"Merry?"
"Yes Pippin."
"I don't think this is a very good idea." The two hobbits were hiding behind a hill outside Bag End. Gandalf was over visiting that weekend and his cart was parked conveniently outside the door. The two hobbits had dragged the unconscious Milly Pudifoot with them.
"Merry?" Pippin asked again.
"Yes Pippin."
"Do you remember what happened the last time we stole something from Gandalf's cart?" Merry shuddered. It had been their first encounter with the wizard. Merry had only taken an apple-or at least it had looked like an apple. It was really a magic potion bottle that contained fire powder. He and Pippin nearly blew up Frodo's house, and then spent the rest of the day cleaning various disgusting objects for Gandalf.
"But this time we won't get caught." said Merry hopefully.
"You said that last time." Pippin pointed out. Merry shushed him. They looked up towards the window of Bag End. They could see the wizard's top hatted shadow move away, until it got smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared.
"There!" announced Merry, vaulting over the hill. Pippin followed him, eager to get the whole thing over with. The hobbits walked up to the cart. It was filled with various strange objects. "So what exactly are we looking for?" asked Pippin, picking up a round bluish object.
"Ah.... something with the word revival on it or anything that looks promising." Merry replied. They started searching through the cart. "Ohh! What's this thing?" Pippin asked, intrigued by a long, glass bottle filled with liquid that turned many different colours in the light. Carelessly he popped the top off. "Pippin no!" Merry cried, but he was too late. A pale green choking cloud filled the air.
Sometime later, Pippin gained consciousness. He was no longer outside, but in a guestroom of Bag End. Groggily he rose to a sitting position. "Cousin!" Frodo cried, walking over from a far corner of the room. "Thank goodness you're awake. Gandalf said it would wear off after awhile." Pippin rubbed his eyes. "What happened?" he asked. "Where's Merry?"
"One of you deployed a wizard gas. Merry got a bigger whiff of it than you did. He'll be out a little while longer."
Pippin opened his eyes again. There, directly across the room was Milly Pudifoot, resting peacefully in bed. "Milly!" Pippin cried. At this moment Gandalf walked in.
"She'll be quite fine." he said. "Though the same can't be said for you and Merry." Pippin whimpered, slouching down in his bed. "Luckily young Milly here is only suffering from a bump on the head, though I must say it is a mighty good one. What did you do? Hit her with a Mithril hammer?"
Pippin swallowed. He sorrowfully explained the whole story to the wizard, starting right back to the time at Maggot's field.
"I see." the wizard replied. "Well I've fixed her up good. She should be just as well in the morning. Now what to do about you and Merry." Pippin's eyes grew wide. Gandalf was very talented- talented at coming up with unique and horrible punishments.
"Come now Gandalf, don't be two hard on my poor cousins here. They were just trying to help a friend, that's all." said Frodo.
"Yes!" added Pippin hopefully. "Yes, we were! Listen to Frodo! You like Frodo! He's a good cousin!" Pippin sat up, put his arm around Frodo and flashed Gandalf a please-don't-hurt-me smile. The wizard snarled. "You will learn Frodo," he said. "That some deeds can not go unpunished. Fooling with wizardry could have gotten these hobbits killed which is a much harder fate than that that I will bestow upon them." Pippin's smile faded. He wasn't going to die at least, but he was going to have to endure something. "I should think," continued the wizard. "That it would be wise to let your father handle this one Peregrin. I am not in the position to punish you today." Pippin's eyes grew the widest they could go. Not his father! Get anyone involved but Paladin Took! Anyone at all. Quickly Pippin reflected on all his misdeeds of the past few days.
#1. Stealing from Maggot.
#2. Somehow getting Milly involved.
#3. Not telling father about stealing from Maggot.
#4. Running away that morning.
#5. Knocking Milly unconscious.
#6. Sneaking about in Gandalf's cart.
#7. Opening gas cloud.
In short, things did not look bright to young Peregrin. "Come," said Gandalf. "Let's take you home."
Paladin grumbled to himself. Farmer Maggot had come to visit him earlier in the day and had only left a few minutes ago. He had made Paladin pay for his lost vegetables, and lectured him on how his son was turning out. "He's a real fool." Maggot had said. "You better knock some sense into that Peregrin Took, or there's no telling how he'll turn out." Paladin had been greatly offended. He knew how to raise his son, and he'd make sure everyone in the Shire knew it....just as soon as young Pippin came home.
"Knock, Knock." came at the door.
"Who could that be?" Paladin thought, rising from his chair. He opened the door to reveal Pippin, his collar being held by the wizard Gandalf. "Ahh, Peregrin." said Paladin. Pippin cringed at the use of his full name. He knew that meant trouble. His father continued. "I've been waiting for you to come home...."
