Childhood in The Shire

By: Kari (little took lassie3)

Chapter 3

At my sister's birthday celebration I met Cecelia. She didn't look anything like the way Frodo described her. She had curly hair, not golden, but a tumble weed brown. Her eyes blue, but icy. Her smile was nice, but not stunningly beautiful like Frodo had said. But despise my opinions, I found my cousin Merry acting very strangely. When Frodo introduced him to Cecelia his face was red and he smiled shyly. He spoke some odd language that I believed he invented himself, "H-h-h-he-low, Or a-r-r-ree yooo? Meee n-n-nawm eez M-m-m-m-m-m--"

Frodo spent the entire day with Cecelia, and Merry, Sam, and Fatty spent the entire day gazing at Cecelia with a peculiar look on their faces. "What's wrong with you!?" I finally busted after two hours of watching Frodo and Cecelia dancing. I waved my hand in front of Merry's dazed face, "Hullooooo?"

Merry swatted my hand away, "Go get some cake or something, Pip."

"I already had three servings!"

"Boys," came a voice from behind. It was my sisters along with some other girls. Pearl approached Merry who didn't notice her, for he was still staring at Cecelia. She softly smacked him on the head, "Why don't you look at any of the rest of us?"

"Hm, what?"

"It's no use, Pearl," I informed her, "They have all gone mad."

All the girls seemed to smile at me with approval. They invited me to join them. I did. They took me to a table where an even larger group of girls sat. Every lass at that table had one thing in common: They hated Cecelia. They sat at the table glaring at the hobbit and talked of her nastily.

I didn't get it. Why did they hate her? What did she do to them? I asked Pearl.

"She thinks she can have anything she wants!" she huffed, "Well, it's my birthday, and you know what I'm going to do?"

Every girl at the table turned their attention to Pearl.

"I'm going to ask Frodo to dance with me."

"Good idea!"

"He won't turn down the birthday girl!"

"Go on, Pearl, ask him!"

"He has to accept, you're his cousin!"

"It would be mean if he didn't!"

"Go, Pearl!"

Pearl stood up from the table, straightened out her dress, played with her hair a little, and started her walk to the dance floor. Every lass attentively watched as she approached Frodo, lightly tapped him on the shoulder, and said something to him inaudible over the music. Then Frodo nodded, he turned to Cecelia and said something, and Pearl said something to her as well. The Cecelia left the dance floor, as Frodo and Peal began to dance.

All the girls cheered in triumph. I watched as Cecelia walked off the dance floor; almost immediately, all the boys offered her their chair, but she rejected all of their offers with a simple wave of her hand and sat down at a table, alone. I studied her and thought she looked unhappy. A sense of guilt formed within me as all the lasses around me began to laugh and mock her.

I went over to her, "Hullo," I said as nicely as I could. Through the corner of my eye I saw that all the lads and lasses eyes were on us. What was wrong with them?

Cecelia smiled weakly at me, "Hullo, Pippin."

I sat down on a chair beside her, "Are you sad?"

"What do you mean?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I dunno. I saw my sister interrupt you and Frodo's dance, and you looked sad. Are you alright?"

She smiled, and pinched my cheeks lovingly, "Why, aren't you the sweetest thing!"

"I know," I answered truthfully, and she chuckled with delight.

"Oh!" she giggled, "Well, if I was sad at any time I can assure you, I'm not anymore. You sure are the little charmer, Pippin Took."

"Thank you."

She laughed again. She stopped when a young lass came and stood before us. The girl was my age, perhaps a year younger if any. She had blue eyes, much like Cecelia's, and the same color hair. "This is my little sister, Pippin. Her name is Cindy."

"Hullo."

"Hullo."

The lass stared at me as if waiting for me to do something, "What?" I asked her.

"Aren't you going to ask me to dance?"

"I wasn't planning to," I replied.

She seemed insulted. I asked her what was wrong, and she said that no one refused to dance with her.

"Well, I just did," I said, and started to walk away. She grabbed by the arm. I stared at her. What did she think she was doing?

"Dance with me!"

"No," I said stiffly and I pulled away from her.

"Oh, please, Pippin," said Cecelia, "Just one dance with my sister. She's been so upset that she hasn't been able to dance all day."

She didn't look upset. But I danced with her. While we danced all I received from her was criticism on the way I danced, "Why don't you put your arms around me tighter? Are you afraid of me?"

"No,"

"You move rather stiffly."

I glared at her.

She laughed, "Have you ever danced with a lass before?"

"Yes."

"Family doesn't count."

"I've danced with a girl before."

"The same girl twice?"

"No."

"I can see why."

I said nothing. So I wasn't a graceful dancer. I wasn't even trying. Who cared?

"I hope you practice so at the next party I'll have a suitable dance partner."

It was my turn to laugh.

"I'm serious," she retorted, "I won't have a boyfriend who can't dance."

"WHAT?" I pulled away from her, "I'm not your boyfriend."

"Yes you are."

"Since when?'

"Since you asked me to dance."

"I didn't ask you! You made me! Anyway, just because you dance with a girl, it doesn't mean you're her boyfriend."

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't-- Why?"

"It's the rules."

"What rules?"

"Boyfriend and girlfriend rules."

"There's no such thing!"

"Of course there are!"

I stared at her. She seemed to be pretty confident on what she was saying. What if she was telling the truth? I gulped, "Now what happens?"

"You kiss me."

"I don't want to kiss a girl!"

"It's the rules! Believe me, I'd rather be kissed by someone else," she sighed, "But I guess I'll settle for you."

I looked around nervously. I saw that Merry was looking at me.

"WELL?"

I took a deep breathe, closed my eyes, and planted a kiss on her cheek. I held my breathe. I was OK. I wasn't dead. "Is that all?" I asked her.

"I suppose so," she sighed, "… for now."

I ran away. I really did run. Merry greeted me with a laugh, "What was that, Pip?"

I told him to shut up.

"I thought you didn't like girls, Pip."

"I don't!" I then explained to him and the other lads what had happened. They all laughed.

"There's no such thing as 'boyfriend and girlfriend rules', Pippin," said Fatty.

I was furious, "She tricked me!" I screamed.

"Whoa! Calm down, Pip!" Merry offered me a slice of cake. I took it, "So," he began, "When will you see her again?"

"NEVER!" What in Middle-Earth was he thinking? Later, I realized he was kidding.

Never again will I ask a girl to dance. In fact at the next party, I'll stay some fifty feet away from all girls. Who knew? I might've even gotten tricked into marrying Cindy if I didn't leave her then.