"I'm sorry, Freddy, but he can't possibly stay he—he—ah choo!" Uncle
Knotwise fumbled in his pocket for his handkerchief and mopped his nose.
His eyes had already begun to water as soon as he had stood in the room for
a few minutes with the dog.
"I know, Uncle," Freddy sighed. He and Ruby looked dismally at the mess that the beast had caused. Dishes had been nudged off the table to break on the hard wooden floor, and dinner napkins were strewn about the kitchen. The pudgy imp sat just underneath the table, wagging its tail excitedly as Ruby shook her finger at him.
"Naughty, very naughty, you little squash devourer. If you aren't going to help with the mess then stop looking so proud you caused it!" She frowned at the dog, repressing a smile. It was hard to stay angry at such a cute face.
"I never heard of a dog that likes squash, and Ruby's, in fact," Freddy commented, tucking the momentarily forgotten rock into his pocket and bending over to collect the dinner napkins from the floor. The excitable mutt bounded over to him and took hold of the napkin in its mouth. It began to growl as it attempted to tug the cloth from Freddy's hand.
"I should've been more upset if even a dog wouldn't have eaten it," Ruby laughed, setting the dishes that weren't broken onto the counter. She heard Freddy say "Stop, stop, now this isn't a game! Let go!" as he struggled to yank the napkin from the dog's jaws.
"Oh! Freddy, not the napkins! Those were your Aunt's treasured favorites!" Uncle cried, but too late. A slight ripping sound was heard, and a large tear appeared in the cloth. Freddy gave one last tug and the dog released the napkin, sending Freddy tumbling backwards onto his seat.
"Goodness, goodness," Uncle Knotwise cried. "Do take the dog out of the kitchen, Freddy, before he causes any more t—t—tr—achoo!"
"Of course, Uncle. Come along, little terror!" he beckoned to the dog and walked down the hallway towards the round wooden door that led to his room. Pulling it open, he stepped through and just heard Uncle Knotwise saying, "Go on, go on, Ruby. Let me clean the m—m—achoo!" before he closed the door. Freddy looked down at the dog, who stared back up at him. He could almost imagine a smile planted on its face.
"A lovely impression you've made on Uncle, Squash," he spoke to the dog, leaning over to wipe an unidentifiable vegetable still clinging to the small animal's shiny nose. Turning and closing the door tightly behind him, he walked back to the kitchen. In a few minutes, they had the kitchen as clean as it had been before the disaster, and thoughts concerning the rock passed from their minds. Freddy was reminded by his sneezing and sniffling uncle that he would have to think of what to do with the dog next morning. Afterwards, Uncle Knotwise retired for the evening and Ruby yawned, bidding Freddy a good night before heading to the guest room. Freddy, all alone, lifted a lit candle from the table and shuffled down the hallway towards the now empty library. He stepped to the fireplace and prepared to extinguish the flames, but his eye caught the piece of paper lying on the desk nearby. Setting the candle down on the desk, he took the paper in his hands and made out the letters.
"Ents," he murmured, recognition dawning in his mind, slowly, but unclearly, as if trying to focus on something very tiny in the distance. "Ents, ents…" he repeated, shuffling through his memory of all the stories he had heard from his uncle. Most likely all myths, but his mind centered on the story of Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took. Friends of Frodo Baggins, the Ring-bearer, they had been, but had become separated and experienced an adventure all their own. There were stories and myths aplenty in the Shire, it was mostly impossible to determine which ones were imagination and which were real. He had certainly never seen an oliphaunt, for example, but many insisted they existed. Now, as he thought back, he supposed he had heard mention of ents, but couldn't remember what exactly they were. Crumpling the paper in his hand, he shook his head and tossed it into the fire. He patted the rock in his pocket.
"Just some lucky trinket I've found," he said, and extinguished the fire.
* * *
Freddy was being shaken. He had been dreaming of elves with wings taking him underneath the arms and flying with him above the entire Shire. Groggily, he opened his eyes. It was still dark out.
