Chapter 2:
The attack on Crickhollow
Nick didn't see Gorrbadak for many hours. He found the bathroom and took a hot bath, then he lay on his tiny bed and snoozed a little for an hour or two. He had heard a bell ring once, and then lots of people walking in the corridor, and then silence, before he heard doors open and the same riot once more. Nick figured it had to be the Dinner bell or something. Just before sunset Nick heard the same bell ring once more, but now a little hobbit appeared in his door. He said something with a jolly grin, and led him through the long corridor and into a big hall. In the middle of the hall was a long table, around the table sat a lot of hobbits, there were at least a hundred hobbits, or maybe even more, around the table, an at the end of the table sat Gorrbadak. Gorrbadak had just emptied a great mug of beer and was now telling a guy on his right side some sort of joke. He little hobbit led Nick to a seat between a fat little hobbit with a great belly, and an old woman with a sour expression, Nick never got to know that she was actually mad because she had to sit next to "the big-person." The hobbit with the great belly was a Took of Great Smygal, and he had clearly travelled a lot, at least for a hobbit, and after a few beers he started bragging to Nick, even though Nick didn't understand much. Nick did, however, pick up words from many conversations around the table, some were talking about the weather, and stuff like that, while others were talking about something that sounded, curiously enough, like Frodo Baggins.
Then the food came on the table, and the hobbits started eating like mad, they propped themselves full with greens, and meat, and steak, potatoes, tomatoes, sausages, bacon and good ale. There was no end to the great amount of food these little beings were able to stuff themselves with. Nick almost expected one of them to suddenly explode, but before he could think through the thought he remembered how incredibly hungry he was. Could he take the risk and eat this stuff? So hungry..... But he couldn't risk getting killed by hobbit-food. But he was so hungry..... What if he puked, what if he puked all over on of Gorrbadaks guests, what would happen then? But what the heck, he was so hungry! Nick threw himself over the goods and ate something that seemed, to him the next day, like the whole canteen at his school. He also deared himself to a few mugs of hobbit beer, ('What the heck,' he thought, 'mums never gonna know about this, anyway.') the last thing he remembered before everything went dark, was that the sour old lady was starting to look disturbingly attractive.
Nick awoke at about some hours after midnight, he was lying in his own bed, and he felt like the drummy drummer-man from drum-land was drumming like he had never drummed before inside his head. 'Damn!' he thought, 'what's in that hobbit-beer?' Suddenly Nick noticed that it was not the drumming inside his head that had woken him up, it was a distant blow from a horn somewhere in the lands below. He could mark out the calls of
Awake! Fear! Fire! Foes!
Nick got on his legs and ran, he recognised that horn-call, even in a mighty hangover like this, he had long time wondered what happened to Fatty Bolger that faithful night in Buckland, and it seemed he was about to find out.
Awake! Awake!
Nick might have been there to see the black riders who rode away, had he not knocked right into the wall above the round door. 'Damn small hobbit- bastards!' raced through his mind before it again went black.
Lights..... Funny lights..... The lights were dancing..... It made Nick want to laugh..... so funny.....
Then he remembered where he was, whom he was and what was going on, he rose up quickly, and slammed his head right into the wall again. The third time he slipped out of the door before he rose, and this time he could finally see the dark garden outside Brandy Hall.
A lot of people were standing all about, a big house at the top of a far away hill was burning, and in the midst of the crowd was a young hobbit with a gigantic belly, and he was crying in fear.
Nick ran over to the crying hobbit, but he was pushed away by a big hobbit with black beard, which shouted something at him. Then Gorrbadak came out from his burrow and ran over to the crowd. 'Fredegar!' he cried, 'Fredegar!' and then the hobbit, which was of course Fredegar Bolger, started babbling like mad. Some of the hobbits came with a request which must have seemed reasonable to The Master, for he gave a little nod, and two hobbits bore, not without problems, poor Fatty into Brandy Hall.
Gorrbadak gave a low sigh, and started walking back to his burrow, but suddenly another blow was given, but this time, from far away in the west, and before long Nick could hear the shouts of 'Gandalf! Gandalf!' Gandalf had arrived.
