The next day, Merry and Pippin had gotten over the shock of the previous
night, and were back in the cornfields stealing the sweet corn. However,
they stopped quickly as two figures stepped through.
"You shouldn't be out here alone, you know," said Lyra.
"Yeah, you usually find scarecrows around these parts," grinned Toni.
Lyra and Toni both started laughing, and Merry and Pippin frowned.
"We knew it was you the whole time," declared Merry.
"Yeah," agreed Pippin. "We just wanted you to think that your plan had worked out."
"Yeah right." Lyra and Toni didn't believe them.
"We don't care whether you believe us or not. We'll get you back anyway," said Merry.
Merry and Pippin dropped the sweet corn onto the floor and hurried off. Lyra and Toni hung around for a bit and then headed back to the village.
~*~
Marieke, Lizzie, Mel and Frodo were sitting on one of the grassy hills in the sun. They were chatting eagerly about the night before.
"That was just so funny last night," said Mel. "I don't know how Lyra and Toni came up with the idea."
"They could probably put Merry and Pippin out of business with the jokes that they can cook up," said Frodo.
"Did you see Merry and Pippin's faces when Lyra and Toni grabbed them? That was priceless," laughed Lizzie.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm so glad that I agreed to be part of it," confessed Marieke.
"Yeah, you were really good," praised Lizzie. Marieke blushed right down to the roots of her hair.
"I hope they do something else soon," said Mel. "I've never laughed so much before."
"It is OK for them to do more practical jokes, as long as they do them on Merry and Pippin and no one else," grinned Marieke, regaining her composure.
"Yeah, they deserve it," agreed Frodo. "We've had to suffer their humour for this long, so now it's their turn to suffer."
~*~
But Merry and Pippin had other ideas. They were currently in a small area of woodlands, turning rocks over in search of spiders. Beside them was an empty see-through plastic container with holes punched in the lid.
"Look, there's a big one," said Merry. He pointed to a spider that was almost the size of a tarantula.
"OK," said Pippin. He made no move to get it.
"Well get it then," said Merry impatiently.
"I'm not getting it. You get it," said Pippin.
"No way!" cried Merry. "This was my idea, so you have to grab the spider."
"You first," said Pippin.
"OK then, we'll do rock, paper, scissors to decide who picks it up," announced Merry. "On three. One, two, three!"
Pippin held his hand out flat, as paper, and Merry formed his into a scissor shape.
"Err, best two out of three?" said Pippin hopefully.
"Just get the spider," ordered Merry.
Pippin cringed and grabbed the spider. He practically threw it into the container and slammed the lid on.
"OK, OK, it's in. Can we go now?" begged Pippin.
"No, wait. We still need a feather," said Merry. "Come on, let's go and find one."
Not long after, they'd found the feather. They headed back up to the Shire with Merry carrying the container, and Pippin carrying the feather (Pippin refused to carry the spider twice).
~*~
"What do you think Merry meant when he said he was gonna get back at us?" asked Toni.
"Oh don't worry, he probably didn't even know what he was talking about himself," assured Lyra. "He's not gonna do anything."
"Are you sure?" asked Toni.
"Yes, I'm sure! Now shut up Tone," ordered Lyra. "Look, there's Merry. If you like, I'll go and ask him whether he was joking or not."
They went over to Merry, who was sitting at a small wooden table outside one of the houses.
"Hey Merry! Were you joking when you said you was gonna get back at us?" asked Lyra.
"Err, yeah. Course we were joking. We wouldn't have been able to think of anything," lied Merry.
"See?" said Lyra to Toni.
"OK, OK," said Toni.
"Oh by the way, look what I got," announced Merry, holding up the container with the spider inside.
"Don't!" snapped Toni. "I don't like spiders."
"Really?" enquired Merry.
"That's a problem for you then," said Pippin from behind Lyra and Toni.
Toni jumped, not having known that Pippin was behind them. She turned around and whacked him over the shoulder. Pippin hadn't made Lyra jump, but she followed Toni's pursuit and whacked him as well.
"Ow! What was that for?" asked Pippin, rubbing his shoulder with one hand. He kept his other hand concealed behind his back, since he was carrying the feather.
