Pippin's Leap
He ran along the Brandywine River, panting and looking for any signs of his older cousin. Sure that he was no where in sight, he slipped behind a tree and started to climb.
'He'll never find me here . . .' the young hobbit thought to himself, giggling. He kept climbing the towering tree by the rushing river, being a very skilled climber in his young years.
He found a branch sheltered by leaves, and hopped up to conceal himself within the perfect hiding place. Giggling again, he peered slightly out of the leaves to the ground yards below. He wasn't scared of falling, he never was.
Suddenly he heard someone running up ahead, and hid himself among the leaves once more. The person stopped by the river, examining the area.
"Now where did he run off to . . ." Merry murmured under his breath. He picked up a discarded stick on the ground and trailed it behind him as he walked nearer to a small patch of mossy grass where an apple had fallen from a tree above. Tossing it up in the air and catching it again, he looked up towards the tree. It was fairly big, with clumps of leaves scattering the branches.
"Ok Pip, you can come out now!" Merry called. He frowned. Only his young cousin could manage to escape his careful watch, being the mischievous trouble-maker that he was . . . His ma specifically told him not to lose him while walking out of Brandy Hall, but no, young Pippin always seemed to trick him somehow.
He suddenly saw a lump of leaves shiver in the tree. Smirking, he put the apple in his pocket and dropped the stick, beginning to climb the tree.
"I know where you are, Pip!" he called to the branches up ahead. "You can't hide from your cousin Merry for long; you should know that by now." He heard soft giggling from the leaves up ahead, and Merry planned his surprise attack.
Pippin was curled up in a ball behind the shelter of the leaves, holding his breath. Why did Merry stop climbing?
All of a sudden, he heard a roar and Merry pounced on him, making him scream and fall back from the branch.
"Pippin!" Merry called, but the young hobbit had tumbled over the branch. Luckily, just below that Pippin had managed to grab a hold of another branch, holding on with both small hands.
"Merry!" he cried out, his voice cracking from fear. Just below him the Brandywine rushed by noisily, threatening to take anything that dropped within its depths away.
Merry leaned over the branch he was on and reached his hand out for Pippin to take. Pippin dared not let go of the branch he clung on to.
"Pippin, take my hand! It's Ok, you won't fall while Merry's here."
Pippin whimpered, yet he took a breath and reached out for Merry's arm. He grabbed a hold, and Merry tried leaning over even more to haul him back up to the branch without tumbling over as well. He had a hold of Pippin's small jacket when his grip slipped and the jacket slid off him, his body falling to the water below.
"Pip!" Merry yelled out, still clinging onto the jacket. He watched with horror-filled eyes as his small cousin hit the water below. As quickly as he could, he scurried down the tree, not bothering to climb the lower branches and dropping to the ground. He ran over to the river and was about to jump in when he saw that Pippin had resurfaced, coughing and trying not to be dragged under again.
"Pip! Grab that branch!" Merry cried to him, pointing to a tree branch that dipped into the water near him.
Pippin saw and groped for it, finally catching the branch under his hands and holding on for dear life.
"Now try to crawl to shore! It's right there, just use the branch to help you climb!"
Pippin obeyed. Soon he was lying on the shore opposite Merry, coughing and gasping for air. Merry immediately regretted his idea to walk near the river when venturing out of Brandy Hall.
"Merry!" Pippin called out to him again, sounding scared. "Merry, now what?"
Merry bit his lip, deciding what to do next. The river didn't stop for several miles, and he was worried about leaving Pippin here alone to go back to Brandy Hall for help. "Pip, we have to find a way to get you back across the river."
Pippin wiped the water from his face and whimpered again. "But how can I do that?"
Merry thought about their predicament as Pippin shook the water from his hair. The river was too far to jump, and he was scared of the water dragging him and his cousin away if he tried swimming over to retrieve him. He looked up and saw that the tree they had just climbed had branches that sprawled out all the way across the river, being right next to it. On the other side, another tree was close to it, yet not so close that they were touching. If Pippin could just jump the distance without falling and catch one of the branches, Merry could wait there and pull him to safety.
"Ok Pip, I have an idea!" Merry called to him. After he explained the plan, Pippin's green eyes widened as they followed the branches hanging overheard.
"I can't jump that!" Pippin shrieked, looking terrified.
"Yes you can Pip, I've seen you jump wider spaces than that. Just climb the tree and jump, I'll be right there to catch you."
Pippin looked from his older cousin to the branches, and sniffed. Slowly he got up and walked over to the tree that bore the branch he had grabbed to pull him up to shore, and began to climb. So did Merry on the opposite side.
