"So what are you going to say?"
"I don't know."
"Oh common Milly, it's not everyday that you receive such a nice present
from a boy."
"Not to mention such a pretty one at that."
The three girls sat around the table, all propped up on their elbows.
There, sitting on the clean wood surface was the same object that Milly had
found on her doorstep that morning; a little wooden music box. Adorned with
a simple blue bird that rotated on a wire as the music played, and a
walking song that chanted after the knob had been turned, the gift was one
of the prettiest things Milly had ever received. Now her, Teldise and
Diamond were sitting around the Pudifoot table, pondering over the task of
writing a thank you letter to Pippin.
"You should write something terribly romantic." commented Teldise. Milly
scowled. "Why on earth would I do that? It's a birthday present, nothing
more. Nothing less."
Diamond spoke up. "Try this." Milly set herself in a writing position, pen
propped up over paper. Diamond continued as Milly scribbled down what she
said. "Dear Pippin,"
"Oh! Use his full name. It's so much more polite to use someone's full
name!" Butted in Teldise. Diamond smiled. "Good idea." She said. Milly got
out a new piece of paper. "Dear Peregrin," Diamond continued. "Thank you
ever so much for the pretty bluebird music box that plays such a lovely,
lovely song. I enjoyed it ever so much. It's very pretty." Teldise
snickered. Diamond seemed a little offended. "What's so funny?" she asked.
"Oh nothing," said Teldise. "Except for the fact that that letter sounds
more like a piece of poetry than a thank you note." She broke into giggles.
"Try making it simple."
"But not too simple." added Diamond.
"And say what you really want to say. Pippin's an awfully nice boy. No
matter what you say, he won't take it the wrong way."
"Unless you speak poetically,"
"In which case he may think you're being love like,"
"Which you did state you didn't want to be,"
"Unless you're trying to be romantic but-"
"PLEASE!" cut in Milly. "I'm the one writing the letter here. It should be
my decision." She scribbled down a few words on a new sheet of paper.
"There!" she pronounced, passing the letter around to her friends. "Why,
that's sheer brilliance!" exclaimed Diamond. "I couldn't have put it better
myself."
"Amazing!" commented Teldise. "Simply amazingly written."
"Brilliant?" asked Pippin. Merry nodded energetically. "That's was they said Pip, and I ain't sure what they meant by it but that's what one of them said." Pippin was confused. First he had been left in tears at the Pudifoot door, then he had thought that all was lost, and now his best friend showed up and told him he had been spying at the Pudifoot window when he heard the most remarkable things. "So you're sure they're sending a letter then?" asked Pippin. Merry nodded. "And they were going to make it love like at first?" Merry nodded again, obviously enjoying the warped expressions on Pippin's face. "Are you sure?" Pippin blurted out. Merry nodded again. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you fool of a Took! Stop asking me to clarify. Now go and put on a clean pair of trousers, because there is no way you want to be seen at the door lookin' like that!" Pippin cautiously started to go down the hall, not certain if he was being suckered in by cousin or not. In the end however, he decided that he would rather be safe than sorry, and slowly opened the door of his room. "You better be tellin' the truth, Meriadoc Brandybuck. Because if you're not.." He shut the bedroom door, his mind having failed him for words again.
Merry didn't care. He had other plans. As soon as the bedroom door shut with a resounding click, he made fast way for the front door, knocking down Pearl and a glass vase as he went. "Merry!" yelled Pearl as the boy flew past. "You better come back here or I'll-" No such luck. Merry was off like a flash, running, running, panting for breath and running some more. Finally, after a good ten minutes at full speed, he came across the door to Bag End, and knocked on the green painted surface. "Frodo! FRODO!" he yelled. Bilbo opened the door. "Heaven's sake boy, whatever is it? Is there a fire or something else that needs urgent attending to? If not, I wouldn't go stirring up the neighbourhood with screaming such as that." Merry thought for a moment, and lowered his voice. "If you please sir," he said. "I need to speak to Frodo right away." Bilbo gave him a suspicious look, but decided to give in anyway. "I don't like that look in your eyes boy." he said, as he left down the hall. A few minutes later, Frodo was in the doorway. Merry didn't wait for him to speak. "Quick Frodo!" he nearly whispered. "Get a walkin' stick or somethin' because Pippin's goin' to receive a brilliant letter from Milly and it's bound to be a hilarious occasion!" Frodo raised an eyebrow. "You ran all the way from the Took residence just to tell me this?" Merry nodded. "You are a strange creature Meriadoc. However if you say this is an important issue, I will be more than glad to accompany you back." "Great!" said Merry. He grabbed his cousin's arm and pulled him out the door. Frodo laughed as he did so. "You're really all worked up about this, aren't you Merry?" "Yes, yes! Now come on, there's no time to loose!" "But Merry," cried Frodo, between laughing and being dragged along. "The Took's house is that way, not over here! We're going the wrong-"
Merry knocked on Samwise's door, Frodo's arm still in his right hand. The Gaffer opened it. "Hullo is Sam there?" Merry asked in a hurry. Mr. Gamgee gave the two panting boys a suspicious, yet smiling look. "Looks like there's something that needs knowin' about I assume?" he laughed and pointed behind the pair. There stood Sam, curious and covered with dirt from his garden. "Sam!" cried Merry and Frodo in unison. "Meriadoc." Samwise addressed. "Mr. Frodo." Merry grabbed Sam's hand and started running away from the door. "Thank you!" yelled Frodo back to the Gaffer. The old man laughed as he watched the three boys dart away over the hill.
