Last chapter, unless you count the bloopers. *sigh* I hope this fixed it, Salysha. Thank you for your very encouraging reviews. :)
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"Well, that was almost scarily easy," said Sam. "No blood, no nothin'."
"Sam, don't," whispered Frodo.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Frodo. Mr. Merry, are you alright?"
"Sam...if we ever get out of here I will personally strangle you with my bare hands!" Merry lunged, fingers clawing, but Sam dodged easily out of the way and tripped him as he went past. There was an eerie noise and all three looked up. The mists were swirling wildly. The tin can fell to the ground, the string burned through. The ground shook.
"Ahh, does anyone know what's happening?" said Merry. His voice was very nasal.
"Uhm, Mr. Merry? You have no nose," said Sam simply. Merry put his hand to where his nose had been. There was no mark of there ever being a nose there.
"Drat it all, Sam!" he said, and he would have said more, but there was a flash of light and a shriek.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
............Pippin raised the firepoker above his head. With a roar he brought it down, not hearing the strange whishing noise and narrowly missing Frodo's head and crashing down onto Gandalf's.
"Great Elephants!" exploded Gandalf, waking up and surveying the three hobbits on his lap and the one in front of him wielding a firepoker threateningly. "Just what is going on here, you Tom-fool of a Took???"
"Ummm, just playing a game Gandalf, heh heh," laughed Pippin dropping the firepoker.
"Yeah, Whack the Wizard?" said Frodo.
"Not a very fun game, if you ask me!" said the wizard feeling his forehead. He stood up scattering the three. "What are you doing? Get off of me! I'm surprised at you, Frodo! And Merry and Sam too! I'm too old for this sort of business, and so are you! You're acting like tweenagers!"
"That's what I am," said Pippin grinning sickly but not able to keep his eyes off of Merry's face. Merry covered where his nose used to be with his hand.
"What's the matter with you?" snapped Gandalf.
"Uh, I think I hit my nose," said Merry. The wizard softened a bit.
"I'm sorry Merry, I seemed to have overslept. And I had the strangest dreams," he laughed softly. "It seems that nose story that Frodo told me influenced even my thoughts." He laughed out loud. "Imagine that!"
"Yeah," muttered Merry glaring at Sam. Gandalf misinterpreted the look.
"You weren't there, Samwise, but Frodo and Pippin told me that Merry's nose was evil! And I even dreamed that it had taken over the Shire." He chuckled again.
"Huh, that's mighty funny, Mr. Gandalf sir," said Sam.
"Goodness me! Look how late it is! I must be off."
"Must you so soon, Gandalf?" cried Frodo. "Can't you stay for a glass of Old Winyards?" The three hobbits brightened visibly.
"Well, I suppose there's always time for Old Winyards," nodded Gandalf winking at Merry and Pippin.
"Merry, hadn't you better go home and see to your nose?" said Sam suddenly breaking his silence.
"Whad?" said Merry looking blankly at him.
"Yes, we wouldn't want it to get infected now, would we?" said Pippin smiling.
"It might swell up and return to life!" grinned Frodo weakly. Merry scowled.
"Besides," said Frodo, "If I'm not mistaken you've already had a glass of my Old Wineyards today, am I right?"
Merry glared at Frodo for a long moment. "Bye," he said simply, and stalked out the door.
"More for us!" said Pippin.
"But hadn't you better look after your friend?" said Sam slipping something into his hand.
Pippin looked. "What...?" Frodo motioned for silence.
"You'd better go. Anyway, you've had enough of my Wineyards to last a lifetime." Pippin sighed and left.
"Sam, have you weeded today?" said Frodo.
"Why, no I haven't Mr. Frodo! It's been busy what with all the...cleaning going on around here and all." Sam bustled out the door to get to work.
"Don't want the weeds taking over the garden now, do we Sam?" called Frodo.
"That's a good one, Mr. Frodo!"
"Cleaning?" said Gandalf. He picked up the frying pan and the blackened sausages from the floor.
"Umm, umm, spots in the rug? Charcoal is good for that, you know," said Frodo lamely.
Gandalf surveyed the mess. "Tin cans, frying pans, unidentified blackened food, half a carrot, what I wouldn't give to know what you were doing." He rolled his eyes.
