I am so sorry that it took me this long to update, summer has been an extremely busy time for me. But I hope you'll forgive me, I promise updates will be much quicker this time. And to answer some questions, after this chapter, there are only two more.
Replies to reviews:
Anarane - Thank you for all your comments, and please continue to read and review!
Weaver of Words - I'm glad you enjoy the cheeky side of the Gamgee children's character, I could always imagine them as innocently getting away with things!
Gamgeefest – I agree that stopping the chess game would be very much something that Bilbo would do! After all, he was a very proud hobbit! And to answer your question, there are two more chapters after this, only one of them contains a memory. I'll have to leave you guessing about what happens in the last one!
Gina – I love the way your reviews mention which parts specifically you enjoyed in my stories, they give me great feed back as to what and how exactly I should write the next chapter. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
laurajslr - my exams went fine thank you, I hope yours were ok too. I also hate revising, but I have found a fool proof method, I simply listen to my lord of the rings soundtracks, and I find I can concentrate better. I can also play chess, though, like you, not very well. I'm glad your enjoying my story! Please continue to review!
No1fan – I do indeed have the ability to communicate with some of my very best friends without having to say a word. And I agree, I am very gifted to share this bond. And sending someone to bed without them realise that they had won the game of chess is something I could very well imagine my own Grandad doing, as he was the one person I used to play chess with! Thank you for all your comments!
Obelia medusa – Indeed I have just started my last year of college, and after that, I'm off to University! Any ideas I have often start off with one single element, and then I add the rest as I go. For example, some chapters I start off with an object and build a story round it, or other times, I start off with the memory and input an object. In this case, I started off with the older Gamgee story, and built a memory and a story round it. And of course, I would not have left Frodo to deal with Bilbo's leaving on his own; I based that chapter on an old saying "A real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out"
Samwise the Brave – I always end up blushing whenever I read your reviews, I really do! You give me such a good feeling, and often it makes me feel better about my talents. For part of this chapter I was rather stuck, but I remembered what you said, and I managed to write it, so thank you for your help! And you yourself are on my absolutely, no doubt in the whole universe best reviewers list'!
Shire Elf – I always welcome new reviewers! My idea about friendship, to answer your previous question, comes from my own very best friend, who I can never thank enough for everything she means to me! So hang your coat up on the hook, help yourself to some cake, and settle yourself in the chair for another chapter!
My Very Own Sam – I don't think we play backgammon wrong at all, I think your dad just changes the rules to allow himself to win! And I do spell check, but I am rubbish at things like that, it's your job to do my spell checking! And look on the bright side, you no longer have to look for sites on Pearl Harbour! And yes, your review was a wonderful size thank you!
Althea – It's ok that you have not reviewed before, at least you got round to it now! I'm glad you are enjoying my story, and please continue to review, as I write and post especially for those people who take pleasure from my writing!
Cosmo-queen - I am privileged to have been the first one on your list! I hope you enjoyed your holidays! Unfortunately mine are over now, and I have to get back to work! I'm glad you enjoyed my characterising of Bilbo, I know he is one of your favourite character, so I always make sure to get him just right for you! And yes I totally agree, I can imagine Bilbo and Gandalf enjoying a good game of chess! Why on earth do you need a Sam? I hope that your problems have sorted themselves, if not, please don't hesitate to contact me regarding them! Which reminds me, I have not heard from you in a while, I do hope everything is ok!
Shirebound – I totally forgive you for taking so long to review, only if you forgive me for taking so long to update! Because yes, life gets in the way! And as regards to my use of the word yeah, I figured that Frodo would have been in a state of distress, and so would not have been concentrating on his use of words. Also, he was with Sam at the time, and as Sam would have used such words, I think Frodo would have taken on some of his speaking habits.
OO
Memories of a Gardener
By Michelle Frodo
Chapter 15- Of Water and Bravery
OO
It was a clear spring morning. It had rained a few days previous, and Ivy couldn't help thinking that everywhere looked as though it had been washed. Even the sky sparkled. Butterflies were chasing each other through the grasses, and rabbits were eating contentedly, as the sun shone down crisp and clear. Ivy wanted nothing else other then to run and dance freely among the fields. She ran up the pathway to where her grandfather was walking hand in hand with her grandmother.
"Grandpa', where are we goin'?" she asked.
"We're goin' down to the stream for a picnic, I've told you twice this mornin' already, do you never listen?" Sam smiled down at his granddaughter. Ivy's mother Primrose was expecting again, the baby was due any day now, and so Ivy had been sent for a few weeks to live with her grandparents in Bag End. "Can I run on ahead? I feel like I have to run, it's such a nice day." The child pleaded.
"If you must." Smiled Rose. "But don't go on too far now, stay where we can hear you please."
"I will." Ivy smiled, and with that, she bounded off along the path, jumping and skipping as she went.
