I'm doin' a lot o'thinkin' lately, even wi' all th' singin', an' stories, an' talkin' to keep busy wi'. Thinkin' about growin' up -- th' kind o'growin' up you do at home when you've got time an' comfort to do it in, an' th' kind you do far away, when you don' ha' no choice about it. I can't sleep tonight.
I'm lookin' out at th' sky through m'window here, an' if I made my guess, I'd say they've got more stars here in Rivendell than back in th' Shire, or anywhere else at all. It looks tha' way, an' feels it besides. Which is fine by me -- I always loved th' stars, an' th' moon too. Matter o'fact, I've spent a lot o'my time here trippin' over m'own feet, cos I were too busy starin' up at th' sky to be watchin' where I was headed.
I told Merry once tha' I'd like to have th' moon fer m'very own. I told him I'd like to see if it's as bright from down here as it looks when it's shinin' at me from way up there. He laughed an' told me th' moon was meant t'stay in th' sky. "Ye couldn' reach it even if ye stood on a stack o'ladders!" he said. "An' besides, Pip, ye can't be takin' all th' light jus' fer yerself."
Earlier this evenin', I was down by th' lake, practicin' my rock-skippin'. The stars'd jus' come out, an' I was lookin' at th' water. Bobbin' atop th' lake an' bright as th' real thing was a mirror-picture o'th' sky. An' lookin' at it, I remembered about tellin' Merry I wanted to hold th' moon, an' I got an idea. I grinned like I'd been at stealin' Very Important Elves's Skivvies again, an' I took off fer th' pantry -- Ela'd shown me where it was once, an' I remembered seein' a little bowl or two there. An' from there I was off t'Merry's room.
I didn' hear anythin' when I knocked, so I figured Merry were a'ready asleep. "Merry!" I called, tryin' to wake him up wi'out wakin' up ever'body else in Rivendell. "Merry, it's me, Pip!" I tried th' door handle, balancin' the bowl o'water in one hand. Unlocked! I smiled -- I'd jus' ha' to go get him up m'self, then.
"Mercy me, Merry, y'sleep like a rock!" I said, pushin' th' door open. But soon as I did, m'smile faded an' before I could catch m'self I'd dropped th' bowl. It broke when it hit th' floor. It were a quiet breakin', as it goes, on account o' it flipped over an' landed on top o'th' water as it spilled, but it still took me a long enough time to get th' puddle mopped up. An' as it was dark an' all, I'm not so sure I got all th' pieces o'th' bowl.
It weren't th' most quiet I've ever been, an' that's puttin' it light. Merry was lucky; if he'd been there sleepin', I prolly would'a startled him out o'a year o'his life. But he didn't come back th' whole time I was cleanin' up -- an' I guess, outside o'hopin', I didn't really `spect him to.
Tha' was hours ago. I'm still lookin' out at th' stars an' thinkin'. Th' moon's still up there shinin' at me, cos after all, th' only thing this fool hobbit could ever get his hands on is th' reflection. An' as much as it hurts, maybe it's better tha' way. Merry's right, more'n he knew at th' time: I can't be takin' all th' light jus' fer m'self, no matter how much I wish I could. Merry's right.
I still can't sleep. Maybe it's cos, wi' all this thinkin', I'm really jus' tryin' m'hardest to keep m'self from guessin' where he's gone.
--Peregrin Took
I'm lookin' out at th' sky through m'window here, an' if I made my guess, I'd say they've got more stars here in Rivendell than back in th' Shire, or anywhere else at all. It looks tha' way, an' feels it besides. Which is fine by me -- I always loved th' stars, an' th' moon too. Matter o'fact, I've spent a lot o'my time here trippin' over m'own feet, cos I were too busy starin' up at th' sky to be watchin' where I was headed.
I told Merry once tha' I'd like to have th' moon fer m'very own. I told him I'd like to see if it's as bright from down here as it looks when it's shinin' at me from way up there. He laughed an' told me th' moon was meant t'stay in th' sky. "Ye couldn' reach it even if ye stood on a stack o'ladders!" he said. "An' besides, Pip, ye can't be takin' all th' light jus' fer yerself."
Earlier this evenin', I was down by th' lake, practicin' my rock-skippin'. The stars'd jus' come out, an' I was lookin' at th' water. Bobbin' atop th' lake an' bright as th' real thing was a mirror-picture o'th' sky. An' lookin' at it, I remembered about tellin' Merry I wanted to hold th' moon, an' I got an idea. I grinned like I'd been at stealin' Very Important Elves's Skivvies again, an' I took off fer th' pantry -- Ela'd shown me where it was once, an' I remembered seein' a little bowl or two there. An' from there I was off t'Merry's room.
I didn' hear anythin' when I knocked, so I figured Merry were a'ready asleep. "Merry!" I called, tryin' to wake him up wi'out wakin' up ever'body else in Rivendell. "Merry, it's me, Pip!" I tried th' door handle, balancin' the bowl o'water in one hand. Unlocked! I smiled -- I'd jus' ha' to go get him up m'self, then.
"Mercy me, Merry, y'sleep like a rock!" I said, pushin' th' door open. But soon as I did, m'smile faded an' before I could catch m'self I'd dropped th' bowl. It broke when it hit th' floor. It were a quiet breakin', as it goes, on account o' it flipped over an' landed on top o'th' water as it spilled, but it still took me a long enough time to get th' puddle mopped up. An' as it was dark an' all, I'm not so sure I got all th' pieces o'th' bowl.
It weren't th' most quiet I've ever been, an' that's puttin' it light. Merry was lucky; if he'd been there sleepin', I prolly would'a startled him out o'a year o'his life. But he didn't come back th' whole time I was cleanin' up -- an' I guess, outside o'hopin', I didn't really `spect him to.
Tha' was hours ago. I'm still lookin' out at th' stars an' thinkin'. Th' moon's still up there shinin' at me, cos after all, th' only thing this fool hobbit could ever get his hands on is th' reflection. An' as much as it hurts, maybe it's better tha' way. Merry's right, more'n he knew at th' time: I can't be takin' all th' light jus' fer m'self, no matter how much I wish I could. Merry's right.
I still can't sleep. Maybe it's cos, wi' all this thinkin', I'm really jus' tryin' m'hardest to keep m'self from guessin' where he's gone.
--Peregrin Took