"Do I have to?!" whined a female hobbit. She had just above shoulder-
length hair, which was light brown in colour with red and blonde streaks.
She also had grey eyes and rosy cheeks.
"I'm afraid so," said an old male hobbit with grey hair.
"But Bilbo, I know Lyra and Toni. I've met them before outside the Shire. They're troublemakers," said the girl.
"Be that as it may Marieke, but I've already told Gandalf that we'll accept them here. They've never set foot in the Shire before, and it's unnatural for hobbits to live outside of it. And I need someone helpful to guide them around for a bit. You're the best person I could think of," explained Bilbo.
Marieke frowned but was secretly pleased that Bilbo first thought of her as the most helpful person in the Shire.
"I suppose I could do it," she said thoughtfully.
"Ha! You're just pleased because I paid you a compliment," laughed Bilbo. Marieke couldn't help laughing either.
"OK, I'll do it," she agreed.
"Good," smiled Bilbo. "And maybe I can get Lizzie Lymer to give you a hand if you need it."
Marieke blushed furiously. It was common knowledge to everyone in the Shire that Marieke was gay. And everyone knew that she liked Lizzie, apart from Lizzie herself.
"Well, they'll be here later on, so I'd best go prepare the village for their arrival," said Bilbo, walking away. Marieke watched him as he went, then turned around and headed off in the other direction.
~*~
Later, Marieke was sitting out on the field at the edge of the Shire, waiting for Lyra and Toni to arrive. She could see two distant figures steadily coming closer. She prepared herself for the worst and went to greet them.
"Hiya!" cried the first to reach Marieke. She had shortish dirty blonde hair. It was cut zigzag at the bottom and looked very stylish. It clashed with her bright blue eyes that looked both mischievous and intellectual at the same time.
"Lyra West," said Marieke. "You've changed since the last time I saw you."
"What about me?" demanded the second. She had very short slightly, slightly messy, dark brown hair. She also had dark brown squinty eyes that seemed clouded with confusion.
"And Toni LaVelle. You haven't changed a bit," smiled Marieke. "Come on then, I'm supposed to show you around the village."
"OK!" said the other two brightly.
Marieke led the way into the heart of the Shire, with Lyra and Toni close behind. Every hobbit they passed watched Lyra and Toni in interest, as Marieke and Bilbo were the only ones who had met them before.
"Friends of yours, Marieke?" asked a male hobbit with short curly ginger hair, and a friendly face.
"Kind of," said Marieke vaguely. "You'd best get used to them, Sam. They're going to be staying here."
"Well I hope to see you both around then," Sam smiled at Lyra and Toni.
"Who was that?" asked Toni after a couple of minutes.
"That was Samwise Gamgee. He's Bilbo's gardener," explained Marieke. "You remember Bilbo, don't you?"
The other two nodded and Marieke continued the tour. They were just about nearing the end of it, when they saw four other hobbits sitting on a low wall not far from Bilbo's house. One male and three females.
"Hi guys," greeted Marieke.
"Hi Marieke, who are your friends?" asked the male. He had short curly dark brown hair, and eerily bright blue eyes.
"This is Lyra West," said Marieke pointing to Lyra. She then turned around and pointed to Toni. "And this is Toni LaVelle."
"Nice to meet you," said the others. They all shook hands.
"I'm Frodo Baggins," said the male. "That's Mel Hunt." He pointed to a girl with light brown, blonde-streaked hair down to her lower back, and green eyes. "That's Lizzie Lymer." He pointed to the next girl, who had long curly red hair, and grey eyes. "And this is Rosie Cotton." He turned to the last girl. She also had long curly red hair and blue eyes.
"Well I think we've pretty much covered the whole village," said Marieke sitting on the wall next to Rosie.
"So what do we do now?" asked Lyra.
"Whatever you want. Go off and have fun," smiled Rosie.
Lyra and Toni grinned and one another and, taking the opportunity, disappeared from sight in an instant.
"Oh no, you shouldn't have said that," groaned Marieke, burying her face in her hands.
"Why not?" asked Mel.
"I've met them before, and I know that they'll take any chance they can to get into some form of trouble," said Marieke.
"Don't worry about it. It's their first time in the Shire. The last thing they're thinking about is probably getting into trouble," reassured Frodo.