"Too early, too early," he mumbled.
"Freddy! Freddy wake up! I heard something, outside the window, in the kitchen!" Ruby whispered urgently. She was dressed in a very baggy old nightgown of Aunt Knotwise's that had been tucked away for some years. Her eyes were wide with fright.
"What were you doing in the kitchen?" Freddy complained, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His curly hair was sticking up every which way, and he patted his bed, looking for the dog. "Where is Squash?"
"I couldn't sleep. Where is who?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing, just a silly nickname I made for the dog, is all," he stammered, blushing in the darkness.
"Well, he was with me! Oh, hurry Freddy, before something happens!" she wailed softly, stepping back while he pulled the blankets off and slipped out of his bed.
"All right, all right," he surrendered and followed her down the hallway. She slowed as she neared the entrance of the kitchen, and then stopped, whispering to Freddy, "I was opening the window for a bit of fresh air and I heard something rustling in the rose bush."
"The rose bush?" he whispered back. "No one would creep about at night in the rose bush, those thorns are inches long!"
"There was something there! Go look and see," she urged.
"Well, looking isn't going to do any good," he complained, remembering what happened the last time he had been pressured to "look." Nonetheless, he crept forward towards the little round window. It was open, allowing a gentle breeze to blow through. There, below the window, sat Squash, looking upwards devotedly, and unmoving. As Freddy neared, Squash began to growl softly. Swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, Freddy edged to the window and looked out. There was the accustomed Shire countryside blanketed in night, the faint twinkle of a burning lantern hanging on some hobbit's doorpost visible from where he stood. He heard an owl hooting in the distance and the tweeting of night birds in the nearby forest.
"There's nothing," he said, relieved, and reached out to close the window.
All at once, Squash leaped into action and vaulted from the floor to the chair, onto the table and smoothly out the window, narrowly avoiding the rose bush and landing with a slight yelp on the hilly Knotwise lawn. He tore off down the road, barking wildly all the way.
"Squash!" shouted Freddy, leaning out the window and cupping his hands around his mouth. "Come back!" Ruby joined him at the window and they watched in despair as the dog disappeared into the night.
"I know, Uncle," Freddy sighed. He and Ruby looked dismally at the mess that the beast had caused. Dishes had been nudged off the table to break on the hard wooden floor, and dinner napkins were strewn about the kitchen. The pudgy imp sat just underneath the table, wagging its tail excitedly as Ruby shook her finger at him.
"Naughty, very naughty, you little squash devourer. If you aren't going to help with the mess then stop looking so proud you caused it!" She frowned at the dog, repressing a smile. It was hard to stay angry at such a cute face.
"I never heard of a dog that likes squash, and Ruby's, in fact," Freddy commented, tucking the momentarily forgotten rock into his pocket and bending over to collect the dinner napkins from the floor. The excitable mutt bounded over to him and took hold of the napkin in its mouth. It began to growl as it attempted to tug the cloth from Freddy's hand.
"I should've been more upset if even a dog wouldn't have eaten it," Ruby laughed, setting the dishes that weren't broken onto the counter. She heard Freddy say "Stop, stop, now this isn't a game! Let go!" as he struggled to yank the napkin from the dog's jaws.
"Oh! Freddy, not the napkins! Those were your Aunt's treasured favorites!" Uncle cried, but too late. A slight ripping sound was heard, and a large tear appeared in the cloth. Freddy gave one last tug and the dog released the napkin, sending Freddy tumbling backwards onto his seat.
"Goodness, goodness," Uncle Knotwise cried. "Do take the dog out of the kitchen, Freddy, before he causes any more t—t—tr—achoo!"
"Of course, Uncle. Come along, little terror!" he beckoned to the dog and walked down the hallway towards the round wooden door that led to his room. Pulling it open, he stepped through and just heard Uncle Knotwise saying, "Go on, go on, Ruby. Let me clean the m—m—achoo!" before he closed the door. Freddy looked down at the dog, who stared back up at him. He could almost imagine a smile planted on its face.
