Back at home, Pippin was rather beside himself. His father had given him
what he deserved, and he had not been happy about it, but his troubles
spand more on the wizard Gandalf now. Wizards were clever. Pippin knew
that. And to pretend he had lied to wizard had not crossed him as a bright
idea. He resolved to do what he usually did. He would ask Merry for advice.
It would be ludicrous to say that this was a bright idea either, for Merry was very upset to see his Took cousin, having blamed him for the additional punishment he received on awaking to Gandalf at Bag End. Even so, he watched silently as Pippin came up his front walk. The Took knocked timidly.
Merry opened the door. He said nothing, just stood there silently with a hobbity attempt at an evil glare on his face. Pippin shrunk a half inch. "Hallo Merry." He peeped. Merry's eyebrows lowered. "What are you doing here Pip?" he asked. "I don't want to talk to you after all that's happened." Pippin sighed. "I'm afraid I've gotten us into more trouble than you think." He said.
Merry's eyes grew wide. "W-We?" he stuttered. "We?! Who said anything about we? You mean YOU got yourself into more trouble." Pippin shook his head slowly. "No, I mean I got us into more trouble." He said. Merry stamped his foot, then impatiently ushered his cousin through the door.
Pippin explained everything….Gandalf dragging him home, seeing his father, the incident at the Pudifoot house, and finally, Milly's story. Merry was not impressed. "Oh goodness Pippin!" he cried. "She saved you from your father but she's gotten us into a terrible mess with that wizard Gandalf." In his thoughts Merry was starting to see himself being turned into a toad, a snake or…..something worse. Pippin hung his head. "What are we going to do?" he sobbed. Merry hung his head too.
Teldise threw a stone at the Pudifoot's back window, her brown curls bobbing as she did so. It hit the glass, making a small "tick" sound, and landed in the garden. Nothing happened. She tried again. This time, the window was opened by a tired and sour Lumillia Pudifoot. "Milly!" Teldise cried, thrilled with seeing her friend again. Milly shushed her. "Be quiet," she snapped. "Mother will here you." Teldise bit her lip, looked cautiously around, and then spoke up again. "Where have you been?" she whispered. "I haven't seen you in nearly a week. I heard you got injured and all, but I didn't think it would be so horrible that it would take you a week to get better." Milly scowled. "I've been fine for nearly three days now." She scoffed. "Mother won't let me out of the house. Says I 'ought to do some chores first…make up for the trouble of the past few days." Teldise looked confused. She hadn't heard anything about Milly getting in trouble. "But you haven't done anything." She pointed out. "You said that Peregrin Took ran into you and-"
"I don't want to discuss it Teldise. Now go away."
"But Milly I just wanted to see if you-"
"I said go away!"
With that, Milly slammed the window shut. Teldise stood stunned for a few moments, not quite sure what to think. She gave a defiant "Humph." and walked away.
"You go to the front door Pip."
"How come I have to go to the front door? This was your idea!"
"Was not! Now hurry up!"
"But you always make me go first! Why can't you-"
"Boys, what's the problem?"
Bilbo Baggins stood on his front porch, looking out into the yard. There, arguing at the gate, was Merry and Pippin. Both of them were taken back quite a bit at seeing Bilbo.
"Hallo Mr. Baggins." Merry said. "We'se were just discussing….."
"The weather." Pippin added. Bilbo gave them a suspicious look. "The weather?" he asked. "Sounded to me like you were up to no good. Now tell me what you were really up to." Merry and Pippin exchanged looks. Between that glance they decided it was better to tell the truth than to get themselves into more trouble. "We were looking for Gandalf." Merry sighed. Bilbo's expression stayed the same, suspicious and untrusting. "Gandalf?" he sputtered. "Why, he only stopped by for a stay last night. Says he's got some urgent business to attend to. Was only here for a few hours if I remember correctly." Pippin's face lit up. "A-a few hours?!" he gasped. "You mean he's gone then?"
"Oh yes, quite far away by now. Probably off in some distant corner of the world. Why do you ask?" But Bilbo never got an answer. The two hobbit boys were already on their way, skipping and shouting in joy as they ran down the shire path.
