Hello everyone! I'm really truly sorry for taking so long to update.
(Heh. It's been even longer since I updates To Melt a Heart of Ice.
*hides*)
Shirebound: I'm sorry for leaving you in sadness! *sobs* I wish I didn't have to, but it's kind of required for the story. :0( No matter how much I wish it could, it can't be a bunch of hobbit parties. (I'll save that for another fic)
MLynnBloom: *sobs* I know, I know! *sobs some more*
ShireElf: I'm glad you're enjoying this ShireElf! *hugs*
Loveofthering: The words definitely will echo. I knew when I wrote this, I wanted Sam's mother's last words to him to be very meaningful. I hope I succeeded! (Oh, I don't know if the muse loves me. It seems content in bashing my head with a baseball bat until I write.)
Lemondrop: Yes, lots of hugs for Sam. Hopefully, if we all hug Sam, we can make him feel better. *hugs Sam* I'm glad you liked how I ended the chapter. It was difficult. I wanted to explain to the reader what had happened without actually saying straight out . . .that she . . . *breaks down sobbing*
Fireblade K'Chona: *cries also* Come on, you can help us hug Sam and make him feel better. *more hugs for Sam*
Tavion: Well . . . if want Sam to be happy, you're just going to have to let your imagination take you beyond this story. The happiest you see Sam here, was in the chapter "Kite." I'm sorry.
Michelle Frodo: Well, the rain represents a lot of things. Sometimes, it does represent tears. Other times, it just symbolizes sad things happening (Such as Sam's mother dying). So, the title of this chapter, "After the Rain," is really talking about how Sam fells after his mother has passed away.
Woah! Lots of rambling here, and still more to go! This is the last chapter before a short epilogue I hope to get up soon. Geez, I still cannot believe how far this story has gone! It was originally supposed to be three chapters (if you can believe it).
I know this chapter is very very short. I am well aware of this. There is only a tiny bit of wrapping up to do, and it was not possible to combine this chapter and the epilogue.
NOTE: I was looking at the website of my brother's band the other day, and I found these lyrics to a song a guy in the band wrote. It was just too perfect for this story, so with their permission, I borrowed it to use in this chapter. The lyrics and title of this chapter do not belong to me. They are the property of my brother's band.
Wow. This is probably the longest author's note I've ever written. I will gladly shut up now. On to the story!
*******************************************
It's something you will never know
Just how much you meant to me
Look down deep inside yourself and you will see
What is left after the rain.
(Lyrics borrowed from the song After the Rain)
*******************************************
The sky was gray, the thick layer of dark clouds obscuring the view of the blue heavens. The storm had lessened its fury. Only in the distance could the strikes of lighting be seen jutting ragged paths across the horizon. Filled with the humidity that often comes after such a storm, the air was filled with a dense mist. The mist was all that was left from the downpour that had been falling only a few hours prior.
The evidence of those downpours could be seen on the earth and on the roads all throughout Hobbiton. Large puddles were scattered across the ground, and even where no puddles were present, the ground squished under one's foot from all the moisture.
There was one such puddle right outside a small Hobbit hole in the side of a large hill. Reflected in the clear water of the puddle could be seen the forlorn and weary face of a young Hobbit lad. The wet air made his golden curls hang over his face limply. They almost, but not quite, hid his sorrow-filled brown eyes.
A single large raindrop (or was it a tear?) fell into the puddle, disturbing the calm surface into forming little ripples across the water. With a distracted thought, the young lad mused that the small ripples looked almost like miniatures of what he would imagine ocean waves to look like. But that was silly. Who was he to guess anything about the ocean?
As the lad sat there, he heard the telltale sounds of feet on the wet ground. He didn't look up.
"Sam?" The person behind him spoke quietly. The one small word was followed by silence. Wordlessly, Frodo sat down beside his little friend. For a long moment, they were both silent and avoided each other's gazes.
Suddenly, Sam turned and threw himself at the older lad, burying his face into Frodo's shoulder and sobbing miserably. Frodo knew better than to try to offer any comforting words at this point. He simply held the small lad in a gentle hug and rubbed his back to help soothe the heavy sobs.
At last, Sam raised his tear-streaked face to look at Frodo. His lower lip quivered as he tried to speak. "Mr. Frodo, I think my kite is broken."
Fighting back tears of his own, Frodo held the boy closer. He could hardly bear to see him so distressed. Finally, Frodo leaned over and whispered softly into Sam's ear, "Then I'll help you build a new one."
