Chapter Three - A Shortcut to Mushrooms
CassieOwls: Well, thanks, but I'm sure that other people have thought of this idea. Meh, life goes on lol. But I'm glad you like it. ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Nope. Not me. All Tolkien. *breaks down* OH WHY GOD WHY??? WHY TOLKIEN AND NOT ME?!?!?!?! *cough* I'm good now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
"YOU GET BACK 'ERE!!" The call rang out loud and clear through Farmer Maggot's cornfield. Four Hobbits ran as fast as they could through the tall stalks, struggling with the piles of vegetables that they held in their hands. At the front of the group was Pippin. Behind him, Lexi, and behind her Merry and Meridol. None of them looked back to see how far away Farmer Maggot was. They just kept running.
Lexi ran as fast as her two legs would go. It was hard work, as the ground was littered with fallen corn cobs and broken stalks and twigs. She was soon severely out of breath, but didn't slow down for a moment. It had been a few months now since the four had taken to stealing from Maggot, and until now, the farmer hadn't noticed a thing. Just their luck that he happened to peer out of his window as Meridol was pulling a carrot out of the ground. And now he was after them, dogs at his side, scyth in his hands.
'He's got to be crazy to think we'd go back!' Lexi thought, glancing behind her quickly. A cabbage slipped out of her hands, and she stooped hurriedly to pick it up. Merry grabbed her arm and pushed her ahead.
"Keep going!" he ordered, out of breath. "Don't worry about one stinking cabbage!"
Lexi continued to run, soon catching up with Pippin again. She could see a path appearing before them, sort of relieved, because maybe they'd be able to lose the farmer once they got there. She heard voices and sped up; they might be friends who could help them. Finally, as if it had taken an eternity, the four Hobbits burst through the stalks of corn. Lexi was taken by surprise as she slammed hard into another, both of them falling to the ground. It took her a moment to pull herself together. She realized after a moment that Merry had run into yet another Hobbit.
She sighed, looking down at the Hobbit who lay beneath her. Her face went pale, then bright red. It was Frodo Baggins. "Frodo?" she stammered. "Pippin! Merry, Meridol! It's Frodo Baggins!"
"Hello, Frodo!" Merry greeted, pulling the other Hobbit to his feet. It was Samwise Gamgee, and he was not exactly thrilled by this sudden meeting. He strode over to Lexi and picked her up, setting her away from Frodo.
"Get off him!" Sam grumbled, helping Frodo to his feet. The Baggins looked over the spilled vegetables that Merry was now hurriedly placing into Sam's arms.
"What's the meanin' of this?" he questioned. Sam looked at the four accusingly.
"You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!"
"Yes," Merry muttered. All heads turned as they heard a dog bark loudly. The farmer's scyth was nearing them. Pippin grabbed Lexi's arm and ran off. Merry and Meridol ran off after them, pulling Frodo with them. Sam, however, stood rooted to his spot. . .until he realized everyone else was gone and dropped the vegetables, flying after them.
"I don't know why he's so upset!" Merry yelled. "It's only a couple of carrots!"
"And some cabbages!" Pippin put in. "And then those three bags of potatoes that we lifted last week. . .and, and then the mushrooms, the week before!"
"Yes, Pippin!" Merry said in exasperation. "My point is he's clearly overreacting! RUN!"
They finally cleared the stalks of corn, only to be greeted by a steep hill. Pippin stopped, looking down the slope carefully. Lexi and Meridol skidded to a stop on either side of him. Merry and Frodo stopped behind them. Sam suddenly came barreling towards them, his eyes still behind him watching for Maggot. Without seeing them stopped in a group, he crashed into the back of Frodo, sending them all toppling down the slope and over a small drop at the end. They landed in a heap on the ground beside the Road. Lexi shook her head and opened her eyes. She gasped softly as she was met by a grinning face and two large blue eyes.
"We have to stop meeting like this, Alexandria." Frodo grinned wider. Lexi blushed, then turned angrily to hide her embarrassment.
"Would you lot get off me?!" she snapped. Sam sat up, Merry and Pippin with him. Meridol swung her feet off of Lexi's back, leaving Lexi to quickly get off of Frodo. He stood brushing himself off.