"I guess you're right," said Marieke.
Meanwhile, Lyra and Toni were racing through the village.
"Which house did Marieke say was hers?" asked Toni.
"That one, I think," said Lyra, pointing to a small house with a red roof.
"So why are we playing a prank on her?" asked Toni.
"Well, didn't you realise that she seemed a bit off with us today? I don't think she was really that happy to see us. I don't see why not," smirked Lyra. "But the question is, what can we do to her?"
"Hide some beetles in her bed?" suggested Toni.
"Nah, that's boring. We need something better than that," said Lyra.
"I've got an idea!" cried Toni suddenly. "But we're gonna need a couple of things."
A couple of minutes later, Lyra and Toni were hurriedly collecting the things that they needed – a bucket filled with water, a metal hook, and some rope. Once they'd found them, they took them back up to Marieke's house. Since there was nobody at home, they barged through into the front hall.
"So what exactly are we doing?" questioned Lyra.
"I'll explain in a second. Kneel down, so I can climb on your shoulders," ordered Toni.
"Whatever for?" asked Lyra.
"I need to reach the ceiling. Now hurry!"
Lyra knelt down on the floor, and Toni grabbed the metal hook and stood on her shoulders. Lyra straightened up so Toni was able to reach the ceiling. Toni punched a small hole in the wood and screwed the metal hook in.
"Now what?" asked Lyra.
"Pass me up the bucket," said Toni.
Lyra passed the bucket up, careful not to spill any, and Toni hung the handle over the hook.
"Now the rope," commanded Toni.
"Hurry up then, you're killing my shoulders," moaned Lyra.
Lyra held up the rope, and Toni attached the one end to the side of the bucket, then she jumped down from Lyra's shoulders.
"So what's that gonna do?" enquired Lyra.
"Hang on, I'm not finished," said Toni. "Go wait outside, then I'll explain."
Lyra went outside, and Toni closed the door slightly so that there was only the smallest space for her to get out. She tied the other end of the rope to the door handle, and then squeezed out through the gap, closing the door behind her carefully.
"Can you tell me now? Please!" whined Lyra.
"OK, OK. When Marieke opens the door, the rope will tilt the bucket to one side, and all the water will fall out on her," explained Toni. "Good idea, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess," agreed Lyra. "I just wish you hadn't been standing on my shoulders for so long."
"Whatever. Let's go before Marieke gets back," said Toni, and the two girls ran away before they could get caught.
~*~
Later, when it had started to get dark, Marieke decided to head back home. She'd been hanging around with Frodo, Mel, Lizzie and Rosie all day, and had had such a good time that she'd completely forgotten about Lyra and Toni. She reached her house, pulled the door open swiftly and stepped inside. A cascade of freezing cold water fell right over her head.
"AAAHHHH!" screamed Marieke. She pulled at her clothes, which were soaking wet. Having forgotten about Lyra and Toni, she suspected the village troublemakers. "DAMN YOU, MERRY AND PIPPIN!"
"Marieke? What's wrong?" asked Mel, as she came running over, closely followed by Frodo.
"Merry and Pippin are in so much trouble!" fumed Marieke. "They pulled some lame prank and got me completely soaked!"
"I'll tell Bilbo. He'll find them and have them punished," said Frodo, heading off to the house.
"I'll go and see if I've got any spare clothes for you. Just wait here," said Mel, disappearing from view.
Marieke grumbled and sat down on the wall outside the house. Not long after, Frodo returned with Bilbo, both dragging Merry and Pippin with them. Merry and Pippin both burst out laughing when they saw Marieke.
"It's not funny! Now apologise!" spat Bilbo.
"What for? Laughing?" asked Merry.
"No! For playing the trick on her in the first place!" cried Bilbo.
"What trick?" asked Pippin. "We didn't do anything."
"Somebody put a bucket of water on the ceiling and tied it to the door," said Marieke. "And don't play the innocent because I know it was you. Who else could it have been?"
"Could it have been Lyra and Toni? You said they always take the opportunity to get into trouble," pointed out Frodo.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about them," said Marieke.
"Look, what's going on?" asked Merry impatiently.
"Yeah, and who are Lyra and Toni?" enquired Pippin.