Needless to say, Sam was very confused. "What's going on?" he baffled. "Pippin's going to receive a letter from Milly!" explained Merry. "Really?" inquired Sam. "About what?" Merry stopped running, forcing the other two boys to jerk forward rather harshly. "Well then." He said. "I don't rightly know." He started running again, pulling his laughing friends along in his wake. Soon they arrived at the Took doorstep, but they didn't knock. Perhaps they should have, but instead the trio of hobbits burst through the door, scrambled down the hallway and raced into the kitchen. There they rushed to arrange themselves peacefully about the table, trying their best to look like they had just casually strolled in. Frodo picked up an apple, Sam pretended to occupy himself with the fire, while Merry...well, he generally didn't know what to do, so whistled a song and looked about the room. This was the pathetic scene that Pippin walked into, dressed in new trousers and all.
"Frodo?" he curiously asked. "Sam? How in the blazes did you get here so quick?" Guilty looks were exchanged around the table. "Oh!" pipped up Merry. "They were's just passin' by so I invited them in on a...spring of a moment decision." Pippin eyed both Frodo and Sam suspiciously. "And you Sam," he asked. "How did you come to get so much dirt on you?" "I ah..I.um,...ah...I fell in a puddle!" he finally proclaimed. "Yes! I fell in a puddle!" It was quite obvious that the Took wasn't buying the story.
Yet, low and behold, he didn't have much time to ponder the situation, for, as the day was moving at quite a fast pace, it was only a few moments later that another visitor arrived at the door. This time there was a knock. "I'll get it!" cried Merry, Sam, Frodo and a very startled Pippin all at the same time. In spite of it all, Pippin was indeed the first one to answer the door. "Letter," said the postmaster hobbit. "Letter for a Mr. Pereegrine Took." "Peregrin." Frodo corrected. Merry elbowed him, disposing a shut-up look in the Baggin's direction. "That would be me." Pippin stated. He signed the usual papers, thanked the postmaster hobbit and struggled to nudge his older cousins back so he could shut the door. No sooner than he had done so, all havoc broke loose.
"What's it say? What's it say?" Merry inquired, impatiently squeezing past Sam to get a better look at the envelope. Pippin opened it slowly, carefully removed the paper, and displayed the following note in front of him:
Dear Pippin,
Thanks.
~Milly
"Brilliant?" asked Pippin. Merry nodded energetically. "That's was they said Pip, and I ain't sure what they meant by it but that's what one of them said." Pippin was confused. First he had been left in tears at the Pudifoot door, then he had thought that all was lost, and now his best friend showed up and told him he had been spying at the Pudifoot window when he heard the most remarkable things. "So you're sure they're sending a letter then?" asked Pippin. Merry nodded. "And they were going to make it love like at first?" Merry nodded again, obviously enjoying the warped expressions on Pippin's face. "Are you sure?" Pippin blurted out. Merry nodded again. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you fool of a Took! Stop asking me to clarify. Now go and put on a clean pair of trousers, because there is no way you want to be seen at the door lookin' like that!" Pippin cautiously started to go down the hall, not certain if he was being suckered in by cousin or not. In the end however, he decided that he would rather be safe than sorry, and slowly opened the door of his room. "You better be tellin' the truth, Meriadoc Brandybuck. Because if you're not.." He shut the bedroom door, his mind having failed him for words again.