"Mushrooms!" Pippin cried. Lexi used this as a chance to avert her attention from Frodo, who was still watching her knowingly. All except for Frodo hurried to the patch of mushrooms and began loading them into a bag that had held vegetables before. Frodo, however, walked over to the center of the Road.
"I think we should get off the Road," he said casually, but none of the others were really listening. He looked down the Road and a cry, as if from a horse. Frodo's eyes went wide. "Get off the Road! Quick!" This time the group listened and they all scurried across the Road and jumped down underneath a large alcove made of giant tree roots. Meridol was at one end, Frodo at the other. Lexi sat in between Frodo and Pippin, who was next to Sam, who was next to Merry and Meridol.
Suddenly, as Lexi sat there, a sort of dark, cold feeling came over her. She sat completely still, not daring to move, barely daring to breathe. It was as if all of her worst fears were being brought to life in this one moment, even though she had no idea what was going on. Finally, she gathered the courage to look up. Her gaze traveled through a crack in the roots and then she opened her mouth, almost screaming. She would have if Pippin hadn't quickly covered her mouth with his hand. Her eyes were wide and she was growing frantic, whimpering and her hands clung to Pippin's wrist.
"Shh," Pippin hissed softly to her. She stared up at a large figure in black robes and gauntleted hands. She couldn't see his face, but his prescence made her terrified. Looking around her, she could see that even the bugs were trying to get away from this creature. . .this. . .monster. Lexi wished she were a bug so that she could get away as easily as them.
Merry quickly got an idea and threw the bag of mushrooms off to the side. The creature heard the noise and instantly mounted its disgusting black horse and rode away. Pippin pulled Lexi away, and she only caught a glimpse of Frodo, who looked completely stunned as Sam hurried him along. They ran all the way to a small clearing, where everyone collapsed to the ground to rest. Lexi said with her arms around her knees, her eyes still wide at the memory of the thing.
"What was that?" Merry asked Frodo, but the Baggins didn't reply. He only opened his fist, looking at the object on his palm.
By the time darkness fell, they were running through the trees, keeping their eyes peeled for that black rider. Lexi tried to stay close to Pippin and Merry as she ran. She knew if anyone would protect her from that thing, it would be them.
"Anything?" Pippin called to Frodo.
"Nothing!" came the reply. Pippin walked down to where Frodo stood, Lexi only inches behind him.
"What is going on?" Pippin asked.
"That Black Rider was looking for something," Merry said, walking to Frodo's side, "or someone. Frodo?"
Frodo looked at him, but everyone dropped to the ground when Sam shouted, "Get down!" Away in the distance, the Black Rider appeared.
"We have to leave the Shire," Frodo whispered to Merry. "Sam and I must get to Bree." Merry nodded.
"Bree. . .Buckleberry Ferry. Follow me!" The group immediately stood and hurried through the trees again, keeping a sharp eye for the Black Rider. At first, things were going smoothly. It seemed the Rider was gone. But then, without warning, it popped out from between two trees, the horse neighing loudly and rearing. Lexi screamed, stumbling backwards into Frodo. "Follow me! This way!" Merry shouted over the din. He shot off again, everyone following and shouting. They finally reached the fence separating the woods and the Road, and jumped over it. They ran down the docks and untied the ferry. Lexi looked around as she pulled in the rope.
"Where's Frodo?!" she yelled. They all looked down the Road again. Frodo was running, the Black Rider on his heels. The Hobbits on the dock began shouting wildly at him.
"Run, Frodo!"
"Hurry!"
"Run! Faster!"
Frodo ran down to the end of the docks. "Jump!!" Pippin shouted. Frodo leapt off of the end of the dock, Sam and Lexi reaching out and pulling him onto the ferry. The Black Rider screeched to a stop at the end of the dock, the horse rearing. Then, it turned and rode away up the rode, two more Black Riders joining it.
"How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo asked.
"The Brandywine Bridge," Merry replied. "Twenty miles."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
A/N: Yes, long wait, I know, but hey, I've been busy. Here ya go! Please review! Thanks.
