Hello everyone! I'm sorry it took so long to get this up, but . . . oh
blah. You all are probably sick and tired of hearing my excuses. :0)
Tavion: Thank you so much for the kind words! Ugh . . . English papers . . . I know what those are like . . .
Loveofthering: I hoping Bell will recover too! *looks down sheepishly at hands in lap*
MLynnBloom: Oh, I loved the 'fancy toys' part too! I'm glad you're enjoying this!
Fireblade K'Chona: Guess what? We are too! Hehe.
Mint Sauce: Yes, Frodo is taking good care of little Samwise. Oh, and sorry I didn't get this in that one format thing you told me about. I uh . . . couldn't quite figure it out. Stupid computer. *hits computer*
Shirebound: And what a sweet sweet friendship it is! Don't we all wish we could have hobbit friends? No wait! We do! *huggles the hobbits*
Lemondrop: Yeah, I was hoping I got the age difference right. I don't know the exact difference in age, so I kept worrying that I was messing something up. Thank you for alleviating my fears! You know, funny enough, I didn't even realize that parallel until after I wrote it. I had to keep it there though, cause it was just too perfect. :0)
All right all right. (See Minty? Not alright, right? *wink*) I'll shut up now. On with the story!
***************************************************
The wind rippled through the grassy field, bringing with it a faint scent of mugginess and humidity. A few leaves were caught in the gust, getting thrown up into the air and twirling about randomly before slowly floating once more back down to the ground. In fact, the leaves movements were not unlike those of the kite that had just previously been navigating its own path through the air.
Now the kite was lying at the base of a mighty oak tree. A few inches from it were two pairs of furry hobbit feet.
"Did you see it?" Sam was chattering excitedly. "Did you Mr. Frodo?"
Frodo laughed, reaching out to ruffle the small lad's curly hair. "Aye, I did." Both of them were resting on the edge of the field, letting the lofty leaves of the tree shelter them from the heat of the sun's blaze. "That kite flies well doesn't it?"
"Oh yes!" Sam exclaimed, "It was incredible! The kite went shoooom! And flew this way, and shooooom! It flew that way, and it went up this high!" Sam raised his hands above his head as far as he could get them.
Chuckling, Frodo lifted one of the kites and began to examine it. "It is really amazing, getting something to fly."
"Let's go again!" Sam leapt to his feet and clapped his hands excitedly. "We've rested long enough. I want to fly the kite again!"
Getting up more slowly, Frodo looked breathed in the air and looked towards the distant blue sky, in which large billowing clouds could just be seen over the horizon.
"I don't know, Sam," Frodo told his little friend a bit sadly, "it looks like there's a storm coming. We should probably get home."
"Home?" Sam's cheerful demeanor drained quickly. He looked out where Frodo was staring and saw the approaching clouds.
"Yes, Sam," Frodo nodded, upset that Sam would be disappointed because they could not go on having fun. "I know. I sure wish we could play with the kite some more, but it would not be safe to fly it outside during a storm and I'm not sure that one could fly it indoors." He chuckled at this last point, but his laughter faded away as he noticed that his attempt at humor went completely unnoticed by Sam. The small lad was staring straight ahead and his face was a bit pale.
"You mean," Sam whispered shakily, "we have to go home?"
"Well, yes," Frodo was surprised, and indeed, a bit alarmed at Sam's sudden troubled mood. "Is there something wrong?"
Sam dropped his gaze to his feet and fidgeted a bit before finally mumbling, "I don't want to go home."
Suddenly Frodo understood. He put an arm around his friend and hugged him close. "Your mother?"
Sam nodded, but said nothing. There was a long silence. The wind blew again and hit the young hobbits straight in the face, causing them to squint against the oncoming gusts.
"Come on Sam," Frodo took the small lad's hand and began to lead back toward the road.
"No!" Sam shouted suddenly, yanking his hand away. "I won't go home!" He started backing away, shaking his head. "I never want to go home. I'll run away!"
"Sam!" Frodo said firmly, taking hold of his shoulders and shaking them gently. "Would you really want to run away?"
"Yes!" Sam yelled shrilly. Then his voice dropped. "No. . ."
"Do you think your mother would want to know that you were planning to run away?" Frodo asked calmly. "Just when the doctor was saying that there might be hope?"
At this, Sam broke down crying. He threw himself into the older lad's arms. "But," he gasped out between sobs, "I don't know what to do, Mr. Frodo! My momma is going to die!"
"You don't know that yet," Frodo spoke in a soft voice. "You should never despair when there is still hope."
"How?" Sam whispered brokenly. "You say I shouldn't give up hope, but I don't know how. I feel all broken inside, and I don't know what to do."
"Here, just think of hope as a . . . a . . ." Frodo mentally groped around for a comparison that would make sense to the small lad. His eyes fell on the kite lying on the ground. "Think of hope as a kite!"
"A kite?"
"Yes!" Frodo exclaimed, proud of himself for thinking it up. "Hope is like a kite, forever flying ahead of you, and you are always running to keep up. It can be hard sometimes, but you must not stop trying." Frodo paused for a moment. "Do you understand Sam?"
"Yes, I think so . . ." Sam trailed off.
"Do you still not want to go home?"
Sam shook his head. "No," he murmured. "If you're going back, Mr. Frodo, I'll come with you," He reached out and took the older lad's hand. After taking a few steps, he tugged on Frodo's arm to get his attention. "Thank you."
