Chapter 2: What's Under the Rock
Merry strolled slowly to the Goodfellow's hole. It was morning, right after first breakfast. He wasted as much time he could at breakfast to stay away from his task at hand for the day, but the others made sure he made it to Bitty's hole. As he walked up the dirt path, he could see Bitty hard at work washing dishes in front of the kitchen window. She seemed very intent with her work, and he wasn't sure to disturb her. Maybe it'd work at his advantage. Merry only hoped.
He knocked on the faded green door. The sound of a dish clattering on a hard surface was heard, and not even a five seconds later, the door opened. Bitty was wiping her hands on a cloth. "Hullo Meriadoc" she greeted meekly. "You must be my companion for today?"
"I am, indeed" Merry answered with a reluctant smile. "Are you busy? I could come back later."
"NO!" Bitty said, quickly then flushed a deep crimson. "Forgive me for being so rude." She peered around as if searching for sign of life around the drab hole. When her search revealed empty, she threw her cloth away and shut the door from outside. "I'm ready."
"Where would you like to go?" Merry asked politely enough. The girl always had reign over where to go and what to do.
Bitty cocked her head, and looked at him strangely. "I get to choose?"
"Yes" he slowly answered. "Do you not know the..." Before he could finish, Bitty grabbed his hand and dragged him away to the woods nearby.
When she knew they were far enough from her hole, Bitty slowed and let go of his hand. "May I ask what that was about?" Merry said, catching his breath.
"Please forgive me again. If my parents found I was with anyone except that Old Sandyman's son, my ears would burn with more than just fussing."
Merry wondered what those last words meant, but chose the other odd topic. "Ted Sandyman? Are you betroth to him?"
Bitty quirked an uneasy smile. "Not exactly. I'd like to leave that behind for today. You said we could do anything I want?" Merry nodded. Why was this hard for her to comprehend? "Come with me." She lead the way through the woods on a narrow, well-worn path. Merry was now wondering what in the Shire had he gotten himself into. He'd only been around Bitty a few short times, and knew nothing of her family. They were queer ones, everyone claimed. From what he saw so far, Bitty was proving that implication.
"Do you like to swim?" she suddenly asked, not looking back at her companion behind her.
Merry perked up. "Why yes I do. You know how to swim?"
"I do" Bitty said, glancing back at him. "Not many folk do in Hobbiton because they're afraid of the mystery water is. I can't understand that reason. I love the feel of freedom in the water." Her voice grew faint at the end, but quirked up right away at the sight of the path's end. "Come along, Meriadoc! We're here!" She rushed to where 'here' was.
"Bitty" Merry called, following right behind. "You can call me Merry if you'd like. Barely anyone calls me Meriadoc."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"That's all right." It was then that Merry caught sight of their destination. He grinned at the body of water before them. "What is this place?"
Bitty smiled, bashfully. "This is my water hole. No one ever comes here except for myself."
Merry was too busy observing the water hole to notice what Bitty was up to near a small bush. When he turn to her, his eyes widened then he hurried to cover them. She had taken off her dress, leaving only a white petticoat and leg-long bloomers on her person. "Bitty, what are you doing???"
"Going for a swim" she answered, nonchalantly. "It's all right, Merry Brandybuck. You can uncover your eyes. You won't see anything revealing."
Merry carefully lifted his hand. He really didn't know how to act with a half dressed maiden before him. This had -definitely- never happened before! "Bitty, you're not as shy as I perceived you to be."
The girl only grinned as she stuck her feet in the chilled water, making her involuntary shiver. "There's a lot many things you do not know about me or my family" she said, forlorn. "Are you joining me?"
Merry was dumbfounded for a moment, but rocked out if it by Bitty's piercing stare. "Yes, I'm coming." He slipped off his vest and top-shirt, being thankful he wore an undershirt that day. Lastly, he slid off his belt but left his pants right where they were. His reputation would be foiled totally if he was caught half dressed with a maiden.
The young Brandybuck never would of thought in a million years he'd be swimming with Bitty Goodfellow - let alone enjoying it. They raced from one side of the pond to the other. Merry showed her some tricks he could do. After a while, he misplaced the idea of Bitty being anything like he assumed. That's when he splashed her! He waited and waited but she didn't splash him back. He tried again. Bitty seemed not to know what to do.
"Come on, Bitty. Splash me" he coaxed, trying a third time.
"I'm allowed to hit you?" she asked rather dazed.
Merry nodded vigorously, ignoring her confused tone. "It's called horse playing. There's nothing wrong with it."
Bitty raised her hand and hit the water lightly only sending a few drops Merry's way. "Oh, you can do better than that." He slapped more streams of water her way. Finally her slaps became stronger, and a water fight broke out.
***
"Merry, I don't know if I can do this. I'm kind of scare."
