Returning Home
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A story by Scott Sparr
Chapter 2
A Comfortable Surprise
Quite a long time had passed, and the two hobbits were near the end of the trail that led out of the forest.
"Well…Sam, let us not thing of such things, the Shire seems to be lost in the past with me. I can't…"
Frodo suddenly halted, keeping his focus on the ground ahead of him. Sam became confused and alert.
"Can't what, master Frodo?" Sam asked, as he too, halted.
"Nothing, it's nothing, Sam." Frodo mumbled, but Sam knew something was wrong and that Frodo was deeply troubled.
"I only fear that…perhaps, things have changed in the Shire." Frodo added in a questionable tone.
"I suppose you're right, Frodo." Sam whispered under a long breath. "I suppose you're right."
That was the last word spoken before a deep silence fell upon the two hobbits for a great deal of their trip to Haven Circle, where the two lived with Bilbo, here in the havens.
Trees seemed to mock their silence and the sun shone through various holes in an endless roof of trees. All the while, leaves blew past them, as if in a hurry to return to their trees.
This place was never cold, nor hot, only comfortably warm all of the time. During the night, the sky became pitch black and stars lined along the skies endless fields of darkness. The day brought, not a crystal blue sky, but a gray coat of warmth that blanketed everything it could reach. Finally the two hobbits began to see the town of Haven Circle through cracks in the bushes and gaps between trees, and Sam now felt as though he had awakened from a long summer nap.
"Ahh...'twas a great game, Frodo, but I am glad to be back again, anyway." Sam said suddenly, with a clear and refreshed feeling in his voice. But Frodo did not respond, he continued staring at the ground, as if something had forcefully grabbed his attention and refused to let go. Sam glanced at Frodo and realized that he was still uneasy.
"Fro…" Sam began to speak but was interrupted by a loud chime of bells dancing in a tower a ways North. At this time, old Bilbo came riding on a small pony from behind a row of bushes toward Sam and Frodo. The small pony seemed to be carrying a very heavy burden, at the least, four bags.
"Why, Frodo and Sam, if it isn't you two bumbling around in the forest again, fighting fairies, I suppose?" Bilbo laughed as he trotted up to the two tired hobbits.
Sam began to answer, but was interrupted by Bilbo once more.
"At any rate, you might as well, head back home, I'm going into the forest for some berries, I can't stand a cake without my berries. I'll be back as soon as I get a few."
And with that, Bilbo trotted off, humming merrily to himself.
"I do believe the havens haven't changed old Bilbo a bit, Master Frodo." Sam said as he watched Bilbo trot down the very path that he and Frodo had taken out of the forest.
"But why does he have so many bags, berry-pickin's no hard task..."
Frodo had made his way over to a small stump a few feet from Sam, and was sitting quietly with a serious, yet vacant look on his small, mud-stained face.
Frodo was staring nervously towards the east, over tall bushes of green and wild flowers of yellow and red rising up to greet the fresh air.
"Frodo?" Sam whispered turning his glance immediately to Frodo. Seeing that Frodo was gazing east, Sam quickly turned in the direction Frodo was staring. "What do you see, Frodo? All I see are the bushes, here." Sam whispered to himself.
Suddenly, Sam felt the warmth of a hand placed up his right shoulder and he turned nervously.
"No orcs in the havens." He thought to himself.
It was Gandalf, standing there all in white with a light radiating all about him. In one hand, he held is staff and in the other was a very large brown book.
"Frodo cannot see what he desires with his eyes alone, for, only his mind can penetrate this distance. And his mind, I fear, is not without a loss, either" Gandalf answered, moving his glance from the shaken Frodo to Sam.
"Dear Gandalf! I hardly saw you coming!" Sam exclaimed, temporarily forgetting about Frodo's unease.
Gandalf smiled, though even old Sam could tell that the smile was only for show, Gandalf knew Frodo was troubled, and he, indeed, knew of what troubled the hobbit so.
At long last, Frodo finally spoke, though his eyes still gazed east. "I do want to return, Sam, I do."
"Oh, Come now, Master Frodo. I was only dreaming of the shire because of the sweet songs of those pesky fairies in the forest. It was a trick of the mind those old fairies were playing on me. Surely, you know I meant nothin' by it." Sam said, walking over to Frodo, taking a seat next to him, and placing his hand upon Frodo's cold Shoulder.
Frodo spoke again, this time, louder and with a clear tone. "The fairies did not make me feel this way, Sam, I hope to return to the Shire, if only for a few days, just as you spoke of doing."
Sam removed his hand, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by the wise voice of Gandalf.
