Ok. so sue me I didn't proof read so well the first time. This one is a little better but don't put errors past me. I'm a writer not an editor. I haven't taken those classes yet.
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Summer was in full swing by the time Pip hit the two month mark, and the heat was terrible, leaving little Tooks cranky and their older Brandybuck counterparts a bit sour too. I had managed to get out of his grasp for the day, and, though Pippin was my world, I was happy to be alone.
"Merry?!" Came a voice behind me. I recognized it well. "Merry Brandybuck? Well then it is you."
I grinned. Maybe I didn't want to be totally alone. Dottie Proudfoot stood with a big smile and a hand on each hip. Her smile made me melt quicker than the summer heat.
"H... Hi Dottie... whatcha doin in Buckland?"
"My mumma is visitin friends. She said leavin us with our Da was likely as cruel as neglect so we gots to come."
I grinned at her... dumbfounded, and stuttering about something.
"Merry are you OK?" She asked walking over and putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're all pink."
If I'd been pink before I was red now. "I'm OK." I said finally. "I'm fine... it's just hot."
She nodded "Sure is! Mama said if you stay out to long the sun will fry your insides." She giggled
I laughed and noticed I could, in fact, breath.
"You wanna go swimmin with me, Merry?" She asked still holding my shoulder.
"You kin swim!?" I asked forgetting the fact that it wasn't thought proper for a girl to run about and swim like boys. Specially since most hobbits couldn't swim. Truefully most hated water. Not us Bucklanders though!
"I sure kin... when I kin get to it... Mama doesn't let me, so I'll just lie when I come home all wet."
I laughed "What will you say?"
"I'll tell her some mean boys pushed me in. Then if she wants their names I'll say: 'I don't know Mama they didn't shake my hand and introduce themselves first.'"
I laughed even more. "well c'mon then lets go to the river!"
We ran all the way there and when we got there I was so hot I really thought my insides had fried! I got ready to jump in just as Dottie flew past me, and jumped with a splash.
I'd have to admit. I was a wee bit shocked to see a little hobbit girl floating in the water, and all the layers of her dress as they went all around made me a bit nervous. But, she didn't pay much mind to it so I didn't either.
"It's freezin, Merry, hop in it feels great!"
I smiled and jumped into the river. Cool water rushing over me. I came up and smiled.
"Your mama would even be happy to swim in here, Dottie, this is wonderful!"
She giggled. "You don't know my mama very well Merry."
Dottie was the best girl I knew. We had so much fun. She told me I was right handsome too, and I dared tell her she was the prettiest hobbit lass I knew!
When we finished swimming we sat on the bank, so Dottie might dry out a bit before she went back. We talked about lots of stuff. She talked about her mama mostly. I talked about Pip. She thought my stories were pretty funny.
"Sounds like you spend a lot of time in your room when Peregrin is around."
I smiled "I spend a lot of time stuck in there when he isn't, too."
She giggled. "When I get in trouble, I get chores." Then she added with a laugh. "I might as well be the maid!"
I giggled. "Pipers gets chores at his house too, but the lads so small he usually can't finish them."
She was smiling a little and had a funny look in her eyes. I went to ask her if she felt sick, but before I could open my mouth... hers was on it. At first my eyes were so wide, I thought they would pop out, but then I figured out what was going on and tried to teach myself how to kiss. I think Dottie had had a few more lessons than me... weather her mama liked it or not!
I panicked when I realized, I didn't know how to finish a kiss.
What do I do!!?? I thought. Trying to remember spying on Frodo back when he lived at Brandy Hall. The memory of Frodo, and the few girls I'd spied him with, getting caught in the middle of a good kiss was enough to make me giggle. Not now Merry! You're busy! finally when I was about to give up and make my own rules I heard:
"Merry!"
Snapping away Dottie and I looked around and my eyes rested on the sight of a little boy on the other side of the river. I pulled myself off the ground and shouted, half in fear, but half in anger.
"Peregrin Took don't you step one inch closer to that water!!"
He stepped back a little fidgeting and staring right at me. My cheeks turned pink and I looked to the now standing Dottie.
She giggled. "I godda run Merry. You have a good day." She pecked my lips, which brought a protest from the little boy at the other side of the river. "Don't get in too much trouble."
She was quite a ways away before I could even speak.
"Dottie..."
"Bye Merry!!... You're a pretty good kisser too!"
Then she was out of site. I smiled... wow a good kisser. Bet she didn't even know I'd never done it before. wow. how do you like that!
I was taken out of my thoughts by a squaking hobbit lad.
"MERRY!" His heart broken tone would have done me in any other day but not this one.
"You stay right there, Peregrin Took, and don't you move a hair!" I yelled wadding then swimming across the cool river. His eyes were cast to his hairy little feet when I got to the other side. He didn't look up.
"What are you doing here Pippin!?" I snapped trying to not think of the million places he could have gotten lost in.
"I... I came to find you... You've been gone since I woke up... I didn't have nothin to do Mer..."
"Stop trying to be cute, Pippin. You know you're not allowed out here by yourself."
"I... I kin Mer. I can do it! I know the way."
"Well you're not allowed Pippin and there's a reason why. There's a reason I went out alone today too!"
"... You didn't wanna play with me?"
"Not today I didn't Pippin. I've played with you every day for two months. I need to be by myself sometimes, and people my own age!"
"But I'm a big boy Merry!" He whimpered, but he didn't cry. That probably would have gone against his plea. "You said so."
"Not big enough!" I snapped "C'mon we're going home."