"That child is so like her mother its untrue." Sam grinned. As a child Primrose had been able to here the whispers in the grass, and feel the smiles of the birds. Now, dancing and twirling ahead of them, Rose and Sam could feel the same air of energy and excitement coming from Ivy.
As she danced closer and closer ahead, Ivy could hear the stream splashing and tumbling on its journey to join the river. She came to where the path forked left and right, and she was unsure which way her Grandfather wanted to go. So she stopped and waited for them to catch up. Just across the grass ahead of her, Ivy could see the cool waters of the stream. A frog suddenly hopped out of the grass and onto the road where Ivy was standing. She bent down to have a look at him.
"Hello Mr Frog." She said. "Are you lost?" The frog said nothing, just continued to stare at Ivy through large black eyes. "I think you must be lost. The stream is that way." Ivy pointed. Still the frog said nothing.
"Grandpa?" Ivy called over her shoulder to her Grandfather. "I think this frog is lost."
Sam came up behind his granddaughter, while Rose held back, she had never liked frogs.
"He ain't lost petal." Sam said. "He's lookin' for food. Watch." They sat together in silence for a few seconds, watching for the frog to do something. When a small black beetle came scurrying along the path, the frog stuck out its pink tongue and licked it up.
"Frogs eat beetles?" Ivy asked in amazement.
"They do indeed. That was his dinner. Now come along, before your grandma eats all of ours."
Ivy continued to skip along the path, talking to the birds and animals as she went. Eventually the three came to a nice quiet spot along the bank of the river, which wasn't to steep, and stopped to eat the sandwiches and cake that Rose had packed for them.
As she was eating, Ivy continued to survey her surroundings. She watched the rabbits feeding on the juicy grass, watched as the blackbirds sang to each other, and especially she watched the fish darting back and forward in the water.
"I wish I could swim like that." She mused. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in the water, an' to feel like you were flyin' when you moved."
"I could teach you to swim if you'd like." Sam said, taking a bite out of a piece of jam tart.
"Truly grandpa? You can swim like the fish?" Ivy asked, her eyes shining in excitement.
"Well, maybe not quite as well as the fish, but as well as any hobbit in these parts I'll wager."
"Then can you teach me? Let's go now! Let's swim with the fish Grandpa!" and Ivy made a dash towards the water, as though she expected to be able to jump in and become a fish herself.
"Hold your horses Ivy, we're not to swim on a full stomach, that's one of the first things you must learn, never swim straight after eatin'."
Ivy came walking slowly back, looking dejected, and sat on the ground with a bump, a big frown on her face.
"Cheer up love." Rose said. "Maybe your grandpa will tell you a story while we're waitin'."
Ivy's face brightened at once. "Will you really grandpa?"
Sam sighed. He had been looking forward to a good snooze in the sun, but he could never resist that face. He sat up, and leaned against the back of the tree.
"Tell me a story about swimmin' grandpa." Ivy said, and settled down in a little dip in the grass.
OO
It was the hottest summer on Shire record. The sun beat down unmercifully on the inhabitants of Hobbiton. There had been little rain for nearly three weeks. Nobody was working, it was simply too hot. Dehydration and heat exhaustion had kept even the most determined workers from doing much. Nobody had picked up a spade or farmed any land for four days. It had been 3 years since Bilbo had left, and Merry and Pippin were visiting Bag End.
Frodo and his cousins were passing the time of day in the shade of a huge oak, all three lay with their eyes closed, as though asleep.
"If anybody smells anything burning" Merry proclaimed "It's me."
"Don't be silly Brandybuck." Frodo answered sleepily. "Nobody can be as hot as I am"
"That's where your both wrong" Pippin chipped in. "I must be the hottest hobbit in the whole of Middle Earth." That was the opening Frodo and Merry had been waiting for.
"In that case" Frodo said "You had better go and get yourself another jug of water."
"And while you're there" Merry added, "Get us one too."
Pippin didn't move. Had the day been any cooler, Merry and Frodo may have decided to jump on Pippin and tickle him into submission, but it was just too hot to bother.
"If anyone smells anything burning" Merry began again, and so round and round it went.
Merry and Pippin would have carried on all day with the stupid conversation, neither wanting to be the first to give in. But Frodo was fed up and thirsty. He was just about to say that he would go and get the water, if only to shut them up, when Sam came walking towards them with four jugs in his hands. Frodo sat up, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand.
"Sam" He said, "You're a marvel."
"Well, couldn't rightly have you all burnin' to hobbit bacon out here could I?" Sam answered with a smile. Pippin and Merry opened their eyes and sat up as well.
"Brilliant" Merry said, excepting the jug from Sam and taking a large gulp.
"Oh and here" Sam said, as he pulled four crisp apples out of his pocket and handed them round.
