Chapter 2
Pippin & the Great Pumpkin Patch
A/N: I apologize for only having posted one chapter of this story, but I started writing it at 2am. So here is the long-awaited second chapter of LITTLE HOBBITS. Enjoy! Please read and review!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Brandybucks set off at first light as promised and took a carraige specifically prepared for the journey. Merry glanced out the window of the carriage, watching the countryside roll by. "Are you warm enough, dear?" Esmerelda asked her son as a draft blew in. Merry looked over his shoulder at his mother.
"I'm all right, Mama. When is cousin Frodo going to be there?"
Saradoc laughed as he sat up front controling the pony. "I am sure he will be there as soon as we arrive."
They reached the Great Smial by nightfall and sure enough, Bilbo and Frodo had both arrived and looked exhausted from the journey. "Hello, Saradoc." Bilbo greeted the Master of Brandy Hall with a smile.
"Merry!" Frodo cried.
"Frodo!"
The two cousins threw their arms around each other and began dancing around in circles. "Did you get to see Peregrin?" Merry asked.
"I did. He is so tiny, Merry! Aunt Eglatine and Uncle Paladin nicknamed him "Pippin". I think it suits him perfectly!"
Merry sniggered, "Pippin?"
"Your Auntie and Uncle are waiting for you in their bedroom," Bilbo told Merry as he put an arm around Frodo's shoulders. "Go on in."
Merry could hardly contain his exciement as he burst through the doors and down the corridor until he reached his Aunt and Uncle's room. "Auntie Eglatine!" Merry whispered noticing that she was still in bed holding a small bundle in her arms. Eglatine turned her head and smiled when she saw Merry.
"Come and see your new cousin," she whispered. Merry peered into the blankets and saw the tiniest little hobbit he had ever seen! It was pale and had whisps of light brown hair on its head.
"Can-can I hold him?" Merry asked, feeling a bit cautious.
Eglatine nodded. "Sure. Just be very very careful. He is very fragile." Merry sat down on his Aunt's bed and watched as she placed the sleeping bundle in his arms. Almost immediately little Pippin's eyes opened and he began bawling. Merry, frightened, nearly dropped him. "Shhhh!" he whispered. "Shhhh."
"Give him this." Paladin entered the room and handed Merry a pacifire. The baby, however, had his little brown eye fixed on something else: he immediately reached for Merry's finger. Merry grinned, pleased he had calmed his baby cousin down and allowed the little one to grasp it. Pippin gurgled in delight and suddenly:
"Oh no you don't!"
Paladin and Eglatine grimaced as Merry immediately withdrew his finger from Pippin's mouth. "He's trying to eat my finger!"
"Not on purpose," Eglatine promised as Pippin began crying again.
"You are not a troll you little imp." Merry scolded as Eglatine took Pippin back. "You do not eat hobbit." He looked up and saw Pearl, Pimpernel and Pervinca, Pippin's elder sisters, standing in the doorway with smiles on their faces.
"Isn't he a darling?" cooed Pearl.
"He's a vicious little fellow," Merry teased. "Tried to eat my finger."
"He tried to eat mine as well," giggled Pervinca. "I hope he doesn't continue the process when he actually has teeth!"
Paladin ushered the children out of the room. "Let your mother and brother rest. They have had a long night."
"Come, Merry! We want to show you our wonderful pumpkin patch!" said Pimpernel. "Papa said we're going to make pumpkin pie for the harvest festival!"
Merry grabbed Frodo and the two hobbits put on their cloaks before following the girls outside. "Right around back," said Pearl as she took the lead. Though it was dark the moonlight helped and the hobbits reached the fence that surrounded the garden. Frodo leapt over the fence, not even bothering to go through the doorway and the girls gasped. "Frodo! There IS a door you know!" Pimpernel snapped. Frodo grinned as he turned around, his pale features tinted red with cold.
"I've been practicing that for ages at Bag-End. Why don't you give it a try? It's fun!"
Pearl's eyes widened in horror. "I will not! It is very rude an unladylike to leap over fences!"
Merry hurried back a few inches and broke into a run. "OUCH!" Merry fell flat on his face in the dirt once he'd sailed over the fence. Frodo, through his laughter, went to help his younger cousin up.
"Are you all right, Merry?" he asked.
Merry nodded. "Yep."
Pimpernel, Pearl and Pervinica went through the door and the five of them stood gazing at the enormous (in hobbit opinions) pumpkins. "This is my spot over here," cried Pervinca hurrying over to one of the far corners. "Each of us got to care for our own little section in the pumpkin patch. Whatever money we make at the festival is our own since we worked hard."
Pervinca turned to Frodo who was leaning against the fence. "What are you going to be selling at the festival?"
"Apples from my Uncle's tree," Frodo replied. "And Bilbo is going to sell his best homemade raspberry jam."
"Mmmmm." Merry licked his lips. "I do love that!"
When another ghust of icy cold wind blew over them, Pearl drew up her cloak. "Let's get inside before we all catch cold!" she ordered and the rest of her family moved back into the Great Smial.
