever-so-watchful predator waits silently for its unsuspecting prey," he muttered in a suspenseful voice. The hobbit drew closer.
"He is tense and poised for his assault," he continued.
The hobbit reached the point right below the branch. "And he springs!" the young hobbit shouted and flung himself off the branch, spreadeagle.
The older hobbit never saw him coming and crumpled to the ground after the youngster had landed on him. Pippin rolled off and looked thoroughly pleased with himself.
The other, however was not amused. "Fool of a Took!" he spat. Pippin ignored the comment and jerked his head up. The other hobbit turned just in time to hear: "And his accomplice follows!" and another body fell on top of him. After Merry had, too, rolled off, the two friends stood, grinning from ear to ear.
"We would like to inform you, sir," Pippin began. "That you have just had the misfortune of being killed and by now eaten by a viscous predator."
"You know, " said Merry, pointing his finger at the old hobbit who was now glaring with malice at the two pranksters. "You should be more careful!"
The elder shot firey darts with his eyes. "You two are a menace! You don't belong in the Shire!" And with that he stomped down the road.
"Did you hear that, Pip?" Merry exclaimed. "That old kook there said that we are menaces! Now, what do you say to that accusation?"
"That he is dead wrong! We are not menaces! We're much worse! We're menaces to menaces!" Pippin said, with a somewhat confused expression. All of a sudden, he straightened up. "Someone else is coming!" he said excitedly.
Merry giggled with delight and he and Pippin scrambled up their tree once more. They sat silently. It was a cart coming. Yes, they could hear the hoofbeats and squeak of the wheels.
Around the bend came the cart. All of a sudden, right under the branch, the cart stopped. The driver got down from his place and stood right under them.
The two hobbits got gleeful expressions and looked at eachother with excitement. They looked back down, but the figure had disappeared. They Straightened up a little and looked around the tree for any sign of who it had been.
"Boo!" came a voice from behind them. They screeched and sprung from the tree. They landed in the cart and were just about to take off, when they heard the sound of laughter. They paused and saw a grey figure walk towards them. He had a long beard and a tall, pointy hat. In one hand, he held a staff.
"Gandalf!" they cried with sheer delight at the wizard's appearance.
"You scared us!" Pippin exclaimed. "We thought we were to be swallowed up by an orc!" "Well now!" Gandalf said with surprise. "I wouldn't go calling a wizard an orc! I mean, I've had my bad days, but an orc! Come now!" he laughed again.
This time, Pippin and Merry joined in. "What are you doing here this time, Gandalf?" Merry wondered with anticipation.
"That is for me to know, and you not to, young Meriadoc." Gandalf took the reins that Merry had been clutching and shooed him over so that the wizard could resume his position as driver.
With a sap of the reins from Gandalf, the horse began to plod once more down the road. Pippin and Merry could not hold still, they found themselves in the back of the cart, rummaging through a package. In it, they found, were fireworks.
They looked over at Gandalf, who did not seem to notice that they had even moved. They glanced at eachother. Each silently daring the other to light one of Gandalf's fireworks. They found a starter and clicked a spark out of it. The firework caught the spark, and the seconds quickly diminished before it would set off. The two looked at eachother, not knowing what to do next. "Uh-oh" they said in unison.
Kablooey! The rocket exploded. Pippin and Merry were shot through the sides of the cart. Gandalf was flung forward and on to the ground. The horse bolted and took off down the road. The rocket spiraled up into the sky, where it finally exploded in a spectacle of colors. Commotion could already be heard down in Hobbiton.
****
A swarm of hobbits (young and old) came over the hill to find a horse standing a little-ways off with an overturned cart behind it. A grey figure was lying in a heap a couple yards away and two smaller figures were starting to stir from unconsciousness. The two stood up and approached the large group. They were black with soot and their hair was sticking out in all possible directions.
A stout hobbit with a red face and beady eyes stepped out of the group. "What happened here?" he demanded.
Pippin and Merry bowed their heads, not in submission, but in order to hide the smiles that were playing on their lips. They knew what was coming! And they were prepared to have fun and enjoy it to the fullest.
