Like Brothers
Chapter 11
The History of Hide and Seek
"My Merry! O, my son!" exclaimed Esmeralda. She rushed over to her husband who held Merry in his arms; she took him from him and held him in her arms, crying for joy and relief, "O, where have you been?!"
"Mama!" wailed Merry as he embraced her tightly, "I'm sorry!"
"Shh, shhh... it's alright..."
Eglantine too held her son, Pippin, close to her, "What were you doing out there, Pippin?"
"Me and Frodo found Merry, Mother! We found him!"
Eglantine sighed, "Let's get to bed."
**
Merry and Pippin found the night to be a very restless one. And though the two were very exhausted from the night's events, they found that sleep was unreachable. Because of the limited amount of rooms, Merry and Pippin shared, and of course the two didn't mind, but they found it a bit odd to be in the same bed and be expected to sleep rather then talk or play, when they had missed each other so much.
"Merry?" Pippin whispered after some several minutes of silence.
"What?"
"Was it scary out there?"
"..... yes."
They were quiet again.
"Merry?"
"What?"
"Can we practice reading and writing tomorrow? Can we make more sentences?"
"I hope we can," Merry answered honestly. He sighed, "But I think my mama and papa plan to leave tomorrow..."
"At what time?"
"I don't know."
"O...."
Suddenly as if some powerful force had heard them. Merry and Pippin began to hear the light patter of rain drops.
"Merry... it's raining."
"I know."
"Merry, if it rains tomorrow, then you and your family have to stay. You have to..."
"I know," Merry half grinned.
"Then we can practice sentences some more!" Pippin squealed softly.
Merry nodded, ".... I hope it rains for the whole week."
"Me too!"
They were quiet again as they listened to the rain, that neither of them had ever been so thankful for then now.
"Merry?" Pippin said in a more concerned tone.
"What is it?"
"Do you think there will be thunder?"
"I don't know... perhaps..."
Merry noticed Pippin squirmed uneasily.
"It's alright, Pip.... I'm right here... the thunder won't hurt you."
Silence again. Finally Merry felt sleep over taking him, but just as he drifted into unconsciousness, he felt Pippin throw his arms around him and grasp him strongly. Merry almost couldn't breathe, "What's wrong?" he managed to say.
"Did you hear it? ..... the thunder...."
"O, Pippin... it's OK.... you're inside," Merry said turning over in bed and facing his young cousin.
The thunder boomed again and Pippin quietly moaned with fear.
Merry collected Pippin in his arms, "It's alright," he soothed, "Just... just think about tomorrow... tomorrow we can practice sentences.... won't that be wonderful?"
Pippin nodded; he sniffed, "It's just... I don't like the thunder..."
"I know.... but don't you worry any, because I'm here and I won't let the thunder get you."
Pippin smiled weakly, "OK..."
Merry smiled and turned over again. He closed his eyes to sleep, but Pippin crawled over him and sat up staring at him.
"What is it now, Pippin?" he said with only one eye open.
"How can you protect me from the thunder, when you're asleep, Merry?"
"I don't know... I just will..."
Pippin frowned. He wasn't convinced.
Merry sighed and sat up, "OK. Go to bed, and I'll make sure the thunder doesn't get you..."
Pippin slid under the sheets. He closed his eyes, and Merry waited several minutes for the little Took to fall asleep. After, he slipped under the sheets and closed his eyes.
"Merry... I'm not asleep yet," Pippin said softly.
Merry sighed and sat up again, "Hurry up and get to bed, Pippin!"
Pippin smiled, "I'm trying," he giggled.
Merry shook his head. If the lad wasn't so damn cute, he'd strangle him right now, "Stop giggling and go to sleep!" he chuckled.
About ten or fifteen minutes later, Pippin finally fell asleep. Merry went to bed, and when he awoke some five hours later he heard the rain continued to pour. He grinned. Yes! He would get to stay. He sat up and saw that Pippin slept peacefully. Merry got out of bed and stretched a little.
The door creaked and Frodo peeked in, "I was wondering of you two were awake yet," he said to Merry. He looked at the sleeping Pippin, "I was told he just conquered the pneumonia..." he said quietly walking into the room.
Merry nodded.
Frodo looked at his cousin, "You're awfully nice to him... Just a month ago when I last visited you, you were complaining about what an annoying lad he was... Why the sudden change?"
Merry stared for a while at Frodo, "When did I say that?"
"About a month ago... remember?"
"Did I really?" Merry said. He found it hard to believe that he ever disliked such a cheerful and adorable thing. Then he realized that he had said that. He remembered it clearly. He had sent Pippin off to go and search for the salt shaker that was missing; the thing that nobody knew was that Merry slipped the salt shaker into his pants pocket. After he got rid of Pippin he turned to his cousin Frodo, who he considered to be his very best friend and told him, "That annoying lad just won't stop bugging me! Honestly, Frodo, I'm running out of ways to rid of him!"
Merry swallowed, "I guess... I never gave the hobbit a chance... not till last week..."
Frodo smiled, "Well, do you see on what you could've missed out on?"
Merry nodded, "Aye... I see," he paused, "Frodo?"
"Yes?"
"Remember when I was about five.... and we were at Bag End... and we played hide and seek... you never actually looked for me, did you?"
Frodo gaped at Merry.
"... you tricked me...."
"Er... Mer, that was a long time ago!"
Merry smiled, "I can't believe you did that," he laughed, "I thought you liked me! We were friends! And you sent me off to hide, and left me! It was like... two hours before Bilbo found me! Frodo, how could you!?"
Frodo smiled weakly, "Well, you got tiresome at times and well... aye, I tricked you..."
Merry grinned, "And I felled for it... Frodo, that's the last time you'll slip by me!"