The clouds broke, and a single ray of sunshine beamed down through the thick mists to bathe the two hobbits in the morning light.
TBC
Shirebound: I'm sorry for leaving you in sadness! *sobs* I wish I didn't have to, but it's kind of required for the story. :0( No matter how much I wish it could, it can't be a bunch of hobbit parties. (I'll save that for another fic)
MLynnBloom: *sobs* I know, I know! *sobs some more*
ShireElf: I'm glad you're enjoying this ShireElf! *hugs*
Loveofthering: The words definitely will echo. I knew when I wrote this, I wanted Sam's mother's last words to him to be very meaningful. I hope I succeeded! (Oh, I don't know if the muse loves me. It seems content in bashing my head with a baseball bat until I write.)
Lemondrop: Yes, lots of hugs for Sam. Hopefully, if we all hug Sam, we can make him feel better. *hugs Sam* I'm glad you liked how I ended the chapter. It was difficult. I wanted to explain to the reader what had happened without actually saying straight out . . .that she . . . *breaks down sobbing*
Fireblade K'Chona: *cries also* Come on, you can help us hug Sam and make him feel better. *more hugs for Sam*
Tavion: Well . . . if want Sam to be happy, you're just going to have to let your imagination take you beyond this story. The happiest you see Sam here, was in the chapter "Kite." I'm sorry.
Michelle Frodo: Well, the rain represents a lot of things. Sometimes, it does represent tears. Other times, it just symbolizes sad things happening (Such as Sam's mother dying). So, the title of this chapter, "After the Rain," is really talking about how Sam fells after his mother has passed away.
Woah! Lots of rambling here, and still more to go! This is the last chapter before a short epilogue I hope to get up soon. Geez, I still cannot believe how far this story has gone! It was originally supposed to be three chapters (if you can believe it).
I know this chapter is very very short. I am well aware of this. There is only a tiny bit of wrapping up to do, and it was not possible to combine this chapter and the epilogue.
NOTE: I was looking at the website of my brother's band the other day, and I found these lyrics to a song a guy in the band wrote. It was just too perfect for this story, so with their permission, I borrowed it to use in this chapter. The lyrics and title of this chapter do not belong to me. They are the property of my brother's band.
Wow. This is probably the longest author's note I've ever written. I will gladly shut up now. On to the story!
*******************************************
It's something you will never know
Just how much you meant to me
Look down deep inside yourself and you will see
What is left after the rain.
(Lyrics borrowed from the song After the Rain)
*******************************************
The sky was gray, the thick layer of dark clouds obscuring the view of the blue heavens. The storm had lessened its fury. Only in the distance could the strikes of lighting be seen jutting ragged paths across the horizon. Filled with the humidity that often comes after such a storm, the air was filled with a dense mist. The mist was all that was left from the downpour that had been falling only a few hours prior.
The evidence of those downpours could be seen on the earth and on the roads all throughout Hobbiton. Large puddles were scattered across the ground, and even where no puddles were present, the ground squished under one's foot from all the moisture.
There was one such puddle right outside a small Hobbit hole in the side of a large hill. Reflected in the clear water of the puddle could be seen the forlorn and weary face of a young Hobbit lad. The wet air made his golden curls hang over his face limply. They almost, but not quite, hid his sorrow-filled brown eyes.
A single large raindrop (or was it a tear?) fell into the puddle, disturbing the calm surface into forming little ripples across the water. With a distracted thought, the young lad mused that the small ripples looked almost like miniatures of what he would imagine ocean waves to look like. But that was silly. Who was he to guess anything about the ocean?
As the lad sat there, he heard the telltale sounds of feet on the wet ground. He didn't look up.
"Sam?" The person behind him spoke quietly. The one small word was followed by silence. Wordlessly, Frodo sat down beside his little friend. For a long moment, they were both silent and avoided each other's gazes.
Suddenly, Sam turned and threw himself at the older lad, burying his face into Frodo's shoulder and sobbing miserably. Frodo knew better than to try to offer any comforting words at this point. He simply held the small lad in a gentle hug and rubbed his back to help soothe the heavy sobs.
At last, Sam raised his tear-streaked face to look at Frodo. His lower lip quivered as he tried to speak. "Mr. Frodo, I think my kite is broken."
Fighting back tears of his own, Frodo held the boy closer. He could hardly bear to see him so distressed. Finally, Frodo leaned over and whispered softly into Sam's ear, "Then I'll help you build a new one."
The clouds broke, and a single ray of sunshine beamed down through the thick mists to bathe the two hobbits in the morning light.
TBC