Chapter 28 Took Productions

Just as the healer had told Eglatine and Paladin, Pippin began to feel better within the next week or so. He still had a tickly cough and a stuffy nose, but the fever had gone away and he was able to get out of bed.

This was good news to Pimpernel, for it was nearing the end of May at this point, and that was a very important time for the Took sisters. Every year the trio put on a performance-a drama or a comedy, written and directed by Pimpernel herself. All of the sister's friends and family would come to the Great Smial to see their final product (Frodo and Bilbo included of course), and it was always a spectacular treat for hobbits of all ages.

The day before the performance, Pimpernel was a wreck. She rushed around the main parlour, trying to get her sister's costumes organized and the set pieces where she wanted them. "Pearl-for the last time-the tree goes on the left! The castle is on the right-oh good grief, it's all wrong!"

Pippin giggled from where he lay on the couch reading a book. Pearl smiled at her little brother. "What's so funny, you little imp?" she asked in a teasing tone. She came over and allowed him to hug her.

"Pimmie. She's always funny when she's mad." Pippin giggled again as he watched Pimpernel stand in front of the "soon-to-be-stage", grumbling underneath her breath.

"Girls! Pippin! Your cousin Frodo is here!" Leah stuck her head into the parlor, and everyone abandoned their work to great him.

"Frodo!" Pearl cried, throwing her arms around him when she caught up to him. "I'm so glad you could come-we're so glad you didn't get sick too!"

"So am I. How is the play coming along?" Frodo asked.

"Well enough," replied Pimpernel, though her eyes said differently.

"Relax, Pimp. You always manage to pull it off every year. I don't know why you get yourself all worked up."

Bilbo suddenly came down the hallway with Merry in toe (Merry hadn't returned home since Pippin had recovered-he would return to Brandy Hall after the performance), and accepted hugs and kisses from his nieces and nephews.

"Glad to see you're feeling better, Peregrin." Bilbo told the youngest child, ruffling the head of light brown hair. Pippin scowled-he hated that particular habbit, but he didn't complain despite of it.

Eventually Pimpernel grabbed each of her sisters by the backs of their dresses and drug them into the parlour.

"We have TWO hours left till curtain!" She snapped. "I want this to be good. The tale of Gildaland and the Dragon-it 'tis my best piece yet and I..."

"Relax, Pimpernel. You're going to hurt yourself." Pearl told her sister. "Now-let's quickly rehearse our lines-I'm having a bit of trouble with the love scene. I can't seem to get it right."

Pimpernel rubbed her hand over her face. "LOOK. It's quite simple. You say: Gildaland! Gildaland! Save me! And faint! Watch me." Pippin watched open mouthed as his sister yelled the lines and began twirling around in circles, finishing the act with a THUD on the ground. "And faint! There, see?"

"But I-can't we have pillows spread out so I won't hurt myself?" asked Pearl, horrified.

Pearl rolled her eyes. "No you can't have pillows."

"You'd better hurry, girls!" Paladin called. "Everyone is here now."

"Rats," sighed Pimpernel. "Now don't forget what I told you."

"Yes your highness," Pearl and Pervinca grumbled.



By the time the play was to start, everyone gathered in the parlour, using chairs, couches and pillows so that they could give the actresses enough space to perform. Pervinca peered through the curtain (made from an old sheet) and felt her cheeks turn red.

"There are so many of them out there-and Ferumbas-he'll poke fun at me for sure!"

"Nonsense." Said Pimpernel. "Places, girls-'tis showtime."

From the audience, Frodo watched attentively from his front-row seat and had to smile when he heard the sound of scenery being moved and hammering. The curtain then opened, revealing Pervinca, dressed in a long purple gown with a silver, tinsel ringlet around her forehead. "Long long ago," she began in a clear voice, "There was a princess. She was stolen from her crib and locked into a tower by the wicked with Morsela. The only one who could rescue her would be her own true love." She curtsied and disappeared behind the curtain again, and more banging was heard. Finally, the curtain was re- opened, revealing a brilliant castle-setting. Pearl lay on a cot, holding a needlepoint. She wore a black woolen skirt and a too-large cotton shirt.

"Oh one day," She began, "I will leave this awful place. If my true love would come and rescue me. However-the tower is guarded by a fierce, firebreathing dragon (Frodo, Merry, Pippin and the other lads burst into laughter when Pervinca appeared, holding her fingertips as though they were claws and dressed up as a dragon)."

