Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR

Note: Charlie will actually live in the Shire for most of her teenage years before going to Rivendell. She's not going to meet Glorfindel until she's at least 16 or 17.


~Chapter 2~

I collapsed, laughing. "That was fun!"

Pippin and Merry also collapsed in a heap, wheezing, clutching their filched vegetables to their chests. Pippin started to crack up as well, and even Merry joined in. Soon, the three of us were laughing wildly.

After the three of us calmed down, Pippin looked at me again. "So! We never got properly introduced before, so I'm Peregrin Took, at your service!"

"Meriadoc Brandybuck," Merry added. "But just Merry, if you please!"

"I'm Charlene Hunt, but I don't like my name, so call me Charlie!" I replied cheerfully. "I never knew that anyone else lived in these woods! Do you guys live in town?"

They blinked, confused. "'Guys'?" Merry inquired, but decided to ignore it. "I could ask you the same question. Usually, the only Big Folk we see live down near Bree! Are you from around there?"

I shook my head, confused. "No, I live in a town called Ashton. I've never heard of Bree before."

"Ashton?" Pippin echoed. "Where's that?"

I blinked, growing even more confused. "You've had to have heard of Ashton! We have the best schools around, and that president was born here in Ashton! Or...some guy in the government! So we sometimes get a lot of tourists and college kids!"

My new-found friends exchanged bewildered glances. "Charlie, how exactly did you end up near Farmer Maggot's farm?" Merry eventually asked carefully.

I shrugged. "I was exploring with my dog, Rufus, when-" I suddenly gasped, leaping up. "Rufus! I've got to find him!" I looked at the two small people pleadingly. "Please, you have to help me find him!"

Merry nodded. "Alright, we'll help, but afterwards we'll make sure you get home fine."

I nodded frantically, and took off the direction we came, calling, "Rufus!" at the top of my lungs. Merry and Pippin were whispering back and forth, but I didn't listen in as I might have done at another time. I had to find my dog.

As we grew nearer to Farmer Maggot's farm, Merry and Pippin grew more nervous. "How about we split up here?" Pippin said. "You go that way, and we'll go this way!" He motioned for me to go near Farmer Maggot's farm.

"Okay! We'll meet back up here! Call me if you find Rufus! He's really friendly, so don't worry about him being mean!" I said quickly, before taking off towards the farm. I climbed the hill again, calling for my dog, when I noticed something that made me freeze. Where it had been woods before for me, was now rows upon rows of corn.

I walked forward carefully. There was no mistake. This was where I had previously come from, but the forest was gone. "What's going on?" I whispered, growing a bit scared. I bit my lip, and raised my voice. "Rufus? Rufus, where are you!"

I heard the barking of dogs in the distance, and my eyes lit up. "Rufus!" Without a second thought I plunged into the corn, and took off towards the barking.

"OI! You mangy brats after my vegetables again?" a gruff voice bellowed out. I paused in my search.

"Hello?" I called uncertainly, seeing nothing but stalks of corn.

There was a crunching sound, and suddenly another small man came out of the stalks of corn, a pitchfork in his hand. He had brown hair, and suspicious hazel eyes. Once again, I was taller than him, but not by a lot. The small man inspected me for a moment, before relaxing his grip on the pitchfork. "Who're you, and why's a human girl on my land?" he asked, suspicion still coloring his tone.

I was near tears. I was confused and scared, and I just wanted to go home. "Please, sir, have you seen my dog?" My voice broke and a couple tears dripped down my cheeks.

Farmer Maggot's eyes softened. "Well, Big Folk you are, but no doubt wanting a good meal, eh? Getting dark, and you shouldn't go wandering around at night, with you bein' a youngin' an' all!" He motioned for me to follow him, and I did so, wiping my tears away. Soon we came to his house. His three dogs started barking fiercely at me, but Farmer Maggot quickly calmed them down.

Another more friendly bark sounded from inside the house, and Rufus came scampering out and barreled into me. "RUFUS!" I yelled, clutching his neck. I held onto him, sobbing, as he licked my face all over and tried to climb all over me.

Farmer Maggot chuckled. "Found 'im wandering the corn field. You don't see too many dogs these days, so I took 'im in. Rufus, eh? Strange name. Speaking of names, what's yours?"

"I'm Charlie. And you're Farmer Maggot, right? Merry and Pippin told me about you."

Farmer Maggot's face darkened, and too late did I realize I should have kept silent about my accomplice's names. "Oh, they did, did they?" he grumbled in a forbidding tone, and I felt a surge of sympathy for what would happen to those two if they set foot on his land again. "Was Frodo with them this time, too?" he added sharply.

I shook my head. "No, sir, it was just them. They were helping me find Rufus, and-" I stopped realizing something. "Oh! They're probably still searching for Rufus!"

Farmer Maggot shook his head, his eyes glinting. "Let 'em search! Teach them not to steal my vegetables!" He snorted under his breath and motioned me into the house. "Come on, then. Come on!"

