Deep
By Sistine Chapel
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Hey you guys! Long time no see. Well, I have been very busy and super lazy, but I have decide today I will write Ch. 17 of Deep. Thanks to all of those who reviewed and I don't LOTR.
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It was very early in the morning; the sun had yet to show her face. "Are you still sure about this Deep?" Frodo asked. Deep stroked the nose of her horse and nodded her head. "Well we better start," he said without looking at her. Fatty Bolger was still yawning. They stole quietly out of the house. Everything was still, and far-away noises seemed near and clear.
"Follow me!" said Merry and they followed him toward a cutting in the woods. Here Fatty Bolger halted. "Good-bye, Frodo!" he said. "I wish you were not going into the Forest." 'Oh the Old Forest,' Deep thought.
Deep looked at the woods that they were about to enter. The trees were old and covered with moss. There were many trees huddled together, as if they were trying to protect themselves from outsiders. Deep and her friends were not welcomed.
"Good-bye!" they cried, and entered the forest. It was dark and damp in the Old Forest. "There!" said Merry. "You have left the Shire, and are now outside, and on the edge of the Old Forest."
"Are the stories about it true?" asked Pippin. Merry began his long explanation about the Old Forest, but Deep was to busy staring at the trees. Maybe it was her imagination, but the trees looked angry. Suddenly, one angry tree swung its branch at Deep. Whack! "Oh!!!! My back!" Deep cried. Frodo stopped and asked, "Are you alright?" "Did you see that Frodo! That tree hit me!" she whispered harshly. Frodo would have rolled his eyes and said to her that she was imagining things, but Frodo did not feel too comfortable in this forest either. "Come on; lets go," Frodo whispered.
After that episode, the group rode a little faster. Soon the light grew clearer and they came out of the trees and found themselves in a wide circular space. There was sky above them, blue and clear to their surprise. The sun was not, however, high enough yet to shine down into the clearing, though its light was on the treetops. The leaves were all thicker and greener about the edges of the glade, enclosing it with an almost solid wall. And in the clearing was a giant willow tree. Sleepiness seemed to be creeping out of the ground and up their legs, and falling softly out of the air upon their heads and eyes. "Can't go another step without rest. Must have nap. It's cool under the willows," Pippin said while yawning. "Oh! Come on you guys! We can't have a nap yet. We must get clear of the Forest first." Deep said, but the other were too far-gone to care.
The hobbits dragged themselves forward and lay down with their backs to the willow-trunk. Deep recognized that willow tree was Old Man Willow and that he was dangerous. Deep slowly backed away from the tree. "Oh come on, Miss Deep. This tree is not going to bite," Sam said sleepily.
Deep laughed nervously and said, "Can't you guys sleep anywhere else?" But before any of the hobbits could reply, Old Man Willow swallowed the hobbits with his trunk in one giant move. "NOOOOOOO!!!" Deep shouted and ran toward the evil tree. Deep could see giant cracks where each of the hobbits lied.
She cried their names hysterically and even tried to pry the cracks open, but it was no use. Deep felt desperate and began to cry. "Please Old Man Willow! Please let my friends go!" she said while tears rolled down her cheeks. Unexpectedly Deep heard a sound, no! more like a song. 'Tom Bombadil!' Deep thought and she ran toward the source of the song. She stopped and stood as if enchanted. There was another burst of song, and then suddenly, hopping and dancing along the path, there appeared a man. He was chucky and short; he wore a weird looking hat and tan colored boots. 'I thought they were supposed to be yellow,' Deep thought to herself. He had a blue coat and a long brown beard. His eyes were blue and bright and his face was red with merriment. Tom was carrying a tray full of white lilies. 'For his wife, how sweet….the hobbits!' she thought.
"Help!" Deep cried while running towards him. "Whoa! Whoa! Steady there! What's the matter here then? Do you know who I am?.." said Tom, but was quickly interpreted by Deep. "Yes! You're Tom Bombadil and I need your help 'cuz my friends are caught by Old Man Willow!" she said frantically in one breath.
"What?" shouted Tom Bombadil, leaping up in the air. "Old Man Willow? Naught worse that that, eh? That can be mended. I know the tune for him. Old gray Willow-man! I'll freeze his marrow cold, if he don't…" Tom again was interpreted by Deep. "I just want my friends back!"