The play went on like this: Eventually, Lady Leela was so desparate to escape that she tied a message to an arrow and sent it flying out through the window of her tower. Little did she realize that not too far away, came Gildaland (played by Pimpernel), who was shot in the chest by the arrow. (This scene brought on more laughter for Pimpernel a bit too dramatically screamed and fell back, sprawling her arms and legs out on the rug) Once retrieved from her wounded flesh, Gildaland read the note and said:

"At LAST! A call! A cry of distress! I will rescue you, m'lady!" And with the drawing of his sword, Gildaland charged towards the castle. With that ended act I, and the curtains were drawn.

When the play ended, everyone was howling (well, the younger relatives were but the adults were clapping and whistling as the actresses took their bows). Following the performance, Pimpernel, still in her costume, went to greet her audience. "Well done!" Bilbo cheered as the girls continued bowing. Eventually the sisters hurried to change into their regular playclothes and were laughing and discussing how they thought their performance went.

"Did you see cousin Frodo's face at the end? I think he really thought you had stabbed me!" giggled Pervinca. Pimpernel turned to her sisters.

"Hey-the boys usually always go swimming in the lake after this. What do you say we-pull a little female prank on them?"

"A prank?" asked Pearl. "What sort of a prank?"

Pimpernel motioned for her sister's to follow her outside. "They usually claim the pond in back of the smial for themselves and expect us to just sit with the adults or practice needlepointing in our bedrooms. It's tradition-at least it has been since we've been around."

Pervinca giggled. "You mean we ought to spy on them while they're swimming?"

"Not just that, but it's commonly known that they prefer to swim without any trousers or shirts. I have a little idea in my mind about how we could get back at them for all of the horrid tricks they've played on us over the years-especially Merry and Frodo!"

"I love the idea-come-let us hurry out now and get started."

"Not just yet. Let's get changed first and then we'll just dawdle our way out there." Pimpernel could hardly contain her giggles of the idea of seeing Frodo practically naked. The girls quickly changed into play dresses before sneaking past the adults in the parlour on the way outside. Sure enough, they could hear the sounds of shouting and splashing not far away.

"YOU CAN MAKE A SPLASH BIGGER THAN THAT!" They heard Ferumbas yell.

"Ready?" asked Pimpernel with a wink.

"Yep!"

The sisters hurried around to the back of the Great Smial and found the lad's clothes strewn about on the grass a few feet away from the bank. They quickly knelt down so that they wouldn't be seen and Pimpernel pointed towards the articles on the grass. "When I tell you to, run and grab them and then we'll make a break for it."

Pearl giggled. "This is going to be so funny-I can't wait to see Frodo's face."

"Shhhhh. On the count of three-one-two-three...now!" The sisters bolted out from their hiding spot and picked up every article of clothing they could find. Then they whistled and signaled the attention of the boys in the water, who immediately ducked down so that they were only revealing their bare chests.

"HEY!" Ferumbas yelled angrily.

"What are you doing?" Frodo howled.

"It's payback time! Come and get them!" Pimpernel called, waving Frodo's trousers in the air.

Merry was beat red in the face as he and the others immediately hurried out of the water, grabbing whatever they could find to cover themselves with and chased after the squealing girls. It wasn't until Paladin spotted the racket and his mouth fell open as his daughters flew past him and a band of naked hobbitlads not much further behind.

"Get back here!" Berilac Brandybuck hollered. Pimpernel was just about to rush inside the front door when she ran right into the large frame of her father. Without even looking up, she felt what she had run into and slowly lifted her head. The boys stopped running at the sight of the Thain and were in complete horror.

"What is this nonsense?" Paladin roared.

"It-it was just a joke," Pimpernel insisted.

"It was all her idea," Pervinca whimpered.

"Hey-you agreed we should do it!" Pimpernel snapped back.

"Give the boys their clothes and I need to speak with the three of you ladies privately."

Very embarassed at being caught, the girls returned the clothing back to their furious cousins.

"I'll get you for this," Frodo snarled as he stepped into his trousers.

"Calm down, Frodo." Paladin encouraged. "Come inside, girls. We need to have a discussion about this."

As the sisters were led inside, Berilac shook his head. "WOMEN. I'll NEVER in my life understand them."

Frodo rolled his eyes in disgust.

A/N: I apologize for not having updated this story in quite a while. I've had a bit of writer's block with this and with a few of my other old stories. I guess that's what the consequence is with writing ten at once LOL. Anyway-this last scene actually came from the movie NOW AND THEN-where the girls are running away with the "Wormer's" clothes after they spy on them while they are skinny dipping. I thought it was cute-a bit of Frodo embarassment there for all of you! ;o) Again, I apologize for having left you at a cliffhanger. Plus I would have had this up sooner but our internet system is down for the night supposedly *grrrrrrrrrowl* Oh well-imagine how they lived back in the old days without computers at all! We're seriously spoiled by all of this technology. Ksies, I'll shut up now-please R&R!