Chapter 27 Smials in the Air

Frodo lay luxuriously on the grass in front of Bag-End a few afternoons following his arrival home, wondering what his neighbors were about, but too lazy to go and find out. As it was Springtime, it was very hot but not too humid so it was bearable weather. He heard giggling and lifted his head from its position on top of his hands and saw Daisy and Marigold coming up the path. They were each carrying baskets and garden gloves were hanging over the sides.

Smiling, he stood and headed in their direction.

"May I come in, please? Or shall I be a bother?" he asked, advancing slowly.

Daisy blinked, her cheeks turning bright pink.

"Of-of course, Mr. Frodo. We're just going to pick blueberries for Mam."

Frodo nodded. "All right." He followed them a bit further down the path. The girls continued their original conversation, not exaclty ignoring the fact that Frodo was there but they were clearly too shy to ask him to jump in.

"So where are the blueberry bushes?" Frodo asked. "The best ones are around the lake."

"We know," said Daisy. "That's where we're going. It will be nice-to have an extra hand in the picking."

"Say, Frodo-why did you come home so early from visiting your cousin?" asked Marigold. "Sam told us you were back."

"Pippin got sick and they sent me home straight off," Frodo explained. "Though Bilbo and I received a telegram last night saying Pippin was recovering slowly and that he should be allright within another week or so."

Daisy frowned. "I'm sorry-truly, Frodo. You were so excited about going to the Great Smials-'tis a shame your vacation had to end so quickly."

Frodo shrugged. "Yes, but dear Pip couldn't help falling ill. His system is weak like mine-he catches cold from a mile away."

Daisy giggled. "Poor little thing." She gazed up at the sky, watching the fluffy white clouds move slowly. Frodo noticed this and gazed up as well, squinting in the bright rays of sunshine.

"What do the clouds look like to you, Frodo?" Daisy asked, holding her blueberry basket against her. Marigold had stopped and turned to see what was holding up her companions, and decided to investigate the sky as well.

"Bunnies," Marigold giggled. "Remember when Sam was a toddler? He used to say "boonie" instead of "bunny"."

Frodo laughed. "Boonie, eh? Well Bilbo used to tell me when I first came here that my parents were up there, looking down on me. But I find it hard to believe."

Daisy gave the heir to Bag-End a sympathetic smile. "Of course they are. That's where all of the dead go."

Marigold stared. "They go to the sky?"

"Yep. Not sure how."

"Maybe they jump," said Marigold with a shrug. "But what do the clouds look like now? I think that one looks like a bear and that one looks like a dragon."

Frodo smiled back at the youngest Gamgee daughter, half-wishing Sam had come along. "It looks like the smial in the sky Da' always talked about." Said Daisy. "You know, Mr. Frodo-when Granny died he said there was a smial just like ours up there."

"Daisy-we have to pick blueberries or Mam will have our hides!" Marigold encouraged, tugging on her eldest sister's dress. So the hobbits hurried towards a large woden fence and climbed over it, running through a field. At the edge of the field they came to a forest-a quiet but dense area of the Shire, and they were not far from the blueberry patches. The lake was just at the otherside of the woods-Daisy had walked the path many times in her youth (what she considered to be youth-she had just turned eighteen).

"How I would love to go to my smial in the clouds now," Daisy whispered when Marigold was a good few feet ahead of them. Frodo smiled. "Though," she added sadly, "To be good enough to get the key is so hard."

"You'll get there one day, Daisy."

"Stop flirting and come on!" The two tweenagers heard Marigold shout and Daisy laughed, taking Frodo's hand. When she did this, she felt his muscles stiffen but pulled him along all the same. When they caught up with Marigold, Frodo could see that the edge of the woods was coming near. When they reached the edge, they came to the bank of the lake, surrounded by shrubs of all shapes and sizes. Frodo could barely make out the little blue dots sticking out of some of them, and his stomach gave a large growl.

"Blast-'tis almost time for elevensies," He said as he picked a few and stuffed one into his mouth.

Daisy shook her head of curly blonde hair. "Boys. Honestly-all you can think about is eating." But she was quite the hypocrite and stuffed a few of the first berries she picked into her own mouth, and that sent Frodo laughing.

"Silly girl. Come now, we ought to stop eating them or your Mam will have nothing to use for her muffins! And I do hope you're going to send over a batch for Bilbo and I." He winked at Daisy who put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out.

Frodo and the Gamgee sisters spent almost an hour picking blueberries (and eating them to get their fill as they were missing Elvensies) and started for home around 1:00. By the time they reached their road, Frodo was famished-he couldn't wait to have a nice good snack and a cup of cherry tea, and said goodbye to the girls, thanking them for letting him come along before heading into Bag-End.

Daisy let her sister go on and watched as the door to Bag-End closed behind Frodo. She sighed dreamily, wishing desparately that one day she could have Frodo for her very own.