Up a lane to Nicks left a great grey horse galloped up and stopped beside the doors of Brandy Hall, the horse was great and intimidating, but it was nothing compared to the rider. The great man who sat on top of the horse was clothed in a great and muddy grey coat and cape, which seemed almost black in the dark night. He wore a grey, pointy hat, which was so old and tattered that it was beyond Nick why the man was still using it. The man himself was big and old, and he had a great white beard, which was at least two feet long, he had long white hair, and a crooked old nose. Most of his mouth was gone under a great silver scarf, and his eyes were blue, but right now they were lighting, they almost had something wild about them.
He jumped of the horse with such elegance that it did not fit with his old age, but then again, it was no trick for a maia of his calibre. Nick looked in awe on the man he had idolised since he was about twelve, but now, as he saw him for the first time, he was nothing like he had imagined in even his wildest dreams.
As Gandalf started talking with Gorrbadak, who was shaking his head and answering Gandalfs questions, Nick was filled with a strange feeling of shame. Here he was, in the middle of Middle-Earth, and he knew what was going to happen, he had read the book a thousand times, and still he did not have the courage to go and talk to Gandalf.
Nick started to walk to Gandalf, but he had to stop about three steps away from him, just to pep himself up, then he went over to Gandalf and cleared his throat, 'Frodo.' He said halfway aloud, halfway like a whisper. Gandalf turned around about a millisecond later, and looked at the newcomer like he had just told him something very secret, and very important. Gandalf looked deeply at Nick for about two seconds, Nick felt his deep blue eyes searching through him, reading his inner thoughts, he felt naked and alone in front of this old man, which seemed to know everything. Then Gandalf turned around and asked Gorrbadak something, and pointed at Nick. Gorrbadak shook his head and explained something with a hushed voice. Gandalf then took a good grip around Nicks shoulder and drew Nick with him over to a spot under a tree where nobody was listening, then he said something Nick didn't understand at all, the only thing he understood was the word 'Frodo.' Nick shook his head and raised one finger, 'Frodo,' he said, then he raised another finger, 'Aragorn,' he said, then he hit the two fingers together.
Gandalf must have understood, he threw out his hands and pointed at the land about them with an asking look, but he already looked very relieved. Nick understood his question, 'Bree.' He said, and Gandalf got a weird, almost frightened look. He grabbed Nick by the shoulder, and threw him on his horse before Nick managed to spell Nazgûl.
Nick didn't see Gorrbadak for many hours. He found the bathroom and took a hot bath, then he lay on his tiny bed and snoozed a little for an hour or two. He had heard a bell ring once, and then lots of people walking in the corridor, and then silence, before he heard doors open and the same riot once more. Nick figured it had to be the Dinner bell or something. Just before sunset Nick heard the same bell ring once more, but now a little hobbit appeared in his door. He said something with a jolly grin, and led him through the long corridor and into a big hall. In the middle of the hall was a long table, around the table sat a lot of hobbits, there were at least a hundred hobbits, or maybe even more, around the table, an at the end of the table sat Gorrbadak. Gorrbadak had just emptied a great mug of beer and was now telling a guy on his right side some sort of joke. He little hobbit led Nick to a seat between a fat little hobbit with a great belly, and an old woman with a sour expression, Nick never got to know that she was actually mad because she had to sit next to "the big-person." The hobbit with the great belly was a Took of Great Smygal, and he had clearly travelled a lot, at least for a hobbit, and after a few beers he started bragging to Nick, even though Nick didn't understand much. Nick did, however, pick up words from many conversations around the table, some were talking about the weather, and stuff like that, while others were talking about something that sounded, curiously enough, like Frodo Baggins.
Then the food came on the table, and the hobbits started eating like mad, they propped themselves full with greens, and meat, and steak, potatoes, tomatoes, sausages, bacon and good ale. There was no end to the great amount of food these little beings were able to stuff themselves with. Nick almost expected one of them to suddenly explode, but before he could think through the thought he remembered how incredibly hungry he was. Could he take the risk and eat this stuff? So hungry..... But he couldn't risk getting killed by hobbit-food. But he was so hungry..... What if he puked, what if he puked all over on of Gorrbadaks guests, what would happen then? But what the heck, he was so hungry! Nick threw himself over the goods and ate something that seemed, to him the next day, like the whole canteen at his school. He also deared himself to a few mugs of hobbit beer, ('What the heck,' he thought, 'mums never gonna know about this, anyway.') the last thing he remembered before everything went dark, was that the sour old lady was starting to look disturbingly attractive.
