Chapter 4
The Door Opened
The walls of the Sackville-Baggins home shook when Pimula slammed the door shut, sending a fine painted plate crashing to the floor. A small giggle broke the silence of the room as Lobelia raised upon one elbow to look in the direction of that sound. Lotho, holding his mouth closed with one hand, was fighting the laughter that was beginning to overflow. "How can you laugh at your poor Mother's pain?" said Lobelia muttering and moaning while she held her hand over her eye.
Lotho raced out of the room, bursting out into a louder laughter. A boisterous, slow howl came from his mother and followed Lotho until he reached his bedroom. Falling down upon his bed the tears of laughter came pouring from his eyes.
"Otho! Otho!" called out Lobelia in pain while she waited for her husband to come and comfort her.
Otho dropped his towel to the floor that he was using to dry his wet hands. Seeing his wife sitting upon the floor supporting a swollen left eye astonished him. He rushed to her side. Helping her to stand, he placed his arm around her and guided her to the kitchen so he could tend her blacken eye.
The servant girl slowly crawled out from under the bed, were she was hiding when the boys first entered Lobelia's bedroom. Thinking that if she were discovered in Lobelia's bedroom, that horrid hobbit would have had another lengthy list of chores to do. Whenever possible, the servant girl hid from her employer. She too giggled with mirth from witnessing what just occurred. If anyone deserved a good walloping, surely Lobelia would be the first on the list. She rushed to pick up all the jewelry spilt on the floor and remade the bed neatly before she left the bedroom.
~*~
Frodo looked up into his mother's eyes in wonder after witnessing how well she could defend herself. His mother was such a gentle spirit, always kind and sweet. He had never seen this side of her before, even though his back burned in pain, he could not help but wonder about his mother. Her face was flushed and her eyes narrowed, still in anger. With each step she took away from the Sackville-Baggins's hole, the more she calmed herself, returning to her sweet appearance.
Bending down onto her knee, she looked directly into Frodo's eyes. "I am so sorry this has happen to you. I would have never allowed you near anyone who I thought could possibly harm you,"
Primula's tears threatened to spill over from seeing her son hurt like this. Her heartbeat all the harder when she removed his vest and pulled his shirt up to see his back. Her tears froze in place when panic took over. Frodo's back was bleeding slightly from were the buckle hit his back. She could see a perfect outline of the belt that Lobelia had stuck him with. Looking up into Frodo's eyes, she knew how much he was suffering.
Seeing Farmer Maggot unloading his morning produce at the Hobbiton store, she quickly called to him. Picking Frodo up tenderly into her arms, she carried him to Farmer Maggot's wagon. She told him that Frodo is hurt and needed to get home quickly. Farmer Maggot took Frodo from Primula's arms and gently placed him into the wagon and helped her in to join him. Rushing to climb into his wagon, Farmer Maggot grabbed the reins. Giving them a firm snap, the ponies pulled the wagon to Bag End.
Within a few minutes they were back at Bag End and Primula carried her son into his bedroom with Drogo and Bilbo following close behind her. "What has happened?" they both asked while they watched in shock when Primula removed Frodo's shirt and laid him down on his bed.
"Quickly get me some cool water and medicine." Primula instructed them, "I'll tell you all about it later, Frodo needs our help now."
Rushing, they brought all the things she needed and watched her begin to work on Frodo's back. Frodo screamed out in pain when his mother began to apply the medication that would eventually take the pain away.
Bilbo looked up into Primula's eyes trying to worked as rapidly as she could. Bilbo knew from the marks on his back what had happen, but he wanted to know from whom.
Drogo held his son's hands while Frodo clutched them harder with each gentle stroke from his mother as she placed the medication on his back. She soaked the towel in the cool water and set them upon his wound. Frodo began to feel the comfort of the medication when it finally began to relieve the pain.
"Frodo try to close your eyes and sleep. I will check on you in just a moment," said Primula and kiss his cheek.
Closing the door, she joined Bilbo and Drogo in the garden so Frodo would not hear them talking.
~*~
"Daisy! Where are you? You lazy girl, get in here!" Lobelia shouted from her bedroom.
"Here I am." said Daisy, sitting down her tray on the table next to Lobelia's bed, then handed her a glass of fresh squeezed lemon-aid.
"Do not keep me waiting longer than necessary, Daisy, can't you see how badly I am hurt and the terrible pain that I am in." Lobelia howled again in pain.
