Chapter 4: In the Dirt
"How'd you like that, Meryl? Is it fun to stick your face in the dirt, Meryl? Are you having fun, Meryl?" Judy grabbed a handful of dirt and shoved it into Meryl's face. "Does that taste good, Meryl? You're going to get more of it soon!" She picked up two more handfuls of dirt and shoved them into Meryl's face, making sure that she got some in her eyes and in her mouth.
"Judy! Time for supper!" Judy looked up momentarily and it was just enough time for Meryl to scramble away. Judy sneered at her, "You were lucky girl. I'll be back for you." With one last sneer, Judy walked away, leaving Meryl to cry in the dirt. *Why do people pick on me so much? Just because I'm poor and ug-. unbeautiful.* Meryl did her best to stand up and limped across the meadow towards the pond. *I'm really not that unbeautiful, am I? It's no reason to pick on me and shove dirt in my mouth and punch me and kick me and.* Meryl started to cry harder. *That bully, Judy! It's no fair to pick on people just because your family picks on you!* When Meryl reched the pond she splashed the cool, crisp water in her face to get the sand out of her eyes. Then she rinsed out her mouth. Now being able to see clearly, she saw that her arm was badly bruised, along with her left leg. She had cuts and scrapes everywhere from Judy's assult. *Now what am I going to do? Mother will make a huge fuss over me and Father will start yelling at me and tell me to fight back the next time. I don't like to fight back!*
"Are you alright? You look badly hurt." Meryl turned around and gasped. Right in front of her very eyes was the rich and famous Frodo Baggins! The adopted son of Bilbo Baggins. And he accually cared if she was alright! *Ok. breathe, breathe, breathe.* Meryl gulped down her fear and said, "I think I'm alright, I have a few cuts and bruises, but I've had worse."
Frodo bent down. "This arm looks pretty bad. I think you should come with me." Frodo lifted Meryl up and started to walk down the path towards Bagend. Meryl wanted to object, but when she tried, no words came out of her mouth. *Oh my good gracious! Frodo Baggins is taking me to his house! Too bad this road isn't used much. No one will see us. But why is he carrying me? I can walk well enough! I am not a baby.* When they reached the entrance to Bagend, Frodo put Meryl doewn and opened the door. Meryl gasped. *I have never seen a more beautiful or a bigger house in my whole life! I wonder if they ever get lost in it! I have heard that they have tunnels of gold and jewels in here! I didn't believe it before, but now I do!* She looked up in amazement at the intricate designs on the wood. *Obviously made for the wealthy.* Frodo walked Meryl into the guestroom. "I'll be right back, Miss. I have to fetch my Uncle, Bilbo." Frodo left the room without further words. *Bilbo? Ok, this is just too weird. First, I see Frodo in the meadow and he brings me to his house. Now I get to meet Bilbo?!? It's all too good to be true.*
Bilbo walked into the room holding a washcloth and a small jug filled with water. Frodo came in right after him, holding soap and bandages. "Let's see here. What's your name, young lady?"
"My name is Meryl. I live in what I think you would call the Poor District."
"That's not what we call it, but I know what you mean. Alright, let me see your leg." Meryl pulled her dress up to her thigh so that Bilbo could examine it. "It doesn't look too bad, Meryl. All it needs is some cleaning and bandages. Frodo, soap and bandages, please." Frodo brought over the items and Bilbo soaked the washcoloth, put soap on it and said, "Now Meryl, this might sting a little." Seeing Meryl's nod, Bilbo put the washcloth on her leg and washed the wounds. Then he took the bandages and bandaged her leg appropriately. "Now for your arm. Please roll up your dress sleeve." Meryl did as she was told. After examining it for a few minutes, Bilbo said, "Would you please grab my finger and squeeze it? Thank you. It looks like your arm is just bruised. It's not broken. Im just going to do the same thing as I did for you leg. It shouldn't hurt too much. Frodo, can you please get me some ice in bags for her bruises? I'll need about five of them." Frodo hurried out of the room. "Now Meryl, would you be so kind as to tell me what happened? I will not force you to tell me and if you'd rather I didn't know, you don't have to tell me."
"Well, I was walking home from somewhere and basically, some one beat me up. It's no big deal. It's nothing to get upset over. It happens all the time." Meryl looked a bit uneasy when she said this, so Bilbo left her alone.
Frodo walked in with the icebags. Bilbo took them from them and gave them to Meryl. "Here, Meryl. Take these and put them on your bruises. Every ten minutes take them off. Then put them back on after ten minutes. Are you feeling better?" Meryl nodded. "Would you like me to get you something to eat?"
