I'm writing a completely different story than my other one. Please don't be
too harsh.
Disclaimer. Yeah. Right. I own it all. *Wakes up* Guess I don't. Oh well. Don't sue.
"Frodo, hurry up! Farmer Maggot is going to catch us! Come on!" Lotho Sackville-Baggins yelled back to his stumbling younger cousin.
"Lotho, I told you, I'm going as fast as I can. You want me to hurry up, you come take some of the vegetables." Frodo was having a hard time finding his way through the huge rows of corn, his arms full of various vegetables that they had gathered from Farmer Maggot's crop. Now they were trying to find there way out of the maze of corn without Farmer Maggot, or worse, his dogs, catching them.
Lotho claimed to have done it many times before, but this was only Frodo's first time trying, so he didn't know his way around the crops.
"Frodo, come on, we're almost out! Come on, hurry up!" Lotho was beckoning to Frodo when his sensitive ears caught sounds of dogs barking. "Frodo, Run, the dogs are coming!" Lotho took of running, leaving the 15-year-old hobbit holding the vegetables, looking completely lost.
He tried to follow Lotho, but couldn't find him over the tall rows of corn.
It didn't take very long for the dogs to find Frodo, though. They surrounded him so there was no way he could run away.
"Lotho, Lotho! Come back! Lotho!" Frodo's cries were futile, for Lotho was already out of earshot. Frodo hear footsteps coming his way, and he knew that it was Farmer Maggot, and not Lotho. He quickly dropped his gathered hoard of vegetables.
Frodo stood trembling amidst the dogs, afraid what the farmer would do to him. He had heard tales of Maggot beating young hobbits who had tried to steal from his beloved garden.
Suddenly, Farmer Maggot appeared in front of Frodo. There was a flash of surprise over his gruff features. He had expected an old raider, not someone he had only seen a couple of times before, and never in his garden. He wasn't even sure of this little hobbit lad's name, but he had a good idea that it was Baggins. He didn't want to go too harsh on him because it was his first time, but going too easy would almost ensure that he would be back.
"What were you doing in my garden?" Farmer Maggot nearly shouted that, but not quite.
"N.Nothing, sir" Frodo said, looking with dismay at the variety of vegetables surrounding his furry feet. He slowly raised his blue eyes. "Honest, we weren't doing anything."
"We? I only see you, and I saw no one else coming over here," said Farmer Maggot.
"No, no, I wasn't here alone! Lotho was here too, but he ran off after hearing the dogs! Please, sir, I wasn't doing nothing!" Frodo was beginning to sound almost hysterical.
"Lotho? Lotho Sackville-Baggins? He was here with you? What is your name?" As he was speaking, the farmer knelt down eye-level with Frodo.
"Yes, he was. I told you, he left after hearing your dogs. My name is Frodo. Frodo Baggins."
So his name was Baggins. Frodo. the farmer tried to remember where he'd heard that name before. Ah! The son of Drogo and Primula. Of course, Drogo and Primula had drowned in the Brandywine when the poor thing was only 12. He had lived at Brandy Hall ever since then. He and Lotho were cousins. The farmer had caught Lotho several times raiding his garden, and had reason to believe that he had got away with more, without getting caught. So now he had found an accomplice. he definitely couldn't go too easy on this hobbit, otherwise he might turn out like Lotho.
"Come with me, Frodo." Farmer Maggot grabbed Frodo's elbow and led him at a rapid pace out of the field. At the edge, Maggot threw him down and Frodo stumbled a few feet.
"And don't come back!" Maggot said, turning to go back into his house.
'So that was the farmer' Frodo thought. 'Not bad. He didn't even know my name!' And with that, Frodo turned to head back to Brandy Hall.
After a few paces, a hand sneaked out from behind a tree and pulled him sideways.
Pushing his back against the tree, Lotho began to interrogate him. "Where is the food?" "I dropped it"
"What did Maggot do to you?" "Nothing, really. He just showed me out of the garden." "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's it. No, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to Brandy Hall before it gets dark." So they went back.