"It's not that hard, Bitty. You'll be fine."
Bitty shook her head, nervously. She started to back away, but Merry wouldn't see to it. He rushed out the water and up the steep hill where she stood not ready to jump into the pond below. She eyed him. "Merry, what are you...? AHH!" Bitty screamed as she fell in the water.
She emerged several seconds later, coughing out water. She hardly had time to recover when Merry landed beside her. "Still afraid?" he cocked. Bitty glared hot coals his way, ready to dunk the troll.
It was then, though, they're attention switched to a screeching laugh coming from the other side of the hill. Merry smirked at the voice that followed. "That sounds like Pippin. He must be with Dahlia." He turned to Bitty, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Have you ever played a practical joke before?" Bitty shook her head. He shrugged. "Well, there's always a first for everything."
He gestured for Bitty to follow him. They sleek out the water and up the hill, peeking over. Sure enough, there was Pippin just sitting on a fallen log with Dahlia. Lucky for the two pranksters, the couple faced the opposite way.
"If only we had a container to fill water in" Merry whispered.
Bitty strangled a gasp and slipped away from his side. She hurried back, carefully handing Merry a wooden bowl. "Oh good, water. Where'd you get this?"
"I found it a while back. Do what you need with it."
Merry wanted to laugh. Bitty looked so proud. This was truly a peculiar moment in his life but all too good to pass up. "Help me dump it. Aim for Pippin. Poor Dahlia doesn't like her feet wet." He rolled his eyes at that. "On three...one, two, three..."
A girlie scream erupted from below. What made it interesting was it came from Pippin! Then another scream sounded. That was Dahlia. In all this, the laughs were drowned out...at least until the screams stopped.
"Meriadoc Brandybuck!" Pippin shrieked, finding the culprits behind the hill. Dahlia was huffing beside him. Apparently her feet did get wet. "And, Bitty Goodfellow?"
Bitty calmed down, gulping. "Yes?"
Pippin grinned. "This is a sight. Have you two been having a good time?" he asked, indicating their current dress status.
"Don't even think that" Merry said, glaring at his cousin. He turned to Bitty who was quickly tugging on her dress. "I think we should leave these two alone, Bitty. We need to get out of these wet clothes and ready for the party tonight."
She nodded.
"Goodbye, Cousin." Merry waved as he walked after Bitty, his top-shirt, vest, and belt in hand. "See you at the party."
Merry strolled slowly to the Goodfellow's hole. It was morning, right after first breakfast. He wasted as much time he could at breakfast to stay away from his task at hand for the day, but the others made sure he made it to Bitty's hole. As he walked up the dirt path, he could see Bitty hard at work washing dishes in front of the kitchen window. She seemed very intent with her work, and he wasn't sure to disturb her. Maybe it'd work at his advantage. Merry only hoped.
He knocked on the faded green door. The sound of a dish clattering on a hard surface was heard, and not even a five seconds later, the door opened. Bitty was wiping her hands on a cloth. "Hullo Meriadoc" she greeted meekly. "You must be my companion for today?"
"I am, indeed" Merry answered with a reluctant smile. "Are you busy? I could come back later."
"NO!" Bitty said, quickly then flushed a deep crimson. "Forgive me for being so rude." She peered around as if searching for sign of life around the drab hole. When her search revealed empty, she threw her cloth away and shut the door from outside. "I'm ready."
"Where would you like to go?" Merry asked politely enough. The girl always had reign over where to go and what to do.
Bitty cocked her head, and looked at him strangely. "I get to choose?"
"Yes" he slowly answered. "Do you not know the..." Before he could finish, Bitty grabbed his hand and dragged him away to the woods nearby.
When she knew they were far enough from her hole, Bitty slowed and let go of his hand. "May I ask what that was about?" Merry said, catching his breath.
"Please forgive me again. If my parents found I was with anyone except that Old Sandyman's son, my ears would burn with more than just fussing."
Merry wondered what those last words meant, but chose the other odd topic. "Ted Sandyman? Are you betroth to him?"
Bitty quirked an uneasy smile. "Not exactly. I'd like to leave that behind for today. You said we could do anything I want?" Merry nodded. Why was this hard for her to comprehend? "Come with me." She lead the way through the woods on a narrow, well-worn path. Merry was now wondering what in the Shire had he gotten himself into. He'd only been around Bitty a few short times, and knew nothing of her family. They were queer ones, everyone claimed. From what he saw so far, Bitty was proving that implication.
"Do you like to swim?" she suddenly asked, not looking back at her companion behind her.
Merry perked up. "Why yes I do. You know how to swim?"