************************************************************************
"Happy eleventh birthday!!" Everybody cheered. Pippin stood up, face beaming and full of pride. Usually he didn't like being the center of attention, since it was always for the wrong reasons. But today, Pippin was blowing out his birthday candles with all his friends and family watching, and he didn't mind at all.
He had spent the past few weeks picking out the perfect presents for all his friends and relatives. His personal relations were on the top on his list. His sisters got one bracelet each, to his father he gave an empty journal and his mother received a new apron, which she declared to be, "as lovely as the little hobbit who gave it to me."
In the end, a map of the Shire went to Frodo, Sam got a pack of cucumber seeds, and Merry got a pinch of pipeweed that Pippin had stolen from his father's supply pouch. There were feather pens and odd little tidbits that went to other friends and relatives of Pippins, even the daughters and sons of his parent's friends. By the end of it, the little Took was nearly out of gifts to give. Yet there was one gift that Pippin didn't know who to give to. It was a dainty thing, certainly not appropriate for any of his boy friends…dear no! But perhaps it was appropriate for a little hobbit girl. Perhaps it was appropriate for Milly. With that in mind, Peregrin Took headed off to the old Pudifoot residence once again.
He arrived a few minutes later and went to knock on the door. Milly opened it before he got the chance. She was not in a good mood. "What do you want?" Milly asked, hands on hips, a dishrag in one. Pippin searched to find words. "Well…I mean…um…you…..that is…..I~"
"You what?" retorted the hobbit girl.
"I just…..I wanted to thank you and give you~"
"Thank me for what?"
"For that day last week, and give you-"
"Well you may be thankful for it Pippin, but I most certainly am not!"
Pippin froze for a moment. He fingered the object behind his back nervously.
"Ah….okay." he finally said. Milly was running out of patience with the boy.
"Saving you from that father of yours was the worst thing I ever did Pippin, the worst thing I ever did. I never want to see you again, ever! Don't even try to come back again!"
Milly slammed the door in young Perigrin's face.
Pippin stood on the front step for awhile, not sure what to do. Mostly, he was trying to hold back his tears. "A grown hobbit doesn't cry, a grown hobbit doesn't cry." He kept whispering to himself. It didn't work. After one tear escaped from his eye, the rest came tumbling down. Pippin left the gift on the front step, stared at the door for a moment, then quietly retreated for home.
It would be ludicrous to say that this was a bright idea either, for Merry was very upset to see his Took cousin, having blamed him for the additional punishment he received on awaking to Gandalf at Bag End. Even so, he watched silently as Pippin came up his front walk. The Took knocked timidly.
Merry opened the door. He said nothing, just stood there silently with a hobbity attempt at an evil glare on his face. Pippin shrunk a half inch. "Hallo Merry." He peeped. Merry's eyebrows lowered. "What are you doing here Pip?" he asked. "I don't want to talk to you after all that's happened." Pippin sighed. "I'm afraid I've gotten us into more trouble than you think." He said.
Merry's eyes grew wide. "W-We?" he stuttered. "We?! Who said anything about we? You mean YOU got yourself into more trouble." Pippin shook his head slowly. "No, I mean I got us into more trouble." He said. Merry stamped his foot, then impatiently ushered his cousin through the door.
Pippin explained everything….Gandalf dragging him home, seeing his father, the incident at the Pudifoot house, and finally, Milly's story. Merry was not impressed. "Oh goodness Pippin!" he cried. "She saved you from your father but she's gotten us into a terrible mess with that wizard Gandalf." In his thoughts Merry was starting to see himself being turned into a toad, a snake or…..something worse. Pippin hung his head. "What are we going to do?" he sobbed. Merry hung his head too.
Teldise threw a stone at the Pudifoot's back window, her brown curls bobbing as she did so. It hit the glass, making a small "tick" sound, and landed in the garden. Nothing happened. She tried again. This time, the window was opened by a tired and sour Lumillia Pudifoot. "Milly!" Teldise cried, thrilled with seeing her friend again. Milly shushed her. "Be quiet," she snapped. "Mother will here you." Teldise bit her lip, looked cautiously around, and then spoke up again. "Where have you been?" she whispered. "I haven't seen you in nearly a week. I heard you got injured and all, but I didn't think it would be so horrible that it would take you a week to get better." Milly scowled. "I've been fine for nearly three days now." She scoffed. "Mother won't let me out of the house. Says I 'ought to do some chores first…make up for the trouble of the past few days." Teldise looked confused. She hadn't heard anything about Milly getting in trouble. "But you haven't done anything." She pointed out. "You said that Peregrin Took ran into you and-"
"I don't want to discuss it Teldise. Now go away."