Lotho came about every 3 weeks, and each time took Frodo with him to Farmer Maggot's. Frodo was getting better about navigating the crops, and knew most of the exits out of the mushroom patch, where he was caught most of the time. Frodo had learned to carry the mushrooms in his pockets, rather then in his arms like the rest of the vegetables, for when he ran, he found he dropped some. Plus, when Farmer Maggot caught him, he always dropped the vegetables anyway, but never emptied his pockets.
However, every time Farmer Maggot caught them, Lotho would run off, leaving Frodo alone to deal with the farmer. Each time this happened, the farmer became more suspicious about whether Frodo really was coming with Lotho.
Neither Frodo nor Lotho told Esmerelda or Saradoc, the closest hobbits Frodo had to parents, where they went for hours at a time. No one asked.
One day, Lotho and Frodo were out pilfering vegetables again. It was a beautiful September day, near the beginning of the month. Frodo's 21st birthday was in a week. Most of the crops were ripe, which made for great pickings. They had just gotten through the mushrooms, which were hidden in Frodo's pockets, and were headed towards the corn, the quickest way out towards Brandy Hall.
Frodo's now practiced ears caught sounds that sounded like dog's barking coming their way. "Lotho, the dogs, they're coming!" Lotho took off running. Frodo, knowing the garden, though not sufficiently enough, followed as quickly as his smaller legs and full arms would allow, which wasn't quickly enough. The dogs caught up with him before he was out of the field. Farmer Maggot came soon after. Frodo sighed. He knew the farmer's lecture by heart, and knew it wouldn't be any different this time. After the lecture, Maggot would escort Frodo none too gently off his land.
Seeing who it was in his field made Maggot sigh, too. It had been five years since Frodo had first come to his garden, and he was quickly tiring of hearing his 'Lotho was here too' story. He knew it by heart. There *had* to be a way to get it to stick in Frodo's young hobbit head that stealing wasn't right. Slowly, a plan began to form in the farmer's shrewd mind.
So what do you think? Good? Bad? Should I continue? Takes at least 2 reviews for the next chapter. Flamers-sure, I'll still post the next part. Constructive criticism really welcome.
Disclaimer. Yeah. Right. I own it all. *Wakes up* Guess I don't. Oh well. Don't sue.
"Frodo, hurry up! Farmer Maggot is going to catch us! Come on!" Lotho Sackville-Baggins yelled back to his stumbling younger cousin.
"Lotho, I told you, I'm going as fast as I can. You want me to hurry up, you come take some of the vegetables." Frodo was having a hard time finding his way through the huge rows of corn, his arms full of various vegetables that they had gathered from Farmer Maggot's crop. Now they were trying to find there way out of the maze of corn without Farmer Maggot, or worse, his dogs, catching them.
Lotho claimed to have done it many times before, but this was only Frodo's first time trying, so he didn't know his way around the crops.
"Frodo, come on, we're almost out! Come on, hurry up!" Lotho was beckoning to Frodo when his sensitive ears caught sounds of dogs barking. "Frodo, Run, the dogs are coming!" Lotho took of running, leaving the 15-year-old hobbit holding the vegetables, looking completely lost.
He tried to follow Lotho, but couldn't find him over the tall rows of corn.
It didn't take very long for the dogs to find Frodo, though. They surrounded him so there was no way he could run away.
"Lotho, Lotho! Come back! Lotho!" Frodo's cries were futile, for Lotho was already out of earshot. Frodo hear footsteps coming his way, and he knew that it was Farmer Maggot, and not Lotho. He quickly dropped his gathered hoard of vegetables.
Frodo stood trembling amidst the dogs, afraid what the farmer would do to him. He had heard tales of Maggot beating young hobbits who had tried to steal from his beloved garden.
Suddenly, Farmer Maggot appeared in front of Frodo. There was a flash of surprise over his gruff features. He had expected an old raider, not someone he had only seen a couple of times before, and never in his garden. He wasn't even sure of this little hobbit lad's name, but he had a good idea that it was Baggins. He didn't want to go too harsh on him because it was his first time, but going too easy would almost ensure that he would be back.
