There was a terrific storm outside. Rain came down in sheets, wind
howled noisily, and thunder crashed, peppered with a flash of lightning
here and there. Fourteen-year-old Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually called
Merry, and his six-year-old cousin, Peregrin Took, nicknamed Pippin, were
bored out of their minds. They'd played every game Merry knew, sung every
song, and read all Merry's books. Currently, Merry and Pippin were cuddling
on Merry's bed. Merry was singing a song to Pippin, and Pippin was falling
asleep, his head buried in Merry's shoulder. Merry rocked the little lad,
saying, "Go to sleep now, Pippin-lad."
Pippin's attempts at sleep were interrupted when a huge rumble of thunder shook the hobbit-hole. He curled closer into Merry and began to sob. Merry tightened his hold on his little cousin and began to massage circles on his back, whispering, "There, there, Pip, it's ok." Pippin stopped crying and looked into Merry's grayish-blue eyes thoughtfully. Merry smiled, faintly. A mere twitch of his lips, but a smile nonetheless. Pippin planted an impish kiss on Merry's cheek and returned to his original position, shifting only to seize Merry's hand and squeeze it. Merry stroked Pip's hand soothingly, letting him know he was there.
"Merry! Pippin!" called Merry's mom, Esmeralda. "Time for lunch, so wash up and come join us."
"Come on, Pippin-lad," Merry said, "it's time for lunch."
"Mmm," said Pippin sleepily. "What are we having?"
"I don't know. It depends on what the cooks fixed," Merry replied, his words punctuated by a rumble from his empty stomach.
Merry stood up and headed towards the bathroom, Pippin still in his arms. Halfway to the bathroom, he set Pip down, for his arms were going numb. Pippin and Merry continued on, hand-in-hand. When the pair got to the bathroom, Merry washed his hands well, and with soap and water. Pippin, on the other hand, didn't use soap, and he scarcely wet his hands. Merry, however, did not let him get away with it! He just pointed to the sink and said, "Come, now, Pippin-lad, be a good little hobbit and cleanse your hands." Pippin saw that he wasn't going to get his way, so he pouted, but did as he was told.
"Honestly, Pip. What would I do without you spicing things up around Brandy Hall?" Merry sighed.
Pippin giggled. "You'd be one fed up hobbit," Pippin replied.
"I suppose you're right," Merry answered.
Merry and Pippin had reached the kitchen, so they found their places and sat down. As they waited for the food, Pippin told the most annoying joke in the history of Middle-Earth. It went on for some ten minutes. This was why, by the time the cooks brought out the food, Merry was becoming irritated with Pippin. The cooks set out a hearty stew, some freshly baked bread, and a salad. Merry and Pippin piled their plates with the good food and ate and ate and ate. At last, after elevensies, both hobbits were sated.
"Ohh," moaned Merry. "I ate too much!"
"Me, too," agreed Pippin, suppressing a small burp.
Merry hoisted Pippin onto his hip and carried him to his room, buried deep in Brandy Hall. The two were so full from their lunch that they collapsed on Merry's soft bed and fell asleep. Pippin curled into Merry, breathing in his musky scent, and wrapped his little arms around Merry's waist, careful to not grip him too firmly. Merry's eyes fluttered and he ran a hand through Pippin's curls and caressed his soft cheek.
"I love you, Pippin," he mumbled, and fell into a deep slumber.
"Love you, too, Merry," Pippin muttered.
When Merry awoke later, he noticed that Pippin was gone, but he didn't think much of it and fell back into a slumber. Pippin tiptoed into the room and set a secret something on Merry's dresser and snuggled into Merry's warm embrace. He fell asleep almost instantly, and rolled over, draping one arm over his Merry. Merry stirred and glanced at the sleeping bundle that was his cousin. Then he smelled something appetizing.
Whatever it was, it smelled of chocolate and berries, two of Merry's favorite things. He got up and followed the scent to his dresser. Several bowls of chocolate mousse topped with raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries sat there, waiting for the two hobbits. Merry smiled; so that was what Pippin had been up to earlier: getting dessert for him and Merry. He grabbed one and took a spoonful. Yum! The mousse was wonderful!
Merry shook Pippin to rouse him. Pippin yawned and sat up groggily, raising one hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes.
"What's the matter, Merry?" he yawned. "Didn't you see that I was sleeping?"
"Yes, but don't you want your dessert?" Merry replied.
"Dessert?" Pippin repeated. "Yes, please!"
Merry handed him a bowl of mousse, and the two sat in complete silence for a few minutes, eating their desserts. Then Pippin set his half-empty bowl aside and looked at Merry.
