"I don't like the looks of this, Ruby," Freddy said quietly. For reasons
unknown, he was compelled to whisper, and it felt as if the trees were
closing in around them, threatening to confine them within a leafy prison.
Despite the feeling of being unwelcome, the hobbits continued forward in
the thick silence. This time, they traveled side by side, receiving
comfort from each others' presences as the growing uneasiness filled them.
Far ahead, they heard the faint barking of a dog, and overjoyed, they raced forward. It seemed the forest stretched on forever, but they ran still, and when they felt their legs would give out from fatigue, they saw the pudgy dog sitting at the base of a tree, barking. Ruby cautiously peeped around, then crept forward and knelt on the ground.
"Squash! There you are! Where have you gone, you fool dog? You've led us into the middle of nowhere to bark at a tree!" she reprimanded, but the dog ignored her and continued barking. Freddy leaned against a tree and sank to the forest floor, his ears alert to the sounds around him.
"I could be safe at home, smoking a pipe right now, right in front of the fireplace," he said wistfully.
"You know very well you don't smoke," Ruby said, and he could sense her rolling her eyes in the darkness.
"Not yet, but I mean to," he returned. He fished around in his pocket and felt the flat rock, pulling it out. "What have I got in my pocket?" he mumbled, and suddenly remembered the rock.
"Well, we ought to start a fire at least, for protection if nothing else," he heard Ruby say. He felt the stifling presence of the trees and shuddered inwardly.
"I dare not lay a hand on any thing in this forest. I can't explain why, I just feel it. Can you?" Freddy shrank against the tree, and he felt Ruby sit next to him. At last, the dog gave up its barking and came to the hobbits, squirming into Ruby's lap and licking her face once before curling up comfortably. Ruby yawned as she patted the dog and murmured, "Very well then, I'm content to sit in a dark forest so long as I'm not alone," and those were the last words she spoke, for she leaned against Freddy's shoulder and fell fast asleep.
* * *
When Freddy awoke, he was lying on the ground. He sat up abruptly and glanced around for Ruby, but she was lying peacefully beside him asleep and the dog was curled beside her. He distinctly remembered leaning against a tree, but he supposed he had moved in the night or Ruby had moved him, but the whole incident remained a mystery in his mind. Nonetheless, he forgot it and rose to his feet, suddenly aware of the emptiness in his stomach.
"Oh, what I would give for eggs, bacon, and biscuits," he murmured, taking this chance to look well at his surroundings. Though it was morning, the forest was still gloomy, as most of the tree cover blocked the sunlight. The air was rather stuffy, and the trees were thick, but there seemed to be no other wildlife around, for even the birds were silent. Sensing his movement, the dog woke, yawned, stretched, and rose to his feet to give Freddy a good morning welcome. Freddy rubbed him behind the ears and received several licks.
"Well, good morning to you as well, Squash. Shall we wake Ruby and find a way out of here?" He leaned over and shook Ruby's shoulder, and she yawned and rubbed her eyes, sitting up.
"Morning already? Have you got breakfast ready?" she asked sleepily, rising to her feet.
"Yes, just this way, seventy-two trees to your left and you'll find a breakfast feast."
"Well then, forgive me for asking if you're going to be funny about it," she said, feigning offense as she bent over to pat the dog.
As soon as they had woken enough, they began walking once more, this time with the little dog bounding merrily at their side. They felt no urgency and took their time, walking at a comfortable pace. Freddy had taken the rock from his pocket and proceeded to turn it over in his hands as he walked, examining the back and front sides.
Ruby glanced over at him. "Is that your trinket with all the nonsense written on it?" she asked.
"It could be nonsense, or it could mean something," he returned. She reached for it, but he pulled away.
"Let me see it," she said.
"If you think it's nonsense, why should you want to see it?" he teased, holding the rock above his head.
"Because I want to!" she insisted, and leaped for the rock, but he moved it out of her reach. She grabbed his arm and attempted to wrest the rock from his hand, but he passed the rock to his other hand and laughed, jumping away. She ran after him and they hopped over logs and through bushes in their gleeful chase. Grabbing his leg, she caused him to tumble to the ground, and the trinket flew from his hand to land in a patch of moss a few yards away.