After several minutes, Merry was positioned on the tree Pippin had fallen off of and Pippin was on the other getting ready to jump.
"W-What if I don't make it?" Pippin asked with a quivering voice.
"You WILL make it," Merry assured him, as Pippin gulped. "C'mon, take a deep breath and just- jump!"
Pippin eyed the branch he was supposed to jump to and climbed out farther on the tree. Taking a breath, he knelt into a springing position and jumped.
Merry was ready. Pippin reached out for the thin branch and grasped it with all his might. Merry crawled forward and pulled him up, hugging him to his body as he shuffled back from the branch. Pippin was shaking next to him. Merry sighed in relief. "You see? That wasn't so bad."
As he said that he heard the thin branch creak. "Er, but let's get down now . . ." Pippin nodded.
Soon they were back on the ground, and Merry sat Pippin down at the base of the trunk and covered him in his jacket.
"I'm sorry Merry," Pippin said, holding his jacket closer for warmth.
Merry shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scared you like that."
"But I shouldn't have sneaked away," Pippin argued. Merry laughed.
"Well it's no ones fault that you're so troublesome. How are you feeling?"
Pippin thought a moment. "Hungry."
Merry laughed again and ruffled his cousin's curly locks. "You're always hungry." He produced the apple he had put in his pocket and gave it to Pippin.
"I know," Pippin replied before biting into the apple.
"C'mon, let's get back to Brandy Hall before Aunt Esmeralda and Uncle Saradoc get worried about us."
* * *
Pippin looked down to the murky water below. What an odd moment for a flashback . . .
"C'mon Pip, Treebeard said we needed to meet him at the tower!"
Pippin's thoughts were disturbed and he looked up to see Merry standing impatiently on the other side of the water and rocks that had built up when the Ents had flooded this place.
"Just jump already!"
Pippin stuck out his tongue in concentration and leaped, catching onto a rock and scrambling up. He continued this routine until he was standing next to Merry on the path to the tower of Isengard. He grinned.
"Easy as cake! Speaking of cake . . . I'm hungry."
Merry rolled his eyes and walked down the path. "You're always hungry," he called over his shoulder. Pippin ran to catch up.
"I know."
THE END
He ran along the Brandywine River, panting and looking for any signs of his older cousin. Sure that he was no where in sight, he slipped behind a tree and started to climb.
'He'll never find me here . . .' the young hobbit thought to himself, giggling. He kept climbing the towering tree by the rushing river, being a very skilled climber in his young years.
He found a branch sheltered by leaves, and hopped up to conceal himself within the perfect hiding place. Giggling again, he peered slightly out of the leaves to the ground yards below. He wasn't scared of falling, he never was.
Suddenly he heard someone running up ahead, and hid himself among the leaves once more. The person stopped by the river, examining the area.
"Now where did he run off to . . ." Merry murmured under his breath. He picked up a discarded stick on the ground and trailed it behind him as he walked nearer to a small patch of mossy grass where an apple had fallen from a tree above. Tossing it up in the air and catching it again, he looked up towards the tree. It was fairly big, with clumps of leaves scattering the branches.
"Ok Pip, you can come out now!" Merry called. He frowned. Only his young cousin could manage to escape his careful watch, being the mischievous trouble-maker that he was . . . His ma specifically told him not to lose him while walking out of Brandy Hall, but no, young Pippin always seemed to trick him somehow.
He suddenly saw a lump of leaves shiver in the tree. Smirking, he put the apple in his pocket and dropped the stick, beginning to climb the tree.
"I know where you are, Pip!" he called to the branches up ahead. "You can't hide from your cousin Merry for long; you should know that by now." He heard soft giggling from the leaves up ahead, and Merry planned his surprise attack.
Pippin was curled up in a ball behind the shelter of the leaves, holding his breath. Why did Merry stop climbing?
All of a sudden, he heard a roar and Merry pounced on him, making him scream and fall back from the branch.
"Pippin!" Merry called, but the young hobbit had tumbled over the branch. Luckily, just below that Pippin had managed to grab a hold of another branch, holding on with both small hands.
"Merry!" he cried out, his voice cracking from fear. Just below him the Brandywine rushed by noisily, threatening to take anything that dropped within its depths away.
Merry leaned over the branch he was on and reached his hand out for Pippin to take. Pippin dared not let go of the branch he clung on to.
"Pippin, take my hand! It's Ok, you won't fall while Merry's here."
