Second verse! Different than the first! A little bit longer and a little bit worse!
If you haven't read "The Nose Knows", this may not make sense. Seven chapters this time, plus an extra. Enjoy! :)
Happy 1st day of May, y'all. :)
Yo0DoodLoodHood, I don't use Word. Nor do I have Notepad. I have a Macintosh, and I use Simpletext. I hope this is fixed.
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Gandalf the grey made his merry way towards the Shire. Safe in his horse drawn cart, he felt oblivious to the outside world. The Shire was peaceful, as always, untroubled by outside events, with nothing to shatter its peace, save for the few arguments cropping up here and there.
An elderly hobbit gave the wizard a suspicious eye as he hoed his garden. Gandalf seemingly gave no notice to this, and made his way to Bag End. He pulled up less than an hour later.
He surveyed the familiar hedge, gate and garden fondly. How long ago had it been when he had sent Bilbo out that very same door? It almost seemed like an age or more ago, and yet in some ways not so. He walked up and knocked on the door with his staff.
"Half a moment!" came a voice from inside. Gandalf looked closer at the door. It seemed to have been broken then repaired and not yet repainted. It opened, and Frodo Baggins greeted Gandalf joyously.
"Gandalf!" he cried. "What a surprise! I'm so glad you're back. Come in, come in! Would you like some tea?" The two sat down in the parlor and discussed old times.
"What brings you to the Shire, Gandalf?" said Frodo.
"To check in on you, of course. I did promise Bilbo that I would keep an eye on you, after all." The wizard puffed a smoke ring of enormous size.
"Gandalf," Frodo began cautiously, "Something happened a few weeks back. Something very odd." He went on and told the wizard about Merry's nose. Gandalf seemed at a loss for words.
"Indeed, that is very odd," he said. "I find it odd that I did not hear this discussed in every corner of the Shire when I came in!"
"We decided that we wouldn't tell anyone, it's too personal. We just said Merry tripped and fell and broke his nose. Even Pippin agreed that this should be kept secret. Though tongues are wagging. There was the incident in the Dragon."
"Peregrin Took is keeping his mouth shut? That alone is cause for suspicion." He puffed some more. "Very unusual indeed."
"I've kept it from Pippin, but I saw Merry the other day," Frodo shifted positions uncomfortably. "I could have been wrong, but I though his nose was a bit swollen."
"Good gracious me!" said Gandalf. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was just a joke you three were playing on me. Meriadoc and Peregrin were always jokers, and you would have put them to shame in your prime!" He winked at Frodo who smiled impishly. A scrabbling sound came from the kitchen. Frodo excused himself and went to see about it. To his amaze, when he opened the corner cupboard, a slightly disheveled Merry met his eyes.
"Estella...I mean hello, Frodo, heh," he said rubbing his eyes. "I was having the oddest dream, Why, what am I doing here?" He looked around puzzledly.
"I don't know," Frodo began, but just at that moment Gandalf walked in.
"Well, master Meriadoc, just what brings you into the cupboard this fine day?" he said folding his arms.
"I don't rightly know," said Merry. "When did you get here?"
"Just a couple of hours ago," said the wizard throwing a bemused glance at Frodo. "I've been hearing a lot about you, lately."
"Oh, the, um, nose story?" said Merry uncomfortably.
"Yes, quite inventive, wouldn't you say?"
"Yes, nobody believed Pippin when he told us. But he saved our lives that night."
"Indeed." He would have said more, but Sam Gamgee walked in at that moment.
"Your hedges are all clipped, Mr. Frodo sir, and, well good day Mr. Gandalf! I thought that was your cart out front!" he said.
"Cart, yes that reminds me, I have a few packages to bring in, do you mind helping a poor old man?"
"Nowt at all, Mr. Gandalf. Me old Gaffer was just sayin' how that ointment that Mr. Bilbo gave 'im as a parting gift helped him." Sam continued and the wizard gave Frodo a hunted look as they went out.
"Was it just me or did he seem rather disbelieving of that story?" said Merry to Frodo.
"He did seem suspicious at first, and then you, how did you get in here anyway?"
Merry scratched his head. "I don't know...last thing I remember was going to take a nap, and then I wake up here. Well, as long as I am here, how about a glass of Old Winyards for an old friend?" He smiled most winningly, then hiccuped. Frodo sighed and rolled his eyes.
"You're incorrigable, Brandybuck," he said.
Yes, thought the Nose. Yes, we are.