Inside, it was nice and cozy, though I had to stoop a bit. Another small person, this time a woman, was cooking over a hearth. I blinked. There was no technology in the house at all. The woman turned around and frowned slightly at the sight of me. "What's this, Maggot?"

"A lost human girl," Maggot replied. "She's joining us for supper."

She nodded, her face softening, and she broke out into a smile. "Well, pleasure to meet you! My name's Iris, and Maggot's my husband! Now, go on and sit down, and we'll get you somethin' to eat." She took the kettle off of where it hung over the fire, and poured three cups of tea.

I sat down timidly, and took a sip of the tea. My eyes widened and my face broke out into a smile. "The tea's very good, ma'am!" I said, grinning.

Iris returned my grin. "Why, thank you kindly!" She hesitated, and I realized why.

I blushed. "Oh! Sorry! My name's Charlie. It's nice to meet you!"

Maggot chuckled, also sitting down. "So, Charlie, where are you from?"

"I live with my dad a little ways out from Ashton." I took a cake from the plate that Iris set down on the table, before sitting down herself. "Merry and Pippin haven't heard of Ashton, can you believe that?"

A bewildered silence met my words. "Well, Charlie," Maggot said, choosing his words carefully, "I haven't heard of Ashton either. Is that somewhere in the Shire?"

"The Shire?" I asked, confused. "Where's that?"

Farmer Maggot and Iris exchanged glances. "Why, you're in the Shire right now! Mostly hobbits live here. You don't get too many Big Folk around here, they're all down near Bree."

"Merry said something like that," I recalled. "But what do you mean by that? And why did you call me human earlier? What's a Big Folk? And what's a hobbit?"

Maggot held up a hand. "Slow down, there! We're all hobbits, Meriadoc, Peregrin, Iris and I. And you're a Big Folk."

"So that's why you're so small!" I said in amazement, before blushing with embarrassment. "Sorry! My dad said that I shouldn't make remarks about people's height, but I didn't mean-"

Farmer Maggot cut me off, trying not to laugh. "Oh, don't worry about it. Tell me, you live in Ashton with your father? What's his name?"

"Samuel. But people just call him Sam. And my uncle Dan calls him Sammy-boy." I continued to eat, not noticing the looks that Iris and Maggot were exchanging.

Three timid knocks on the door interrupted what Maggot had been about to say. Farmer Maggot's lip curled. "I think I know who that is." Striding up out of his chair, Farmer Maggot threw open the door and started roaring at whoever was outside. I could hear a terrified voice answering, but I didn't know who it was.

I looked at Iris. "Who's that at the door?"

Before she could answer, Farmer Maggot came back with a sober-looking Merry and Pippin in tow. I waved at them cheerfully. "Hiya! Farmer Maggot invited me for dinner, and he helped me find Rufus!" I pointed to the large golden, who was currently giving the two young hobbits a cheerful greeting.

"We were worried about you when you didn't show up," Merry admitted.

"We thought Farmer Maggot had gotten to you!" Pippin blurted.

I laughed. "Nope! Him and Iris have been really nice!"

"You three can stay the night," Farmer Maggot added, before towering over the two hobbits again. "But tomorrow, I want you to take her to Bilbo Baggins, and see if his friend the wizard is visiting. I think he'll want to see her. Understand?"

The two of them gulped. I spoke up. "Thanks, but I think my dad might be worried about me."

Farmer Maggot shook his head, sighing. "I don't think you understand. I don't know if you can go home, or if what you're even talking about is true. See, none of these places you've told us about exist. They're nowhere that I've heard of before, and you can't have wandered off too far from your home."

I blinked, trying to understand. "So...this is like Narnia?"

"We don't know what Narnia is," Iris said, laying a comforting hand on my wrist, "but you're in Middle Earth right now, in the Shire. Do you remember hearing about those places back at your home?"

I shook my head, but my face stretched out into a grin. "I've always wanted to go to Narnia! I know this isn't Narnia, but it's like it! I can't wait to see more!" I contemplated for a moment. "Though do you have a phone?"

"What's a...phone?" Merry asked, confused.

I shrugged. "I guess you don't, then. I didn't think so, when I saw that you don't have technology," I added under my breath.

Ignoring the confused looks from the hobbits, I grinned at all of them. "Dinner is delicious, isn't it?" And, like all other hobbits, they were immediately distracted at the talk of food.

The rest of dinner was a very pleasant affair, and I felt warm and sleepy afterwards. Since I was too tall to fit into any hobbit clothes, I simply curled up with a couple blankets in a spare bedroom. Maggot explained that it used to be his sons before they married and went off to live on their own. Merry and Pippin were in another room, but Rufus was dominating most of the small bed in my room.

I curled up into a small ball, thinking over the events of the day. I hope that Dad isn't too worried, I thought before I drifted off into a deep sleep.


A/N

Second chapter is out! Her father's name, Samuel, and her uncle's name, Dan, was kind of a tip-of-the-hat to the show Supernatural xD Though if I made it Dean then it would have been too obvious.

So, you like? Review and tell me! :D

~Eva Sirico~