A/N: I apologize for only having posted one chapter of this story, but I started writing it at 2am. So here is the long-awaited second chapter of LITTLE HOBBITS. Enjoy! Please read and review!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Brandybucks set off at first light as promised and took a carraige specifically prepared for the journey. Merry glanced out the window of the carriage, watching the countryside roll by. "Are you warm enough, dear?" Esmerelda asked her son as a draft blew in. Merry looked over his shoulder at his mother.
"I'm all right, Mama. When is cousin Frodo going to be there?"
Saradoc laughed as he sat up front controling the pony. "I am sure he will be there as soon as we arrive."
They reached the Great Smial by nightfall and sure enough, Bilbo and Frodo had both arrived and looked exhausted from the journey. "Hello, Saradoc." Bilbo greeted the Master of Brandy Hall with a smile.
"Merry!" Frodo cried.
"Frodo!"
The two cousins threw their arms around each other and began dancing around in circles. "Did you get to see Peregrin?" Merry asked.
"I did. He is so tiny, Merry! Aunt Eglatine and Uncle Paladin nicknamed him "Pippin". I think it suits him perfectly!"
Merry sniggered, "Pippin?"
"Your Auntie and Uncle are waiting for you in their bedroom," Bilbo told Merry as he put an arm around Frodo's shoulders. "Go on in."
Merry could hardly contain his exciement as he burst through the doors and down the corridor until he reached his Aunt and Uncle's room. "Auntie Eglatine!" Merry whispered noticing that she was still in bed holding a small bundle in her arms. Eglatine turned her head and smiled when she saw Merry.
"Come and see your new cousin," she whispered. Merry peered into the blankets and saw the tiniest little hobbit he had ever seen! It was pale and had whisps of light brown hair on its head.
"Can-can I hold him?" Merry asked, feeling a bit cautious.
Eglatine nodded. "Sure. Just be very very careful. He is very fragile." Merry sat down on his Aunt's bed and watched as she placed the sleeping bundle in his arms. Almost immediately little Pippin's eyes opened and he began bawling. Merry, frightened, nearly dropped him. "Shhhh!" he whispered. "Shhhh."
"Give him this." Paladin entered the room and handed Merry a pacifire. The baby, however, had his little brown eye fixed on something else: he immediately reached for Merry's finger. Merry grinned, pleased he had calmed his baby cousin down and allowed the little one to grasp it. Pippin gurgled in delight and suddenly:
"Oh no you don't!"
Paladin and Eglatine grimaced as Merry immediately withdrew his finger from Pippin's mouth. "He's trying to eat my finger!"
"Not on purpose," Eglatine promised as Pippin began crying again.
"You are not a troll you little imp." Merry scolded as Eglatine took Pippin back. "You do not eat hobbit." He looked up and saw Pearl, Pimpernel and Pervinca, Pippin's elder sisters, standing in the doorway with smiles on their faces.
"Isn't he a darling?" cooed Pearl.
"He's a vicious little fellow," Merry teased. "Tried to eat my finger."
"He tried to eat mine as well," giggled Pervinca. "I hope he doesn't continue the process when he actually has teeth!"
Paladin ushered the children out of the room. "Let your mother and brother rest. They have had a long night."
"Come, Merry! We want to show you our wonderful pumpkin patch!" said Pimpernel. "Papa said we're going to make pumpkin pie for the harvest festival!"
Merry grabbed Frodo and the two hobbits put on their cloaks before following the girls outside. "Right around back," said Pearl as she took the lead. Though it was dark the moonlight helped and the hobbits reached the fence that surrounded the garden. Frodo leapt over the fence, not even bothering to go through the doorway and the girls gasped. "Frodo! There IS a door you know!" Pimpernel snapped. Frodo grinned as he turned around, his pale features tinted red with cold.
"I've been practicing that for ages at Bag-End. Why don't you give it a try? It's fun!"
Pearl's eyes widened in horror. "I will not! It is very rude an unladylike to leap over fences!"
Merry hurried back a few inches and broke into a run. "OUCH!" Merry fell flat on his face in the dirt once he'd sailed over the fence. Frodo, through his laughter, went to help his younger cousin up.
"Are you all right, Merry?" he asked.
Merry nodded. "Yep."
Pimpernel, Pearl and Pervinica went through the door and the five of them stood gazing at the enormous (in hobbit opinions) pumpkins. "This is my spot over here," cried Pervinca hurrying over to one of the far corners. "Each of us got to care for our own little section in the pumpkin patch. Whatever money we make at the festival is our own since we worked hard."
Pervinca turned to Frodo who was leaning against the fence. "What are you going to be selling at the festival?"
"Apples from my Uncle's tree," Frodo replied. "And Bilbo is going to sell his best homemade raspberry jam."
"Mmmmm." Merry licked his lips. "I do love that!"
When another ghust of icy cold wind blew over them, Pearl drew up her cloak. "Let's get inside before we all catch cold!" she ordered and the rest of her family moved back into the Great Smial.
