Chapter 9
Snowhobbits
As the week drug on Frodo's cold grew worse. His family still remained in Bag-End, often relaxing in the parlor in silence waiting for any sign that the lad would recover. Esmerelda, Eglatine and Bilbo took turns sitting with Frodo during the cold, dark nights. Even Saradoc had offered to sit by his nephew's side though when the lad began to call for his long dead mother at times when the fever fits came, the Master of Buckland had to leave the room. Thankfully, the snow was beginning to melt. On the sixth day of the Yule celebration, Merry and Pippin put on their snowsuits and asked to go outside. "Well.it does seem to have loosened up quite a bit," Saradoc reported after opening the main door to Bag-End. "I suppose it's all right, boys. Go on."
"But be careful!" Esmerelda called after them.
The two hobbitlads hurried outside, smiling as they looked up towards the bright sunlight. Sure enough the snow had melted a great deal and they romped around tossing snowballs at each other. "Say!" cried Merry after the two of them lay on their backs in the white fluff. "We could make snowhobbits!"
"Snowhobbits?" asked Pippin, turning over to gaze at his shadow over the top of the snow.
"Uh huh! It'll be easy.and fun too! We'll go and ask Bilbo if he has any carrots that we could use for its nose and coal for its eyes."
Pippin giggled and followed Merry back inside Bag-End.
"Carrots and coal?" asked Bilbo with a slight smile on his careworn face.
"We're gonna make a snowhobbit!" Pippin explained. "We wanted coal for the eyes and carrots for the nose and."
Esmerelda chuckled from where she stood and shook her head.
"What a waste of good food!" Bilbo teased. "But I suppose it will be all right."
Pippin jumped up and down clapping as Merry went to retrieve what materials they needed. The adults watched the children hurry out through the main door and looked at each other with small smiles. "I do hope Frodo gets well soon." Sighed Bilbo when he heard coughing from Frodo's bedroom. "The poor lad is missing out on all the fun with his cousins."
Esmerelda nodded sadly. "We should give him an herbal steam bath this evening.it should help clear up that chest conjestion."
"BILBO!"
All heads turned towards Frodo's bedroom. "I'll go." Bilbo told the women quietly and went immediately to his nephew's aid. Frodo was still asleep when Bilbo reached his bedside, but judging from the tormented sobs and groans, Bilbo guessed the lad was having a nightmare. The old hobbit took the bowl of water and rag from the nighttable and gently began to blott Frodo's forehead, cheeks and neck with it. Frodo's blue eyes opened and it took a few moments for his blurred vision to clear enough to see his Uncle.
"B-Bilbo?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
"I am here, lad. Right here."
"I'm s-so cold."
"Would you like another blanket?"
Frodo nodded softly. "M-Merry and Pippin.where are they?"
Bilbo went into Frodo's closet and pulled out an extra quilt. "They are outside building snowhobbits." He gently wrapped the quilt around Frodo.
"Snowhobbits?" Frodo's chapped lips curled into a small smile at the sound of the word. Bilbo stroked the lad's curls.
"Yes. They are very disappointed that you aren't out there to play with them."
Frodo coughed. "I-I wish I could be out there too. Just the thought of getting out of bed is exhausting."
Bilbo kissed his forehead. "I know. It isn't your fault, Frodo."
"You look tired, Uncle." Frodo whispered, noticing the dark circles under Bilbo's eyes. "Did you sleep at all this week?"
Bilbo laughed. "Of course I did."
"For how long, though?" Frodo gave Bilbo a mischevious smile.
"You know how to torment an old soul, don't you?" Bilbo laughed. "If you will let one of your Aunties sit with you than I shall get a good rest. How does that sound?"
Frodo smiled. "It sounds very good. I don't want you becoming ill." He sneezed loudly and Bilbo immediately went to fetch Frodo a clean handkerchief. Once he held it in his hand he sneezed yet again and Bilbo sighed.
"I think it is time for you to have an herbal steam bath, Frodo. Your sneezing has not stopped since this morning."
Frodo whimpered in protest but his Uncle would not hear of it. "Just rest a moment while I fetch your Aunties." Bilbo headed out into the hallway only to hear shrieks and laughter from outside. He gazed out of the window in his study to see Merry chasing Pippin around the yard holding two snowballs in his mitten-covered hands.