"What has made you think of such things in recent time, Dearest Frodo." Gandalf asked, finding a seat next to Sam and placing his book on a pile of dead leaves.
"Why do you desire to return after all this time."
Frodo did not respond, but lowered his head into his hands and began to weep.
At this point, Sam felt his heart break into a thousand pieces and shatter against his own will. Though he wanted to cry out for Frodo, Sam was paralyzed by what Frodo had said. He could not understand why Frodo had no memory of the Shire or its beauty.
"Do not try to understand Frodo's loss of memory, Sam, it is only a result of the rings power over him for so long and the havens' way of healing him. The ring brought pain to Frodo because he became nearly one with it, just as Bilbo nearly did. Neither could have parted with it alone. The havens change your mind's past and allow pain to be forgotten, Frodo has loss much of his memory because of this.
"I only know what dear Sam tells me, I don't know why he has not lost the memory of the shire, but I have. The memory became fainter everyday, and now I only know that I once lived in its beauty. I want to see it again, I want to feel the shire again, I wish to be there again, if only for a while, to gain my memory of it."
Gandalf was still facing east, away from Frodo and Sam.
Sam stood silent while he soaked up what he understood of this. Frodo's weeping could still be heard from his covered face.
Sam stared at Frodo and for a second, in his mind, he saw Frodo sick on his bed as he was after the Shire was saved.
Sam could take no more of Frodo's pain, he knew of only one thing. He and Frodo must travel back to the Shire.
"Gandalf! We must go, somehow, if it's a visit master Frodo wants, it's a visit he'll get." Sam said, standing up and brushing his long, curly hair back with a long breath.
Silence fell over the scene, Frodo's weeping ceased and he looked to Sam with the same look he had given him on Mt. Anduin so many years ago.
Gandalf turned towards Sam and smiled. It was almost as if Gandalf knew this would happen and had prepared for it years.
"Thank you, Sam." Frodo whispered, and Sam did not hear these words. Though Gandalf now turned to Frodo.
"You're a great comfort, Sam." Frodo said at long last.
"But wait a minute, that means that Bilbo has lost his memory of the shire, too." Frodo said standing up and looking on Gandalf with great curiosity.
"You don't need bags for foraging berries." Gandalf answered as he placed his hand on Frodo's shoulder with gleam in his eyes. "Bilbo has gone to the coast."
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A story by Scott Sparr
Chapter 2
A Comfortable Surprise
Quite a long time had passed, and the two hobbits were near the end of the trail that led out of the forest.
"Well…Sam, let us not thing of such things, the Shire seems to be lost in the past with me. I can't…"
Frodo suddenly halted, keeping his focus on the ground ahead of him. Sam became confused and alert.
"Can't what, master Frodo?" Sam asked, as he too, halted.
"Nothing, it's nothing, Sam." Frodo mumbled, but Sam knew something was wrong and that Frodo was deeply troubled.
"I only fear that…perhaps, things have changed in the Shire." Frodo added in a questionable tone.
"I suppose you're right, Frodo." Sam whispered under a long breath. "I suppose you're right."
That was the last word spoken before a deep silence fell upon the two hobbits for a great deal of their trip to Haven Circle, where the two lived with Bilbo, here in the havens.
Trees seemed to mock their silence and the sun shone through various holes in an endless roof of trees. All the while, leaves blew past them, as if in a hurry to return to their trees.
This place was never cold, nor hot, only comfortably warm all of the time. During the night, the sky became pitch black and stars lined along the skies endless fields of darkness. The day brought, not a crystal blue sky, but a gray coat of warmth that blanketed everything it could reach. Finally the two hobbits began to see the town of Haven Circle through cracks in the bushes and gaps between trees, and Sam now felt as though he had awakened from a long summer nap.
"Ahh...'twas a great game, Frodo, but I am glad to be back again, anyway." Sam said suddenly, with a clear and refreshed feeling in his voice. But Frodo did not respond, he continued staring at the ground, as if something had forcefully grabbed his attention and refused to let go. Sam glanced at Frodo and realized that he was still uneasy.
"Fro…" Sam began to speak but was interrupted by a loud chime of bells dancing in a tower a ways North. At this time, old Bilbo came riding on a small pony from behind a row of bushes toward Sam and Frodo. The small pony seemed to be carrying a very heavy burden, at the least, four bags.
"Why, Frodo and Sam, if it isn't you two bumbling around in the forest again, fighting fairies, I suppose?" Bilbo laughed as he trotted up to the two tired hobbits.
Sam began to answer, but was interrupted by Bilbo once more.
