Chapter 23
His Eyes are Closen
The spring gave way to summer and for the first time the hobbits had very little to plant if anything at all. The ruffians soon took what they did manage to plant away from them.
The Gaffer walked out onto the porch and sat down in his chair as he did every day and he would gaze out into the horizon. He did not sleep well as his dreams were those of memories and disturbing imagines. He awoken during the middle of the night as he thought he felt a slight tremor shake his bed as if the floor moved. Tears fell from the Gaffer's eyes as he sat in the darkness and in his heart he knew what he had dreamt seemed too real.
The Cottons sat at the table and ate a meager portion of cooked corn meal. Rosie wondered what was taking the Gaffer so long to come to breakfast. She knocked at his bedroom door, but he did not answer. Opening the door she went in only to find that he was not in his room. Worry set in as Rosie went looking for him and found him sitting alone in his favorite chair on the porch and staring at the horizon.
"Would you like me to bring you you're meal out here, Gaffer?" she asked.
"No," was all he answered.
"Are you feeling poorly this morning?" she asked.
"No," he said.
Rosie looked long into the Gaffer's eyes and back to the horizon in which he focused on and said, "Don't worry Gaffer. He'll be coming soon."
"The foreign parts has taken him, Rosie. He'll never see the Shire again," the Gaffer stated.
Rosie sat back in the chair frozen as she too stared at the outline of the morning sky. A single tear fell down her cheek and then she turned to the Gaffer and said, "No, it is not so. He'll come, Gaffer. He'll come. I'll not give up on him. Not as long as I still have breath."
She got up and ran back into the house and down the hall to her bedroom. She slammed the door shut and fell upon her bed sobbing.
~*~
The Gaffer sat still watching as dark black clouds began to drift over the blue open sky above. The hot summer afternoon sun slowly disappeared behind the darkening clouds and shadowed the day almost to night.
"Well there you be Gaffer!" exclaimed Daddy Two Foot, as he appeared from around the side of the Cotton house.
The Gaffer only nodded his greeting at his oldest friend, even though he had not seen Daddy since they had burned Bagshot Row.
Daddy walked to the porch and sat beside his friend. "Looks like we'll be in for some rain. Could use it as nothing seems to grow these days," said Daddy.
"Ain't rain, I'll wager," said the Gaffer.
"Perhaps not, doesn't matter much in these times, I'll say," said Daddy. "But maybe having a smoke and sipping an ale would make a better day of it."
"I've had no smoke or drink since them ruffians come," said the Gaffer.
"Found me a small treasure, I did. The other day I was watching those ruffians loading up some of their wagons with the leaf and small kegs of ale over by Bag End. They over stuffed it, they did. I said to myself, just wait and see. They'll be losing half the load, I'll wager. So I walked a spell in the shadows, and sure enough, just like I said. It tipped and down went the load a tumbling head over heals. Got to it, quick as rabbit, I was. Rolled it off a ways more and covered it up," Daddy said with a quiet chuckle and continued. "As much as I could get and done a fair good at gathering before those ruffians righted the wagon and all," said Daddy as he gave the Gaffer a bit of a wink. "How's about helping me light up a pipe full and swigging a mouth full."
The Gaffer nodded as he got up from his chair and walked away from the Cotton house with Daddy leading the way.
~*~
Daddy led the Gaffer back to his house that Pimple had built for the hobbits of Bagshot Row. It was simple in design and ugly with its pale gray brick and squared door entrance. Even the windows were nothing but a narrow rectangular shape. There were no furnishings to speak of, but a table and chairs and a mattress on the floor. The hearth was placed on the far side of the room against the outer wall. It looked to be a lonely, cold place even with a small fire burning in the hearth.
Daddy looked out the narrow window up and down the road. He held his finger to his lips and waved the Gaffer to following him. Daddy stopped at the hearth. He loosened a few stones from the outer surface of the hearth, pulling them out. Behind them were a small keg of ale and a pouch of long bottom leaf and his pipe.
"Cured it myself, I did. Not too bad a job, if I say so myself," Daddy said.
A small bit of a smile turned the corners of Gaffer's lips and he smelt the leaf from the pouch. "As I have always said, Daddy. No one could cure leaf better than you."
"Are you going to smell it to death or smoke it," laughed Daddy as he took the pouch and filled his pipe. Taking a shaved stick he lit it in the flames of the fire in the hearth and puffed on the pipe until the coal was fiery red. The smell of the long bottom leaf being lit was the most wonderful smell that the Gaffer could remember. He handed the pipe to Gaffer. Daddy smiled seeing the Gaffer so pleased with the taste.