"They're just as bad as you two," said Marieke. "And I am going to kill them when I find them!"
"I'm afraid so," said an old male hobbit with grey hair.
"But Bilbo, I know Lyra and Toni. I've met them before outside the Shire. They're troublemakers," said the girl.
"Be that as it may Marieke, but I've already told Gandalf that we'll accept them here. They've never set foot in the Shire before, and it's unnatural for hobbits to live outside of it. And I need someone helpful to guide them around for a bit. You're the best person I could think of," explained Bilbo.
Marieke frowned but was secretly pleased that Bilbo first thought of her as the most helpful person in the Shire.
"I suppose I could do it," she said thoughtfully.
"Ha! You're just pleased because I paid you a compliment," laughed Bilbo. Marieke couldn't help laughing either.
"OK, I'll do it," she agreed.
"Good," smiled Bilbo. "And maybe I can get Lizzie Lymer to give you a hand if you need it."
Marieke blushed furiously. It was common knowledge to everyone in the Shire that Marieke was gay. And everyone knew that she liked Lizzie, apart from Lizzie herself.
"Well, they'll be here later on, so I'd best go prepare the village for their arrival," said Bilbo, walking away. Marieke watched him as he went, then turned around and headed off in the other direction.
~*~
Later, Marieke was sitting out on the field at the edge of the Shire, waiting for Lyra and Toni to arrive. She could see two distant figures steadily coming closer. She prepared herself for the worst and went to greet them.
"Hiya!" cried the first to reach Marieke. She had shortish dirty blonde hair. It was cut zigzag at the bottom and looked very stylish. It clashed with her bright blue eyes that looked both mischievous and intellectual at the same time.
"Lyra West," said Marieke. "You've changed since the last time I saw you."
"What about me?" demanded the second. She had very short slightly, slightly messy, dark brown hair. She also had dark brown squinty eyes that seemed clouded with confusion.
"And Toni LaVelle. You haven't changed a bit," smiled Marieke. "Come on then, I'm supposed to show you around the village."
"OK!" said the other two brightly.
Marieke led the way into the heart of the Shire, with Lyra and Toni close behind. Every hobbit they passed watched Lyra and Toni in interest, as Marieke and Bilbo were the only ones who had met them before.
"Friends of yours, Marieke?" asked a male hobbit with short curly ginger hair, and a friendly face.
"Kind of," said Marieke vaguely. "You'd best get used to them, Sam. They're going to be staying here."
"Well I hope to see you both around then," Sam smiled at Lyra and Toni.
"Who was that?" asked Toni after a couple of minutes.
"That was Samwise Gamgee. He's Bilbo's gardener," explained Marieke. "You remember Bilbo, don't you?"
The other two nodded and Marieke continued the tour. They were just about nearing the end of it, when they saw four other hobbits sitting on a low wall not far from Bilbo's house. One male and three females.
"Hi guys," greeted Marieke.
"Hi Marieke, who are your friends?" asked the male. He had short curly dark brown hair, and eerily bright blue eyes.
"This is Lyra West," said Marieke pointing to Lyra. She then turned around and pointed to Toni. "And this is Toni LaVelle."
"Nice to meet you," said the others. They all shook hands.
"I'm Frodo Baggins," said the male. "That's Mel Hunt." He pointed to a girl with light brown, blonde-streaked hair down to her lower back, and green eyes. "That's Lizzie Lymer." He pointed to the next girl, who had long curly red hair, and grey eyes. "And this is Rosie Cotton." He turned to the last girl. She also had long curly red hair and blue eyes.
"Well I think we've pretty much covered the whole village," said Marieke sitting on the wall next to Rosie.
"So what do we do now?" asked Lyra.
"Whatever you want. Go off and have fun," smiled Rosie.
Lyra and Toni grinned and one another and, taking the opportunity, disappeared from sight in an instant.
"Oh no, you shouldn't have said that," groaned Marieke, burying her face in her hands.
"Why not?" asked Mel.
"I've met them before, and I know that they'll take any chance they can to get into some form of trouble," said Marieke.
"Don't worry about it. It's their first time in the Shire. The last thing they're thinking about is probably getting into trouble," reassured Frodo.
"I guess you're right," said Marieke.