"A lovely impression you've made on Uncle, Squash," he spoke to the dog, leaning over to wipe an unidentifiable vegetable still clinging to the small animal's shiny nose. Turning and closing the door tightly behind him, he walked back to the kitchen. In a few minutes, they had the kitchen as clean as it had been before the disaster, and thoughts concerning the rock passed from their minds. Freddy was reminded by his sneezing and sniffling uncle that he would have to think of what to do with the dog next morning. Afterwards, Uncle Knotwise retired for the evening and Ruby yawned, bidding Freddy a good night before heading to the guest room. Freddy, all alone, lifted a lit candle from the table and shuffled down the hallway towards the now empty library. He stepped to the fireplace and prepared to extinguish the flames, but his eye caught the piece of paper lying on the desk nearby. Setting the candle down on the desk, he took the paper in his hands and made out the letters.
"Ents," he murmured, recognition dawning in his mind, slowly, but unclearly, as if trying to focus on something very tiny in the distance. "Ents, ents…" he repeated, shuffling through his memory of all the stories he had heard from his uncle. Most likely all myths, but his mind centered on the story of Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took. Friends of Frodo Baggins, the Ring-bearer, they had been, but had become separated and experienced an adventure all their own. There were stories and myths aplenty in the Shire, it was mostly impossible to determine which ones were imagination and which were real. He had certainly never seen an oliphaunt, for example, but many insisted they existed. Now, as he thought back, he supposed he had heard mention of ents, but couldn't remember what exactly they were. Crumpling the paper in his hand, he shook his head and tossed it into the fire. He patted the rock in his pocket.
"Just some lucky trinket I've found," he said, and extinguished the fire.
* * *
Freddy was being shaken. He had been dreaming of elves with wings taking him underneath the arms and flying with him above the entire Shire. Groggily, he opened his eyes. It was still dark out.
"Too early, too early," he mumbled.
"Freddy! Freddy wake up! I heard something, outside the window, in the kitchen!" Ruby whispered urgently. She was dressed in a very baggy old nightgown of Aunt Knotwise's that had been tucked away for some years. Her eyes were wide with fright.
"What were you doing in the kitchen?" Freddy complained, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His curly hair was sticking up every which way, and he patted his bed, looking for the dog. "Where is Squash?"
"I couldn't sleep. Where is who?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing, just a silly nickname I made for the dog, is all," he stammered, blushing in the darkness.
"Well, he was with me! Oh, hurry Freddy, before something happens!" she wailed softly, stepping back while he pulled the blankets off and slipped out of his bed.
"All right, all right," he surrendered and followed her down the hallway. She slowed as she neared the entrance of the kitchen, and then stopped, whispering to Freddy, "I was opening the window for a bit of fresh air and I heard something rustling in the rose bush."
"The rose bush?" he whispered back. "No one would creep about at night in the rose bush, those thorns are inches long!"
"There was something there! Go look and see," she urged.
"Well, looking isn't going to do any good," he complained, remembering what happened the last time he had been pressured to "look." Nonetheless, he crept forward towards the little round window. It was open, allowing a gentle breeze to blow through. There, below the window, sat Squash, looking upwards devotedly, and unmoving. As Freddy neared, Squash began to growl softly. Swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, Freddy edged to the window and looked out. There was the accustomed Shire countryside blanketed in night, the faint twinkle of a burning lantern hanging on some hobbit's doorpost visible from where he stood. He heard an owl hooting in the distance and the tweeting of night birds in the nearby forest.
"There's nothing," he said, relieved, and reached out to close the window.
All at once, Squash leaped into action and vaulted from the floor to the chair, onto the table and smoothly out the window, narrowly avoiding the rose bush and landing with a slight yelp on the hilly Knotwise lawn. He tore off down the road, barking wildly all the way.
"Squash!" shouted Freddy, leaning out the window and cupping his hands around his mouth. "Come back!" Ruby joined him at the window and they watched in despair as the dog disappeared into the night.