"You're going to get it this time, Peregrin Took!"
Bilbo chuckled to himself as he went to get Eglatine and Esmerelda. The two women were needlepointing while the men were napping and they got the hint when Bilbo motioned for the two of them to follow him into the kitchen. They filled a large basin with steaming water and heated lavender tealeaves. The scent of the concoction was overwhelming and Bilbo felt a bit faint before they went to get Frodo out of bed.
"Must I have a steam bath?" the tweenager asked miserably as he was stripped naked. "It is embarassing.what if Merry and Pip happen to run in on us?"
Eglatine kissed the top of his head. "Oh stop being such a silly hobbit! In you go."
Frodo let out a cry when his foot touched the water.it was boiling! "Hot! Hot! Too hot!"
Bilbo folded his arms. "That is the point of it, lad. It will cool down a bit once you've sat in there for a few moments."
Frodo bore the torture long enough until he was leaning against the side of the basin, taking in the strong scent of the lavender. Much to his misfortune, the two younger hobbits burst into the room dripping wet. "Mama.Merry dropped snow down my back!" Pippin sobbed. "It's COLD!"
"FRODO?" Merry cried out. Frodo immediately sunk down.
"Go away!" He shouted angrily.
"Are you naked?" giggled Pippin.
"Stop that, Pippin. Both of you get out of those wet clothes and don't drip on the carpet!" Eglatine ordered the younguns out of the room. "I'm sorry, Frodo."
Frodo let out a long sigh as he sunk further into the water. "Frodo?" Esmerelda lifted the lad a bit so that he wouldn't drown and she gave a look of panic to Bilbo and Eglatine. "He's fainted!"
"Grab towels," Esmerelda told them. "We need to get a healer.quickly! Tell Saradoc to run out and get Dr. Goodbody!"
Bilbo ran to the linen closet to grab towels and they wrapped Frodo's still form, lifting him out of the basin. "My dear boy." Bilbo looked at the bundle of fluff in Esmerelda's arms as she carried Frodo back into his bedroom.
As the week drug on Frodo's cold grew worse. His family still remained in Bag-End, often relaxing in the parlor in silence waiting for any sign that the lad would recover. Esmerelda, Eglatine and Bilbo took turns sitting with Frodo during the cold, dark nights. Even Saradoc had offered to sit by his nephew's side though when the lad began to call for his long dead mother at times when the fever fits came, the Master of Buckland had to leave the room. Thankfully, the snow was beginning to melt. On the sixth day of the Yule celebration, Merry and Pippin put on their snowsuits and asked to go outside. "Well.it does seem to have loosened up quite a bit," Saradoc reported after opening the main door to Bag-End. "I suppose it's all right, boys. Go on."
"But be careful!" Esmerelda called after them.
The two hobbitlads hurried outside, smiling as they looked up towards the bright sunlight. Sure enough the snow had melted a great deal and they romped around tossing snowballs at each other. "Say!" cried Merry after the two of them lay on their backs in the white fluff. "We could make snowhobbits!"
"Snowhobbits?" asked Pippin, turning over to gaze at his shadow over the top of the snow.
"Uh huh! It'll be easy.and fun too! We'll go and ask Bilbo if he has any carrots that we could use for its nose and coal for its eyes."
Pippin giggled and followed Merry back inside Bag-End.
"Carrots and coal?" asked Bilbo with a slight smile on his careworn face.
"We're gonna make a snowhobbit!" Pippin explained. "We wanted coal for the eyes and carrots for the nose and."
Esmerelda chuckled from where she stood and shook her head.
"What a waste of good food!" Bilbo teased. "But I suppose it will be all right."
Pippin jumped up and down clapping as Merry went to retrieve what materials they needed. The adults watched the children hurry out through the main door and looked at each other with small smiles. "I do hope Frodo gets well soon." Sighed Bilbo when he heard coughing from Frodo's bedroom. "The poor lad is missing out on all the fun with his cousins."
Esmerelda nodded sadly. "We should give him an herbal steam bath this evening.it should help clear up that chest conjestion."
"BILBO!"