"You made me jump. I didn't know you was there," said Toni.
"Sorry," apologised Pippin. He turned to Lyra. "So what did you whack me for?"
"I dunno. I felt like it," shrugged Lyra. "So what was you saying about something being a problem for Toni?"
"Oh yeah, didn't Merry tell you that the spider escaped?" asked Pippin.
"Ha ha, very funny," said Toni sarcastically. "I've already seen that the spider's in the container. You're just trying to wind me up."
"Only one of the spiders is in the container," corrected Merry. "We did have two but the other one escaped."
"Where?" asked Toni frantically.
"Right here in the Shire," said Merry.
"When?" enquired Lyra.
"About five minutes ago," replied Pippin.
"And you've gotta be really careful, because they're poisonous," warned Merry.
"Poisonous?" repeated Lyra quietly.
"Yeah, Bilbo taught me some stuff about them. What they do is bite the victim on the neck from behind," described Merry.
Just after Merry had finished speaking, Pippin held up the stick with the feather and tickled the side of Lyra's neck with it. Lyra shuddered but tried to pretend that nothing had happened. However, Toni saw her.
"What? What was it?" she questioned.
"Nothing, I just thought I felt something," answered Lyra.
"Oh, don't say that," moaned Toni.
"Yeah," agreed Pippin. "It could be the spider."
"Oh my God!" cried Merry. "Look out Toni, it's on your shoulder!"
Pippin took the opportunity and tickled Toni with the feather. Toni ran off screaming and swatting at her shoulder, closely followed by Lyra. Merry and Pippin burst out laughing, just as Sam and Rosie came over.
"What was all that about?" asked Sam.
"Yeah, what was wrong with Lyra and Toni?" requested Rosie.
"Toni had a poisonous spider on her shoulder," said Pippin, quickly trying to hide the feather behind his back.
"Yeah right! And you was just carrying the feather for decoration," said Sam sarcastically.
"They deserved it!" cried Merry. "They played a trick on us yesterday. But unfortunately for them, it didn't work. We knew it was a joke straightaway."
"Oh, with the scarecrows," realised Rosie. "So is that why you ran away screaming your heads off?"
Merry and Pippin both flushed and said nothing.
"You shouldn't be out here alone, you know," said Lyra.
"Yeah, you usually find scarecrows around these parts," grinned Toni.
Lyra and Toni both started laughing, and Merry and Pippin frowned.
"We knew it was you the whole time," declared Merry.
"Yeah," agreed Pippin. "We just wanted you to think that your plan had worked out."
"Yeah right." Lyra and Toni didn't believe them.
"We don't care whether you believe us or not. We'll get you back anyway," said Merry.
Merry and Pippin dropped the sweet corn onto the floor and hurried off. Lyra and Toni hung around for a bit and then headed back to the village.
~*~
Marieke, Lizzie, Mel and Frodo were sitting on one of the grassy hills in the sun. They were chatting eagerly about the night before.
"That was just so funny last night," said Mel. "I don't know how Lyra and Toni came up with the idea."
"They could probably put Merry and Pippin out of business with the jokes that they can cook up," said Frodo.
"Did you see Merry and Pippin's faces when Lyra and Toni grabbed them? That was priceless," laughed Lizzie.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm so glad that I agreed to be part of it," confessed Marieke.
"Yeah, you were really good," praised Lizzie. Marieke blushed right down to the roots of her hair.
"I hope they do something else soon," said Mel. "I've never laughed so much before."
"It is OK for them to do more practical jokes, as long as they do them on Merry and Pippin and no one else," grinned Marieke, regaining her composure.
"Yeah, they deserve it," agreed Frodo. "We've had to suffer their humour for this long, so now it's their turn to suffer."
~*~
But Merry and Pippin had other ideas. They were currently in a small area of woodlands, turning rocks over in search of spiders. Beside them was an empty see-through plastic container with holes punched in the lid.
"Look, there's a big one," said Merry. He pointed to a spider that was almost the size of a tarantula.
"OK," said Pippin. He made no move to get it.
"Well get it then," said Merry impatiently.
"I'm not getting it. You get it," said Pippin.
"No way!" cried Merry. "This was my idea, so you have to grab the spider."
