Chapter 6
Nightmares: Asleep and Awake
The next morning, Frodo met Hildifons outside the suite. The Took had prepared a bow for Frodo. It was carved with beautiful engravings. Frodo ran his fingers over the wood, admiring the hobbit's craftiness.
"Oh!" Hildifons gasped as they began to walk through the palace. "I didn't know you were missing a finger. That must've hurt!"
"Ah…yes…" Frodo had gotten used to his right hand missing its' third finger. It now felt so natural…as if it was normal. And to be honest…it was the least of his hurts. "It did hurt," Frodo admitted. "But now I'm used to it. It felt very strange at first, but then I was fascinated when it healed, now it's…normal…"
"If you don't mind me asking…how did you lose it?"
Frodo didn't answer for a moment. "I…I lost it…on the quest. I was…foolish."
"Right, of course…I didn't mean to pressure you…"
"Not at all. It's fine…" Frodo replied awkwardly. "So…tell me more about your adventures!"
~jb~
Hildifons told Frodo about his adventure before travelling to sea. He told most of his tale through song. He had a beautiful voice and obviously loved to sing. Once they got to the woods, he led Frodo to a small herd of deer. He quietly instructed Frodo how to use a bow and arrow. Frodo was reminded of when he had lived in the Brandyhall and the Tooks would often visit to give lessons to those who were interested. Frodo had done archery once or twice but could hardly keep an interest. This time was different. He was intrigued by this other hobbit, who looked so young, but was so old in years. He must have had plenty of archery experience.
The deer were grazing peacefully as the two hobbits approached them.
"Normally I would start with hitting a tree." Hildifons said quietly. "But I like to show people how fast prey can get away from you before you can make a good hit."
Frodo nodded before pulling the arrow back. He looked at one doe, grazing peacefully by a small stream. Frodo hesitated for a moment, knowing he had a perfect shot, but was unsure if he wanted to go through with it. He tried to shake off the feeling, reminding himself that this was how dinner normally comes to the table. He took a deep breath and released the arrow.
He suddenly saw Boromir standing in the midst of the deer… How can this be? I thought Boromir…?
Frodo's mind began to race, unsure what he was seeing…he learned that Boromir had fallen by the arrow, trying to protect Merry and Pippin…
The arrow Frodo had released suddenly flew into Boromir's chest. Frodo screamed as the man fell to his knees, hanging his head. Orcs seemed to be running away from the noise…or was that the deer…?
Frodo suddenly found himself sitting on the forest floor, one hand still clutching the bow. Hildifons held Frodo's face in his hands, attempting to calm him.
"Frodo, it's all right. You're safe now. Just breathe." Hildifons said.
Once Frodo had caught his breath, he looked over to where the deer had been grazing. He realized he missed his target and the herd had ran off…probably at the sound of his screaming.
"Well, you didn't do too bad." Hildifons encouraged, helping Frodo to his feet. "You almost had it…are you up to trying again? Or would you rather go back to the palace."
"I think…I'd like to go back." Frodo huffed, feeling embarrassed. He had hoped these visions and nightmares would pass by now. He supposed he would have to give it some more time… They made their way back to the palace. Frodo's hope was still lingering…but how much longer could he go on?
~jb~
Things were no better for May. She had been losing sleep because of her nightmares. Having Bilbo's book didn't really help either; it certainly kept her imagination running wild. One night, she sat at her desk and began to draw. She tried to draw things that made her happy. She drew her cat, Harold, who would sleep in her room when she was growing up. She drew her favorite flowers, and animals. She drew the dead leaves that would fall every year into the yards of Bagshot row.
It had been two weeks since Frodo had left the Shire. It was almost April, and birds had been nesting in the hazel thicket, in front of Bag End, and their eggs had started to hatch. One could hear the chicks chirping. May tried to picture them in her mind. She drew the hazel thicket, the nests, and the birds with their chicks. She remembered one year she hid in the bushes and waited to scare Frodo. A year later he asked her why she didn't scare him again. May told him she saw some birds nesting in the thicket and she didn't want to disturb them. For many years, the two would check on the thicket to see how many birds would be nesting. Sam began to join in and help count the birds.
May smiled at the thought and set her pencil down. She yawned and stretched. She stood from her desk and went to bed, hoping she could get some rest. The old bookstore was doing very well, but she couldn't figure out a good name for it. She wrote a list and set it on her desk, but she decided to sleep on it. She pulled the covers over her and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
May was lying in bed, eyes wide open. She did not want to sleep tonight. She was only eight years old and kept having nightmares. Harold, her grumpy, old cat was curled up next to her, sound asleep. It was humorous to hear he had a small snore. His purring and snoring were comforting, but it still wasn't enough to help her sleep. May sighed and turned to the window, watching the stars outside. She heard her door creak open. She turned her head back to see her mother standing there with a candle. The hobbitess walked over and sat at the end of the bed.
"Can you sleep?" Her mother asked.
May shook her head.
"It's one o'clock in the mornin', May." Bell stated.
"Mama…I wish I could curl up and fall asleep as fast as Harold." May admitted.
"Me too, dear," Bell replied. "Me too."
Belle left the candle on May's nightstand. She went out into the kitchen. May could hear her parents conversing on what to do next. May shivered when she thought she heard the word: 'doctor'.
She looked back at her window into the night sky. She thought she caught a shooting star…
"Well, that was a nicer dream for once." May whispered when she awoke the next morning. She stretched in bed and peered out the window. The sun hadn't quite come up yet, but she felt awake and refreshed. She decided to stay in bed for a while longer and enjoy the softness and warmth of her bed.
This was a fun chapter to write. I hope y'all had fun reading!