The red-faced hobbit glared at them. "A Took and a Brandybuck!" he growled. "Meriadoc! Peregrin!" he walked stiffly over to them. "You two promised that you wouldn't scare other hobbits any longer!"
Pippin couldn't help but smile, "We promised that we wouldn't jump out of bushes at other hobbits! Not that we wouldn't jump out of trees!"
This only angered the stout hobbit further. "Y-y-you t-t-two..." he stuttered, pointing his finger at the two jokesters.
He was interrupted by Gandalf approaching, holding a hand to his head and the other hand out to calm the angry Hobbiton mayor. "Now, now!" he soothed. "I'm sure that young Meriadoc and Peregrin will never do this again! Will you boys?" he asked, turning to them with a grim expression on his face. Clearly, he wasn't very happy with them either.
Nonetheless, they bit back laughs and shook their heads emphatically.
"No sir!" Pippin piped. Gandalf eyed them curiously, but seemed satisfied with their response. "Now, I'm also sure that they won't mind scrubbing the Green Dragon from top to bottom!" he turned to them again with the same grim expression.
Again, they wagged their heads with emphasis. They knew it! Part of the fun of goofing off was the punishment that they always received! The Green Dragon always kept its stores of ale well-hidden. Except from them. Between scrubbing, rinsing, and washing, they would sneak many swallows of the tasty ale.
"Well now, that's settled," Gandalf said with finality. He walked over to the horse and upturned the cart then without another word, started down the hill, leading the horse and cart, humming as he went. Merry and Pippin watched him go and then waited until the swarm had dissipated. The last one to leave was the red-faced, beady-eyed mayor, who left only after giving them one final disgusting look.
After he had finally left, Merry and Pippin let all the repressed laughter flow out. Tears fromed in their eyes and they were rolling around on the ground. After a couple of minutes, they stood up, wiping their eyes and headed down to the Green Dragon for their "punishment".
****
I'll tell you all this right now: this was my very first Lord of the Rings fan-fiction so please take it easy on me! I had no clue what I was doing, although I did think it was awful cute.
**** It was a bright, sunny day in the Shire. Birds were chirping and bugs were bussing about. The trees were swaying gracefully in the slight breeze that there was. And perched in one of these trees was young Peregrin Took. Beside him sat his friend Merry. They were poised and ready for anything that might come their way. After a short while, a hobbit of gentle visage came around the bend. Pippin, as the Took was called, gave his companion a swat and pointed to the hobbit. Merry nodded.
"The ever-so-watchful predator waits silently for its unsuspecting prey," he muttered in a suspenseful voice. The hobbit drew closer.
"He is tense and poised for his assault," he continued.
The hobbit reached the point right below the branch. "And he springs!" the young hobbit shouted and flung himself off the branch, spreadeagle.
The older hobbit never saw him coming and crumpled to the ground after the youngster had landed on him. Pippin rolled off and looked thoroughly pleased with himself.
The other, however was not amused. "Fool of a Took!" he spat. Pippin ignored the comment and jerked his head up. The other hobbit turned just in time to hear: "And his accomplice follows!" and another body fell on top of him. After Merry had, too, rolled off, the two friends stood, grinning from ear to ear.
"We would like to inform you, sir," Pippin began. "That you have just had the misfortune of being killed and by now eaten by a viscous predator."
"You know, " said Merry, pointing his finger at the old hobbit who was now glaring with malice at the two pranksters. "You should be more careful!"
The elder shot firey darts with his eyes. "You two are a menace! You don't belong in the Shire!" And with that he stomped down the road.
"Did you hear that, Pip?" Merry exclaimed. "That old kook there said that we are menaces! Now, what do you say to that accusation?"
"That he is dead wrong! We are not menaces! We're much worse! We're menaces to menaces!" Pippin said, with a somewhat confused expression. All of a sudden, he straightened up. "Someone else is coming!" he said excitedly.
Merry giggled with delight and he and Pippin scrambled up their tree once more. They sat silently. It was a cart coming. Yes, they could hear the hoofbeats and squeak of the wheels.
Around the bend came the cart. All of a sudden, right under the branch, the cart stopped. The driver got down from his place and stood right under them.
The two hobbits got gleeful expressions and looked at eachother with excitement. They looked back down, but the figure had disappeared. They Straightened up a little and looked around the tree for any sign of who it had been.
