Chapter Three: The Truth is Revealed
Frodo looked down at her, then backed away. The bed stopped him from going too far, almost causing him to fall back onto it.
"I don't believe it." he said as he regained his balance.
"Frodo---" Sarah reached her hand out to him, but he moved out of distance. "Frodo, it's the truth. If you were a hobbit, wouldn't your feet be...um, hobbit-like?"
Sarah watched as Frodo looked down at his feet, which were completely smooth, no noticeable hair to be seen. He seemed to be more shaken by this than the fact that he was taller than her, although she couldn't imagine why. The hairy feet had to be her least favorite part of the hobbit description.
"Do you believe me now?" she asked. He had this shocked look on his face that Sarah couldn't help but smile at. This guy must have really thought he was a hobbit!
"This can't be...I can't be..." he mumbled, staring at the ground. Suddenly, he turned his attention to her, "How did this happen?!"
Sarah raised her hands up in innocence, "Don't look at me, I didn't do anything."
He eyes did not waver from her's and was making her slightly uncomfortable. "I suppose now you're going to tell me that this is not even Middle Earth?"
Sarah looked at him sympathetically.
"You are, aren't you?!" Frodo threw his hands up in frustration and walked to the window. He had not even gazed out for a second before he stumbled back. He leaned with his back against the wall before he slid down and was sitting on the floor. Confusion lighted his eyes as he was overcome by fear.
Sarah could tell he was starting to panic again. Slowly, she made her way over to him, "Frodo?"
He looked at everything but her as he quietly whispered to himself what sounded like nonsense to her ears.
"Frodo?" she sat down next to him and took his hand, "Frodo please say something."
Frodo looked down at her hand, then shifted his gaze to her eyes.
"I think I must be going mad or something!" he said, then looked suddenly toward the door across the room from them. "Your brothers are coming."
A few moments later, the door burst open and in came David and Logan Porter, Sarah's two oldest brothers.
Sarah looked from her brothers to Frodo, curiosity showing plainly on her face.
"What's going on in here?" David demanded, but not harshly, as his eyes rested on the two of them sitting on the floor by the window. David was the kind of guy who jumps to conclusions without really thinking. He was the eldest of four children, and being twenty-three, he felt he should know everything that was going on whether it was any of his business or not.
"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Logan inquired, smiling for some unknown reason, as usual. This, and the fact that they were the closest in age to each other of the four---he being nineteen and she being seventeen---,was what made Logan Sarah's favorite brother to be around. He was always so happy and it was contagious, you couldn't help but smile when he was there.
"Fr---" Sarah started to say but Frodo interrupted her.
"I assume you're the ones who brought me here?" Frodo raised his eyes to them.
"Yep." Logan said, cheerfully.
"What were you doing out there, anyway?" David asked, suspiciously as Frodo stood up slowly.
Frodo looked down at Sarah, then offered her his hand to help her up.
Taking it, he easily pulled her to her feet, all the while she was thinking, "Wow, he's stronger than he looks!", but quietly whispered, "Thank you."
Nodding to her, he turned his attention back to her brothers who had been watching intently. Well, David had been watching intently. Logan had picked up a T.V. Guide from a near-by table and was thumbing though it, humming to himself the theme song of whatever show caught his eye.
"I am afraid that I cannot answer that question, as I really don't know." he replied.
"I see." David crossed his arms over his chest and walked steadily closer to Frodo. "So...where are you from?"
Oh no, Sarah thought, Please don't say the Shire, please don't say the Shire!
"The Shire." Frodo stated.
Sarah looked at her brother's humorously confused face when an idea struck her. She stepped up beside Frodo, "New Hampshire, that's what he calls New Hampshire. You know, 'the Shire' for short?"
She could see Frodo looking at her strangely out of the corner of her eye, but she ignored him.
"New Hampshire, huh?" David didn't look convinced at Sarah's attempt to explain Frodo's term. He turned his back to them and fiddled with a small knick-knack on one of the bookcases lining the side wall, "For a second, I thought you were talking about the place where the hobbits live."
Frodo opened his mouth to say something, but Sarah, being afraid of what would come out, clamped her hand over it. Frodo mumbled something as he looked at her with wide eyes.
Sarah raised her finger to her lips in a way that said for him not to say anything when she removed her other hand from his mouth.
"I don't think he appreciates that, Sarah." Sarah let go of Frodo as Logan laughed. Frodo nodded his head in agreement with Logan. He had understood her and the whole 'not talking' thing after all.