Daddy grabbed his tin cup and opened the tap, filling it. He handed that to the Gaffer as he watched him sipping is slowly, savoring the taste.
"There is nothing no finer in the entire Shire than this here ale!" said the Gaffer.
Just then the door crashed open and a Shirriff walked in. He shut the door behind him, and said, "The both of you are under arrested, I'll be taking you to lock up if you do not tell me where you have hidden the leaf!"
Daddy being a smooth talker, soon convinced the Shirriff that if he would not say a word to anyone he would cut him in on a share so he could have his own personal supply. However, Daddy would not tell no one, not even the Gaffer where he had hidden his supply. But everyday Daddy would have a pouch and a small keg for the Shirriff. The Shirriff agreed, but to make sure he would not lose his share, he told the Gaffer that he could not leave this house as he guarded the Gaffer as hostage while Daddy went to get the cured leaf and keg.
Rosie sent Tom to find the Gaffer after he did not return home that evening. Tom searched and finally found that the Gaffer was being held at Daddy Two Foots home. He tried everything to convince the Shirriff to release the Gaffer, but he would not hear of it.
~*~
Sam held Frodo's hand where his finger used to be, now cut off at the knuckle. Sam had nothing to stop the bleeding but his own finger as he stuff it into the hole to keep the blood from flowing freely. The fumes of gas and dust poured out of each crevice as the ground shook to its core. Fire and flames burst high into the night sky as rock and ash descended to the ground. Explosions deafened all sound from the massive destruction all around them. The blood dripped down into Sam's eyes as he searched the ground in desperation to get away from the Mountain of Doom. His breathing came in heaving coughing as he and Frodo sunk to their knees. Their last strength of mind and body was swiftly taken as the river of fire surrounded them on a lonely island. Sam laid Frodo in his lap it was over with. They won only to lose their lives. As the darkness closed their eyes, Sam could feel himself being lifted and a sudden rush of wind as if he was flying high in the sky.
This is the end of Part 3..
Part 4 in the next chapters of Sam's return to the shire and Rosie.
Chapter 24 When evil walks..upcoming.
His Eyes are Closen
The spring gave way to summer and for the first time the hobbits had very little to plant if anything at all. The ruffians soon took what they did manage to plant away from them.
The Gaffer walked out onto the porch and sat down in his chair as he did every day and he would gaze out into the horizon. He did not sleep well as his dreams were those of memories and disturbing imagines. He awoken during the middle of the night as he thought he felt a slight tremor shake his bed as if the floor moved. Tears fell from the Gaffer's eyes as he sat in the darkness and in his heart he knew what he had dreamt seemed too real.
The Cottons sat at the table and ate a meager portion of cooked corn meal. Rosie wondered what was taking the Gaffer so long to come to breakfast. She knocked at his bedroom door, but he did not answer. Opening the door she went in only to find that he was not in his room. Worry set in as Rosie went looking for him and found him sitting alone in his favorite chair on the porch and staring at the horizon.
"Would you like me to bring you you're meal out here, Gaffer?" she asked.
"No," was all he answered.
"Are you feeling poorly this morning?" she asked.
"No," he said.
Rosie looked long into the Gaffer's eyes and back to the horizon in which he focused on and said, "Don't worry Gaffer. He'll be coming soon."
"The foreign parts has taken him, Rosie. He'll never see the Shire again," the Gaffer stated.
Rosie sat back in the chair frozen as she too stared at the outline of the morning sky. A single tear fell down her cheek and then she turned to the Gaffer and said, "No, it is not so. He'll come, Gaffer. He'll come. I'll not give up on him. Not as long as I still have breath."
She got up and ran back into the house and down the hall to her bedroom. She slammed the door shut and fell upon her bed sobbing.
~*~
The Gaffer sat still watching as dark black clouds began to drift over the blue open sky above. The hot summer afternoon sun slowly disappeared behind the darkening clouds and shadowed the day almost to night.
"Well there you be Gaffer!" exclaimed Daddy Two Foot, as he appeared from around the side of the Cotton house.
The Gaffer only nodded his greeting at his oldest friend, even though he had not seen Daddy since they had burned Bagshot Row.
Daddy walked to the porch and sat beside his friend. "Looks like we'll be in for some rain. Could use it as nothing seems to grow these days," said Daddy.