"Yes, a black eye can be rather sore!" She commented while she fluffed her pillow.
"Sore! This is not sore. It is agony! You stupid girl!" snarled Lobelia and waved her out of her room, dismissing her.
Otho entered Lobelia's bedroom and sat down next to her on her bed. "Really my dear, should you stay in bed all day, just from a blacken eye?"
"You, too? Why does not anyone understand the pain I am in?" Lobelia clutched her cold towel pressing it to her eye and faked a few drops of tears.
"Now, now, my dear. I'm sorry. I do understand, really I do. How would you like it if I purchase you something really special that you have wanted for a long time," said Otho pleaded his apology.
"Yes, I would! I have been wanting that large bottle of perfume for months, not the smaller bottle, the biggest bottle the store has," commented Lobelia and sat straight up in her bed, smiling with glee. She adjusted the bedcovers neatly around her all the while anticipating on having such a wonderful gift.
Otho stood and began to walk out of her bedroom when Lobelia called him back to her.
"You forgot to give me a kiss before you left," she demanded.
Otho rolled his eyes slightly and bent down to kiss his wife's forehead.
Seeing her husband leave their bedroom, she hummed to herself with glee thinking about having the big jar of perfume.
~*~
A couple of days past and Frodo began healing rapidly under his mother's devoted care. During his healing, she sat beside him for hours at a time, telling him stories or singing him a special song.
Primula opened Frodo's bedroom door and greeted her son with an early morning breakfast. "How are you feeling this morning, my son?"
"I feel like getting out of this bed," Frodo pleaded with her.
"Now Frodo, your back is not quite healed yet. A couple more days and your injury will be well healed," Primula said while fluffy up his pillow and taking the tray from the small table next to his bed. She placed it on his lap and tried to encourage him to eat his breakfast.
Bilbo opened the bedroom door and peeked in at Frodo and his mother. "May I join you both?"
"Yes, do come in and join us." Primula said with a bright genuine smile.
"I was wondering if you are going to attend Esmerald's wedding shower this morning?" Bilbo asked.
"I could not possibly go to a party especially when Frodo needs my care." Primula answered him.
"Nonsense, the boy is healing fine. You have already missed two parties being at Frodo's bedside. Besides, I will be more than happy to sit with the lad and tell him all my stories of adventures." Bilbo winked at Frodo who suddenly sat up straighter in bed with excitement thinking how much he would enjoy hearing all of his tales.
"Are you sure, Bilbo? You would not mind watching Frodo?"
"I would be delighted to watch the young lad." Bilbo commented with a mixture of joviality to his voice. "Then off with you now. Take your time, as these stories of mine are very long ones."
Primula shut the bedroom door so Bilbo could have some privacy with Frodo while she went to her own room to get ready for the wedding shower.
Checking to see if anyone was outside the door, Bilbo peeked into the hallway and shut the door again. Frodo looked at him questionably when he returned sitting down in the chair next to the bed.
"Frodo, before I tell you all my stories. I want to know exactly what happened at the Sackville-Baggins. Tell me every detail you can think of!"
"First of all, Lotho wanted to pretend to be you, Bilbo. Pretending to be on a great adventure in finding a hidden treasure."
"He wanted to play me?" Bilbo chuckled to himself thinking about that.
"Yes, Bilbo. Most children enjoy your stories so much that they want to make-believe them." Frodo added.
"Do they now?" Bilbo muttered and his thoughts momentarily strayed thinking about that. Remembering what he wanted to talk to Frodo about brought him back to his questioning and he continued, "enough about that! What happened next?"
"Well, Lotho ran into his mother's bedroom and grabbed her jewelry box. I did not think he should have been playing with that. I tried to take it away from him, but all the jewelry spilt on the floor...." Frodo paused a moment and looked up into Bilbo's eyes and remembered the locket that he had given him when he was born and he continued, "Bilbo, you know that locket you gave me when I was a baby?"
"Yes, my lad." Bilbo answered him, but looked questionable at Frodo for changing the subject.
"That locket was lost when we walked home from Lotho's baby shower. It fell from my mother's neck. You remember that baby shower, don't you, Bilbo?" asked Frodo and waited for Bilbo to nod, "any way, I found that locket again in amongst the jewelry that Lobelia had in her bedroom.
"You don't say? Hmmmmm.." said Bilbo after hearing this news. He knew Lobelia all too well, "Are you sure it was your locket and not the one I gave her?"
