Chapter 2
A Terrible Tragedy
The next morning Frodo awoke, becoming suddenly aware of shouts in the distance. Bright sunlight streamed through his bedroom window, blinding his still sleep-filled eyes. "Saradoc! Saradoc!" He heard his great grandfather Rorimac Brandybuck calling and then heard feet thumping along the carpet in the corridor. Frodo yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes before stretching his small arms over his head. Soon, his mother would be in to wake him and it would be time for breakfast…
"What is the matter?" Frodo then heard his Uncle Saradoc ask and strained to listen.
Rorimac caught his breath and had to steady himself as he continued. "Primula and Drogo…"
"Have you found them?" Saradoc asked, grabbing the elder hobbit's shoulders. "We've been so worried…when they didn't come back by two in the morning, we were…"
"They're dead, Saradoc…drowned they did."
Frodo, who sat in his bed, felt as though he had been punched in the gut. DEAD?! He had just seen them the night before…how could they possibly… he quickly climbed out of bed and hurried to the door, pressing his ear against it so he could hear better.
Saradoc stood staring at Rorimac, his face suddenly very pale. "We must tell Esmerelda…she has been sick with worry."
"But young Frodo, Saradoc…he…"
Saradoc stopped walking and put his head in his hands. "Frodo." He immediately made an abrupt 180 degree turn and went to his nephew's door, opening it. He got a shock when Frodo fell back to the ground with a THUD. "Oh…" Saradoc looked at the young hobbit, who was watching him with his mouth open. "Frodo…we have some bad news…"
Frodo closed his mouth, shut his eyes and nodded. "Mama and Papa are dead…I heard you talking." Saradoc nodded, not sure what to say to a lad who had just lost both of his parents so suddenly. "Go away." Frodo finally spoke after a few moments of awkward silence.
"Frodo…" began Saradoc, but the younger hobbit shut the door before Saradoc could do anything.
"Get Esmerelda," Rorimac ordered. "Hurry."
The rest of the afternoon flashed by in a blurr for poor Frodo. Esmerelda sat with Frodo and held him while he cried. A letter was written to Bilbo Baggins, asking him to come to Buckland immediately…at the mention of his favorite Uncle, Frodo cried even harder. Around supper time, Saradoc knocked on the door with a tray of food he had brought from the dining hall. "Frodo…I brought something for you to eat for dinner," he called.
"I'm not hungry!" he heard Frodo's weak voice from behind the door.
"All right." Saradoc set the tray against the bottom of the door. "It is here if you want it." He figured that it was no use trying to convince the child to do anything at the moment. He nearly ran into his wife as he headed back down to the corridor.
"Did he take the food?" Esmerelda asked hopefully.
Saradoc shook his head. "I set it outside of his door just in case. "
"The bodies were just brought to the surface…Merimac and Rorimac went to get them. Hardly a mark on either of them…light as air…"
Saradoc frowned. "Esmerelda…do you think it would be wise to allow Frodo to attend the funeral?"
Esmerelda did not reply right away. That had been a thought in her mind as well.
"Esmerelda, with all do respect...it would break the boy even further to see his mother and father burried under ground."
Esmerelda folded her arms and gave her husband a very serious look. "Saradoc. I think...it would be a good idea if I asked Frodo what he thinks. If he wants to go, then we should let him."
Saradoc finally agreed that asking Frodo's opinion on the matter was the best way to go. Saradoc let Esmerelda do what she had to do and left the corridor to see to the bodies. Esmerelda opened the door to Frodo's room, and found the young hobbit lying in bed facing the wall. "Frodo." she announced, causing him to turn. Esmerelda sat down on the side of the bed and let him lean against her. "Would you like to go to your parent's funeral this week?" Frodo looked up at her, his lower lip trembling as the tears began to spill from his eyes again.
"I'm scared, Auntie...I don't want..."
Esmerelda touched his cheek. "It would bring closure to your sorrow to see them, dear. Mmm? One must break before one heals you know." She kissed him on the head.
Frodo did not respond. How could she possibly ask him to make that decision right now? Especially when his heart had already broken far enough? Then again, what his Aunt said did make sense...surely one must break before one healed. He looked down at his bare furry feet before sighing. "Yes, Auntie...I'll go." he replied in barely a whisper. His Aunt smiled before kissing him on the cheek.
"All right, sweetheart."
"Could I please be alone?" Frodo broke in.
"Frodo..." Esmerelda but Frodo cut her off.
"I wish to be alone."
She nodded, standing slowly. "All right, dear. If that's what you want. I'll bring you some tea and a bite to eat...we don't want you wasting away."
Frodo lay back down, resting his small head on the fluffy white pillow. He heard his Aunt leave the room and close the door, before tears began falling once more down his cheeks.