Chapter 11
The History of Hide and Seek
"My Merry! O, my son!" exclaimed Esmeralda. She rushed over to her husband who held Merry in his arms; she took him from him and held him in her arms, crying for joy and relief, "O, where have you been?!"
"Mama!" wailed Merry as he embraced her tightly, "I'm sorry!"
"Shh, shhh... it's alright..."
Eglantine too held her son, Pippin, close to her, "What were you doing out there, Pippin?"
"Me and Frodo found Merry, Mother! We found him!"
Eglantine sighed, "Let's get to bed."
**
Merry and Pippin found the night to be a very restless one. And though the two were very exhausted from the night's events, they found that sleep was unreachable. Because of the limited amount of rooms, Merry and Pippin shared, and of course the two didn't mind, but they found it a bit odd to be in the same bed and be expected to sleep rather then talk or play, when they had missed each other so much.
"Merry?" Pippin whispered after some several minutes of silence.
"What?"
"Was it scary out there?"
"..... yes."
They were quiet again.
"Merry?"
"What?"
"Can we practice reading and writing tomorrow? Can we make more sentences?"
"I hope we can," Merry answered honestly. He sighed, "But I think my mama and papa plan to leave tomorrow..."
"At what time?"
"I don't know."
"O...."
Suddenly as if some powerful force had heard them. Merry and Pippin began to hear the light patter of rain drops.
"Merry... it's raining."
"I know."
"Merry, if it rains tomorrow, then you and your family have to stay. You have to..."
"I know," Merry half grinned.
"Then we can practice sentences some more!" Pippin squealed softly.
Merry nodded, ".... I hope it rains for the whole week."
"Me too!"
They were quiet again as they listened to the rain, that neither of them had ever been so thankful for then now.
"Merry?" Pippin said in a more concerned tone.
"What is it?"
"Do you think there will be thunder?"
"I don't know... perhaps..."
Merry noticed Pippin squirmed uneasily.
"It's alright, Pip.... I'm right here... the thunder won't hurt you."
Silence again. Finally Merry felt sleep over taking him, but just as he drifted into unconsciousness, he felt Pippin throw his arms around him and grasp him strongly. Merry almost couldn't breathe, "What's wrong?" he managed to say.
"Did you hear it? ..... the thunder...."
"O, Pippin... it's OK.... you're inside," Merry said turning over in bed and facing his young cousin.
The thunder boomed again and Pippin quietly moaned with fear.
Merry collected Pippin in his arms, "It's alright," he soothed, "Just... just think about tomorrow... tomorrow we can practice sentences.... won't that be wonderful?"
Pippin nodded; he sniffed, "It's just... I don't like the thunder..."
"I know.... but don't you worry any, because I'm here and I won't let the thunder get you."
Pippin smiled weakly, "OK..."
Merry smiled and turned over again. He closed his eyes to sleep, but Pippin crawled over him and sat up staring at him.
"What is it now, Pippin?" he said with only one eye open.
"How can you protect me from the thunder, when you're asleep, Merry?"
"I don't know... I just will..."
Pippin frowned. He wasn't convinced.
Merry sighed and sat up, "OK. Go to bed, and I'll make sure the thunder doesn't get you..."
Pippin slid under the sheets. He closed his eyes, and Merry waited several minutes for the little Took to fall asleep. After, he slipped under the sheets and closed his eyes.
"Merry... I'm not asleep yet," Pippin said softly.
Merry sighed and sat up again, "Hurry up and get to bed, Pippin!"
Pippin smiled, "I'm trying," he giggled.
Merry shook his head. If the lad wasn't so damn cute, he'd strangle him right now, "Stop giggling and go to sleep!" he chuckled.
About ten or fifteen minutes later, Pippin finally fell asleep. Merry went to bed, and when he awoke some five hours later he heard the rain continued to pour. He grinned. Yes! He would get to stay. He sat up and saw that Pippin slept peacefully. Merry got out of bed and stretched a little.
The door creaked and Frodo peeked in, "I was wondering of you two were awake yet," he said to Merry. He looked at the sleeping Pippin, "I was told he just conquered the pneumonia..." he said quietly walking into the room.
Merry nodded.
Frodo looked at his cousin, "You're awfully nice to him... Just a month ago when I last visited you, you were complaining about what an annoying lad he was... Why the sudden change?"
Merry stared for a while at Frodo, "When did I say that?"
"About a month ago... remember?"
"Did I really?" Merry said. He found it hard to believe that he ever disliked such a cheerful and adorable thing. Then he realized that he had said that. He remembered it clearly. He had sent Pippin off to go and search for the salt shaker that was missing; the thing that nobody knew was that Merry slipped the salt shaker into his pants pocket. After he got rid of Pippin he turned to his cousin Frodo, who he considered to be his very best friend and told him, "That annoying lad just won't stop bugging me! Honestly, Frodo, I'm running out of ways to rid of him!"
Merry swallowed, "I guess... I never gave the hobbit a chance... not till last week..."
Frodo smiled, "Well, do you see on what you could've missed out on?"
Merry nodded, "Aye... I see," he paused, "Frodo?"
"Yes?"
"Remember when I was about five.... and we were at Bag End... and we played hide and seek... you never actually looked for me, did you?"
Frodo gaped at Merry.
"... you tricked me...."
"Er... Mer, that was a long time ago!"
Merry smiled, "I can't believe you did that," he laughed, "I thought you liked me! We were friends! And you sent me off to hide, and left me! It was like... two hours before Bilbo found me! Frodo, how could you!?"
Frodo smiled weakly, "Well, you got tiresome at times and well... aye, I tricked you..."
Merry grinned, "And I felled for it... Frodo, that's the last time you'll slip by me!"