Chapter 4: Gandalf rolls into town.
Two long weeks passed by in The Shire, many days came and went, and still Myrtle was a double personality. She was great fun to be with, exuberant and merry when other hobbits weren't around, and then became the most annoying, uptight, snappish hobbit ever when in company. At the beginning, Pippin and Merry couldn't figure her out, and got annoyed when she did one of her transformations, but as they spent more time with her, they came to appreciate her mischievous side. Slowly, they got used to it, understanding her need to change so often, and appreciating that the good times far outweighed the bad times.
They soon became a great threesome, playing tricks and planning pranks together with the skill of a group of professionals. The down side was the inevitable blaming of the two male hobbits, as Myrtle 'would never stoop so low as to play those pranks,' but they could live with that.
One day, lying in the sunshine on the edge of the woods, they heard the clop of a horse's hooves. They sat up abruptly, Myrtle running to hide behind a tree in case anyone saw her in her shorts and shirt. Over the brow of the hill, a pointed hat came into view, followed by a pipe and a long grey beard.
"Gandalf!" yelled Merry.
"Hullo, young masters," came the gruff voice of the wizard as the hobbits ran to the edge of the road. Gandalf stopped the cart and peered into the woods. "Why are you hiding, little one?"
"Come on out, Turtle," Pippin yelled, using the nickname he had bestowed on her. He knew she hated it, but he loved teasing her. "Gandalf won't tell anyone, will you Gandalf?"
"Tell anyone what?" he asked as Myrtle appeared, walking anxiously forwards.
"She's supposed to behave like a lady, except there's no fun in being a lady," Pippin answered for her.
"Shut up, motor mouth." Myrtle punched Pip on the arm and he winced, staring at her with a hurt look. Gandalf chuckled.
"Your secret's safe with me Myrtle Burrows," he winked.
"Where are you going, Gandalf?" asked Merry. "To see Bilbo Baggins?"
"That's right."
"Is there going to be another fireworks show?" asked Pippin excitedly.
"Possibly, possibly," he answered with a grin as he prodded the horse and slowly rolled away down the road. The three hobbits stared at each other gleefully.
"He always says that when he's planning something!" bounced Pippin excitedly. Merry could only nod, having lost the power of speech through anticipation.
"What's so special about this little thing then?" Myrtle asked them, holding up a long, thin package.
"How did you get one of his fireworks?" asked Merry awestruck.
"Just took it from his cart," she shrugged nonchalantly.
"Myrtle, I love you!" Pippin exclaimed as he hugged her suddenly. She pushed him off roughly.
"Hey, leave it out!"
"We'll add this one to our stash of nicked fireworks," breathed Merry as he pored over it.
"What are they like, the shows?" she asked them. They stared at her, their mouths hanging open.
"You mean, you've never been to one?" asked Merry unbelievingly. She shook her head.
"Not allowed, remember?"
"Not even allowed to see Gandalf's fireworks? But, but that's not NOT ladylike?" he stuttered, mixing up his words. She shrugged dejectedly.
"You have to come with us to Hobbiton," Pippin exclaimed vehemently. "You have to see this!"
"It's all up to my mother, isn't it." Her face reflected the hopelessness of the cause.
"She HAS to let you come!" Merry insisted. "We'll find a way."
&&&
They had raced back home, stopping for Myrtle to change into her dress, of course, and Merry and Pippin busied themselves laying the table and generally making themselves useful before asking for permission to take Myrtle to Hobbiton. After their meal, once they had washed up everything and the women had expressed astonishment at their helpfulness, Merry broached the subject.
"Mum, you know that Gandalf is on his way to Hobbiton."
Esmeralda smiled knowingly. "Yes, Merry, I know."
"Well, we're going to see the fireworks, right?"
"Yes, Merry. We'll be going for a while and staying with Bilbo and Frodo at Bag End." Pippin's face nearly split with his wide grin.
"What about Myrtle, mum?" he asked nonchalantly. Esmeralda looked at him questioningly.
"You want Myrtle to go?" She had witnessed how horrible Myrtle was towards them, and wondered why they'd ask for her company.
"We just don't see why she should be left out of something like this. Everyone should see Gandalf's firework show." Esmeralda and Eglantine looked towards Peony and Myrtle.
"What do you think Peony?" she asked.
"I don't think it's an activity Myrtle would like, is it darling?"