Meanwhile, Lyra and Toni were racing through the village.
"Which house did Marieke say was hers?" asked Toni.
"That one, I think," said Lyra, pointing to a small house with a red roof.
"So why are we playing a prank on her?" asked Toni.
"Well, didn't you realise that she seemed a bit off with us today? I don't think she was really that happy to see us. I don't see why not," smirked Lyra. "But the question is, what can we do to her?"
"Hide some beetles in her bed?" suggested Toni.
"Nah, that's boring. We need something better than that," said Lyra.
"I've got an idea!" cried Toni suddenly. "But we're gonna need a couple of things."
A couple of minutes later, Lyra and Toni were hurriedly collecting the things that they needed – a bucket filled with water, a metal hook, and some rope. Once they'd found them, they took them back up to Marieke's house. Since there was nobody at home, they barged through into the front hall.
"So what exactly are we doing?" questioned Lyra.
"I'll explain in a second. Kneel down, so I can climb on your shoulders," ordered Toni.
"Whatever for?" asked Lyra.
"I need to reach the ceiling. Now hurry!"
Lyra knelt down on the floor, and Toni grabbed the metal hook and stood on her shoulders. Lyra straightened up so Toni was able to reach the ceiling. Toni punched a small hole in the wood and screwed the metal hook in.
"Now what?" asked Lyra.
"Pass me up the bucket," said Toni.
Lyra passed the bucket up, careful not to spill any, and Toni hung the handle over the hook.
"Now the rope," commanded Toni.
"Hurry up then, you're killing my shoulders," moaned Lyra.
Lyra held up the rope, and Toni attached the one end to the side of the bucket, then she jumped down from Lyra's shoulders.
"So what's that gonna do?" enquired Lyra.
"Hang on, I'm not finished," said Toni. "Go wait outside, then I'll explain."
Lyra went outside, and Toni closed the door slightly so that there was only the smallest space for her to get out. She tied the other end of the rope to the door handle, and then squeezed out through the gap, closing the door behind her carefully.
"Can you tell me now? Please!" whined Lyra.
"OK, OK. When Marieke opens the door, the rope will tilt the bucket to one side, and all the water will fall out on her," explained Toni. "Good idea, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess," agreed Lyra. "I just wish you hadn't been standing on my shoulders for so long."
"Whatever. Let's go before Marieke gets back," said Toni, and the two girls ran away before they could get caught.
~*~
Later, when it had started to get dark, Marieke decided to head back home. She'd been hanging around with Frodo, Mel, Lizzie and Rosie all day, and had had such a good time that she'd completely forgotten about Lyra and Toni. She reached her house, pulled the door open swiftly and stepped inside. A cascade of freezing cold water fell right over her head.
"AAAHHHH!" screamed Marieke. She pulled at her clothes, which were soaking wet. Having forgotten about Lyra and Toni, she suspected the village troublemakers. "DAMN YOU, MERRY AND PIPPIN!"
"Marieke? What's wrong?" asked Mel, as she came running over, closely followed by Frodo.
"Merry and Pippin are in so much trouble!" fumed Marieke. "They pulled some lame prank and got me completely soaked!"
"I'll tell Bilbo. He'll find them and have them punished," said Frodo, heading off to the house.
"I'll go and see if I've got any spare clothes for you. Just wait here," said Mel, disappearing from view.
Marieke grumbled and sat down on the wall outside the house. Not long after, Frodo returned with Bilbo, both dragging Merry and Pippin with them. Merry and Pippin both burst out laughing when they saw Marieke.
"It's not funny! Now apologise!" spat Bilbo.
"What for? Laughing?" asked Merry.
"No! For playing the trick on her in the first place!" cried Bilbo.
"What trick?" asked Pippin. "We didn't do anything."
"Somebody put a bucket of water on the ceiling and tied it to the door," said Marieke. "And don't play the innocent because I know it was you. Who else could it have been?"
"Could it have been Lyra and Toni? You said they always take the opportunity to get into trouble," pointed out Frodo.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about them," said Marieke.
"Look, what's going on?" asked Merry impatiently.
"Yeah, and who are Lyra and Toni?" enquired Pippin.
"They're just as bad as you two," said Marieke. "And I am going to kill them when I find them!"