CassieOwls: Well, thanks, but I'm sure that other people have thought of this idea. Meh, life goes on lol. But I'm glad you like it. ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Nope. Not me. All Tolkien. *breaks down* OH WHY GOD WHY??? WHY TOLKIEN AND NOT ME?!?!?!?! *cough* I'm good now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
"YOU GET BACK 'ERE!!" The call rang out loud and clear through Farmer Maggot's cornfield. Four Hobbits ran as fast as they could through the tall stalks, struggling with the piles of vegetables that they held in their hands. At the front of the group was Pippin. Behind him, Lexi, and behind her Merry and Meridol. None of them looked back to see how far away Farmer Maggot was. They just kept running.
Lexi ran as fast as her two legs would go. It was hard work, as the ground was littered with fallen corn cobs and broken stalks and twigs. She was soon severely out of breath, but didn't slow down for a moment. It had been a few months now since the four had taken to stealing from Maggot, and until now, the farmer hadn't noticed a thing. Just their luck that he happened to peer out of his window as Meridol was pulling a carrot out of the ground. And now he was after them, dogs at his side, scyth in his hands.
'He's got to be crazy to think we'd go back!' Lexi thought, glancing behind her quickly. A cabbage slipped out of her hands, and she stooped hurriedly to pick it up. Merry grabbed her arm and pushed her ahead.
"Keep going!" he ordered, out of breath. "Don't worry about one stinking cabbage!"
Lexi continued to run, soon catching up with Pippin again. She could see a path appearing before them, sort of relieved, because maybe they'd be able to lose the farmer once they got there. She heard voices and sped up; they might be friends who could help them. Finally, as if it had taken an eternity, the four Hobbits burst through the stalks of corn. Lexi was taken by surprise as she slammed hard into another, both of them falling to the ground. It took her a moment to pull herself together. She realized after a moment that Merry had run into yet another Hobbit.
She sighed, looking down at the Hobbit who lay beneath her. Her face went pale, then bright red. It was Frodo Baggins. "Frodo?" she stammered. "Pippin! Merry, Meridol! It's Frodo Baggins!"
"Hello, Frodo!" Merry greeted, pulling the other Hobbit to his feet. It was Samwise Gamgee, and he was not exactly thrilled by this sudden meeting. He strode over to Lexi and picked her up, setting her away from Frodo.
"Get off him!" Sam grumbled, helping Frodo to his feet. The Baggins looked over the spilled vegetables that Merry was now hurriedly placing into Sam's arms.
"What's the meanin' of this?" he questioned. Sam looked at the four accusingly.
"You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!"
"Yes," Merry muttered. All heads turned as they heard a dog bark loudly. The farmer's scyth was nearing them. Pippin grabbed Lexi's arm and ran off. Merry and Meridol ran off after them, pulling Frodo with them. Sam, however, stood rooted to his spot. . .until he realized everyone else was gone and dropped the vegetables, flying after them.
"I don't know why he's so upset!" Merry yelled. "It's only a couple of carrots!"
"And some cabbages!" Pippin put in. "And then those three bags of potatoes that we lifted last week. . .and, and then the mushrooms, the week before!"
"Yes, Pippin!" Merry said in exasperation. "My point is he's clearly overreacting! RUN!"
They finally cleared the stalks of corn, only to be greeted by a steep hill. Pippin stopped, looking down the slope carefully. Lexi and Meridol skidded to a stop on either side of him. Merry and Frodo stopped behind them. Sam suddenly came barreling towards them, his eyes still behind him watching for Maggot. Without seeing them stopped in a group, he crashed into the back of Frodo, sending them all toppling down the slope and over a small drop at the end. They landed in a heap on the ground beside the Road. Lexi shook her head and opened her eyes. She gasped softly as she was met by a grinning face and two large blue eyes.
"We have to stop meeting like this, Alexandria." Frodo grinned wider. Lexi blushed, then turned angrily to hide her embarrassment.
"Would you lot get off me?!" she snapped. Sam sat up, Merry and Pippin with him. Meridol swung her feet off of Lexi's back, leaving Lexi to quickly get off of Frodo. He stood brushing himself off.