If you haven't read "The Nose Knows", this may not make sense. Seven chapters this time, plus an extra. Enjoy! :)
Happy 1st day of May, y'all. :)
Yo0DoodLoodHood, I don't use Word. Nor do I have Notepad. I have a Macintosh, and I use Simpletext. I hope this is fixed.
______________________________________________________________
Gandalf the grey made his merry way towards the Shire. Safe in his horse drawn cart, he felt oblivious to the outside world. The Shire was peaceful, as always, untroubled by outside events, with nothing to shatter its peace, save for the few arguments cropping up here and there.
An elderly hobbit gave the wizard a suspicious eye as he hoed his garden. Gandalf seemingly gave no notice to this, and made his way to Bag End. He pulled up less than an hour later.
He surveyed the familiar hedge, gate and garden fondly. How long ago had it been when he had sent Bilbo out that very same door? It almost seemed like an age or more ago, and yet in some ways not so. He walked up and knocked on the door with his staff.
"Half a moment!" came a voice from inside. Gandalf looked closer at the door. It seemed to have been broken then repaired and not yet repainted. It opened, and Frodo Baggins greeted Gandalf joyously.
"Gandalf!" he cried. "What a surprise! I'm so glad you're back. Come in, come in! Would you like some tea?" The two sat down in the parlor and discussed old times.
"What brings you to the Shire, Gandalf?" said Frodo.
"To check in on you, of course. I did promise Bilbo that I would keep an eye on you, after all." The wizard puffed a smoke ring of enormous size.
"Gandalf," Frodo began cautiously, "Something happened a few weeks back. Something very odd." He went on and told the wizard about Merry's nose. Gandalf seemed at a loss for words.
"Indeed, that is very odd," he said. "I find it odd that I did not hear this discussed in every corner of the Shire when I came in!"
"We decided that we wouldn't tell anyone, it's too personal. We just said Merry tripped and fell and broke his nose. Even Pippin agreed that this should be kept secret. Though tongues are wagging. There was the incident in the Dragon."
"Peregrin Took is keeping his mouth shut? That alone is cause for suspicion." He puffed some more. "Very unusual indeed."
"I've kept it from Pippin, but I saw Merry the other day," Frodo shifted positions uncomfortably. "I could have been wrong, but I though his nose was a bit swollen."
"Good gracious me!" said Gandalf. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was just a joke you three were playing on me. Meriadoc and Peregrin were always jokers, and you would have put them to shame in your prime!" He winked at Frodo who smiled impishly. A scrabbling sound came from the kitchen. Frodo excused himself and went to see about it. To his amaze, when he opened the corner cupboard, a slightly disheveled Merry met his eyes.
"Estella...I mean hello, Frodo, heh," he said rubbing his eyes. "I was having the oddest dream, Why, what am I doing here?" He looked around puzzledly.
"I don't know," Frodo began, but just at that moment Gandalf walked in.
"Well, master Meriadoc, just what brings you into the cupboard this fine day?" he said folding his arms.
"I don't rightly know," said Merry. "When did you get here?"
"Just a couple of hours ago," said the wizard throwing a bemused glance at Frodo. "I've been hearing a lot about you, lately."
"Oh, the, um, nose story?" said Merry uncomfortably.
"Yes, quite inventive, wouldn't you say?"
"Yes, nobody believed Pippin when he told us. But he saved our lives that night."
"Indeed." He would have said more, but Sam Gamgee walked in at that moment.
"Your hedges are all clipped, Mr. Frodo sir, and, well good day Mr. Gandalf! I thought that was your cart out front!" he said.
"Cart, yes that reminds me, I have a few packages to bring in, do you mind helping a poor old man?"
"Nowt at all, Mr. Gandalf. Me old Gaffer was just sayin' how that ointment that Mr. Bilbo gave 'im as a parting gift helped him." Sam continued and the wizard gave Frodo a hunted look as they went out.
"Was it just me or did he seem rather disbelieving of that story?" said Merry to Frodo.
"He did seem suspicious at first, and then you, how did you get in here anyway?"
Merry scratched his head. "I don't know...last thing I remember was going to take a nap, and then I wake up here. Well, as long as I am here, how about a glass of Old Winyards for an old friend?" He smiled most winningly, then hiccuped. Frodo sighed and rolled his eyes.
"You're incorrigable, Brandybuck," he said.
Yes, thought the Nose. Yes, we are.
