Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR or any of its characters, or any giant theme parks. I wish they would stop sending me their electric bills.
Chapter 10 I'm Late, I'm Late
Merry and Pippin stood looking in at the entrance to The Shire. Children screamed and ran about, causing Pippin to cringe whenever one got too close.
"I don't want to go back in there, Merry. Please, can't we just hide somewhere?" Pippin begged, trying to tug Merry back. "We could find a nice, quiet closet and wait until they've all gone. No one will miss us..."
"Pippin, we have to work...we signed that contract thingy, remember? Come on, Pippin, it's not so bad..."
"Not so bad? Not so BAD? How can you say that, Merry? If I have to sing that blasted song one more time, I may truly lose what little mind I have left! " exclaimed Pippin. "I won't do it! I won't!"
"I thought it was rather catchy, myself...'It's a world of laughter, a world of tears, a..."
"STOP THAT!" Pippin shouted, putting Merry in a headlock. "I can't stand it anymore! I'd rather be roasting in the belly of the Balrog than hear that song one more time!"
"All right, Pippin, all right, I'll stop! Just let me go," Merry said, his voice muffled from under Pippin's armpit. Merry straightened up, and looked Pippin in the eye. "I'm sorry, but we have no choice, Pippin. We have to go back in." He turned and began to walk back into The Shire.
Pippin sighed and reluctantly followed Merry dragging his big, hairy, plastic feet. He kept his head down, hoping not to be noticed by the screeching urchins who had overrun this section of the park.
The Shire looked nothing like Pippin and Merry's home. Here, the round 'homes' were actually stores where vendors sold shirts, plastic elf ears that were attached to headbands, and plastic feet. Carts were placed here and there selling food and trinkets.
The Party Tree was a misshapen, sickly looking thing strung with tiny lights, half of which didn't light. It stood in the middle of a very bizarre contraption, the likes of which the Hobbits had never seen. Oversized teacups circled round and round the tree. People would sit in the teacups, twirl round and round, and then throw up. Merry and Pippin could not understand why people seemed so anxious to stand in line to get on the thing.
There was a stage set up in the middle of The Shire, and this was where Merry and Pippin were heading.
"Come on Pippin, don't dawdle!" Merry called over his shoulder.
Pippin picked up his pace, and promptly tripped over his big plastic feet, falling on his face.
"Pippin! Stop fooling around. We're late!" Merry dashed back and to help Pippin up.
Pippin stood up and found himself standing face to face with a little girl of about six. The adorable little girl was dressed in a cute little blue dress, and had matching ribbons in her red hair. Pippin forced a smile at the darling child.
The little girl looked at Pippin. She reached out and started yanking on his pointy ear.
"Gimme! Gimme! I want it! I want it NOW!" she shrieked.
"OWW!" Pippin yelled, trying to pull away from iron grip of the little girl.
"Pippin, come on! Stop wasting time!" Merry grabbed Pippin's arm and started pulling him in the opposite direction.
"Gimme! Gimme!" cried the little girl, pulling harder on Pippin's ear.
"Pippin, come on!" Merry yelled, pulling even harder.
Abruptly, the little girl lost her grip on Pippin's ear and sat down firmly on her rump. Merry and Pippin went flying in the opposite direction.
"Oof! Get off of me Pippin!" Merry cried from under Pippin's rear.
Clutching his ear, Pippin climbed to his feet and hissed, "I'm going to hurt her, Merry. I am going to hurt her A LOT!"
"We're Hobbits, Pippin. We don't hurt children," Merry replied, getting up and dusting himself off.
"We can make an exception."
"Come on, we're really late, now," Merry said, leading Pippin by the arm toward the stage. Pippin kept turning around and shooting dirty looks at the little girl, who was still sitting on the ground, screaming her head off.
They climbed the stage and joined several other Hobbits already waiting there. The air filled with the familiar strains of that irritating song and the Hobbits began to sing, bobbing up and down, lifting their hairy, plastic feet in time with the music.
"ARGHHHHHH!"
The Hobbits song was cut off by a scream. Everyone turned to watch something silver flash through the Shire. The silver flash was soon followed by a screaming mass, which seemed to be all arms and legs, and moving incredibly fast. Both were gone in a moment.
"Was that Legolas?" Merry asked Pippin.
"I don't know, it was moving too fast."