"You first," said Pippin.
"OK then, we'll do rock, paper, scissors to decide who picks it up," announced Merry. "On three. One, two, three!"
Pippin held his hand out flat, as paper, and Merry formed his into a scissor shape.
"Err, best two out of three?" said Pippin hopefully.
"Just get the spider," ordered Merry.
Pippin cringed and grabbed the spider. He practically threw it into the container and slammed the lid on.
"OK, OK, it's in. Can we go now?" begged Pippin.
"No, wait. We still need a feather," said Merry. "Come on, let's go and find one."
Not long after, they'd found the feather. They headed back up to the Shire with Merry carrying the container, and Pippin carrying the feather (Pippin refused to carry the spider twice).
~*~
"What do you think Merry meant when he said he was gonna get back at us?" asked Toni.
"Oh don't worry, he probably didn't even know what he was talking about himself," assured Lyra. "He's not gonna do anything."
"Are you sure?" asked Toni.
"Yes, I'm sure! Now shut up Tone," ordered Lyra. "Look, there's Merry. If you like, I'll go and ask him whether he was joking or not."
They went over to Merry, who was sitting at a small wooden table outside one of the houses.
"Hey Merry! Were you joking when you said you was gonna get back at us?" asked Lyra.
"Err, yeah. Course we were joking. We wouldn't have been able to think of anything," lied Merry.
"See?" said Lyra to Toni.
"OK, OK," said Toni.
"Oh by the way, look what I got," announced Merry, holding up the container with the spider inside.
"Don't!" snapped Toni. "I don't like spiders."
"Really?" enquired Merry.
"That's a problem for you then," said Pippin from behind Lyra and Toni.
Toni jumped, not having known that Pippin was behind them. She turned around and whacked him over the shoulder. Pippin hadn't made Lyra jump, but she followed Toni's pursuit and whacked him as well.
"Ow! What was that for?" asked Pippin, rubbing his shoulder with one hand. He kept his other hand concealed behind his back, since he was carrying the feather.
"You made me jump. I didn't know you was there," said Toni.
"Sorry," apologised Pippin. He turned to Lyra. "So what did you whack me for?"
"I dunno. I felt like it," shrugged Lyra. "So what was you saying about something being a problem for Toni?"
"Oh yeah, didn't Merry tell you that the spider escaped?" asked Pippin.
"Ha ha, very funny," said Toni sarcastically. "I've already seen that the spider's in the container. You're just trying to wind me up."
"Only one of the spiders is in the container," corrected Merry. "We did have two but the other one escaped."
"Where?" asked Toni frantically.
"Right here in the Shire," said Merry.
"When?" enquired Lyra.
"About five minutes ago," replied Pippin.
"And you've gotta be really careful, because they're poisonous," warned Merry.
"Poisonous?" repeated Lyra quietly.
"Yeah, Bilbo taught me some stuff about them. What they do is bite the victim on the neck from behind," described Merry.
Just after Merry had finished speaking, Pippin held up the stick with the feather and tickled the side of Lyra's neck with it. Lyra shuddered but tried to pretend that nothing had happened. However, Toni saw her.
"What? What was it?" she questioned.
"Nothing, I just thought I felt something," answered Lyra.
"Oh, don't say that," moaned Toni.
"Yeah," agreed Pippin. "It could be the spider."
"Oh my God!" cried Merry. "Look out Toni, it's on your shoulder!"
Pippin took the opportunity and tickled Toni with the feather. Toni ran off screaming and swatting at her shoulder, closely followed by Lyra. Merry and Pippin burst out laughing, just as Sam and Rosie came over.
"What was all that about?" asked Sam.
"Yeah, what was wrong with Lyra and Toni?" requested Rosie.
"Toni had a poisonous spider on her shoulder," said Pippin, quickly trying to hide the feather behind his back.
"Yeah right! And you was just carrying the feather for decoration," said Sam sarcastically.
"They deserved it!" cried Merry. "They played a trick on us yesterday. But unfortunately for them, it didn't work. We knew it was a joke straightaway."
"Oh, with the scarecrows," realised Rosie. "So is that why you ran away screaming your heads off?"
Merry and Pippin both flushed and said nothing.