"I do" Bitty said, glancing back at him. "Not many folk do in Hobbiton because they're afraid of the mystery water is. I can't understand that reason. I love the feel of freedom in the water." Her voice grew faint at the end, but quirked up right away at the sight of the path's end. "Come along, Meriadoc! We're here!" She rushed to where 'here' was.
"Bitty" Merry called, following right behind. "You can call me Merry if you'd like. Barely anyone calls me Meriadoc."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"That's all right." It was then that Merry caught sight of their destination. He grinned at the body of water before them. "What is this place?"
Bitty smiled, bashfully. "This is my water hole. No one ever comes here except for myself."
Merry was too busy observing the water hole to notice what Bitty was up to near a small bush. When he turn to her, his eyes widened then he hurried to cover them. She had taken off her dress, leaving only a white petticoat and leg-long bloomers on her person. "Bitty, what are you doing???"
"Going for a swim" she answered, nonchalantly. "It's all right, Merry Brandybuck. You can uncover your eyes. You won't see anything revealing."
Merry carefully lifted his hand. He really didn't know how to act with a half dressed maiden before him. This had -definitely- never happened before! "Bitty, you're not as shy as I perceived you to be."
The girl only grinned as she stuck her feet in the chilled water, making her involuntary shiver. "There's a lot many things you do not know about me or my family" she said, forlorn. "Are you joining me?"
Merry was dumbfounded for a moment, but rocked out if it by Bitty's piercing stare. "Yes, I'm coming." He slipped off his vest and top-shirt, being thankful he wore an undershirt that day. Lastly, he slid off his belt but left his pants right where they were. His reputation would be foiled totally if he was caught half dressed with a maiden.
The young Brandybuck never would of thought in a million years he'd be swimming with Bitty Goodfellow - let alone enjoying it. They raced from one side of the pond to the other. Merry showed her some tricks he could do. After a while, he misplaced the idea of Bitty being anything like he assumed. That's when he splashed her! He waited and waited but she didn't splash him back. He tried again. Bitty seemed not to know what to do.
"Come on, Bitty. Splash me" he coaxed, trying a third time.
"I'm allowed to hit you?" she asked rather dazed.
Merry nodded vigorously, ignoring her confused tone. "It's called horse playing. There's nothing wrong with it."
Bitty raised her hand and hit the water lightly only sending a few drops Merry's way. "Oh, you can do better than that." He slapped more streams of water her way. Finally her slaps became stronger, and a water fight broke out.
***
"Merry, I don't know if I can do this. I'm kind of scare."
"It's not that hard, Bitty. You'll be fine."
Bitty shook her head, nervously. She started to back away, but Merry wouldn't see to it. He rushed out the water and up the steep hill where she stood not ready to jump into the pond below. She eyed him. "Merry, what are you...? AHH!" Bitty screamed as she fell in the water.
She emerged several seconds later, coughing out water. She hardly had time to recover when Merry landed beside her. "Still afraid?" he cocked. Bitty glared hot coals his way, ready to dunk the troll.
It was then, though, they're attention switched to a screeching laugh coming from the other side of the hill. Merry smirked at the voice that followed. "That sounds like Pippin. He must be with Dahlia." He turned to Bitty, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Have you ever played a practical joke before?" Bitty shook her head. He shrugged. "Well, there's always a first for everything."
He gestured for Bitty to follow him. They sleek out the water and up the hill, peeking over. Sure enough, there was Pippin just sitting on a fallen log with Dahlia. Lucky for the two pranksters, the couple faced the opposite way.
"If only we had a container to fill water in" Merry whispered.
Bitty strangled a gasp and slipped away from his side. She hurried back, carefully handing Merry a wooden bowl. "Oh good, water. Where'd you get this?"
"I found it a while back. Do what you need with it."
Merry wanted to laugh. Bitty looked so proud. This was truly a peculiar moment in his life but all too good to pass up. "Help me dump it. Aim for Pippin. Poor Dahlia doesn't like her feet wet." He rolled his eyes at that. "On three...one, two, three..."
A girlie scream erupted from below. What made it interesting was it came from Pippin! Then another scream sounded. That was Dahlia. In all this, the laughs were drowned out...at least until the screams stopped.
"Meriadoc Brandybuck!" Pippin shrieked, finding the culprits behind the hill. Dahlia was huffing beside him. Apparently her feet did get wet. "And, Bitty Goodfellow?"
Bitty calmed down, gulping. "Yes?"
Pippin grinned. "This is a sight. Have you two been having a good time?" he asked, indicating their current dress status.
"Don't even think that" Merry said, glaring at his cousin. He turned to Bitty who was quickly tugging on her dress. "I think we should leave these two alone, Bitty. We need to get out of these wet clothes and ready for the party tonight."
She nodded.
"Goodbye, Cousin." Merry waved as he walked after Bitty, his top-shirt, vest, and belt in hand. "See you at the party."