"Yes, indeed. It was my locket. It has a delicate 'B' scrolled on the front and the leaves that surrounded it had their tips curled."
"Yes, Frodo, only your locket had the curls upon the tips of the leaves. It was my mother's favorite leaves that she designed. I had three lockets made and each one had a different leaf design, but all had the same 'B's"! I gave one to my mother, another to Lobelia many long years ago and the last one, I gave to you! Well, not really the last one, I traded Lobelia's locket for one that suited her more!"
"Did you end up showing her that locket?" Bilbo asked him.
"No! I would have never shown her my locket, just like you told me, never too." Frodo added, "but Mama told me later, that she did show Lobelia the locket for only a minute, just before we left the party to walk home."
Bilbo stood and paced awhile thinking about this and Frodo did not want to disturb him. He only watched Bilbo lost in his own thoughts walking back and forth. "You said it fell from your mother's neck? Was that just after she had shown Lobelia your locket?"
"Yes, while we were running home that day." Frodo added.
"Well of course it would have fallen off. Lobelia's necklace was the only one with a broke clasp, it would have fallen off with ease. That crafty old hag must have switched the lockets."
Frodo looked at Bilbo wondering why he would give her a locket with a broken clasp on a necklace. "The next morning I found a locket on the ground but it was an old locket, tarnished and ruined. It had paint that had begun to peel," Frodo added. "I picked it up to keep it. It is here in my dresser drawer!"
"Let me see it, Frodo!" said Bilbo while he waited for Frodo to retrieve it.
There you have it, my boy! It was the locket I had given Lobelia. She stole it from you." Bilbo paused a moment and turned sharply toward Frodo and put the locket that Frodo had given him back into his pocket. "I know just how we are going to get it back!" Bilbo danced around the room, giggling with delight.
"Your mother and father are gone to the party. I will send for Hamson to watch over you, while I am away. He is a good lad. Do not worry Frodo, I will be back shortly." Bilbo said and rushed out the door placing his hand into his vest pocket.
~*~
Slipping the magic ring on his finger, Bilbo entered the Sackville-Baggins house. The door creaked eerily open, but no one entered. The servant girl who observed this strange site, gave her a fright as she watched the door shut again by itself. She turned and ran to the kitchen to hide. ___
The Door Opened
The walls of the Sackville-Baggins home shook when Pimula slammed the door shut, sending a fine painted plate crashing to the floor. A small giggle broke the silence of the room as Lobelia raised upon one elbow to look in the direction of that sound. Lotho, holding his mouth closed with one hand, was fighting the laughter that was beginning to overflow. "How can you laugh at your poor Mother's pain?" said Lobelia muttering and moaning while she held her hand over her eye.
Lotho raced out of the room, bursting out into a louder laughter. A boisterous, slow howl came from his mother and followed Lotho until he reached his bedroom. Falling down upon his bed the tears of laughter came pouring from his eyes.
"Otho! Otho!" called out Lobelia in pain while she waited for her husband to come and comfort her.
Otho dropped his towel to the floor that he was using to dry his wet hands. Seeing his wife sitting upon the floor supporting a swollen left eye astonished him. He rushed to her side. Helping her to stand, he placed his arm around her and guided her to the kitchen so he could tend her blacken eye.
The servant girl slowly crawled out from under the bed, were she was hiding when the boys first entered Lobelia's bedroom. Thinking that if she were discovered in Lobelia's bedroom, that horrid hobbit would have had another lengthy list of chores to do. Whenever possible, the servant girl hid from her employer. She too giggled with mirth from witnessing what just occurred. If anyone deserved a good walloping, surely Lobelia would be the first on the list. She rushed to pick up all the jewelry spilt on the floor and remade the bed neatly before she left the bedroom.
~*~
Frodo looked up into his mother's eyes in wonder after witnessing how well she could defend herself. His mother was such a gentle spirit, always kind and sweet. He had never seen this side of her before, even though his back burned in pain, he could not help but wonder about his mother. Her face was flushed and her eyes narrowed, still in anger. With each step she took away from the Sackville-Baggins's hole, the more she calmed herself, returning to her sweet appearance.
Bending down onto her knee, she looked directly into Frodo's eyes. "I am so sorry this has happen to you. I would have never allowed you near anyone who I thought could possibly harm you,"
Primula's tears threatened to spill over from seeing her son hurt like this. Her heartbeat all the harder when she removed his vest and pulled his shirt up to see his back. Her tears froze in place when panic took over. Frodo's back was bleeding slightly from were the buckle hit his back. She could see a perfect outline of the belt that Lobelia had stuck him with. Looking up into Frodo's eyes, she knew how much he was suffering.