I started past him and walked on as soon as I heard little foot steps pick up behind me.
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Summer was in full swing by the time Pip hit the two month mark, and the heat was terrible, leaving little Tooks cranky and their older Brandybuck counterparts a bit sour too. I had managed to get out of his grasp for the day, and, though Pippin was my world, I was happy to be alone.
"Merry?!" Came a voice behind me. I recognized it well. "Merry Brandybuck? Well then it is you."
I grinned. Maybe I didn't want to be totally alone. Dottie Proudfoot stood with a big smile and a hand on each hip. Her smile made me melt quicker than the summer heat.
"H... Hi Dottie... whatcha doin in Buckland?"
"My mumma is visitin friends. She said leavin us with our Da was likely as cruel as neglect so we gots to come."
I grinned at her... dumbfounded, and stuttering about something.
"Merry are you OK?" She asked walking over and putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're all pink."
If I'd been pink before I was red now. "I'm OK." I said finally. "I'm fine... it's just hot."
She nodded "Sure is! Mama said if you stay out to long the sun will fry your insides." She giggled
I laughed and noticed I could, in fact, breath.
"You wanna go swimmin with me, Merry?" She asked still holding my shoulder.
"You kin swim!?" I asked forgetting the fact that it wasn't thought proper for a girl to run about and swim like boys. Specially since most hobbits couldn't swim. Truefully most hated water. Not us Bucklanders though!
"I sure kin... when I kin get to it... Mama doesn't let me, so I'll just lie when I come home all wet."
I laughed "What will you say?"
"I'll tell her some mean boys pushed me in. Then if she wants their names I'll say: 'I don't know Mama they didn't shake my hand and introduce themselves first.'"
I laughed even more. "well c'mon then lets go to the river!"
We ran all the way there and when we got there I was so hot I really thought my insides had fried! I got ready to jump in just as Dottie flew past me, and jumped with a splash.
I'd have to admit. I was a wee bit shocked to see a little hobbit girl floating in the water, and all the layers of her dress as they went all around made me a bit nervous. But, she didn't pay much mind to it so I didn't either.
"It's freezin, Merry, hop in it feels great!"
I smiled and jumped into the river. Cool water rushing over me. I came up and smiled.
"Your mama would even be happy to swim in here, Dottie, this is wonderful!"
She giggled. "You don't know my mama very well Merry."
Dottie was the best girl I knew. We had so much fun. She told me I was right handsome too, and I dared tell her she was the prettiest hobbit lass I knew!
When we finished swimming we sat on the bank, so Dottie might dry out a bit before she went back. We talked about lots of stuff. She talked about her mama mostly. I talked about Pip. She thought my stories were pretty funny.
"Sounds like you spend a lot of time in your room when Peregrin is around."
I smiled "I spend a lot of time stuck in there when he isn't, too."
She giggled. "When I get in trouble, I get chores." Then she added with a laugh. "I might as well be the maid!"
I giggled. "Pipers gets chores at his house too, but the lads so small he usually can't finish them."
She was smiling a little and had a funny look in her eyes. I went to ask her if she felt sick, but before I could open my mouth... hers was on it. At first my eyes were so wide, I thought they would pop out, but then I figured out what was going on and tried to teach myself how to kiss. I think Dottie had had a few more lessons than me... weather her mama liked it or not!
I panicked when I realized, I didn't know how to finish a kiss.
What do I do!!?? I thought. Trying to remember spying on Frodo back when he lived at Brandy Hall. The memory of Frodo, and the few girls I'd spied him with, getting caught in the middle of a good kiss was enough to make me giggle. Not now Merry! You're busy! finally when I was about to give up and make my own rules I heard:
"Merry!"
Snapping away Dottie and I looked around and my eyes rested on the sight of a little boy on the other side of the river. I pulled myself off the ground and shouted, half in fear, but half in anger.
"Peregrin Took don't you step one inch closer to that water!!"
He stepped back a little fidgeting and staring right at me. My cheeks turned pink and I looked to the now standing Dottie.
She giggled. "I godda run Merry. You have a good day." She pecked my lips, which brought a protest from the little boy at the other side of the river. "Don't get in too much trouble."
She was quite a ways away before I could even speak.
"Dottie..."
"Bye Merry!!... You're a pretty good kisser too!"
Then she was out of site. I smiled... wow a good kisser. Bet she didn't even know I'd never done it before. wow. how do you like that!
I was taken out of my thoughts by a squaking hobbit lad.
"MERRY!" His heart broken tone would have done me in any other day but not this one.
"You stay right there, Peregrin Took, and don't you move a hair!" I yelled wadding then swimming across the cool river. His eyes were cast to his hairy little feet when I got to the other side. He didn't look up.
"What are you doing here Pippin!?" I snapped trying to not think of the million places he could have gotten lost in.
"I... I came to find you... You've been gone since I woke up... I didn't have nothin to do Mer..."
"Stop trying to be cute, Pippin. You know you're not allowed out here by yourself."
"I... I kin Mer. I can do it! I know the way."
"Well you're not allowed Pippin and there's a reason why. There's a reason I went out alone today too!"
"... You didn't wanna play with me?"
"Not today I didn't Pippin. I've played with you every day for two months. I need to be by myself sometimes, and people my own age!"
"But I'm a big boy Merry!" He whimpered, but he didn't cry. That probably would have gone against his plea. "You said so."
"Not big enough!" I snapped "C'mon we're going home."
I started past him and walked on as soon as I heard little foot steps pick up behind me.
