Chapter 5: Sam Sees the Moon
"Mr. Frodo!"
I looked up from the petunias to see Sam running toward me as fast as his furry little feet could go. "Sam? Is something the matter?"
"I don't rightly know!" He said, stopping and looking seriously at me. "Something's wrong, it would seem."
"Well, you had better show me quick." I took his chubby little hand in mine.
Sam took off, and I ran with him to the top of the Hill and we stood on the roof together.
"There." He said, pointing up at the sky. "You see it?"
I looked up. The sky was blue, the clouds small and fluffy, and a bit of round moon showed in the sky like it sometimes did. There was nothing out of the ordinary. "I don't think so, Sam. What is it?"
"The MOON!" he stared at me with wide, teary eyes. "It ain't supposed to be up in daylight! Is somethin' the matter with it?"
I laughed so hard I had to sit down. Sam watched in utter confusion.
"Oh, Sam." I gasped at last, drawing him close to me and pulling him onto my lap. "It's all right, lad. Nothing's the matter with the moon. That's just what happens sometimes. The moon is always in the sky, but sometimes we see it and sometimes we don't. It's normal."
Sam blinked back his tears. "Are you sure, sir?"
I gave him a tiny cuddle. "Positive. Don't fret about it."
"Sam!" The Gaffer bellowed from below us. "Time for dinner! Where you at?"
I hugged Sam for another moment, loving the feeling of his chubby, warm little body snuggled in my arms. What a precious lad he was. Then I kissed his honey-colored curls.
"Well, your da's needing you. Don't worry about the moon, lad."
Sam got to his feet. "Thank you, sir." he said.
"Any time." I smiled at him. "Now run along."
But when Sam came back from dinner, he looked glum.
"Told my da about the moon and all," he said by way of explanation, "and he said I ought not to bother you with things of that sort. I just thought, if somethin' was the matter with the moon, you'd be the one to know what to do about it. But I won't bother you anymore, sir. Sorry to be takin' up your time."
My heart hurt suddenly. Oh, how I wanted to be friends with Sam, not his master. "No, no, Sam, I want you to tell me anything you have a mind to." I said, kneeling down to look him in the eye. "Your gaffer is being very respectful of me, but I would like to hear anything you have to say, really I would."
Sam nodded shyly. But I could see that he wasn't really convinced. At his age, parents are perfect, and anyone who says different from mum and da just don't know what they're talking about. So I let the matter go, but to this day I smile when I see the moon in the daytime.