"Why would I want to go to a stupid fireworks show?" Myrtle sneered. Merry and Pippin glared at her.
"Let us think about it, OK," Esmeralda finally replied. "Now off you go, take Myrtle outside to the garden for a while."
Once outside, Pippin turned to her frustrated. "Why did you have to go and tell them that?"
"You know what it's like," she whispered back.
"You could at least have helped a little. This is just going to make life more difficult."
"Do you want to come or not?" asked Merry.
"Of course I do, but I can't risk looking too enthusiastic. Look, at least let's listen in on the conversation. See what they're saying about it."
They crept up to the kitchen window and sat below it. From inside, the voices carried out magnificently.
"I just don't think it's a suitable pastime for a young hobbit lady," came Peony's voice.
"Mother!" Myrtle hissed angrily before Pippin thumped her quiet.
"On the other hand, you'd get to visit Hobbiton and see Bilbo again."
"That Bilbo, he's an odd one. I'm not sure whether Myrtle should be mixing with hobbits like that."
"What are you going to do here all alone?" asked Eglantine. There was a short silence as Peony thought it over.
"I suppose you're right about that, and I have been looking for a nice young hobbit for Myrtle. I could have some luck in Hobbiton."
"Why are you looking already? She's not of age yet, is she?"
"Oh no, not at all. I worry about her though. She's not a pretty lass, rather plain. Her manner doesn't attract gentlehobbits either."
"Oh, come now, Peony," interjected Eglantine. "She's a nice lass."
"No, no, I can be unbiased, she is not much to look at. I sometimes wonder what she'd do without me. If she didn't have me to find her a nice husband, where would she end up?"
"Well, that's as may be, but you're agreeing to come along, right?" sighed Esmeralda. She didn't believe in all this matchmaking.
"I'm sure it will be a productive visit," she finally allowed. The young hobbits gave a hushed whoop of joy at the news.
"I'm going to see fireworks at last! My brothers will be so pleased!"
&&&
brachan90 - Many more pranks and wrongful blaming to come!
I'll be away for about a week, so no updates then! In the meantime, c'mon guys, leave a line or two. Brighten my day a little :oD Please R&R.
Two long weeks passed by in The Shire, many days came and went, and still Myrtle was a double personality. She was great fun to be with, exuberant and merry when other hobbits weren't around, and then became the most annoying, uptight, snappish hobbit ever when in company. At the beginning, Pippin and Merry couldn't figure her out, and got annoyed when she did one of her transformations, but as they spent more time with her, they came to appreciate her mischievous side. Slowly, they got used to it, understanding her need to change so often, and appreciating that the good times far outweighed the bad times.
They soon became a great threesome, playing tricks and planning pranks together with the skill of a group of professionals. The down side was the inevitable blaming of the two male hobbits, as Myrtle 'would never stoop so low as to play those pranks,' but they could live with that.
One day, lying in the sunshine on the edge of the woods, they heard the clop of a horse's hooves. They sat up abruptly, Myrtle running to hide behind a tree in case anyone saw her in her shorts and shirt. Over the brow of the hill, a pointed hat came into view, followed by a pipe and a long grey beard.
"Gandalf!" yelled Merry.
"Hullo, young masters," came the gruff voice of the wizard as the hobbits ran to the edge of the road. Gandalf stopped the cart and peered into the woods. "Why are you hiding, little one?"
"Come on out, Turtle," Pippin yelled, using the nickname he had bestowed on her. He knew she hated it, but he loved teasing her. "Gandalf won't tell anyone, will you Gandalf?"
"Tell anyone what?" he asked as Myrtle appeared, walking anxiously forwards.
"She's supposed to behave like a lady, except there's no fun in being a lady," Pippin answered for her.
"Shut up, motor mouth." Myrtle punched Pip on the arm and he winced, staring at her with a hurt look. Gandalf chuckled.
"Your secret's safe with me Myrtle Burrows," he winked.
"Where are you going, Gandalf?" asked Merry. "To see Bilbo Baggins?"
"That's right."
"Is there going to be another fireworks show?" asked Pippin excitedly.
"Possibly, possibly," he answered with a grin as he prodded the horse and slowly rolled away down the road. The three hobbits stared at each other gleefully.
"He always says that when he's planning something!" bounced Pippin excitedly. Merry could only nod, having lost the power of speech through anticipation.
