01-15-2002
Meet Jaell Brandybuck: Chapter Eleven
I awoke at what seemed several hours later but the sun was nearly in the same place as before. It felt odd and my back felt crampy from my not-so-comfortable position on Frodo, so I shifted as I carefully as I could without waking his poor soul.
"What?" Okay, I was not as careful as I thought I was.
"Hullo, Frodo. Good day." He smiled a sleepy smile.
"Was I asleep long?"
"I do not know, I fell into slumber myself."
"Oh…" he stretched his cramped arms and from his other arm fell a book on genealogy and I was curious as to why he did not mention he was reading this before. I picked it up and found a few pages on the Brandybucks. I came to some of the most recent additions but next to Meriadoc, there was no one else.
"Where is my name? Why am I not included?" I felt left out. They usually added the new names soon after they were born to the right tree branches.
"What do you speak of?" He looked over at the page and I pointed.
"Here, it only says Merry's name… where's my name?" Frodo shrugged.
"Maybe they have a newer edition out. Why don't we go to the book center and see?" I nodded and started to stand up, with help from the tree. I also helped Frodo up and he stretched out his legs and rubbed his eyes a bit. "Okay, let us go," and off we went.
Upon reaching the book center, we entered cautiously, as the bookkeeper may have been sleeping at the time and was apt to get on a grumpy demeanor if awaken by a sudden noise. We searched intently in the family line section and found a few books and set ourselves on the ground, quietly fingering through the old, thin pages. Still, no name.
"Frodo… what do you think it means? I'm not here in any of them and not even in the most recent edition." He sighed.
"I have no idea as to why this would happen. It baffles and upsets me at the same time." He stood up, looking at the spines of the books over again and finding another book that simply read "Recent Newcomers to The Shire." Curiously, he sat down again and fingered through.
"Jaell… this may interest you. Look, the year you were born does not include but five years later, it says 'A newcomer to the Brandybuck household has been noted and has been taken in by the family. Newcomer appears to be half-Hobbit and something unknown, according to note left in child's bag of amenities.'" Frodo quieted down and looked at me.
"So I'm only half-Hobbit?" I laughed. "Surely fooled me!" Then I quieted and spoke mostly to myself, "Then what am I?" Half-Hobbit and of something else unknown? I sighed heavily and stood up. "Can we leave now?" Frodo nodded, standing up and quietly putting the books back.
More to come…