He nodded his head and placed his lilies on the ground before he ran toward the tree. Tom put his mouth to the crack and began singing into it in a low voice. Deep couldn't catch the words, but there was a tearing creak and out sprang the hobbits. A shudder ran through the tree from root to tip, and complete silence fell.
"Thank you!" said the hobbits, one after the other. 'But where is Merry?' Deep thought. She briskly walked over to the other side of the willow tree where Merry was. Deep gave a cry; Merry was unconscious! "Merry! Merry, wake up!" Deep fell to the ground and started shaking Merry's lifeless body. When the hobbit continued to not move, Deep brought her ear up to Merry's face. Remembering her CPR training, she counted to five. "Still no breathing," Deep said to herself. She moved on to the next step, which required her to give two rescue breaths to Merry. She tilted his chin and opened his mouth. She gave two quick breaths and checked his pulse. 'Good he still has one! Now all I have to do is continue rescue breathing; hang on Merry!' she thought while giving him one breath per five seconds.
Meanwhile, everyone on the other side of the tree noticed Merry's disappearance and Deep's scream. When they reached the other the side of the tree, they could not believe their eyes. There was Deep kissing Merry! The hobbits were about to laugh, but Tom whispered to them that they should keep quiet. Frodo began to wonder why they were kissing. He did not know that they were sharing a romantic relationship, but he began to notice the frantic look in Deep's eyes, how she would mumble something when she stop kissing him, and how Merry wasn't moving. It obvious that there was something more going on than what appeared.
Deep continued counting and noticed Merry's chest rise a little. 'Oh thank goodness!' she thought as she gave him another breath. Suddenly, Deep felt Merry's tongue in her mouth and his arm around her neck. Merry was not only conscious, but was kissing her! Deep pushed him off. Merry began to laugh and soon the others were laughing too. Deep was totally embarrassed and totally mad with Merry. "Merry! You jerk! Why did you kiss me?" Deep yelled at him.
Merry was still on the ground laughing his head off. "Oh come on Deep," he said when he stopped laughing. "You know you liked it and beside, you kissed me first," he added with a sly look on his face. That just sent shivers down her spine. "I was not kissing you; I was giving you rescue breathes! I found you unconscious; you weren't breathing, Merry! I had to do the breathing for you so you wouldn't die! Do you understand Merry, don't take this lightly!" Deep yelled furiously. Merry's smirk disappeared. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Tom Bombadil put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Now there, there lass, no did to be hasty. We understand the importance of what you did. I have not meet any one more admirable than you," said Tom softly. This made Deep smile.
"Well, my little fellows!" said Tom while bursting into laughter. 'Why is he always laughing?' Deep thought. 'I guess that's what you get when you live in a forest by yourself.' Tom continued, "You shall come home with me! The table is all laden with yellow cream, honeycomb, and white bread and butter. Goldberry is waiting. Time enough for questions around the supper table. You follow after me as quick as you are able!" With that he picked up his lilies, and then with a beckoning wave of his hand went hoping and dancing along the path eastward, still singing loudly and nonsensically.
The hobbits and Deep gather their gear and ponies (horse for Deep's case). Pippin patted Deep's arm and said, "I like this fellow you found. I am glad you came with us." Deep was about to hop on her horse, but she felt a tug on her cloak. She turned around to face Merry. "I am sorry that I kissed you. That was very ungentlemanly of me." "I forgive you Merry. I am just glad that you are ok," Deep said and gave him a hug. Merry laughed and got on his pony. Deep finally hopped on her horse and rode next to Frodo.
"You know Deep, you are a very good friend," Frodo said and patted her knee. This made Deep blush very hard. Frodo noticed this. "That must have been some kiss," he joked. "Not really," Deep said. "Oh really? What was wrong with it?" Frodo asked cocking an eyebrow. "Merry isn't the person who I wanted to give my first kiss to," she simply replied. And before Frodo could ask whom, she rode fast on her horse to the front of the line. Deep sighed and thought, 'That was to close!' Frodo did not need to know about her love toward him; the ordeal of the Ring was far more important in her opinion.
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Wow, that was a long chapter. I have to admit that a lot of the quotes and descriptions came straight from the book. See, I have LOTR in my lap. Wait, you can't see! Never mind! Well, R&R if you can. Bye!