Second to last chapter. All right, all right. Quit cheering, please. I got the point. XD
Merry snuck over to where Gandalf was sleeping. He jumped when he saw Gandalf's eyes were open, but he had to remember he slept like that. He snatched the staff lying on the ground and fled for the trees. He came to the place he was supposed to meet Pippin, but of course, Pippin wasn't there.
"Pippin, where are you?"
He finally showed up after about half an hour. "Am I late?"
"Slightly. I've been waiting. Where were you?"
"Apple tree," Pippin thrust his thumb over his shoulder. "Do you have Gandalf's staff?"
"Yes, now we need to hurry."
Pippin shrugged as Merry lifted the staff. He tried several times to cast magic, but nothing happened. Finally, the younger Hobbit took it and shook it.
"Pippin! What are you doing?"
"I saw Gandalf do it once."
BOOM!
Both Hobbits coughed and sputtered. Merry patted out the small fire that was on shirt. "Well, that worked perfectly."
"That didn't happen when- Ow!" A hand grabbed one of Pippin's ears.
"I might have known." It was Gandalf. He reached out and caught hold of Merry's ear. "How many times does this make now?" He began leading them back to camp. "Messing with an old wizard's staff is a very bad," he tugged on their ears. "Idea."
Merry scratched behind his ear whilst Gandalf decided what to do with them. The old wizard sat smoking his pipe across the fire from the Hobbits. After about forty-seven smoke rings and smoke doodads he finally spoke.
"Since this time, there are no dishes to do… but I have something that might be better."
The Hobbits looked at one another grimacing. Merry jumped up. "It was Pippin! He's the one who shook it!"
"Wait a minute!" Pippin jumped up as well. "You're the one who stole it!"
"If you hadn't shaken it, he wouldn't have known!"
"If you wouldn't have stolen it… he wouldn't have known."
"Great logic." Merry clapped.
He smiled triumphantly, before it faded away. "Hey!"
Gandalf rolled his eyes and grabbed each one's ear. "Come with me." He walked them to a creek and stopped.
"Gandalf?" Pippin squeaked.
"Yes?"
"You're not going to drown us are you?"
"Oh no, no, no. Much better." He pointed and they noticed Aragorn dropping a pile of clothes by the water. They gasped.
"No! Please, Gandalf, don't!" Merry pleaded.
He grinned, handed each of them a brush, and left. He sat chatting with Aragorn and Frodo, when Sméagol flashed by being chased by Merry and Pippin. "Give us our box back!" one shouted.
"Sméagol's precious! Sméagol's second precious! Hahaha!"
Gandalf rolled his eyes, pretending he saw nothing.