The Hobbits faced the audience and began to sing again.
"
Chapter 10 I'm Late, I'm Late
Merry and Pippin stood looking in at the entrance to The Shire. Children screamed and ran about, causing Pippin to cringe whenever one got too close.
"I don't want to go back in there, Merry. Please, can't we just hide somewhere?" Pippin begged, trying to tug Merry back. "We could find a nice, quiet closet and wait until they've all gone. No one will miss us..."
"Pippin, we have to work...we signed that contract thingy, remember? Come on, Pippin, it's not so bad..."
"Not so bad? Not so BAD? How can you say that, Merry? If I have to sing that blasted song one more time, I may truly lose what little mind I have left! " exclaimed Pippin. "I won't do it! I won't!"
"I thought it was rather catchy, myself...'It's a world of laughter, a world of tears, a..."
"STOP THAT!" Pippin shouted, putting Merry in a headlock. "I can't stand it anymore! I'd rather be roasting in the belly of the Balrog than hear that song one more time!"
"All right, Pippin, all right, I'll stop! Just let me go," Merry said, his voice muffled from under Pippin's armpit. Merry straightened up, and looked Pippin in the eye. "I'm sorry, but we have no choice, Pippin. We have to go back in." He turned and began to walk back into The Shire.
Pippin sighed and reluctantly followed Merry dragging his big, hairy, plastic feet. He kept his head down, hoping not to be noticed by the screeching urchins who had overrun this section of the park.
The Shire looked nothing like Pippin and Merry's home. Here, the round 'homes' were actually stores where vendors sold shirts, plastic elf ears that were attached to headbands, and plastic feet. Carts were placed here and there selling food and trinkets.
The Party Tree was a misshapen, sickly looking thing strung with tiny lights, half of which didn't light. It stood in the middle of a very bizarre contraption, the likes of which the Hobbits had never seen. Oversized teacups circled round and round the tree. People would sit in the teacups, twirl round and round, and then throw up. Merry and Pippin could not understand why people seemed so anxious to stand in line to get on the thing.
There was a stage set up in the middle of The Shire, and this was where Merry and Pippin were heading.
"Come on Pippin, don't dawdle!" Merry called over his shoulder.
Pippin picked up his pace, and promptly tripped over his big plastic feet, falling on his face.
"Pippin! Stop fooling around. We're late!" Merry dashed back and to help Pippin up.
Pippin stood up and found himself standing face to face with a little girl of about six. The adorable little girl was dressed in a cute little blue dress, and had matching ribbons in her red hair. Pippin forced a smile at the darling child.
The little girl looked at Pippin. She reached out and started yanking on his pointy ear.
"Gimme! Gimme! I want it! I want it NOW!" she shrieked.
"OWW!" Pippin yelled, trying to pull away from iron grip of the little girl.
"Pippin, come on! Stop wasting time!" Merry grabbed Pippin's arm and started pulling him in the opposite direction.
"Gimme! Gimme!" cried the little girl, pulling harder on Pippin's ear.
"Pippin, come on!" Merry yelled, pulling even harder.
Abruptly, the little girl lost her grip on Pippin's ear and sat down firmly on her rump. Merry and Pippin went flying in the opposite direction.
"Oof! Get off of me Pippin!" Merry cried from under Pippin's rear.
Clutching his ear, Pippin climbed to his feet and hissed, "I'm going to hurt her, Merry. I am going to hurt her A LOT!"
"We're Hobbits, Pippin. We don't hurt children," Merry replied, getting up and dusting himself off.
"We can make an exception."
"Come on, we're really late, now," Merry said, leading Pippin by the arm toward the stage. Pippin kept turning around and shooting dirty looks at the little girl, who was still sitting on the ground, screaming her head off.
They climbed the stage and joined several other Hobbits already waiting there. The air filled with the familiar strains of that irritating song and the Hobbits began to sing, bobbing up and down, lifting their hairy, plastic feet in time with the music.
"ARGHHHHHH!"
The Hobbits song was cut off by a scream. Everyone turned to watch something silver flash through the Shire. The silver flash was soon followed by a screaming mass, which seemed to be all arms and legs, and moving incredibly fast. Both were gone in a moment.
"Was that Legolas?" Merry asked Pippin.
"I don't know, it was moving too fast."
The Hobbits faced the audience and began to sing again.
"