"But Milly I just wanted to see if you-"
"I said go away!"
With that, Milly slammed the window shut. Teldise stood stunned for a few moments, not quite sure what to think. She gave a defiant "Humph." and walked away.
"You go to the front door Pip."
"How come I have to go to the front door? This was your idea!"
"Was not! Now hurry up!"
"But you always make me go first! Why can't you-"
"Boys, what's the problem?"
Bilbo Baggins stood on his front porch, looking out into the yard. There, arguing at the gate, was Merry and Pippin. Both of them were taken back quite a bit at seeing Bilbo.
"Hallo Mr. Baggins." Merry said. "We'se were just discussing….."
"The weather." Pippin added. Bilbo gave them a suspicious look. "The weather?" he asked. "Sounded to me like you were up to no good. Now tell me what you were really up to." Merry and Pippin exchanged looks. Between that glance they decided it was better to tell the truth than to get themselves into more trouble. "We were looking for Gandalf." Merry sighed. Bilbo's expression stayed the same, suspicious and untrusting. "Gandalf?" he sputtered. "Why, he only stopped by for a stay last night. Says he's got some urgent business to attend to. Was only here for a few hours if I remember correctly." Pippin's face lit up. "A-a few hours?!" he gasped. "You mean he's gone then?"
"Oh yes, quite far away by now. Probably off in some distant corner of the world. Why do you ask?" But Bilbo never got an answer. The two hobbit boys were already on their way, skipping and shouting in joy as they ran down the shire path.
************************************************************************
"Happy eleventh birthday!!" Everybody cheered. Pippin stood up, face beaming and full of pride. Usually he didn't like being the center of attention, since it was always for the wrong reasons. But today, Pippin was blowing out his birthday candles with all his friends and family watching, and he didn't mind at all.
He had spent the past few weeks picking out the perfect presents for all his friends and relatives. His personal relations were on the top on his list. His sisters got one bracelet each, to his father he gave an empty journal and his mother received a new apron, which she declared to be, "as lovely as the little hobbit who gave it to me."
In the end, a map of the Shire went to Frodo, Sam got a pack of cucumber seeds, and Merry got a pinch of pipeweed that Pippin had stolen from his father's supply pouch. There were feather pens and odd little tidbits that went to other friends and relatives of Pippins, even the daughters and sons of his parent's friends. By the end of it, the little Took was nearly out of gifts to give. Yet there was one gift that Pippin didn't know who to give to. It was a dainty thing, certainly not appropriate for any of his boy friends…dear no! But perhaps it was appropriate for a little hobbit girl. Perhaps it was appropriate for Milly. With that in mind, Peregrin Took headed off to the old Pudifoot residence once again.
He arrived a few minutes later and went to knock on the door. Milly opened it before he got the chance. She was not in a good mood. "What do you want?" Milly asked, hands on hips, a dishrag in one. Pippin searched to find words. "Well…I mean…um…you…..that is…..I~"
"You what?" retorted the hobbit girl.
"I just…..I wanted to thank you and give you~"
"Thank me for what?"
"For that day last week, and give you-"
"Well you may be thankful for it Pippin, but I most certainly am not!"
Pippin froze for a moment. He fingered the object behind his back nervously.
"Ah….okay." he finally said. Milly was running out of patience with the boy.
"Saving you from that father of yours was the worst thing I ever did Pippin, the worst thing I ever did. I never want to see you again, ever! Don't even try to come back again!"
Milly slammed the door in young Perigrin's face.
Pippin stood on the front step for awhile, not sure what to do. Mostly, he was trying to hold back his tears. "A grown hobbit doesn't cry, a grown hobbit doesn't cry." He kept whispering to himself. It didn't work. After one tear escaped from his eye, the rest came tumbling down. Pippin left the gift on the front step, stared at the door for a moment, then quietly retreated for home.