Pippin whimpered, yet he took a breath and reached out for Merry's arm. He grabbed a hold, and Merry tried leaning over even more to haul him back up to the branch without tumbling over as well. He had a hold of Pippin's small jacket when his grip slipped and the jacket slid off him, his body falling to the water below.
"Pip!" Merry yelled out, still clinging onto the jacket. He watched with horror-filled eyes as his small cousin hit the water below. As quickly as he could, he scurried down the tree, not bothering to climb the lower branches and dropping to the ground. He ran over to the river and was about to jump in when he saw that Pippin had resurfaced, coughing and trying not to be dragged under again.
"Pip! Grab that branch!" Merry cried to him, pointing to a tree branch that dipped into the water near him.
Pippin saw and groped for it, finally catching the branch under his hands and holding on for dear life.
"Now try to crawl to shore! It's right there, just use the branch to help you climb!"
Pippin obeyed. Soon he was lying on the shore opposite Merry, coughing and gasping for air. Merry immediately regretted his idea to walk near the river when venturing out of Brandy Hall.
"Merry!" Pippin called out to him again, sounding scared. "Merry, now what?"
Merry bit his lip, deciding what to do next. The river didn't stop for several miles, and he was worried about leaving Pippin here alone to go back to Brandy Hall for help. "Pip, we have to find a way to get you back across the river."
Pippin wiped the water from his face and whimpered again. "But how can I do that?"
Merry thought about their predicament as Pippin shook the water from his hair. The river was too far to jump, and he was scared of the water dragging him and his cousin away if he tried swimming over to retrieve him. He looked up and saw that the tree they had just climbed had branches that sprawled out all the way across the river, being right next to it. On the other side, another tree was close to it, yet not so close that they were touching. If Pippin could just jump the distance without falling and catch one of the branches, Merry could wait there and pull him to safety.
"Ok Pip, I have an idea!" Merry called to him. After he explained the plan, Pippin's green eyes widened as they followed the branches hanging overheard.
"I can't jump that!" Pippin shrieked, looking terrified.
"Yes you can Pip, I've seen you jump wider spaces than that. Just climb the tree and jump, I'll be right there to catch you."
Pippin looked from his older cousin to the branches, and sniffed. Slowly he got up and walked over to the tree that bore the branch he had grabbed to pull him up to shore, and began to climb. So did Merry on the opposite side.
After several minutes, Merry was positioned on the tree Pippin had fallen off of and Pippin was on the other getting ready to jump.
"W-What if I don't make it?" Pippin asked with a quivering voice.
"You WILL make it," Merry assured him, as Pippin gulped. "C'mon, take a deep breath and just- jump!"
Pippin eyed the branch he was supposed to jump to and climbed out farther on the tree. Taking a breath, he knelt into a springing position and jumped.
Merry was ready. Pippin reached out for the thin branch and grasped it with all his might. Merry crawled forward and pulled him up, hugging him to his body as he shuffled back from the branch. Pippin was shaking next to him. Merry sighed in relief. "You see? That wasn't so bad."
As he said that he heard the thin branch creak. "Er, but let's get down now . . ." Pippin nodded.
Soon they were back on the ground, and Merry sat Pippin down at the base of the trunk and covered him in his jacket.
"I'm sorry Merry," Pippin said, holding his jacket closer for warmth.
Merry shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scared you like that."
"But I shouldn't have sneaked away," Pippin argued. Merry laughed.
"Well it's no ones fault that you're so troublesome. How are you feeling?"
Pippin thought a moment. "Hungry."
Merry laughed again and ruffled his cousin's curly locks. "You're always hungry." He produced the apple he had put in his pocket and gave it to Pippin.
"I know," Pippin replied before biting into the apple.
"C'mon, let's get back to Brandy Hall before Aunt Esmeralda and Uncle Saradoc get worried about us."
* * *
Pippin looked down to the murky water below. What an odd moment for a flashback . . .
"C'mon Pip, Treebeard said we needed to meet him at the tower!"
Pippin's thoughts were disturbed and he looked up to see Merry standing impatiently on the other side of the water and rocks that had built up when the Ents had flooded this place.
"Just jump already!"
Pippin stuck out his tongue in concentration and leaped, catching onto a rock and scrambling up. He continued this routine until he was standing next to Merry on the path to the tower of Isengard. He grinned.
"Easy as cake! Speaking of cake . . . I'm hungry."
Merry rolled his eyes and walked down the path. "You're always hungry," he called over his shoulder. Pippin ran to catch up.
"I know."
THE END