"What is it, Pippin-lad?" asked Merry soothingly.
"When are you going to quit being my Merry?" Pippin replied.
Merry took a bite of his dessert and swallowed thoughtfully. "When am I going to quit being your Merry?" he repeated. "What makes you think that, little one?"
"Well, my sister, Pearl, used to be Pimpernel's Merry, and now that she's twenty, she pays her no attention," Pip replied.
"Oh, Pippin," Merry sighed. "I am never going to be like Pearl, not in a million years. I'll always be your Merry—if, and only if, you promise me one thing."
"What's that?" Pippin questioned.
"That you'll always be my Pippin," Merry replied.
"Of course," Pippin replied.
"Good. Now, let's finish our desserts," said Merry.
Merry and Pippin slurped away at the mousse, and when they were finished, Merry took the bowls into the kitchen. When he returned, he found Pippin standing at the window gazing outside.
"Hey!" Pippin squealed. "It stopped raining!"
"Aye. That it has," Merry replied. "Did you want to play outside or something?"
"Aye," Pippin said solemnly.
"Come on, then, Pippin-lad," Merry replied, lifting Pippin into his arms. They headed outside. The first thing they did was play hide-and-seek, but Pippin had trouble hiding. He always hid somewhere that Merry could find him easily. When both Pippin and Merry tripped and fell into a huge mud puddle, Merry knew it was time to head in, because they were absolutely covered with mud.
They wiped their furry feet so they wouldn't track mud into the house and headed to the bathroom to take a bath. Merry got the water running, grabbed some towels, and then began to undress Pippin. Merry folded Pippin's filthy clothing and began undressing himself, laying his own clothes next to Pippin's.
Suddenly Merry snapped his fingers. "I'll be right back, Pip. Don't leave the room." As soon as Merry was gone, Pippin ran from the room and hid in a nearby broom closet. When Merry returned with his rubber ducks for Pippin, he got mad. Pippin wasn't in the room, and he'd told Pip to stay there while he was gone! Merry heard giggling coming from somewhere, so he figured Pippin was hiding. He opened the door to the broom closet and peered inside.
"Great job, Merry!" said Pippin. "You found me!"
"PIPPIN!" Merry shouted. "DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO LEAVE THE ROOM?"
Pippin's mouth drew down and his green eyes filled up. "I'm sorry, Merry."
"It's ok, Pip," Merry replied.
The two got into the bath and emerged a half-hour later squeaky clean. After bath time came supper, and after supper, more dessert, and finally bedtime. It wasn't until Merry and Pippin were snug in bed, that Merry was finally happy, because it'd been a long day.
Pippin's attempts at sleep were interrupted when a huge rumble of thunder shook the hobbit-hole. He curled closer into Merry and began to sob. Merry tightened his hold on his little cousin and began to massage circles on his back, whispering, "There, there, Pip, it's ok." Pippin stopped crying and looked into Merry's grayish-blue eyes thoughtfully. Merry smiled, faintly. A mere twitch of his lips, but a smile nonetheless. Pippin planted an impish kiss on Merry's cheek and returned to his original position, shifting only to seize Merry's hand and squeeze it. Merry stroked Pip's hand soothingly, letting him know he was there.
"Merry! Pippin!" called Merry's mom, Esmeralda. "Time for lunch, so wash up and come join us."
"Come on, Pippin-lad," Merry said, "it's time for lunch."
"Mmm," said Pippin sleepily. "What are we having?"
"I don't know. It depends on what the cooks fixed," Merry replied, his words punctuated by a rumble from his empty stomach.
Merry stood up and headed towards the bathroom, Pippin still in his arms. Halfway to the bathroom, he set Pip down, for his arms were going numb. Pippin and Merry continued on, hand-in-hand. When the pair got to the bathroom, Merry washed his hands well, and with soap and water. Pippin, on the other hand, didn't use soap, and he scarcely wet his hands. Merry, however, did not let him get away with it! He just pointed to the sink and said, "Come, now, Pippin-lad, be a good little hobbit and cleanse your hands." Pippin saw that he wasn't going to get his way, so he pouted, but did as he was told.
"Honestly, Pip. What would I do without you spicing things up around Brandy Hall?" Merry sighed.
Pippin giggled. "You'd be one fed up hobbit," Pippin replied.
"I suppose you're right," Merry answered.
Merry and Pippin had reached the kitchen, so they found their places and sat down. As they waited for the food, Pippin told the most annoying joke in the history of Middle-Earth. It went on for some ten minutes. This was why, by the time the cooks brought out the food, Merry was becoming irritated with Pippin. The cooks set out a hearty stew, some freshly baked bread, and a salad. Merry and Pippin piled their plates with the good food and ate and ate and ate. At last, after elevensies, both hobbits were sated.