A Terrible Tragedy
The next morning Frodo awoke, becoming suddenly aware of shouts in the distance. Bright sunlight streamed through his bedroom window, blinding his still sleep-filled eyes. "Saradoc! Saradoc!" He heard his great grandfather Rorimac Brandybuck calling and then heard feet thumping along the carpet in the corridor. Frodo yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes before stretching his small arms over his head. Soon, his mother would be in to wake him and it would be time for breakfast…
"What is the matter?" Frodo then heard his Uncle Saradoc ask and strained to listen.
Rorimac caught his breath and had to steady himself as he continued. "Primula and Drogo…"
"Have you found them?" Saradoc asked, grabbing the elder hobbit's shoulders. "We've been so worried…when they didn't come back by two in the morning, we were…"
"They're dead, Saradoc…drowned they did."
Frodo, who sat in his bed, felt as though he had been punched in the gut. DEAD?! He had just seen them the night before…how could they possibly… he quickly climbed out of bed and hurried to the door, pressing his ear against it so he could hear better.
Saradoc stood staring at Rorimac, his face suddenly very pale. "We must tell Esmerelda…she has been sick with worry."
"But young Frodo, Saradoc…he…"
Saradoc stopped walking and put his head in his hands. "Frodo." He immediately made an abrupt 180 degree turn and went to his nephew's door, opening it. He got a shock when Frodo fell back to the ground with a THUD. "Oh…" Saradoc looked at the young hobbit, who was watching him with his mouth open. "Frodo…we have some bad news…"
Frodo closed his mouth, shut his eyes and nodded. "Mama and Papa are dead…I heard you talking." Saradoc nodded, not sure what to say to a lad who had just lost both of his parents so suddenly. "Go away." Frodo finally spoke after a few moments of awkward silence.
"Frodo…" began Saradoc, but the younger hobbit shut the door before Saradoc could do anything.
"Get Esmerelda," Rorimac ordered. "Hurry."
The rest of the afternoon flashed by in a blurr for poor Frodo. Esmerelda sat with Frodo and held him while he cried. A letter was written to Bilbo Baggins, asking him to come to Buckland immediately…at the mention of his favorite Uncle, Frodo cried even harder. Around supper time, Saradoc knocked on the door with a tray of food he had brought from the dining hall. "Frodo…I brought something for you to eat for dinner," he called.
"I'm not hungry!" he heard Frodo's weak voice from behind the door.
"All right." Saradoc set the tray against the bottom of the door. "It is here if you want it." He figured that it was no use trying to convince the child to do anything at the moment. He nearly ran into his wife as he headed back down to the corridor.
"Did he take the food?" Esmerelda asked hopefully.
Saradoc shook his head. "I set it outside of his door just in case. "
"The bodies were just brought to the surface…Merimac and Rorimac went to get them. Hardly a mark on either of them…light as air…"
Saradoc frowned. "Esmerelda…do you think it would be wise to allow Frodo to attend the funeral?"
Esmerelda did not reply right away. That had been a thought in her mind as well.
"Esmerelda, with all do respect...it would break the boy even further to see his mother and father burried under ground."
Esmerelda folded her arms and gave her husband a very serious look. "Saradoc. I think...it would be a good idea if I asked Frodo what he thinks. If he wants to go, then we should let him."
Saradoc finally agreed that asking Frodo's opinion on the matter was the best way to go. Saradoc let Esmerelda do what she had to do and left the corridor to see to the bodies. Esmerelda opened the door to Frodo's room, and found the young hobbit lying in bed facing the wall. "Frodo." she announced, causing him to turn. Esmerelda sat down on the side of the bed and let him lean against her. "Would you like to go to your parent's funeral this week?" Frodo looked up at her, his lower lip trembling as the tears began to spill from his eyes again.
"I'm scared, Auntie...I don't want..."
Esmerelda touched his cheek. "It would bring closure to your sorrow to see them, dear. Mmm? One must break before one heals you know." She kissed him on the head.
Frodo did not respond. How could she possibly ask him to make that decision right now? Especially when his heart had already broken far enough? Then again, what his Aunt said did make sense...surely one must break before one healed. He looked down at his bare furry feet before sighing. "Yes, Auntie...I'll go." he replied in barely a whisper. His Aunt smiled before kissing him on the cheek.
"All right, sweetheart."
"Could I please be alone?" Frodo broke in.
"Frodo..." Esmerelda but Frodo cut her off.
"I wish to be alone."
She nodded, standing slowly. "All right, dear. If that's what you want. I'll bring you some tea and a bite to eat...we don't want you wasting away."
Frodo lay back down, resting his small head on the fluffy white pillow. He heard his Aunt leave the room and close the door, before tears began falling once more down his cheeks.