"I was just---" she tried to explain, "---but I---"
"Yeah, that was understandable." Logan said with amusement. David had turned slightly before Sarah had moved her hand from Frodo's mouth, but had decided to let Logan do the talking for once. "What were you doing that for anyway? I think I'd like to hear what he was going to say that you found to be mouth-covering worthy."
Sarah felt like somebody had splashed a bucket of ice water all over her as she thought about what was about to happen. She wished Frodo could read minds. If he could, he would know she was screaming, "If you value your freedom, don't tell them you were a hobbit! My brothers are not as understanding as I am, and I think you're a little off your rocker, myself! But then, I guess I am too, 'cause no sane person would be in this situation, would they?"
Frodo looked at her with a pained expression on his face and Sarah wondered if he really could read her thoughts. He was starting to make her feel really guilty and really self-conscious by the way he kept looking at her. Funny, though, she was getting an equally disturbing look from both David and Logan.
"You told her you were a hobbit?" Logan smiled, again somewhat amused.
Dang it! I must have really been saying those things! Sarah thought.
"New Hampshire, huh?" David cast a sideways glare at Sarah, then turned his full attention to Frodo, "Is that what you meant or did you mean 'the Shire' where hobbits live?"
Frodo still felt the pain from what Sarah had said so abruptly and now her brothers, who's names he still did not know, were bearing down on him. Well, the one who was talking to him at the moment was, but he was doing it so well it seemed like both of them.
Frodo didn't really know what Sarah had meant about valuing his freedom, but he decided to take her advice and not say anything about being a hobbit.
"New Hampshire...yes." Frodo replied after an extended silence. He smiled when he saw the look of relief he saw come over Sarah's face, but it quickly faded away as he turned his attention back to her brother. "Now, may I ask you something?"
"Fire away." David said, slight annoyance edged in his voice.
"Who are you?" Frodo inquired.
Sarah stepped up. "These are two of my brothers." she said, pointing to each one as she said their names, "That's Logan, and this is David. Our younger brother, Jeremy, he's ten and a pain in the neck, is away at school for the year. You won't be meeting him anytime soon."
Frodo nodded.
"Now, I want to ask you the same thing." David stated. "Who are you?"
Frodo saw Sarah's face pale at this question, and he knew why.
Frodo looked down at her, then backed away. The bed stopped him from going too far, almost causing him to fall back onto it.
"I don't believe it." he said as he regained his balance.
"Frodo---" Sarah reached her hand out to him, but he moved out of distance. "Frodo, it's the truth. If you were a hobbit, wouldn't your feet be...um, hobbit-like?"
Sarah watched as Frodo looked down at his feet, which were completely smooth, no noticeable hair to be seen. He seemed to be more shaken by this than the fact that he was taller than her, although she couldn't imagine why. The hairy feet had to be her least favorite part of the hobbit description.
"Do you believe me now?" she asked. He had this shocked look on his face that Sarah couldn't help but smile at. This guy must have really thought he was a hobbit!
"This can't be...I can't be..." he mumbled, staring at the ground. Suddenly, he turned his attention to her, "How did this happen?!"
Sarah raised her hands up in innocence, "Don't look at me, I didn't do anything."
He eyes did not waver from her's and was making her slightly uncomfortable. "I suppose now you're going to tell me that this is not even Middle Earth?"
Sarah looked at him sympathetically.
"You are, aren't you?!" Frodo threw his hands up in frustration and walked to the window. He had not even gazed out for a second before he stumbled back. He leaned with his back against the wall before he slid down and was sitting on the floor. Confusion lighted his eyes as he was overcome by fear.
Sarah could tell he was starting to panic again. Slowly, she made her way over to him, "Frodo?"
He looked at everything but her as he quietly whispered to himself what sounded like nonsense to her ears.
"Frodo?" she sat down next to him and took his hand, "Frodo please say something."
Frodo looked down at her hand, then shifted his gaze to her eyes.
"I think I must be going mad or something!" he said, then looked suddenly toward the door across the room from them. "Your brothers are coming."
A few moments later, the door burst open and in came David and Logan Porter, Sarah's two oldest brothers.
Sarah looked from her brothers to Frodo, curiosity showing plainly on her face.
"What's going on in here?" David demanded, but not harshly, as his eyes rested on the two of them sitting on the floor by the window. David was the kind of guy who jumps to conclusions without really thinking. He was the eldest of four children, and being twenty-three, he felt he should know everything that was going on whether it was any of his business or not.