"What's so special about this little thing then?" Myrtle asked them, holding up a long, thin package.
"How did you get one of his fireworks?" asked Merry awestruck.
"Just took it from his cart," she shrugged nonchalantly.
"Myrtle, I love you!" Pippin exclaimed as he hugged her suddenly. She pushed him off roughly.
"Hey, leave it out!"
"We'll add this one to our stash of nicked fireworks," breathed Merry as he pored over it.
"What are they like, the shows?" she asked them. They stared at her, their mouths hanging open.
"You mean, you've never been to one?" asked Merry unbelievingly. She shook her head.
"Not allowed, remember?"
"Not even allowed to see Gandalf's fireworks? But, but that's not NOT ladylike?" he stuttered, mixing up his words. She shrugged dejectedly.
"You have to come with us to Hobbiton," Pippin exclaimed vehemently. "You have to see this!"
"It's all up to my mother, isn't it." Her face reflected the hopelessness of the cause.
"She HAS to let you come!" Merry insisted. "We'll find a way."
&&&
They had raced back home, stopping for Myrtle to change into her dress, of course, and Merry and Pippin busied themselves laying the table and generally making themselves useful before asking for permission to take Myrtle to Hobbiton. After their meal, once they had washed up everything and the women had expressed astonishment at their helpfulness, Merry broached the subject.
"Mum, you know that Gandalf is on his way to Hobbiton."
Esmeralda smiled knowingly. "Yes, Merry, I know."
"Well, we're going to see the fireworks, right?"
"Yes, Merry. We'll be going for a while and staying with Bilbo and Frodo at Bag End." Pippin's face nearly split with his wide grin.
"What about Myrtle, mum?" he asked nonchalantly. Esmeralda looked at him questioningly.
"You want Myrtle to go?" She had witnessed how horrible Myrtle was towards them, and wondered why they'd ask for her company.
"We just don't see why she should be left out of something like this. Everyone should see Gandalf's firework show." Esmeralda and Eglantine looked towards Peony and Myrtle.
"What do you think Peony?" she asked.
"I don't think it's an activity Myrtle would like, is it darling?"
"Why would I want to go to a stupid fireworks show?" Myrtle sneered. Merry and Pippin glared at her.
"Let us think about it, OK," Esmeralda finally replied. "Now off you go, take Myrtle outside to the garden for a while."
Once outside, Pippin turned to her frustrated. "Why did you have to go and tell them that?"
"You know what it's like," she whispered back.
"You could at least have helped a little. This is just going to make life more difficult."
"Do you want to come or not?" asked Merry.
"Of course I do, but I can't risk looking too enthusiastic. Look, at least let's listen in on the conversation. See what they're saying about it."
They crept up to the kitchen window and sat below it. From inside, the voices carried out magnificently.
"I just don't think it's a suitable pastime for a young hobbit lady," came Peony's voice.
"Mother!" Myrtle hissed angrily before Pippin thumped her quiet.
"On the other hand, you'd get to visit Hobbiton and see Bilbo again."
"That Bilbo, he's an odd one. I'm not sure whether Myrtle should be mixing with hobbits like that."
"What are you going to do here all alone?" asked Eglantine. There was a short silence as Peony thought it over.
"I suppose you're right about that, and I have been looking for a nice young hobbit for Myrtle. I could have some luck in Hobbiton."
"Why are you looking already? She's not of age yet, is she?"
"Oh no, not at all. I worry about her though. She's not a pretty lass, rather plain. Her manner doesn't attract gentlehobbits either."
"Oh, come now, Peony," interjected Eglantine. "She's a nice lass."
"No, no, I can be unbiased, she is not much to look at. I sometimes wonder what she'd do without me. If she didn't have me to find her a nice husband, where would she end up?"
"Well, that's as may be, but you're agreeing to come along, right?" sighed Esmeralda. She didn't believe in all this matchmaking.
"I'm sure it will be a productive visit," she finally allowed. The young hobbits gave a hushed whoop of joy at the news.
"I'm going to see fireworks at last! My brothers will be so pleased!"
&&&
brachan90 - Many more pranks and wrongful blaming to come!
I'll be away for about a week, so no updates then! In the meantime, c'mon guys, leave a line or two. Brighten my day a little :oD Please R&R.