"What were you doing in my garden?" Farmer Maggot nearly shouted that, but not quite.
"N.Nothing, sir" Frodo said, looking with dismay at the variety of vegetables surrounding his furry feet. He slowly raised his blue eyes. "Honest, we weren't doing anything."
"We? I only see you, and I saw no one else coming over here," said Farmer Maggot.
"No, no, I wasn't here alone! Lotho was here too, but he ran off after hearing the dogs! Please, sir, I wasn't doing nothing!" Frodo was beginning to sound almost hysterical.
"Lotho? Lotho Sackville-Baggins? He was here with you? What is your name?" As he was speaking, the farmer knelt down eye-level with Frodo.
"Yes, he was. I told you, he left after hearing your dogs. My name is Frodo. Frodo Baggins."
So his name was Baggins. Frodo. the farmer tried to remember where he'd heard that name before. Ah! The son of Drogo and Primula. Of course, Drogo and Primula had drowned in the Brandywine when the poor thing was only 12. He had lived at Brandy Hall ever since then. He and Lotho were cousins. The farmer had caught Lotho several times raiding his garden, and had reason to believe that he had got away with more, without getting caught. So now he had found an accomplice. he definitely couldn't go too easy on this hobbit, otherwise he might turn out like Lotho.
"Come with me, Frodo." Farmer Maggot grabbed Frodo's elbow and led him at a rapid pace out of the field. At the edge, Maggot threw him down and Frodo stumbled a few feet.
"And don't come back!" Maggot said, turning to go back into his house.
'So that was the farmer' Frodo thought. 'Not bad. He didn't even know my name!' And with that, Frodo turned to head back to Brandy Hall.
After a few paces, a hand sneaked out from behind a tree and pulled him sideways.
Pushing his back against the tree, Lotho began to interrogate him. "Where is the food?" "I dropped it"
"What did Maggot do to you?" "Nothing, really. He just showed me out of the garden." "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's it. No, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to Brandy Hall before it gets dark." So they went back.
Lotho came about every 3 weeks, and each time took Frodo with him to Farmer Maggot's. Frodo was getting better about navigating the crops, and knew most of the exits out of the mushroom patch, where he was caught most of the time. Frodo had learned to carry the mushrooms in his pockets, rather then in his arms like the rest of the vegetables, for when he ran, he found he dropped some. Plus, when Farmer Maggot caught him, he always dropped the vegetables anyway, but never emptied his pockets.
However, every time Farmer Maggot caught them, Lotho would run off, leaving Frodo alone to deal with the farmer. Each time this happened, the farmer became more suspicious about whether Frodo really was coming with Lotho.
Neither Frodo nor Lotho told Esmerelda or Saradoc, the closest hobbits Frodo had to parents, where they went for hours at a time. No one asked.
One day, Lotho and Frodo were out pilfering vegetables again. It was a beautiful September day, near the beginning of the month. Frodo's 21st birthday was in a week. Most of the crops were ripe, which made for great pickings. They had just gotten through the mushrooms, which were hidden in Frodo's pockets, and were headed towards the corn, the quickest way out towards Brandy Hall.
Frodo's now practiced ears caught sounds that sounded like dog's barking coming their way. "Lotho, the dogs, they're coming!" Lotho took off running. Frodo, knowing the garden, though not sufficiently enough, followed as quickly as his smaller legs and full arms would allow, which wasn't quickly enough. The dogs caught up with him before he was out of the field. Farmer Maggot came soon after. Frodo sighed. He knew the farmer's lecture by heart, and knew it wouldn't be any different this time. After the lecture, Maggot would escort Frodo none too gently off his land.
Seeing who it was in his field made Maggot sigh, too. It had been five years since Frodo had first come to his garden, and he was quickly tiring of hearing his 'Lotho was here too' story. He knew it by heart. There *had* to be a way to get it to stick in Frodo's young hobbit head that stealing wasn't right. Slowly, a plan began to form in the farmer's shrewd mind.
So what do you think? Good? Bad? Should I continue? Takes at least 2 reviews for the next chapter. Flamers-sure, I'll still post the next part. Constructive criticism really welcome.