"Ain't rain, I'll wager," said the Gaffer.
"Perhaps not, doesn't matter much in these times, I'll say," said Daddy. "But maybe having a smoke and sipping an ale would make a better day of it."
"I've had no smoke or drink since them ruffians come," said the Gaffer.
"Found me a small treasure, I did. The other day I was watching those ruffians loading up some of their wagons with the leaf and small kegs of ale over by Bag End. They over stuffed it, they did. I said to myself, just wait and see. They'll be losing half the load, I'll wager. So I walked a spell in the shadows, and sure enough, just like I said. It tipped and down went the load a tumbling head over heals. Got to it, quick as rabbit, I was. Rolled it off a ways more and covered it up," Daddy said with a quiet chuckle and continued. "As much as I could get and done a fair good at gathering before those ruffians righted the wagon and all," said Daddy as he gave the Gaffer a bit of a wink. "How's about helping me light up a pipe full and swigging a mouth full."
The Gaffer nodded as he got up from his chair and walked away from the Cotton house with Daddy leading the way.
~*~
Daddy led the Gaffer back to his house that Pimple had built for the hobbits of Bagshot Row. It was simple in design and ugly with its pale gray brick and squared door entrance. Even the windows were nothing but a narrow rectangular shape. There were no furnishings to speak of, but a table and chairs and a mattress on the floor. The hearth was placed on the far side of the room against the outer wall. It looked to be a lonely, cold place even with a small fire burning in the hearth.
Daddy looked out the narrow window up and down the road. He held his finger to his lips and waved the Gaffer to following him. Daddy stopped at the hearth. He loosened a few stones from the outer surface of the hearth, pulling them out. Behind them were a small keg of ale and a pouch of long bottom leaf and his pipe.
"Cured it myself, I did. Not too bad a job, if I say so myself," Daddy said.
A small bit of a smile turned the corners of Gaffer's lips and he smelt the leaf from the pouch. "As I have always said, Daddy. No one could cure leaf better than you."
"Are you going to smell it to death or smoke it," laughed Daddy as he took the pouch and filled his pipe. Taking a shaved stick he lit it in the flames of the fire in the hearth and puffed on the pipe until the coal was fiery red. The smell of the long bottom leaf being lit was the most wonderful smell that the Gaffer could remember. He handed the pipe to Gaffer. Daddy smiled seeing the Gaffer so pleased with the taste.
Daddy grabbed his tin cup and opened the tap, filling it. He handed that to the Gaffer as he watched him sipping is slowly, savoring the taste.
"There is nothing no finer in the entire Shire than this here ale!" said the Gaffer.
Just then the door crashed open and a Shirriff walked in. He shut the door behind him, and said, "The both of you are under arrested, I'll be taking you to lock up if you do not tell me where you have hidden the leaf!"
Daddy being a smooth talker, soon convinced the Shirriff that if he would not say a word to anyone he would cut him in on a share so he could have his own personal supply. However, Daddy would not tell no one, not even the Gaffer where he had hidden his supply. But everyday Daddy would have a pouch and a small keg for the Shirriff. The Shirriff agreed, but to make sure he would not lose his share, he told the Gaffer that he could not leave this house as he guarded the Gaffer as hostage while Daddy went to get the cured leaf and keg.
Rosie sent Tom to find the Gaffer after he did not return home that evening. Tom searched and finally found that the Gaffer was being held at Daddy Two Foots home. He tried everything to convince the Shirriff to release the Gaffer, but he would not hear of it.
~*~
Sam held Frodo's hand where his finger used to be, now cut off at the knuckle. Sam had nothing to stop the bleeding but his own finger as he stuff it into the hole to keep the blood from flowing freely. The fumes of gas and dust poured out of each crevice as the ground shook to its core. Fire and flames burst high into the night sky as rock and ash descended to the ground. Explosions deafened all sound from the massive destruction all around them. The blood dripped down into Sam's eyes as he searched the ground in desperation to get away from the Mountain of Doom. His breathing came in heaving coughing as he and Frodo sunk to their knees. Their last strength of mind and body was swiftly taken as the river of fire surrounded them on a lonely island. Sam laid Frodo in his lap it was over with. They won only to lose their lives. As the darkness closed their eyes, Sam could feel himself being lifted and a sudden rush of wind as if he was flying high in the sky.
This is the end of Part 3..
Part 4 in the next chapters of Sam's return to the shire and Rosie.
Chapter 24 When evil walks..upcoming.