Chapter 4- Ignorance is Bliss
"Demandred, my son! Demandred, where are you?"
Smeagol looked up from the reed he was shaping for a boat. On the bank of the river was his grandmother. She was shading her eyes with one hand as she peered down at her son's dock. In her other hand was a basket; Smeagol hoped it contained lunch.
"Father went into the house for a moment Grandmother," Smeagol called up to the older hobbit, "he should be out again soon, he should."
"Smeagol!" exclaimed his Grandmother, as if she had just noticed him, "how are you my dear, my precious grandson."
She climbed down the ladder that was propped up against the bank and hopped onto the dock. Smeagol put the reed he was working on down and stood up to greet her. She had to look up to be able to talk to Smeagol. During the four years he had been working for his father, he had grown a lot for a hobbit.
"Look at you," gushed his Grandmother, "where has my little Smeagol gone? I suppose you are now too big to squeeze into the small dark holes you used to love to examine."
"I suppose so," agreed Smeagol. He even gave a little laugh to show that he was much too old for such things now, but at the same time he glanced at the Misty Mountains that he still secretly wanted to explore.
Smeagol's grandmother saw the look in his eyes, but she did not get the chance to say anything to him. For at that moment her son returned from the house.
"Mother, it is so very nice to see you, it is, "said Demandred, and he leaned over to give her kiss.
"Of course the only reason that it is nice to me is that I have brought lunch," joked his mother, and Demandred laughed heartily as if he had always been a laughing jolly hobbit.
Demandred was far from jovial though. When his wife died (Smeagol had been only at the age of two), he drew into himself and gave all his time to the boats he built. Of course nobody knew this except for Smeagol. Even Demandred's mother didn't realize the full extent of her son's grief.
"Well then, here you go," said Smeagol's Grandmother as she passed them the basket, "I must be on my way, I must." Then she gave her son and grandson both hugs and a peck on the cheek and left.