"Boo!" came a voice from behind them. They screeched and sprung from the tree. They landed in the cart and were just about to take off, when they heard the sound of laughter. They paused and saw a grey figure walk towards them. He had a long beard and a tall, pointy hat. In one hand, he held a staff.
"Gandalf!" they cried with sheer delight at the wizard's appearance.
"You scared us!" Pippin exclaimed. "We thought we were to be swallowed up by an orc!" "Well now!" Gandalf said with surprise. "I wouldn't go calling a wizard an orc! I mean, I've had my bad days, but an orc! Come now!" he laughed again.
This time, Pippin and Merry joined in. "What are you doing here this time, Gandalf?" Merry wondered with anticipation.
"That is for me to know, and you not to, young Meriadoc." Gandalf took the reins that Merry had been clutching and shooed him over so that the wizard could resume his position as driver.
With a sap of the reins from Gandalf, the horse began to plod once more down the road. Pippin and Merry could not hold still, they found themselves in the back of the cart, rummaging through a package. In it, they found, were fireworks.
They looked over at Gandalf, who did not seem to notice that they had even moved. They glanced at eachother. Each silently daring the other to light one of Gandalf's fireworks. They found a starter and clicked a spark out of it. The firework caught the spark, and the seconds quickly diminished before it would set off. The two looked at eachother, not knowing what to do next. "Uh-oh" they said in unison.
Kablooey! The rocket exploded. Pippin and Merry were shot through the sides of the cart. Gandalf was flung forward and on to the ground. The horse bolted and took off down the road. The rocket spiraled up into the sky, where it finally exploded in a spectacle of colors. Commotion could already be heard down in Hobbiton.
****
A swarm of hobbits (young and old) came over the hill to find a horse standing a little-ways off with an overturned cart behind it. A grey figure was lying in a heap a couple yards away and two smaller figures were starting to stir from unconsciousness. The two stood up and approached the large group. They were black with soot and their hair was sticking out in all possible directions.
A stout hobbit with a red face and beady eyes stepped out of the group. "What happened here?" he demanded.
Pippin and Merry bowed their heads, not in submission, but in order to hide the smiles that were playing on their lips. They knew what was coming! And they were prepared to have fun and enjoy it to the fullest.
The red-faced hobbit glared at them. "A Took and a Brandybuck!" he growled. "Meriadoc! Peregrin!" he walked stiffly over to them. "You two promised that you wouldn't scare other hobbits any longer!"
Pippin couldn't help but smile, "We promised that we wouldn't jump out of bushes at other hobbits! Not that we wouldn't jump out of trees!"
This only angered the stout hobbit further. "Y-y-you t-t-two..." he stuttered, pointing his finger at the two jokesters.
He was interrupted by Gandalf approaching, holding a hand to his head and the other hand out to calm the angry Hobbiton mayor. "Now, now!" he soothed. "I'm sure that young Meriadoc and Peregrin will never do this again! Will you boys?" he asked, turning to them with a grim expression on his face. Clearly, he wasn't very happy with them either.
Nonetheless, they bit back laughs and shook their heads emphatically.
"No sir!" Pippin piped. Gandalf eyed them curiously, but seemed satisfied with their response. "Now, I'm also sure that they won't mind scrubbing the Green Dragon from top to bottom!" he turned to them again with the same grim expression.
Again, they wagged their heads with emphasis. They knew it! Part of the fun of goofing off was the punishment that they always received! The Green Dragon always kept its stores of ale well-hidden. Except from them. Between scrubbing, rinsing, and washing, they would sneak many swallows of the tasty ale.
"Well now, that's settled," Gandalf said with finality. He walked over to the horse and upturned the cart then without another word, started down the hill, leading the horse and cart, humming as he went. Merry and Pippin watched him go and then waited until the swarm had dissipated. The last one to leave was the red-faced, beady-eyed mayor, who left only after giving them one final disgusting look.
After he had finally left, Merry and Pippin let all the repressed laughter flow out. Tears fromed in their eyes and they were rolling around on the ground. After a couple of minutes, they stood up, wiping their eyes and headed down to the Green Dragon for their "punishment".
****