All heads turned towards Frodo's bedroom. "I'll go." Bilbo told the women quietly and went immediately to his nephew's aid. Frodo was still asleep when Bilbo reached his bedside, but judging from the tormented sobs and groans, Bilbo guessed the lad was having a nightmare. The old hobbit took the bowl of water and rag from the nighttable and gently began to blott Frodo's forehead, cheeks and neck with it. Frodo's blue eyes opened and it took a few moments for his blurred vision to clear enough to see his Uncle.
"B-Bilbo?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
"I am here, lad. Right here."
"I'm s-so cold."
"Would you like another blanket?"
Frodo nodded softly. "M-Merry and Pippin.where are they?"
Bilbo went into Frodo's closet and pulled out an extra quilt. "They are outside building snowhobbits." He gently wrapped the quilt around Frodo.
"Snowhobbits?" Frodo's chapped lips curled into a small smile at the sound of the word. Bilbo stroked the lad's curls.
"Yes. They are very disappointed that you aren't out there to play with them."
Frodo coughed. "I-I wish I could be out there too. Just the thought of getting out of bed is exhausting."
Bilbo kissed his forehead. "I know. It isn't your fault, Frodo."
"You look tired, Uncle." Frodo whispered, noticing the dark circles under Bilbo's eyes. "Did you sleep at all this week?"
Bilbo laughed. "Of course I did."
"For how long, though?" Frodo gave Bilbo a mischevious smile.
"You know how to torment an old soul, don't you?" Bilbo laughed. "If you will let one of your Aunties sit with you than I shall get a good rest. How does that sound?"
Frodo smiled. "It sounds very good. I don't want you becoming ill." He sneezed loudly and Bilbo immediately went to fetch Frodo a clean handkerchief. Once he held it in his hand he sneezed yet again and Bilbo sighed.
"I think it is time for you to have an herbal steam bath, Frodo. Your sneezing has not stopped since this morning."
Frodo whimpered in protest but his Uncle would not hear of it. "Just rest a moment while I fetch your Aunties." Bilbo headed out into the hallway only to hear shrieks and laughter from outside. He gazed out of the window in his study to see Merry chasing Pippin around the yard holding two snowballs in his mitten-covered hands.
"You're going to get it this time, Peregrin Took!"
Bilbo chuckled to himself as he went to get Eglatine and Esmerelda. The two women were needlepointing while the men were napping and they got the hint when Bilbo motioned for the two of them to follow him into the kitchen. They filled a large basin with steaming water and heated lavender tealeaves. The scent of the concoction was overwhelming and Bilbo felt a bit faint before they went to get Frodo out of bed.
"Must I have a steam bath?" the tweenager asked miserably as he was stripped naked. "It is embarassing.what if Merry and Pip happen to run in on us?"
Eglatine kissed the top of his head. "Oh stop being such a silly hobbit! In you go."
Frodo let out a cry when his foot touched the water.it was boiling! "Hot! Hot! Too hot!"
Bilbo folded his arms. "That is the point of it, lad. It will cool down a bit once you've sat in there for a few moments."
Frodo bore the torture long enough until he was leaning against the side of the basin, taking in the strong scent of the lavender. Much to his misfortune, the two younger hobbits burst into the room dripping wet. "Mama.Merry dropped snow down my back!" Pippin sobbed. "It's COLD!"
"FRODO?" Merry cried out. Frodo immediately sunk down.
"Go away!" He shouted angrily.
"Are you naked?" giggled Pippin.
"Stop that, Pippin. Both of you get out of those wet clothes and don't drip on the carpet!" Eglatine ordered the younguns out of the room. "I'm sorry, Frodo."
Frodo let out a long sigh as he sunk further into the water. "Frodo?" Esmerelda lifted the lad a bit so that he wouldn't drown and she gave a look of panic to Bilbo and Eglatine. "He's fainted!"
"Grab towels," Esmerelda told them. "We need to get a healer.quickly! Tell Saradoc to run out and get Dr. Goodbody!"
Bilbo ran to the linen closet to grab towels and they wrapped Frodo's still form, lifting him out of the basin. "My dear boy." Bilbo looked at the bundle of fluff in Esmerelda's arms as she carried Frodo back into his bedroom.