"Believe me, Gandalf, you don't want to know. Now how about those Wineyards?"
"Well, that was almost scarily easy," said Sam. "No blood, no nothin'."
"Sam, don't," whispered Frodo.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Frodo. Mr. Merry, are you alright?"
"Sam...if we ever get out of here I will personally strangle you with my bare hands!" Merry lunged, fingers clawing, but Sam dodged easily out of the way and tripped him as he went past. There was an eerie noise and all three looked up. The mists were swirling wildly. The tin can fell to the ground, the string burned through. The ground shook.
"Ahh, does anyone know what's happening?" said Merry. His voice was very nasal.
"Uhm, Mr. Merry? You have no nose," said Sam simply. Merry put his hand to where his nose had been. There was no mark of there ever being a nose there.
"Drat it all, Sam!" he said, and he would have said more, but there was a flash of light and a shriek.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
............Pippin raised the firepoker above his head. With a roar he brought it down, not hearing the strange whishing noise and narrowly missing Frodo's head and crashing down onto Gandalf's.
"Great Elephants!" exploded Gandalf, waking up and surveying the three hobbits on his lap and the one in front of him wielding a firepoker threateningly. "Just what is going on here, you Tom-fool of a Took???"
"Ummm, just playing a game Gandalf, heh heh," laughed Pippin dropping the firepoker.
"Yeah, Whack the Wizard?" said Frodo.
"Not a very fun game, if you ask me!" said the wizard feeling his forehead. He stood up scattering the three. "What are you doing? Get off of me! I'm surprised at you, Frodo! And Merry and Sam too! I'm too old for this sort of business, and so are you! You're acting like tweenagers!"
"That's what I am," said Pippin grinning sickly but not able to keep his eyes off of Merry's face. Merry covered where his nose used to be with his hand.
"What's the matter with you?" snapped Gandalf.
"Uh, I think I hit my nose," said Merry. The wizard softened a bit.
"I'm sorry Merry, I seemed to have overslept. And I had the strangest dreams," he laughed softly. "It seems that nose story that Frodo told me influenced even my thoughts." He laughed out loud. "Imagine that!"
"Yeah," muttered Merry glaring at Sam. Gandalf misinterpreted the look.
"You weren't there, Samwise, but Frodo and Pippin told me that Merry's nose was evil! And I even dreamed that it had taken over the Shire." He chuckled again.
"Huh, that's mighty funny, Mr. Gandalf sir," said Sam.
"Goodness me! Look how late it is! I must be off."
"Must you so soon, Gandalf?" cried Frodo. "Can't you stay for a glass of Old Winyards?" The three hobbits brightened visibly.
"Well, I suppose there's always time for Old Winyards," nodded Gandalf winking at Merry and Pippin.
"Merry, hadn't you better go home and see to your nose?" said Sam suddenly breaking his silence.
"Whad?" said Merry looking blankly at him.
"Yes, we wouldn't want it to get infected now, would we?" said Pippin smiling.
"It might swell up and return to life!" grinned Frodo weakly. Merry scowled.
"Besides," said Frodo, "If I'm not mistaken you've already had a glass of my Old Wineyards today, am I right?"
Merry glared at Frodo for a long moment. "Bye," he said simply, and stalked out the door.
"More for us!" said Pippin.
"But hadn't you better look after your friend?" said Sam slipping something into his hand.
Pippin looked. "What...?" Frodo motioned for silence.
"You'd better go. Anyway, you've had enough of my Wineyards to last a lifetime." Pippin sighed and left.
"Sam, have you weeded today?" said Frodo.
"Why, no I haven't Mr. Frodo! It's been busy what with all the...cleaning going on around here and all." Sam bustled out the door to get to work.
"Don't want the weeds taking over the garden now, do we Sam?" called Frodo.
"That's a good one, Mr. Frodo!"
"Cleaning?" said Gandalf. He picked up the frying pan and the blackened sausages from the floor.
"Umm, umm, spots in the rug? Charcoal is good for that, you know," said Frodo lamely.
Gandalf surveyed the mess. "Tin cans, frying pans, unidentified blackened food, half a carrot, what I wouldn't give to know what you were doing." He rolled his eyes.
"Believe me, Gandalf, you don't want to know. Now how about those Wineyards?"