Meryl hesitated, then nodded. "If you have a piece of bread, that would be lovely."
Frodo and Bilbo looked at each other. Frodo said, "How about a sandwich, potatoes, and tea? That is what we had."
"Yes, that would be nice." After Frodo and Bilbo left to get her her food, Meryl shook her head. *That's more food than I have had in one meal in my whole life. I don't think I'll be able to finish it.* When Frodo came in with the food on a tray, Meryl asked, "Do you always eat this much? I mean." Meryl suddenly realized how rude that must have sounded.
Frodo laughed and put the tray down on her bed. "I suppose you aren't used to eating this much. I can cut the sandwich in half if you'd like, then we can save the other half if you decide you aren't hungry enough to eat it." Meryl nodded, and Frodo went into the kitchen to get a knife. Meryl almost hit herself when he was out of sight. *How could I have been so rude! It's not exactly polite to ask if they always eat this much! It makes it sound like you are accusing them of being pigs, which they most certainly are not! And Frodo laughed at me! He must think I am stupid now!* Frodo came back in with the knife, cut her sanwich in half, and reminded her that she could take the icebags off now. Then he left the room. Meryl picked up her fork and took a tiny bite out of the potatoes. Then she took a bigger bite. Then a bigger bite. Pretty soon, she was eating each potato in one bite. *These are the best potatoes I have ever tasted. Tomorrow, I'll have to ask where Bilbo and Frodo get them.* Suddenly, the thought occurred to her that she was going to stay overnight at Frodo's house. The very prospect of it almost made her squeal.
After finishing all the potatoes, the whole sandwich, and draining the teacup, Meryl put the empty tray on the nightstand next to her bed and lay down. She thought about all that had happened that day and it all seemed too good to be true. She yawned and rolled over. Within minutes, she was in a deep, dream-filled sleep. Frodo came in to get her tray. Seeing her asleep, he took the tray off the nightstand and blew out the candle, leaving her to sleep peacefully.
There it is! I think this chapter might be my best yet. Please Review! Thank you so much! I think chapter 5 will be coming soon! I'll work on it tomorrow. I know how it feels to wait and I hate it, so I will try to keep posting new chapters every day.
"How'd you like that, Meryl? Is it fun to stick your face in the dirt, Meryl? Are you having fun, Meryl?" Judy grabbed a handful of dirt and shoved it into Meryl's face. "Does that taste good, Meryl? You're going to get more of it soon!" She picked up two more handfuls of dirt and shoved them into Meryl's face, making sure that she got some in her eyes and in her mouth.
"Judy! Time for supper!" Judy looked up momentarily and it was just enough time for Meryl to scramble away. Judy sneered at her, "You were lucky girl. I'll be back for you." With one last sneer, Judy walked away, leaving Meryl to cry in the dirt. *Why do people pick on me so much? Just because I'm poor and ug-. unbeautiful.* Meryl did her best to stand up and limped across the meadow towards the pond. *I'm really not that unbeautiful, am I? It's no reason to pick on me and shove dirt in my mouth and punch me and kick me and.* Meryl started to cry harder. *That bully, Judy! It's no fair to pick on people just because your family picks on you!* When Meryl reched the pond she splashed the cool, crisp water in her face to get the sand out of her eyes. Then she rinsed out her mouth. Now being able to see clearly, she saw that her arm was badly bruised, along with her left leg. She had cuts and scrapes everywhere from Judy's assult. *Now what am I going to do? Mother will make a huge fuss over me and Father will start yelling at me and tell me to fight back the next time. I don't like to fight back!*
"Are you alright? You look badly hurt." Meryl turned around and gasped. Right in front of her very eyes was the rich and famous Frodo Baggins! The adopted son of Bilbo Baggins. And he accually cared if she was alright! *Ok. breathe, breathe, breathe.* Meryl gulped down her fear and said, "I think I'm alright, I have a few cuts and bruises, but I've had worse."