TBC
Tavion: Thank you so much for the kind words! Ugh . . . English papers . . . I know what those are like . . .
Loveofthering: I hoping Bell will recover too! *looks down sheepishly at hands in lap*
MLynnBloom: Oh, I loved the 'fancy toys' part too! I'm glad you're enjoying this!
Fireblade K'Chona: Guess what? We are too! Hehe.
Mint Sauce: Yes, Frodo is taking good care of little Samwise. Oh, and sorry I didn't get this in that one format thing you told me about. I uh . . . couldn't quite figure it out. Stupid computer. *hits computer*
Shirebound: And what a sweet sweet friendship it is! Don't we all wish we could have hobbit friends? No wait! We do! *huggles the hobbits*
Lemondrop: Yeah, I was hoping I got the age difference right. I don't know the exact difference in age, so I kept worrying that I was messing something up. Thank you for alleviating my fears! You know, funny enough, I didn't even realize that parallel until after I wrote it. I had to keep it there though, cause it was just too perfect. :0)
All right all right. (See Minty? Not alright, right? *wink*) I'll shut up now. On with the story!
***************************************************
The wind rippled through the grassy field, bringing with it a faint scent of mugginess and humidity. A few leaves were caught in the gust, getting thrown up into the air and twirling about randomly before slowly floating once more back down to the ground. In fact, the leaves movements were not unlike those of the kite that had just previously been navigating its own path through the air.
Now the kite was lying at the base of a mighty oak tree. A few inches from it were two pairs of furry hobbit feet.
"Did you see it?" Sam was chattering excitedly. "Did you Mr. Frodo?"
Frodo laughed, reaching out to ruffle the small lad's curly hair. "Aye, I did." Both of them were resting on the edge of the field, letting the lofty leaves of the tree shelter them from the heat of the sun's blaze. "That kite flies well doesn't it?"
"Oh yes!" Sam exclaimed, "It was incredible! The kite went shoooom! And flew this way, and shooooom! It flew that way, and it went up this high!" Sam raised his hands above his head as far as he could get them.
Chuckling, Frodo lifted one of the kites and began to examine it. "It is really amazing, getting something to fly."
"Let's go again!" Sam leapt to his feet and clapped his hands excitedly. "We've rested long enough. I want to fly the kite again!"
Getting up more slowly, Frodo looked breathed in the air and looked towards the distant blue sky, in which large billowing clouds could just be seen over the horizon.
"I don't know, Sam," Frodo told his little friend a bit sadly, "it looks like there's a storm coming. We should probably get home."
"Home?" Sam's cheerful demeanor drained quickly. He looked out where Frodo was staring and saw the approaching clouds.
"Yes, Sam," Frodo nodded, upset that Sam would be disappointed because they could not go on having fun. "I know. I sure wish we could play with the kite some more, but it would not be safe to fly it outside during a storm and I'm not sure that one could fly it indoors." He chuckled at this last point, but his laughter faded away as he noticed that his attempt at humor went completely unnoticed by Sam. The small lad was staring straight ahead and his face was a bit pale.
"You mean," Sam whispered shakily, "we have to go home?"
"Well, yes," Frodo was surprised, and indeed, a bit alarmed at Sam's sudden troubled mood. "Is there something wrong?"
Sam dropped his gaze to his feet and fidgeted a bit before finally mumbling, "I don't want to go home."
Suddenly Frodo understood. He put an arm around his friend and hugged him close. "Your mother?"
Sam nodded, but said nothing. There was a long silence. The wind blew again and hit the young hobbits straight in the face, causing them to squint against the oncoming gusts.
"Come on Sam," Frodo took the small lad's hand and began to lead back toward the road.
"No!" Sam shouted suddenly, yanking his hand away. "I won't go home!" He started backing away, shaking his head. "I never want to go home. I'll run away!"
"Sam!" Frodo said firmly, taking hold of his shoulders and shaking them gently. "Would you really want to run away?"
"Yes!" Sam yelled shrilly. Then his voice dropped. "No. . ."
"Do you think your mother would want to know that you were planning to run away?" Frodo asked calmly. "Just when the doctor was saying that there might be hope?"
At this, Sam broke down crying. He threw himself into the older lad's arms. "But," he gasped out between sobs, "I don't know what to do, Mr. Frodo! My momma is going to die!"
"You don't know that yet," Frodo spoke in a soft voice. "You should never despair when there is still hope."
"How?" Sam whispered brokenly. "You say I shouldn't give up hope, but I don't know how. I feel all broken inside, and I don't know what to do."
"Here, just think of hope as a . . . a . . ." Frodo mentally groped around for a comparison that would make sense to the small lad. His eyes fell on the kite lying on the ground. "Think of hope as a kite!"
"A kite?"
"Yes!" Frodo exclaimed, proud of himself for thinking it up. "Hope is like a kite, forever flying ahead of you, and you are always running to keep up. It can be hard sometimes, but you must not stop trying." Frodo paused for a moment. "Do you understand Sam?"
"Yes, I think so . . ." Sam trailed off.
"Do you still not want to go home?"
Sam shook his head. "No," he murmured. "If you're going back, Mr. Frodo, I'll come with you," He reached out and took the older lad's hand. After taking a few steps, he tugged on Frodo's arm to get his attention. "Thank you."
TBC