Merry didn't care. He had other plans. As soon as the bedroom door shut with a resounding click, he made fast way for the front door, knocking down Pearl and a glass vase as he went. "Merry!" yelled Pearl as the boy flew past. "You better come back here or I'll-" No such luck. Merry was off like a flash, running, running, panting for breath and running some more. Finally, after a good ten minutes at full speed, he came across the door to Bag End, and knocked on the green painted surface. "Frodo! FRODO!" he yelled. Bilbo opened the door. "Heaven's sake boy, whatever is it? Is there a fire or something else that needs urgent attending to? If not, I wouldn't go stirring up the neighbourhood with screaming such as that." Merry thought for a moment, and lowered his voice. "If you please sir," he said. "I need to speak to Frodo right away." Bilbo gave him a suspicious look, but decided to give in anyway. "I don't like that look in your eyes boy." he said, as he left down the hall. A few minutes later, Frodo was in the doorway. Merry didn't wait for him to speak. "Quick Frodo!" he nearly whispered. "Get a walkin' stick or somethin' because Pippin's goin' to receive a brilliant letter from Milly and it's bound to be a hilarious occasion!" Frodo raised an eyebrow. "You ran all the way from the Took residence just to tell me this?" Merry nodded. "You are a strange creature Meriadoc. However if you say this is an important issue, I will be more than glad to accompany you back." "Great!" said Merry. He grabbed his cousin's arm and pulled him out the door. Frodo laughed as he did so. "You're really all worked up about this, aren't you Merry?" "Yes, yes! Now come on, there's no time to loose!" "But Merry," cried Frodo, between laughing and being dragged along. "The Took's house is that way, not over here! We're going the wrong-"
Merry knocked on Samwise's door, Frodo's arm still in his right hand. The Gaffer opened it. "Hullo is Sam there?" Merry asked in a hurry. Mr. Gamgee gave the two panting boys a suspicious, yet smiling look. "Looks like there's something that needs knowin' about I assume?" he laughed and pointed behind the pair. There stood Sam, curious and covered with dirt from his garden. "Sam!" cried Merry and Frodo in unison. "Meriadoc." Samwise addressed. "Mr. Frodo." Merry grabbed Sam's hand and started running away from the door. "Thank you!" yelled Frodo back to the Gaffer. The old man laughed as he watched the three boys dart away over the hill.
Needless to say, Sam was very confused. "What's going on?" he baffled. "Pippin's going to receive a letter from Milly!" explained Merry. "Really?" inquired Sam. "About what?" Merry stopped running, forcing the other two boys to jerk forward rather harshly. "Well then." He said. "I don't rightly know." He started running again, pulling his laughing friends along in his wake. Soon they arrived at the Took doorstep, but they didn't knock. Perhaps they should have, but instead the trio of hobbits burst through the door, scrambled down the hallway and raced into the kitchen. There they rushed to arrange themselves peacefully about the table, trying their best to look like they had just casually strolled in. Frodo picked up an apple, Sam pretended to occupy himself with the fire, while Merry...well, he generally didn't know what to do, so whistled a song and looked about the room. This was the pathetic scene that Pippin walked into, dressed in new trousers and all.
"Frodo?" he curiously asked. "Sam? How in the blazes did you get here so quick?" Guilty looks were exchanged around the table. "Oh!" pipped up Merry. "They were's just passin' by so I invited them in on a...spring of a moment decision." Pippin eyed both Frodo and Sam suspiciously. "And you Sam," he asked. "How did you come to get so much dirt on you?" "I ah..I.um,...ah...I fell in a puddle!" he finally proclaimed. "Yes! I fell in a puddle!" It was quite obvious that the Took wasn't buying the story.
Yet, low and behold, he didn't have much time to ponder the situation, for, as the day was moving at quite a fast pace, it was only a few moments later that another visitor arrived at the door. This time there was a knock. "I'll get it!" cried Merry, Sam, Frodo and a very startled Pippin all at the same time. In spite of it all, Pippin was indeed the first one to answer the door. "Letter," said the postmaster hobbit. "Letter for a Mr. Pereegrine Took." "Peregrin." Frodo corrected. Merry elbowed him, disposing a shut-up look in the Baggin's direction. "That would be me." Pippin stated. He signed the usual papers, thanked the postmaster hobbit and struggled to nudge his older cousins back so he could shut the door. No sooner than he had done so, all havoc broke loose.
"What's it say? What's it say?" Merry inquired, impatiently squeezing past Sam to get a better look at the envelope. Pippin opened it slowly, carefully removed the paper, and displayed the following note in front of him:
Dear Pippin,
Thanks.
~Milly