Note: I actually planned to make this chapter the second half of the previous chapter but it got rather long so I decided to make this into a chapter all of its own (doesn't the ickle chapter feel special?).
Dark Secrets of the Shire
Merry walked farther and farther from the warm light of the Great Smials and from Pippin's silly ramblings. It was plenty dark out and rather cold but not as bad as in some parts of the world. Merry wasn't at all scared of the dark or the cold and the only thing he feared was being late. He had indeed been late before but the stakes had never been that high before. Oh, and now the stakes were quite high! For if he was very late Estella, Fatty's sister, might go to sleep, and if she went to sleep, he wouldn't be able to see her, and he wouldn't be able to see her… Merry tried to wipe those thoughts from his mind. After all, it was always better to be optimistic than pesimistic. Besides, worrying could never be healthy. And Merry intended to be healthy! For if he wasn't healthy, he couldn't see Estella, and if he couldn't see Estella…
"Lawks! I'm doing it again!" Merry exclaimed. He shook his head, once more trying to rid his mind of those pesky thoughts and instead he concentrated on getting there. He started walking faster. Only once he started walking faster did he realize that he had Pippin's pen in his pocket. He sighed, feeling the ink on the tip of the pen still wet. It was too late now to turn around and return the pen. He'd have to do it some other time.
Merry was getting tired. Sitting down for a little bit surely couldn't do any harm. So he sat down by the side of the road. Oh, how late he'd be now. But it didn't matter. He would've been late either way. Taking a break would help him gain energy, thus making him go faster, thus making him not late! So he sat. And he thought. And he realized that he didn't have any flowers. He should've brought flowers. "Why didn't I bring flowers?" he thought aloud to himself.
"Late in meetin' yer lass, eh, lad?" croaked a gnarled figure that came out of nowhere. Merry smiled. "Well… yes and no." Merry couldn't see the figure's face for he was covered in a long cloak that wrapped around his bent shape. "No matter, boy. I'll give yeh a lift in me wagon. I'll git yeh t'yer destination in time." For the first time Merry noticed that the old man (which he apparently was) was standing several feet away from an old-looking wagon that was drawn by an old-looking mare with a long, shaggy mane that covered its face.
He nodded and jumped into the front seat eagerly. The old man slowly pulled himself into the front seat next to Merry. He cracked the horse's reins and off the wagon went. The wagon looked grey, as did the horse and the old man. Merry found this somewhat peculiar but as long as he was getting a free ride that's all that mattered. That thought brought another thought to his mind. "So, how much is this ride going to cost me, sir?" Merry asked the man. "Oh, don't yeh worry yerself with numbers! The ride's on me," the old man answered as he stared ahead into the darkness. "Well, that's very kind of you but I insist on paying!" None of the Brandybucks had empty pockets and Merry wanted to take advantage of that. "Nonsense! I'm givin' yeh a free ride and that's that!"
Merry finally gave his consent and decided that this was a good chance for a smoke. He took out his pipe and a match from his tinderbox and within several seconds he was puffing away contentedly.
The wagon wasn't going very fast. In fact it was going rather slow. But within an amazing span of time that most hobbits would call "unnatural" the wagon stopped in front of the Bolger Residence. "Well, here we are, lad. But before yeh leave, reach into the back o' me wagon." Merry followed the old man's instructions. He reached into the back of the wagon and pulled out a bouquet of sweet smelling flowers. Merry was speechless. "Well, don't just stand there with yer mouth gapin' wide open, young'n! Go on and meet with yer friends! They're probably waitin' for yeh as it is!"
Merry climbed out of the wagon and started walking to the door. "Oh, I almost forgot- thanks for the ride and the flowers, too!" But when Merry turned around the wagon, complete with old man and horse, was gone. "How peculiar." He proceeded to knock on the door and he could hear Fatty's voice inside shouting "Estella, get the door!" and Estella's voice shouting back "But it's probably just one of your friends!"
As Bucklanders were the only hobbits to lock their doors, Merry knew that the door would be unlocked. Knowing that he opened the door and poked his head through. "Well, Estella, that is exactly why you SHOULD have opened the door!"
Estella blushed and said, "Hello, Merry." With that said she ran into her room blushing crimson. Seeing his sister running by, Fatty came out of the kitchen, holding onto a slab of cheese. "Hallo, Merry! Care for some cheese?" Merry shook his head and then suddenly his ears twitched and he was still. Noticing Merry's sudden strange behavior, Fatty said, "Merry, are you all right?" Merry snapped out his trance and looked at Fatty. "Yes, it's just… well, you might think I'm crazy but I could have sworn that I heard someone saying 'You're welcome' to me!" Fatty shrugged. "I haven't heard anything." Looking at Merry and then at his cheese, he asked again, "So… care for some cheese?"