"Freddy Knotwise, you're cruel," Ruby scowled and stood up, dusting herself off. She leaped over Freddy's form on the ground and sauntered over to the location of the fallen rock, and began to scream.
"Ruby! What is it?" Freddy scrambled over to where she stood and looked down. The rock lay just beside a skeleton, its empty eye sockets staring blankly upwards, its jaw hanging open in a hideous grin. It still wore tattered and moldy rags of clothing, and Freddy could tell by the pipe that lay beside it that it had been a hobbit.
Ruby ran to him and buried her face in his shoulder, and he normally would have gloated at her moment of weakness, but as she trembled next to him, he too felt sickened at the sight. He loosed himself from her and cautiously approached the bones, snatching his rock away. But as he bent over, he caught sight of a wrinkled piece of parchment, still intact and held in the skeleton's bony grasp. Reaching out, he tugged at the paper, but it stuck fast to its bony captor, and as he yanked again, the entire hand was removed with it but dropped to the ground, freeing the parchment.
Freddy backed away and smoothed out the parchment, looking closely at the markings. It seemed to be a map, but unfinished, and he recognized the shape of the Brandywine River.
"Sh…Shire," he read, tracing his finger along the word. Ruby edged closer.
"Freddy, you can read after all?" she asked.
He blushed unnoticeably. "I can, it just…it takes me longer than others," he admitted, and continued perusing the map.
"This is the Shire," he said, pointing, and he moved his hand across the Brandywine River, where the deceased cartographer had drawn many squiggles to represent trees.
"This must be the Old Forest," Ruby mused.
Their eyes followed the markings until they scanned the southern part of the portion that served to represent the Old Forest. In the center of the portion was a strange design, starting at the bottom with what looked like a horizontal bolt of lightning, and above it was an extended octagonal shape with a star drawn off center in the middle of it.
Freddy's eyes widened.
"I've seen this shape before! That's the…the…"
He held the rock in his hand up to the map, and the symbols were nearly identical.
"Ruby!" he cried, "This isn't a word, or a rune, it's a map!"
"A map? To what?"
"To…to…" he turned the rock over in his hands. "To ents!"
Far ahead, they heard the faint barking of a dog, and overjoyed, they raced forward. It seemed the forest stretched on forever, but they ran still, and when they felt their legs would give out from fatigue, they saw the pudgy dog sitting at the base of a tree, barking. Ruby cautiously peeped around, then crept forward and knelt on the ground.
"Squash! There you are! Where have you gone, you fool dog? You've led us into the middle of nowhere to bark at a tree!" she reprimanded, but the dog ignored her and continued barking. Freddy leaned against a tree and sank to the forest floor, his ears alert to the sounds around him.
"I could be safe at home, smoking a pipe right now, right in front of the fireplace," he said wistfully.
"You know very well you don't smoke," Ruby said, and he could sense her rolling her eyes in the darkness.
"Not yet, but I mean to," he returned. He fished around in his pocket and felt the flat rock, pulling it out. "What have I got in my pocket?" he mumbled, and suddenly remembered the rock.
"Well, we ought to start a fire at least, for protection if nothing else," he heard Ruby say. He felt the stifling presence of the trees and shuddered inwardly.
"I dare not lay a hand on any thing in this forest. I can't explain why, I just feel it. Can you?" Freddy shrank against the tree, and he felt Ruby sit next to him. At last, the dog gave up its barking and came to the hobbits, squirming into Ruby's lap and licking her face once before curling up comfortably. Ruby yawned as she patted the dog and murmured, "Very well then, I'm content to sit in a dark forest so long as I'm not alone," and those were the last words she spoke, for she leaned against Freddy's shoulder and fell fast asleep.
* * *
When Freddy awoke, he was lying on the ground. He sat up abruptly and glanced around for Ruby, but she was lying peacefully beside him asleep and the dog was curled beside her. He distinctly remembered leaning against a tree, but he supposed he had moved in the night or Ruby had moved him, but the whole incident remained a mystery in his mind. Nonetheless, he forgot it and rose to his feet, suddenly aware of the emptiness in his stomach.