"Mushrooms!" Pippin cried. Lexi used this as a chance to avert her attention from Frodo, who was still watching her knowingly. All except for Frodo hurried to the patch of mushrooms and began loading them into a bag that had held vegetables before. Frodo, however, walked over to the center of the Road.
"I think we should get off the Road," he said casually, but none of the others were really listening. He looked down the Road and a cry, as if from a horse. Frodo's eyes went wide. "Get off the Road! Quick!" This time the group listened and they all scurried across the Road and jumped down underneath a large alcove made of giant tree roots. Meridol was at one end, Frodo at the other. Lexi sat in between Frodo and Pippin, who was next to Sam, who was next to Merry and Meridol.
Suddenly, as Lexi sat there, a sort of dark, cold feeling came over her. She sat completely still, not daring to move, barely daring to breathe. It was as if all of her worst fears were being brought to life in this one moment, even though she had no idea what was going on. Finally, she gathered the courage to look up. Her gaze traveled through a crack in the roots and then she opened her mouth, almost screaming. She would have if Pippin hadn't quickly covered her mouth with his hand. Her eyes were wide and she was growing frantic, whimpering and her hands clung to Pippin's wrist.
"Shh," Pippin hissed softly to her. She stared up at a large figure in black robes and gauntleted hands. She couldn't see his face, but his prescence made her terrified. Looking around her, she could see that even the bugs were trying to get away from this creature. . .this. . .monster. Lexi wished she were a bug so that she could get away as easily as them.
Merry quickly got an idea and threw the bag of mushrooms off to the side. The creature heard the noise and instantly mounted its disgusting black horse and rode away. Pippin pulled Lexi away, and she only caught a glimpse of Frodo, who looked completely stunned as Sam hurried him along. They ran all the way to a small clearing, where everyone collapsed to the ground to rest. Lexi said with her arms around her knees, her eyes still wide at the memory of the thing.
"What was that?" Merry asked Frodo, but the Baggins didn't reply. He only opened his fist, looking at the object on his palm.
By the time darkness fell, they were running through the trees, keeping their eyes peeled for that black rider. Lexi tried to stay close to Pippin and Merry as she ran. She knew if anyone would protect her from that thing, it would be them.
"Anything?" Pippin called to Frodo.
"Nothing!" came the reply. Pippin walked down to where Frodo stood, Lexi only inches behind him.
"What is going on?" Pippin asked.
"That Black Rider was looking for something," Merry said, walking to Frodo's side, "or someone. Frodo?"
Frodo looked at him, but everyone dropped to the ground when Sam shouted, "Get down!" Away in the distance, the Black Rider appeared.
"We have to leave the Shire," Frodo whispered to Merry. "Sam and I must get to Bree." Merry nodded.
"Bree. . .Buckleberry Ferry. Follow me!" The group immediately stood and hurried through the trees again, keeping a sharp eye for the Black Rider. At first, things were going smoothly. It seemed the Rider was gone. But then, without warning, it popped out from between two trees, the horse neighing loudly and rearing. Lexi screamed, stumbling backwards into Frodo. "Follow me! This way!" Merry shouted over the din. He shot off again, everyone following and shouting. They finally reached the fence separating the woods and the Road, and jumped over it. They ran down the docks and untied the ferry. Lexi looked around as she pulled in the rope.
"Where's Frodo?!" she yelled. They all looked down the Road again. Frodo was running, the Black Rider on his heels. The Hobbits on the dock began shouting wildly at him.
"Run, Frodo!"
"Hurry!"
"Run! Faster!"
Frodo ran down to the end of the docks. "Jump!!" Pippin shouted. Frodo leapt off of the end of the dock, Sam and Lexi reaching out and pulling him onto the ferry. The Black Rider screeched to a stop at the end of the dock, the horse rearing. Then, it turned and rode away up the rode, two more Black Riders joining it.
"How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo asked.
"The Brandywine Bridge," Merry replied. "Twenty miles."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
A/N: Yes, long wait, I know, but hey, I've been busy. Here ya go! Please review! Thanks.