"At any rate, you might as well, head back home, I'm going into the forest for some berries, I can't stand a cake without my berries. I'll be back as soon as I get a few."
And with that, Bilbo trotted off, humming merrily to himself.
"I do believe the havens haven't changed old Bilbo a bit, Master Frodo." Sam said as he watched Bilbo trot down the very path that he and Frodo had taken out of the forest.
"But why does he have so many bags, berry-pickin's no hard task..."
Frodo had made his way over to a small stump a few feet from Sam, and was sitting quietly with a serious, yet vacant look on his small, mud-stained face.
Frodo was staring nervously towards the east, over tall bushes of green and wild flowers of yellow and red rising up to greet the fresh air.
"Frodo?" Sam whispered turning his glance immediately to Frodo. Seeing that Frodo was gazing east, Sam quickly turned in the direction Frodo was staring. "What do you see, Frodo? All I see are the bushes, here." Sam whispered to himself.
Suddenly, Sam felt the warmth of a hand placed up his right shoulder and he turned nervously.
"No orcs in the havens." He thought to himself.
It was Gandalf, standing there all in white with a light radiating all about him. In one hand, he held is staff and in the other was a very large brown book.
"Frodo cannot see what he desires with his eyes alone, for, only his mind can penetrate this distance. And his mind, I fear, is not without a loss, either" Gandalf answered, moving his glance from the shaken Frodo to Sam.
"Dear Gandalf! I hardly saw you coming!" Sam exclaimed, temporarily forgetting about Frodo's unease.
Gandalf smiled, though even old Sam could tell that the smile was only for show, Gandalf knew Frodo was troubled, and he, indeed, knew of what troubled the hobbit so.
At long last, Frodo finally spoke, though his eyes still gazed east. "I do want to return, Sam, I do."
"Oh, Come now, Master Frodo. I was only dreaming of the shire because of the sweet songs of those pesky fairies in the forest. It was a trick of the mind those old fairies were playing on me. Surely, you know I meant nothin' by it." Sam said, walking over to Frodo, taking a seat next to him, and placing his hand upon Frodo's cold Shoulder.
Frodo spoke again, this time, louder and with a clear tone. "The fairies did not make me feel this way, Sam, I hope to return to the Shire, if only for a few days, just as you spoke of doing."
Sam removed his hand, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by the wise voice of Gandalf.
"What has made you think of such things in recent time, Dearest Frodo." Gandalf asked, finding a seat next to Sam and placing his book on a pile of dead leaves.
"Why do you desire to return after all this time."
Frodo did not respond, but lowered his head into his hands and began to weep.
At this point, Sam felt his heart break into a thousand pieces and shatter against his own will. Though he wanted to cry out for Frodo, Sam was paralyzed by what Frodo had said. He could not understand why Frodo had no memory of the Shire or its beauty.
"Do not try to understand Frodo's loss of memory, Sam, it is only a result of the rings power over him for so long and the havens' way of healing him. The ring brought pain to Frodo because he became nearly one with it, just as Bilbo nearly did. Neither could have parted with it alone. The havens change your mind's past and allow pain to be forgotten, Frodo has loss much of his memory because of this.
"I only know what dear Sam tells me, I don't know why he has not lost the memory of the shire, but I have. The memory became fainter everyday, and now I only know that I once lived in its beauty. I want to see it again, I want to feel the shire again, I wish to be there again, if only for a while, to gain my memory of it."
Gandalf was still facing east, away from Frodo and Sam.
Sam stood silent while he soaked up what he understood of this. Frodo's weeping could still be heard from his covered face.
Sam stared at Frodo and for a second, in his mind, he saw Frodo sick on his bed as he was after the Shire was saved.
Sam could take no more of Frodo's pain, he knew of only one thing. He and Frodo must travel back to the Shire.
"Gandalf! We must go, somehow, if it's a visit master Frodo wants, it's a visit he'll get." Sam said, standing up and brushing his long, curly hair back with a long breath.
Silence fell over the scene, Frodo's weeping ceased and he looked to Sam with the same look he had given him on Mt. Anduin so many years ago.
Gandalf turned towards Sam and smiled. It was almost as if Gandalf knew this would happen and had prepared for it years.
"Thank you, Sam." Frodo whispered, and Sam did not hear these words. Though Gandalf now turned to Frodo.
"You're a great comfort, Sam." Frodo said at long last.
"But wait a minute, that means that Bilbo has lost his memory of the shire, too." Frodo said standing up and looking on Gandalf with great curiosity.
"You don't need bags for foraging berries." Gandalf answered as he placed his hand on Frodo's shoulder with gleam in his eyes. "Bilbo has gone to the coast."