"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Logan inquired, smiling for some unknown reason, as usual. This, and the fact that they were the closest in age to each other of the four---he being nineteen and she being seventeen---,was what made Logan Sarah's favorite brother to be around. He was always so happy and it was contagious, you couldn't help but smile when he was there.
"Fr---" Sarah started to say but Frodo interrupted her.
"I assume you're the ones who brought me here?" Frodo raised his eyes to them.
"Yep." Logan said, cheerfully.
"What were you doing out there, anyway?" David asked, suspiciously as Frodo stood up slowly.
Frodo looked down at Sarah, then offered her his hand to help her up.
Taking it, he easily pulled her to her feet, all the while she was thinking, "Wow, he's stronger than he looks!", but quietly whispered, "Thank you."
Nodding to her, he turned his attention back to her brothers who had been watching intently. Well, David had been watching intently. Logan had picked up a T.V. Guide from a near-by table and was thumbing though it, humming to himself the theme song of whatever show caught his eye.
"I am afraid that I cannot answer that question, as I really don't know." he replied.
"I see." David crossed his arms over his chest and walked steadily closer to Frodo. "So...where are you from?"
Oh no, Sarah thought, Please don't say the Shire, please don't say the Shire!
"The Shire." Frodo stated.
Sarah looked at her brother's humorously confused face when an idea struck her. She stepped up beside Frodo, "New Hampshire, that's what he calls New Hampshire. You know, 'the Shire' for short?"
She could see Frodo looking at her strangely out of the corner of her eye, but she ignored him.
"New Hampshire, huh?" David didn't look convinced at Sarah's attempt to explain Frodo's term. He turned his back to them and fiddled with a small knick-knack on one of the bookcases lining the side wall, "For a second, I thought you were talking about the place where the hobbits live."
Frodo opened his mouth to say something, but Sarah, being afraid of what would come out, clamped her hand over it. Frodo mumbled something as he looked at her with wide eyes.
Sarah raised her finger to her lips in a way that said for him not to say anything when she removed her other hand from his mouth.
"I don't think he appreciates that, Sarah." Sarah let go of Frodo as Logan laughed. Frodo nodded his head in agreement with Logan. He had understood her and the whole 'not talking' thing after all.
"I was just---" she tried to explain, "---but I---"
"Yeah, that was understandable." Logan said with amusement. David had turned slightly before Sarah had moved her hand from Frodo's mouth, but had decided to let Logan do the talking for once. "What were you doing that for anyway? I think I'd like to hear what he was going to say that you found to be mouth-covering worthy."
Sarah felt like somebody had splashed a bucket of ice water all over her as she thought about what was about to happen. She wished Frodo could read minds. If he could, he would know she was screaming, "If you value your freedom, don't tell them you were a hobbit! My brothers are not as understanding as I am, and I think you're a little off your rocker, myself! But then, I guess I am too, 'cause no sane person would be in this situation, would they?"
Frodo looked at her with a pained expression on his face and Sarah wondered if he really could read her thoughts. He was starting to make her feel really guilty and really self-conscious by the way he kept looking at her. Funny, though, she was getting an equally disturbing look from both David and Logan.
"You told her you were a hobbit?" Logan smiled, again somewhat amused.
Dang it! I must have really been saying those things! Sarah thought.
"New Hampshire, huh?" David cast a sideways glare at Sarah, then turned his full attention to Frodo, "Is that what you meant or did you mean 'the Shire' where hobbits live?"
Frodo still felt the pain from what Sarah had said so abruptly and now her brothers, who's names he still did not know, were bearing down on him. Well, the one who was talking to him at the moment was, but he was doing it so well it seemed like both of them.
Frodo didn't really know what Sarah had meant about valuing his freedom, but he decided to take her advice and not say anything about being a hobbit.
"New Hampshire...yes." Frodo replied after an extended silence. He smiled when he saw the look of relief he saw come over Sarah's face, but it quickly faded away as he turned his attention back to her brother. "Now, may I ask you something?"
"Fire away." David said, slight annoyance edged in his voice.
"Who are you?" Frodo inquired.
Sarah stepped up. "These are two of my brothers." she said, pointing to each one as she said their names, "That's Logan, and this is David. Our younger brother, Jeremy, he's ten and a pain in the neck, is away at school for the year. You won't be meeting him anytime soon."
Frodo nodded.
"Now, I want to ask you the same thing." David stated. "Who are you?"
Frodo saw Sarah's face pale at this question, and he knew why.