Seeing Farmer Maggot unloading his morning produce at the Hobbiton store, she quickly called to him. Picking Frodo up tenderly into her arms, she carried him to Farmer Maggot's wagon. She told him that Frodo is hurt and needed to get home quickly. Farmer Maggot took Frodo from Primula's arms and gently placed him into the wagon and helped her in to join him. Rushing to climb into his wagon, Farmer Maggot grabbed the reins. Giving them a firm snap, the ponies pulled the wagon to Bag End.
Within a few minutes they were back at Bag End and Primula carried her son into his bedroom with Drogo and Bilbo following close behind her. "What has happened?" they both asked while they watched in shock when Primula removed Frodo's shirt and laid him down on his bed.
"Quickly get me some cool water and medicine." Primula instructed them, "I'll tell you all about it later, Frodo needs our help now."
Rushing, they brought all the things she needed and watched her begin to work on Frodo's back. Frodo screamed out in pain when his mother began to apply the medication that would eventually take the pain away.
Bilbo looked up into Primula's eyes trying to worked as rapidly as she could. Bilbo knew from the marks on his back what had happen, but he wanted to know from whom.
Drogo held his son's hands while Frodo clutched them harder with each gentle stroke from his mother as she placed the medication on his back. She soaked the towel in the cool water and set them upon his wound. Frodo began to feel the comfort of the medication when it finally began to relieve the pain.
"Frodo try to close your eyes and sleep. I will check on you in just a moment," said Primula and kiss his cheek.
Closing the door, she joined Bilbo and Drogo in the garden so Frodo would not hear them talking.
~*~
"Daisy! Where are you? You lazy girl, get in here!" Lobelia shouted from her bedroom.
"Here I am." said Daisy, sitting down her tray on the table next to Lobelia's bed, then handed her a glass of fresh squeezed lemon-aid.
"Do not keep me waiting longer than necessary, Daisy, can't you see how badly I am hurt and the terrible pain that I am in." Lobelia howled again in pain.
"Yes, a black eye can be rather sore!" She commented while she fluffed her pillow.
"Sore! This is not sore. It is agony! You stupid girl!" snarled Lobelia and waved her out of her room, dismissing her.
Otho entered Lobelia's bedroom and sat down next to her on her bed. "Really my dear, should you stay in bed all day, just from a blacken eye?"
"You, too? Why does not anyone understand the pain I am in?" Lobelia clutched her cold towel pressing it to her eye and faked a few drops of tears.
"Now, now, my dear. I'm sorry. I do understand, really I do. How would you like it if I purchase you something really special that you have wanted for a long time," said Otho pleaded his apology.
"Yes, I would! I have been wanting that large bottle of perfume for months, not the smaller bottle, the biggest bottle the store has," commented Lobelia and sat straight up in her bed, smiling with glee. She adjusted the bedcovers neatly around her all the while anticipating on having such a wonderful gift.
Otho stood and began to walk out of her bedroom when Lobelia called him back to her.
"You forgot to give me a kiss before you left," she demanded.
Otho rolled his eyes slightly and bent down to kiss his wife's forehead.
Seeing her husband leave their bedroom, she hummed to herself with glee thinking about having the big jar of perfume.
~*~
A couple of days past and Frodo began healing rapidly under his mother's devoted care. During his healing, she sat beside him for hours at a time, telling him stories or singing him a special song.
Primula opened Frodo's bedroom door and greeted her son with an early morning breakfast. "How are you feeling this morning, my son?"
"I feel like getting out of this bed," Frodo pleaded with her.
"Now Frodo, your back is not quite healed yet. A couple more days and your injury will be well healed," Primula said while fluffy up his pillow and taking the tray from the small table next to his bed. She placed it on his lap and tried to encourage him to eat his breakfast.
Bilbo opened the bedroom door and peeked in at Frodo and his mother. "May I join you both?"
"Yes, do come in and join us." Primula said with a bright genuine smile.
"I was wondering if you are going to attend Esmerald's wedding shower this morning?" Bilbo asked.
"I could not possibly go to a party especially when Frodo needs my care." Primula answered him.