"Oh, what I would give for eggs, bacon, and biscuits," he murmured, taking this chance to look well at his surroundings. Though it was morning, the forest was still gloomy, as most of the tree cover blocked the sunlight. The air was rather stuffy, and the trees were thick, but there seemed to be no other wildlife around, for even the birds were silent. Sensing his movement, the dog woke, yawned, stretched, and rose to his feet to give Freddy a good morning welcome. Freddy rubbed him behind the ears and received several licks.
"Well, good morning to you as well, Squash. Shall we wake Ruby and find a way out of here?" He leaned over and shook Ruby's shoulder, and she yawned and rubbed her eyes, sitting up.
"Morning already? Have you got breakfast ready?" she asked sleepily, rising to her feet.
"Yes, just this way, seventy-two trees to your left and you'll find a breakfast feast."
"Well then, forgive me for asking if you're going to be funny about it," she said, feigning offense as she bent over to pat the dog.
As soon as they had woken enough, they began walking once more, this time with the little dog bounding merrily at their side. They felt no urgency and took their time, walking at a comfortable pace. Freddy had taken the rock from his pocket and proceeded to turn it over in his hands as he walked, examining the back and front sides.
Ruby glanced over at him. "Is that your trinket with all the nonsense written on it?" she asked.
"It could be nonsense, or it could mean something," he returned. She reached for it, but he pulled away.
"Let me see it," she said.
"If you think it's nonsense, why should you want to see it?" he teased, holding the rock above his head.
"Because I want to!" she insisted, and leaped for the rock, but he moved it out of her reach. She grabbed his arm and attempted to wrest the rock from his hand, but he passed the rock to his other hand and laughed, jumping away. She ran after him and they hopped over logs and through bushes in their gleeful chase. Grabbing his leg, she caused him to tumble to the ground, and the trinket flew from his hand to land in a patch of moss a few yards away.
"Freddy Knotwise, you're cruel," Ruby scowled and stood up, dusting herself off. She leaped over Freddy's form on the ground and sauntered over to the location of the fallen rock, and began to scream.
"Ruby! What is it?" Freddy scrambled over to where she stood and looked down. The rock lay just beside a skeleton, its empty eye sockets staring blankly upwards, its jaw hanging open in a hideous grin. It still wore tattered and moldy rags of clothing, and Freddy could tell by the pipe that lay beside it that it had been a hobbit.
Ruby ran to him and buried her face in his shoulder, and he normally would have gloated at her moment of weakness, but as she trembled next to him, he too felt sickened at the sight. He loosed himself from her and cautiously approached the bones, snatching his rock away. But as he bent over, he caught sight of a wrinkled piece of parchment, still intact and held in the skeleton's bony grasp. Reaching out, he tugged at the paper, but it stuck fast to its bony captor, and as he yanked again, the entire hand was removed with it but dropped to the ground, freeing the parchment.
Freddy backed away and smoothed out the parchment, looking closely at the markings. It seemed to be a map, but unfinished, and he recognized the shape of the Brandywine River.
"Sh…Shire," he read, tracing his finger along the word. Ruby edged closer.
"Freddy, you can read after all?" she asked.
He blushed unnoticeably. "I can, it just…it takes me longer than others," he admitted, and continued perusing the map.
"This is the Shire," he said, pointing, and he moved his hand across the Brandywine River, where the deceased cartographer had drawn many squiggles to represent trees.
"This must be the Old Forest," Ruby mused.
Their eyes followed the markings until they scanned the southern part of the portion that served to represent the Old Forest. In the center of the portion was a strange design, starting at the bottom with what looked like a horizontal bolt of lightning, and above it was an extended octagonal shape with a star drawn off center in the middle of it.
Freddy's eyes widened.
"I've seen this shape before! That's the…the…"
He held the rock in his hand up to the map, and the symbols were nearly identical.
"Ruby!" he cried, "This isn't a word, or a rune, it's a map!"
"A map? To what?"
"To…to…" he turned the rock over in his hands. "To ents!"