"Ohh," moaned Merry. "I ate too much!"
"Me, too," agreed Pippin, suppressing a small burp.
Merry hoisted Pippin onto his hip and carried him to his room, buried deep in Brandy Hall. The two were so full from their lunch that they collapsed on Merry's soft bed and fell asleep. Pippin curled into Merry, breathing in his musky scent, and wrapped his little arms around Merry's waist, careful to not grip him too firmly. Merry's eyes fluttered and he ran a hand through Pippin's curls and caressed his soft cheek.
"I love you, Pippin," he mumbled, and fell into a deep slumber.
"Love you, too, Merry," Pippin muttered.
When Merry awoke later, he noticed that Pippin was gone, but he didn't think much of it and fell back into a slumber. Pippin tiptoed into the room and set a secret something on Merry's dresser and snuggled into Merry's warm embrace. He fell asleep almost instantly, and rolled over, draping one arm over his Merry. Merry stirred and glanced at the sleeping bundle that was his cousin. Then he smelled something appetizing.
Whatever it was, it smelled of chocolate and berries, two of Merry's favorite things. He got up and followed the scent to his dresser. Several bowls of chocolate mousse topped with raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries sat there, waiting for the two hobbits. Merry smiled; so that was what Pippin had been up to earlier: getting dessert for him and Merry. He grabbed one and took a spoonful. Yum! The mousse was wonderful!
Merry shook Pippin to rouse him. Pippin yawned and sat up groggily, raising one hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes.
"What's the matter, Merry?" he yawned. "Didn't you see that I was sleeping?"
"Yes, but don't you want your dessert?" Merry replied.
"Dessert?" Pippin repeated. "Yes, please!"
Merry handed him a bowl of mousse, and the two sat in complete silence for a few minutes, eating their desserts. Then Pippin set his half-empty bowl aside and looked at Merry.
"What is it, Pippin-lad?" asked Merry soothingly.
"When are you going to quit being my Merry?" Pippin replied.
Merry took a bite of his dessert and swallowed thoughtfully. "When am I going to quit being your Merry?" he repeated. "What makes you think that, little one?"
"Well, my sister, Pearl, used to be Pimpernel's Merry, and now that she's twenty, she pays her no attention," Pip replied.
"Oh, Pippin," Merry sighed. "I am never going to be like Pearl, not in a million years. I'll always be your Merry—if, and only if, you promise me one thing."
"What's that?" Pippin questioned.
"That you'll always be my Pippin," Merry replied.
"Of course," Pippin replied.
"Good. Now, let's finish our desserts," said Merry.
Merry and Pippin slurped away at the mousse, and when they were finished, Merry took the bowls into the kitchen. When he returned, he found Pippin standing at the window gazing outside.
"Hey!" Pippin squealed. "It stopped raining!"
"Aye. That it has," Merry replied. "Did you want to play outside or something?"
"Aye," Pippin said solemnly.
"Come on, then, Pippin-lad," Merry replied, lifting Pippin into his arms. They headed outside. The first thing they did was play hide-and-seek, but Pippin had trouble hiding. He always hid somewhere that Merry could find him easily. When both Pippin and Merry tripped and fell into a huge mud puddle, Merry knew it was time to head in, because they were absolutely covered with mud.
They wiped their furry feet so they wouldn't track mud into the house and headed to the bathroom to take a bath. Merry got the water running, grabbed some towels, and then began to undress Pippin. Merry folded Pippin's filthy clothing and began undressing himself, laying his own clothes next to Pippin's.
Suddenly Merry snapped his fingers. "I'll be right back, Pip. Don't leave the room." As soon as Merry was gone, Pippin ran from the room and hid in a nearby broom closet. When Merry returned with his rubber ducks for Pippin, he got mad. Pippin wasn't in the room, and he'd told Pip to stay there while he was gone! Merry heard giggling coming from somewhere, so he figured Pippin was hiding. He opened the door to the broom closet and peered inside.
"Great job, Merry!" said Pippin. "You found me!"
"PIPPIN!" Merry shouted. "DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO LEAVE THE ROOM?"
Pippin's mouth drew down and his green eyes filled up. "I'm sorry, Merry."
"It's ok, Pip," Merry replied.
The two got into the bath and emerged a half-hour later squeaky clean. After bath time came supper, and after supper, more dessert, and finally bedtime. It wasn't until Merry and Pippin were snug in bed, that Merry was finally happy, because it'd been a long day.