Ruby's Adventure
Chapter 4
A small, dark shadow tiptoed across a clearing on the other side of the bridge. Unnoticed, it crept into a boat and sailed across to where the three young hobbits were sleeping deeply. The figure climbed out of the boat, and snuck up behind the bench just where Primrose was dozing. A light tap on her shoulder caused the half-asleep Primrose to become fully awake, turning round sharply and suddenly and screaming at the top of her lungs.
A small brown hand - three of them, actually - shot out and covered Primrose's wide-opened mouth, hoping to stifle her screams. Daisy and Ruby shook the sleep from their bodies, aching from having slept sitting upright, and faced the unknown figure. It - or I should say he - threw back his hood to reveal that he was no shadow, no monster, nothing frightening at all, but their own good friend Faramir Took. His father had long been a friend of their father's, and they had all been around each other since they were born. He was only three years older than Daisy, and eight years older than Ruby herself, but Ruby had long admired him. He was as adventurous as Daisy, if not more so, but none in the Shire could match Ruby when it came to the desire to go 'questing' as some called it.
Faramir shook his head, making his light brown curls shake wildly, but his eyes twinkled and it was all he could do to keep from smiling.
"You three," he began, "are going to get into some real trouble some day! I do declare! Sleeping, by the Ferry, all alone, out here where no one can get you out of the trouble you're sure to get into, sure as my name's Faramir Took? What were you thinking? What if one of those Orc spies had come round and throttled you?"
"So you know about the Orcs too?" Ruby asked, before realising her mistake. "Oops." Daisy sighed, Primrose pursed her lips, and Faramir laughed.
"You can say that again, Ruby Gamgee," he said, now smiling whole- heartedly. He may have pretended that his Gamgee friends annoyed him, but he really was fond of them, deep down. "You ought not to have let on you knew about that. I thought you weren't supposed to know." Faramir must be able to smell guilt or something like that, ruby thought exasperatedly. She knew Faramir. He would force her to tell him everything - leaving nothing out, mind - and then he'd decide to come with them. He always did.
"Oh, alright, Faramir Took! Have it your way! Gandalf told Father that there were Orc spies appearing around the place, and that it could only mean that Moria was open again, and he wanted to send us, but Father wouldn't let him. And so we came without permission, and you are going to want to come along with us, aren't you?"
Faramir wondered at the ease with which Ruby could read his mind. Daisy sighed and rolled her eyes again.
"So much for our alibi." She muttered, to no one in particular. But Faramir heard her and laughed all the same.
"Come with you?" he said, becoming serious, "Of course I'm coming with you! Do you even need to ask? You think I'm really going to let you go off on an adventure, without me?" Even Primrose smiled.
"Well, lets be off," Daisy reminded them, indicating the boat Faramir had come across in. Faramir (to Daisy's annoyance) led the way to his little boat. Even the other Tooks had thought he was a little odd for building and sailing his little boat, christened "Undomiel". People said that they had even seen him talking to "Undomiel", but neither his parents, nor the Gamgees, nor the Brandybucks minded in the least. Mr Peregrin Took himself (Right Thain of the Shire, and Faramir's father at that) said that it probably wasn't true anyway, though he knew some people - and here he eyed the Sandyman family especially - that were much more boring and annoying to talk to than a boat.
Daisy, thinking to salvage her position as leader of the expedition, was the first into the boat, ever helping to load things into the bottom, and ever good-naturedly bossing Faramir about where to stow their packs.
When everything was finally organized, everyone grabbed a paddle - yes, even Primrose, who clung tight to the side of the boat with her free hand. Ruby, who was rather adept with a paddle, glanced over to her older sister.
"Y'know, Primrose," she began, "if you keep holding on to the side like that, and putting all your weight there, then I'm afraid you'll tip the boat and drown the lot of us." Primrose let go of the side as if it was some sort of poisonous spider, and shifted her weight to the other side rather quickly, causing the boat to rock wildly. She screamed (again) and Daisy shushed her while Faramir and Ruby laughed loudly. Even Daisy couldn't stifle a giggle. Primrose, however, was indignant.
"Don't laugh," she sniffed, "and don't shake the boat either!" Faramir giggled Tookishly.
"What?" he asked innocently, "Shake the boat?" he added, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "You mean like this?" he grabbed the sides making "Undomiel" rock back and forth in a huge arc with surprising speed. Primrose screamed, and the other hobbits laughed.
They were so caught up in teasing Primrose that none of them noticed something swimming in the dark, cold water below them.