"Nonsense, the boy is healing fine. You have already missed two parties being at Frodo's bedside. Besides, I will be more than happy to sit with the lad and tell him all my stories of adventures." Bilbo winked at Frodo who suddenly sat up straighter in bed with excitement thinking how much he would enjoy hearing all of his tales.
"Are you sure, Bilbo? You would not mind watching Frodo?"
"I would be delighted to watch the young lad." Bilbo commented with a mixture of joviality to his voice. "Then off with you now. Take your time, as these stories of mine are very long ones."
Primula shut the bedroom door so Bilbo could have some privacy with Frodo while she went to her own room to get ready for the wedding shower.
Checking to see if anyone was outside the door, Bilbo peeked into the hallway and shut the door again. Frodo looked at him questionably when he returned sitting down in the chair next to the bed.
"Frodo, before I tell you all my stories. I want to know exactly what happened at the Sackville-Baggins. Tell me every detail you can think of!"
"First of all, Lotho wanted to pretend to be you, Bilbo. Pretending to be on a great adventure in finding a hidden treasure."
"He wanted to play me?" Bilbo chuckled to himself thinking about that.
"Yes, Bilbo. Most children enjoy your stories so much that they want to make-believe them." Frodo added.
"Do they now?" Bilbo muttered and his thoughts momentarily strayed thinking about that. Remembering what he wanted to talk to Frodo about brought him back to his questioning and he continued, "enough about that! What happened next?"
"Well, Lotho ran into his mother's bedroom and grabbed her jewelry box. I did not think he should have been playing with that. I tried to take it away from him, but all the jewelry spilt on the floor...." Frodo paused a moment and looked up into Bilbo's eyes and remembered the locket that he had given him when he was born and he continued, "Bilbo, you know that locket you gave me when I was a baby?"
"Yes, my lad." Bilbo answered him, but looked questionable at Frodo for changing the subject.
"That locket was lost when we walked home from Lotho's baby shower. It fell from my mother's neck. You remember that baby shower, don't you, Bilbo?" asked Frodo and waited for Bilbo to nod, "any way, I found that locket again in amongst the jewelry that Lobelia had in her bedroom.
"You don't say? Hmmmmm.." said Bilbo after hearing this news. He knew Lobelia all too well, "Are you sure it was your locket and not the one I gave her?"
"Yes, indeed. It was my locket. It has a delicate 'B' scrolled on the front and the leaves that surrounded it had their tips curled."
"Yes, Frodo, only your locket had the curls upon the tips of the leaves. It was my mother's favorite leaves that she designed. I had three lockets made and each one had a different leaf design, but all had the same 'B's"! I gave one to my mother, another to Lobelia many long years ago and the last one, I gave to you! Well, not really the last one, I traded Lobelia's locket for one that suited her more!"
"Did you end up showing her that locket?" Bilbo asked him.
"No! I would have never shown her my locket, just like you told me, never too." Frodo added, "but Mama told me later, that she did show Lobelia the locket for only a minute, just before we left the party to walk home."
Bilbo stood and paced awhile thinking about this and Frodo did not want to disturb him. He only watched Bilbo lost in his own thoughts walking back and forth. "You said it fell from your mother's neck? Was that just after she had shown Lobelia your locket?"
"Yes, while we were running home that day." Frodo added.
"Well of course it would have fallen off. Lobelia's necklace was the only one with a broke clasp, it would have fallen off with ease. That crafty old hag must have switched the lockets."
Frodo looked at Bilbo wondering why he would give her a locket with a broken clasp on a necklace. "The next morning I found a locket on the ground but it was an old locket, tarnished and ruined. It had paint that had begun to peel," Frodo added. "I picked it up to keep it. It is here in my dresser drawer!"
"Let me see it, Frodo!" said Bilbo while he waited for Frodo to retrieve it.
There you have it, my boy! It was the locket I had given Lobelia. She stole it from you." Bilbo paused a moment and turned sharply toward Frodo and put the locket that Frodo had given him back into his pocket. "I know just how we are going to get it back!" Bilbo danced around the room, giggling with delight.
"Your mother and father are gone to the party. I will send for Hamson to watch over you, while I am away. He is a good lad. Do not worry Frodo, I will be back shortly." Bilbo said and rushed out the door placing his hand into his vest pocket.
~*~
Slipping the magic ring on his finger, Bilbo entered the Sackville-Baggins house. The door creaked eerily open, but no one entered. The servant girl who observed this strange site, gave her a fright as she watched the door shut again by itself. She turned and ran to the kitchen to hide. ___