"Yes Pippin."
"I don't think this is a very good idea." The two hobbits were hiding behind a hill outside Bag End. Gandalf was over visiting that weekend and his cart was parked conveniently outside the door. The two hobbits had dragged the unconscious Milly Pudifoot with them.
"Merry?" Pippin asked again.
"Yes Pippin."
"Do you remember what happened the last time we stole something from Gandalf's cart?" Merry shuddered. It had been their first encounter with the wizard. Merry had only taken an apple-or at least it had looked like an apple. It was really a magic potion bottle that contained fire powder. He and Pippin nearly blew up Frodo's house, and then spent the rest of the day cleaning various disgusting objects for Gandalf.
"But this time we won't get caught." said Merry hopefully.
"You said that last time." Pippin pointed out. Merry shushed him. They looked up towards the window of Bag End. They could see the wizard's top hatted shadow move away, until it got smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared.
"There!" announced Merry, vaulting over the hill. Pippin followed him, eager to get the whole thing over with. The hobbits walked up to the cart. It was filled with various strange objects. "So what exactly are we looking for?" asked Pippin, picking up a round bluish object.
"Ah.... something with the word revival on it or anything that looks promising." Merry replied. They started searching through the cart. "Ohh! What's this thing?" Pippin asked, intrigued by a long, glass bottle filled with liquid that turned many different colours in the light. Carelessly he popped the top off. "Pippin no!" Merry cried, but he was too late. A pale green choking cloud filled the air.
Sometime later, Pippin gained consciousness. He was no longer outside, but in a guestroom of Bag End. Groggily he rose to a sitting position. "Cousin!" Frodo cried, walking over from a far corner of the room. "Thank goodness you're awake. Gandalf said it would wear off after awhile." Pippin rubbed his eyes. "What happened?" he asked. "Where's Merry?"
"One of you deployed a wizard gas. Merry got a bigger whiff of it than you did. He'll be out a little while longer."
Pippin opened his eyes again. There, directly across the room was Milly Pudifoot, resting peacefully in bed. "Milly!" Pippin cried. At this moment Gandalf walked in.
"She'll be quite fine." he said. "Though the same can't be said for you and Merry." Pippin whimpered, slouching down in his bed. "Luckily young Milly here is only suffering from a bump on the head, though I must say it is a mighty good one. What did you do? Hit her with a Mithril hammer?"
Pippin swallowed. He sorrowfully explained the whole story to the wizard, starting right back to the time at Maggot's field.
"I see." the wizard replied. "Well I've fixed her up good. She should be just as well in the morning. Now what to do about you and Merry." Pippin's eyes grew wide. Gandalf was very talented- talented at coming up with unique and horrible punishments.
"Come now Gandalf, don't be two hard on my poor cousins here. They were just trying to help a friend, that's all." said Frodo.
"Yes!" added Pippin hopefully. "Yes, we were! Listen to Frodo! You like Frodo! He's a good cousin!" Pippin sat up, put his arm around Frodo and flashed Gandalf a please-don't-hurt-me smile. The wizard snarled. "You will learn Frodo," he said. "That some deeds can not go unpunished. Fooling with wizardry could have gotten these hobbits killed which is a much harder fate than that that I will bestow upon them." Pippin's smile faded. He wasn't going to die at least, but he was going to have to endure something. "I should think," continued the wizard. "That it would be wise to let your father handle this one Peregrin. I am not in the position to punish you today." Pippin's eyes grew the widest they could go. Not his father! Get anyone involved but Paladin Took! Anyone at all. Quickly Pippin reflected on all his misdeeds of the past few days.
#1. Stealing from Maggot.
#2. Somehow getting Milly involved.
#3. Not telling father about stealing from Maggot.
#4. Running away that morning.
#5. Knocking Milly unconscious.
#6. Sneaking about in Gandalf's cart.
#7. Opening gas cloud.
In short, things did not look bright to young Peregrin. "Come," said Gandalf. "Let's take you home."
Paladin grumbled to himself. Farmer Maggot had come to visit him earlier in the day and had only left a few minutes ago. He had made Paladin pay for his lost vegetables, and lectured him on how his son was turning out. "He's a real fool." Maggot had said. "You better knock some sense into that Peregrin Took, or there's no telling how he'll turn out." Paladin had been greatly offended. He knew how to raise his son, and he'd make sure everyone in the Shire knew it....just as soon as young Pippin came home.
"Knock, Knock." came at the door.
"Who could that be?" Paladin thought, rising from his chair. He opened the door to reveal Pippin, his collar being held by the wizard Gandalf. "Ahh, Peregrin." said Paladin. Pippin cringed at the use of his full name. He knew that meant trouble. His father continued. "I've been waiting for you to come home...."