Chapter 4
A small, dark shadow tiptoed across a clearing on the other side of the bridge. Unnoticed, it crept into a boat and sailed across to where the three young hobbits were sleeping deeply. The figure climbed out of the boat, and snuck up behind the bench just where Primrose was dozing. A light tap on her shoulder caused the half-asleep Primrose to become fully awake, turning round sharply and suddenly and screaming at the top of her lungs.
A small brown hand - three of them, actually - shot out and covered Primrose's wide-opened mouth, hoping to stifle her screams. Daisy and Ruby shook the sleep from their bodies, aching from having slept sitting upright, and faced the unknown figure. It - or I should say he - threw back his hood to reveal that he was no shadow, no monster, nothing frightening at all, but their own good friend Faramir Took. His father had long been a friend of their father's, and they had all been around each other since they were born. He was only three years older than Daisy, and eight years older than Ruby herself, but Ruby had long admired him. He was as adventurous as Daisy, if not more so, but none in the Shire could match Ruby when it came to the desire to go 'questing' as some called it.
Faramir shook his head, making his light brown curls shake wildly, but his eyes twinkled and it was all he could do to keep from smiling.
"You three," he began, "are going to get into some real trouble some day! I do declare! Sleeping, by the Ferry, all alone, out here where no one can get you out of the trouble you're sure to get into, sure as my name's Faramir Took? What were you thinking? What if one of those Orc spies had come round and throttled you?"
"So you know about the Orcs too?" Ruby asked, before realising her mistake. "Oops." Daisy sighed, Primrose pursed her lips, and Faramir laughed.
"You can say that again, Ruby Gamgee," he said, now smiling whole- heartedly. He may have pretended that his Gamgee friends annoyed him, but he really was fond of them, deep down. "You ought not to have let on you knew about that. I thought you weren't supposed to know." Faramir must be able to smell guilt or something like that, ruby thought exasperatedly. She knew Faramir. He would force her to tell him everything - leaving nothing out, mind - and then he'd decide to come with them. He always did.
"Oh, alright, Faramir Took! Have it your way! Gandalf told Father that there were Orc spies appearing around the place, and that it could only mean that Moria was open again, and he wanted to send us, but Father wouldn't let him. And so we came without permission, and you are going to want to come along with us, aren't you?"
Faramir wondered at the ease with which Ruby could read his mind. Daisy sighed and rolled her eyes again.
"So much for our alibi." She muttered, to no one in particular. But Faramir heard her and laughed all the same.
"Come with you?" he said, becoming serious, "Of course I'm coming with you! Do you even need to ask? You think I'm really going to let you go off on an adventure, without me?" Even Primrose smiled.
"Well, lets be off," Daisy reminded them, indicating the boat Faramir had come across in. Faramir (to Daisy's annoyance) led the way to his little boat. Even the other Tooks had thought he was a little odd for building and sailing his little boat, christened "Undomiel". People said that they had even seen him talking to "Undomiel", but neither his parents, nor the Gamgees, nor the Brandybucks minded in the least. Mr Peregrin Took himself (Right Thain of the Shire, and Faramir's father at that) said that it probably wasn't true anyway, though he knew some people - and here he eyed the Sandyman family especially - that were much more boring and annoying to talk to than a boat.
Daisy, thinking to salvage her position as leader of the expedition, was the first into the boat, ever helping to load things into the bottom, and ever good-naturedly bossing Faramir about where to stow their packs.
When everything was finally organized, everyone grabbed a paddle - yes, even Primrose, who clung tight to the side of the boat with her free hand. Ruby, who was rather adept with a paddle, glanced over to her older sister.
"Y'know, Primrose," she began, "if you keep holding on to the side like that, and putting all your weight there, then I'm afraid you'll tip the boat and drown the lot of us." Primrose let go of the side as if it was some sort of poisonous spider, and shifted her weight to the other side rather quickly, causing the boat to rock wildly. She screamed (again) and Daisy shushed her while Faramir and Ruby laughed loudly. Even Daisy couldn't stifle a giggle. Primrose, however, was indignant.
"Don't laugh," she sniffed, "and don't shake the boat either!" Faramir giggled Tookishly.
"What?" he asked innocently, "Shake the boat?" he added, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "You mean like this?" he grabbed the sides making "Undomiel" rock back and forth in a huge arc with surprising speed. Primrose screamed, and the other hobbits laughed.
They were so caught up in teasing Primrose that none of them noticed something swimming in the dark, cold water below them.