Nick awoke at about some hours after midnight, he was lying in his own bed, and he felt like the drummy drummer-man from drum-land was drumming like he had never drummed before inside his head. 'Damn!' he thought, 'what's in that hobbit-beer?' Suddenly Nick noticed that it was not the drumming inside his head that had woken him up, it was a distant blow from a horn somewhere in the lands below. He could mark out the calls of
Awake! Fear! Fire! Foes!
Nick got on his legs and ran, he recognised that horn-call, even in a mighty hangover like this, he had long time wondered what happened to Fatty Bolger that faithful night in Buckland, and it seemed he was about to find out.
Awake! Awake!
Nick might have been there to see the black riders who rode away, had he not knocked right into the wall above the round door. 'Damn small hobbit- bastards!' raced through his mind before it again went black.
Lights..... Funny lights..... The lights were dancing..... It made Nick want to laugh..... so funny.....
Then he remembered where he was, whom he was and what was going on, he rose up quickly, and slammed his head right into the wall again. The third time he slipped out of the door before he rose, and this time he could finally see the dark garden outside Brandy Hall.
A lot of people were standing all about, a big house at the top of a far away hill was burning, and in the midst of the crowd was a young hobbit with a gigantic belly, and he was crying in fear.
Nick ran over to the crying hobbit, but he was pushed away by a big hobbit with black beard, which shouted something at him. Then Gorrbadak came out from his burrow and ran over to the crowd. 'Fredegar!' he cried, 'Fredegar!' and then the hobbit, which was of course Fredegar Bolger, started babbling like mad. Some of the hobbits came with a request which must have seemed reasonable to The Master, for he gave a little nod, and two hobbits bore, not without problems, poor Fatty into Brandy Hall.
Gorrbadak gave a low sigh, and started walking back to his burrow, but suddenly another blow was given, but this time, from far away in the west, and before long Nick could hear the shouts of 'Gandalf! Gandalf!' Gandalf had arrived.
Up a lane to Nicks left a great grey horse galloped up and stopped beside the doors of Brandy Hall, the horse was great and intimidating, but it was nothing compared to the rider. The great man who sat on top of the horse was clothed in a great and muddy grey coat and cape, which seemed almost black in the dark night. He wore a grey, pointy hat, which was so old and tattered that it was beyond Nick why the man was still using it. The man himself was big and old, and he had a great white beard, which was at least two feet long, he had long white hair, and a crooked old nose. Most of his mouth was gone under a great silver scarf, and his eyes were blue, but right now they were lighting, they almost had something wild about them.
He jumped of the horse with such elegance that it did not fit with his old age, but then again, it was no trick for a maia of his calibre. Nick looked in awe on the man he had idolised since he was about twelve, but now, as he saw him for the first time, he was nothing like he had imagined in even his wildest dreams.
As Gandalf started talking with Gorrbadak, who was shaking his head and answering Gandalfs questions, Nick was filled with a strange feeling of shame. Here he was, in the middle of Middle-Earth, and he knew what was going to happen, he had read the book a thousand times, and still he did not have the courage to go and talk to Gandalf.
Nick started to walk to Gandalf, but he had to stop about three steps away from him, just to pep himself up, then he went over to Gandalf and cleared his throat, 'Frodo.' He said halfway aloud, halfway like a whisper. Gandalf turned around about a millisecond later, and looked at the newcomer like he had just told him something very secret, and very important. Gandalf looked deeply at Nick for about two seconds, Nick felt his deep blue eyes searching through him, reading his inner thoughts, he felt naked and alone in front of this old man, which seemed to know everything. Then Gandalf turned around and asked Gorrbadak something, and pointed at Nick. Gorrbadak shook his head and explained something with a hushed voice. Gandalf then took a good grip around Nicks shoulder and drew Nick with him over to a spot under a tree where nobody was listening, then he said something Nick didn't understand at all, the only thing he understood was the word 'Frodo.' Nick shook his head and raised one finger, 'Frodo,' he said, then he raised another finger, 'Aragorn,' he said, then he hit the two fingers together.
Gandalf must have understood, he threw out his hands and pointed at the land about them with an asking look, but he already looked very relieved. Nick understood his question, 'Bree.' He said, and Gandalf got a weird, almost frightened look. He grabbed Nick by the shoulder, and threw him on his horse before Nick managed to spell Nazgûl.