Frodo bent down. "This arm looks pretty bad. I think you should come with me." Frodo lifted Meryl up and started to walk down the path towards Bagend. Meryl wanted to object, but when she tried, no words came out of her mouth. *Oh my good gracious! Frodo Baggins is taking me to his house! Too bad this road isn't used much. No one will see us. But why is he carrying me? I can walk well enough! I am not a baby.* When they reached the entrance to Bagend, Frodo put Meryl doewn and opened the door. Meryl gasped. *I have never seen a more beautiful or a bigger house in my whole life! I wonder if they ever get lost in it! I have heard that they have tunnels of gold and jewels in here! I didn't believe it before, but now I do!* She looked up in amazement at the intricate designs on the wood. *Obviously made for the wealthy.* Frodo walked Meryl into the guestroom. "I'll be right back, Miss. I have to fetch my Uncle, Bilbo." Frodo left the room without further words. *Bilbo? Ok, this is just too weird. First, I see Frodo in the meadow and he brings me to his house. Now I get to meet Bilbo?!? It's all too good to be true.*
Bilbo walked into the room holding a washcloth and a small jug filled with water. Frodo came in right after him, holding soap and bandages. "Let's see here. What's your name, young lady?"
"My name is Meryl. I live in what I think you would call the Poor District."
"That's not what we call it, but I know what you mean. Alright, let me see your leg." Meryl pulled her dress up to her thigh so that Bilbo could examine it. "It doesn't look too bad, Meryl. All it needs is some cleaning and bandages. Frodo, soap and bandages, please." Frodo brought over the items and Bilbo soaked the washcoloth, put soap on it and said, "Now Meryl, this might sting a little." Seeing Meryl's nod, Bilbo put the washcloth on her leg and washed the wounds. Then he took the bandages and bandaged her leg appropriately. "Now for your arm. Please roll up your dress sleeve." Meryl did as she was told. After examining it for a few minutes, Bilbo said, "Would you please grab my finger and squeeze it? Thank you. It looks like your arm is just bruised. It's not broken. Im just going to do the same thing as I did for you leg. It shouldn't hurt too much. Frodo, can you please get me some ice in bags for her bruises? I'll need about five of them." Frodo hurried out of the room. "Now Meryl, would you be so kind as to tell me what happened? I will not force you to tell me and if you'd rather I didn't know, you don't have to tell me."
"Well, I was walking home from somewhere and basically, some one beat me up. It's no big deal. It's nothing to get upset over. It happens all the time." Meryl looked a bit uneasy when she said this, so Bilbo left her alone.
Frodo walked in with the icebags. Bilbo took them from them and gave them to Meryl. "Here, Meryl. Take these and put them on your bruises. Every ten minutes take them off. Then put them back on after ten minutes. Are you feeling better?" Meryl nodded. "Would you like me to get you something to eat?"
Meryl hesitated, then nodded. "If you have a piece of bread, that would be lovely."
Frodo and Bilbo looked at each other. Frodo said, "How about a sandwich, potatoes, and tea? That is what we had."
"Yes, that would be nice." After Frodo and Bilbo left to get her her food, Meryl shook her head. *That's more food than I have had in one meal in my whole life. I don't think I'll be able to finish it.* When Frodo came in with the food on a tray, Meryl asked, "Do you always eat this much? I mean." Meryl suddenly realized how rude that must have sounded.
Frodo laughed and put the tray down on her bed. "I suppose you aren't used to eating this much. I can cut the sandwich in half if you'd like, then we can save the other half if you decide you aren't hungry enough to eat it." Meryl nodded, and Frodo went into the kitchen to get a knife. Meryl almost hit herself when he was out of sight. *How could I have been so rude! It's not exactly polite to ask if they always eat this much! It makes it sound like you are accusing them of being pigs, which they most certainly are not! And Frodo laughed at me! He must think I am stupid now!* Frodo came back in with the knife, cut her sanwich in half, and reminded her that she could take the icebags off now. Then he left the room. Meryl picked up her fork and took a tiny bite out of the potatoes. Then she took a bigger bite. Then a bigger bite. Pretty soon, she was eating each potato in one bite. *These are the best potatoes I have ever tasted. Tomorrow, I'll have to ask where Bilbo and Frodo get them.* Suddenly, the thought occurred to her that she was going to stay overnight at Frodo's house. The very prospect of it almost made her squeal.
After finishing all the potatoes, the whole sandwich, and draining the teacup, Meryl put the empty tray on the nightstand next to her bed and lay down. She thought about all that had happened that day and it all seemed too good to be true. She yawned and rolled over. Within minutes, she was in a deep, dream-filled sleep. Frodo came in to get her tray. Seeing her asleep, he took the tray off the nightstand and blew out the candle, leaving her to sleep peacefully.
There it is! I think this chapter might be my best yet. Please Review! Thank you so much! I think chapter 5 will be coming soon! I'll work on it tomorrow. I know how it feels to wait and I hate it, so I will try to keep posting new chapters every day.