"Pull up a bit of grass Sam?" Frodo asked, indicating that he should sit and join them, which Sam did.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, eating and drinking contentedly. Merry considered the last bit of water in the bottom of his jug, and rather then drinking it, he promptly poured it over his head. Pippin snorted in amusement, having just drank the remaining mouthful of his own water. Frodo and Sam laughed as the water dripped from Merry's hair down his rosy cheeks, and he was momentarily cooled from the day's heat.
"You know," said Frodo thoughtfully, sill chuckling "That's given me an idea. How do you fancy going for a swim in the river?"
"Great!" said Pippin, enthusiastically standing up. So the four set off for the river.
XXX
Possibly the best thing about the idea was that most hobbits in Hobbiton couldn't swim, and hated the water, so the river was relatively quiet, save for the few who were fishing on the bank. They had very little hope of catching anything really, but it was the perfect disguise when you wanted to look like you were doing something productive, but were really doing nothing at all.
Frodo, Merry and Pippin had been taught to swim in their youth, and were looking forward to a good splash about.
Merry could never resist a challenge. When they were younger, he was always having bets and dares with Frodo and Pippin. The only thing Pippin ever beat him at was eating.
When the river came into sight, they all knew what was coming. Sure enough, Merry cried "race you to the other side!"
It was a pointless exercise really. Merry always won anything like this; he was by far the most athletic. Nevertheless, Frodo and Pippin ran after him into the river. They felt the heat of the day drain off them as they splashed into the cool water. As predicted, Merry reached the far side first, followed by the other two. It was only when they all turned round and saw Sam still stood on the shore, that they remembered he couldn't swim.
They swam back to him, until they could stand up. "Oh I am sorry Sam, I had completely forgotten you didn't like the water." Frodo said apologetically.
"You must at least come in just to where you can stand up." Pippin suggested.
"I don't think so Master Pippin. You three go ahead, I'm quite happy to stand here an' watch."
"Come on Sam, its lovely and cool."
"I should imagine it is." Sam answered. "But I'd rather not find out."
"You'll feel better Sam, it really is lovely. Come in a little at least, nothing will happen to you if you only come up to your stomach." Frodo tried.
They managed to get Sam in as far as his knees.
"An' I ain't goin' no further." Sam protested. "I'm right afraid of water any deeper then you'd find in a bath tub. I'll stay here, you go ahead."
Frodo was reluctant to leave Sam stood by himself, but suddenly Pippin splashed him, so he had to turn round and answer with a bigger splash.
Sam had a great distrust of the water, and he never did understand why Frodo didn't. After all, his parents had been drowned. Yet there he was, only just able to stand up, splashing away without a care in the world. Some people might have called it foolishness, or stupidity. But Sam knew that Frodo was neither a fool, nor was he stupid.
In Sam's opinion, not that it really counted for much, it was Frodo's determination that made him swim. His belief in being able to face you fears and conquer them made Frodo one of the bravest hobbits Sam had ever met. It was this perception on life that would enable him to achieve great things in life. Of this Sam was sure.
Merry, Pippin and Frodo were jumping into deeper water off the bank on the other side of the river. Sam shuddered as he watched their faces go under the water, and he waited anxiously every time for whomever it was to resurface. Even the thought of being completely immersed in that much water made him tingle to the ends of his toes.
Merry and Pippin had now taken to swinging into the water off a low branch on a near by tree. When Frodo's turn came, he grabbed hold of the branch, pushed himself off the bank, let go and dropped down when he was over the water. Merry and Pippin cheered, but when Frodo resurfaced he cried out in pain.
"Mr Frodo!" Sam called at the top of his lungs. As neither of the hobbits in the water were within standing depth, Merry and Pippin had swam over to Frodo, and were now trying to drag Frodo through the water as best they could manage without using their feet. Meanwhile Sam, forgetting his fear in his urgency to help his injured friend, had run straight into the water up to his shoulders, and the three of them managed to heave Frodo out onto the river side, and clamber up after him.
Sam held Frodo's hand tight within his own, and he felt Frodo squeeze his hand in an attempt to stop himself crying out.
"Mr Frodo, what's the matter?"
"It's….It's…my foot." Frodo managed between sharp intakes of breath. Merry and Pippin held his foot up to take a look. Merry gasped, and Pippin turned a funny green colour.
A sharp edged rock had impaled itself into the base of Frodo's foot, just beneath his toes. He was obviously in a lot of pain.
"I'm going to have to pull it out." Merry said. "Sam, do you have a clean handkerchief?" Sam produced a wet one from his pocket, not letting go of Frodo's hand.
"Ready?" Merry asked Frodo, as though asking permission, and looking as though he wasn't absolutely certain what he was doing.
Frodo closed his eyes, squeezed Sam's hand, and nodded. Merry took hold of the stone, closed his own eyes, and yanked it out.
Frodo bit his lip to stifle a cry. Blood poured out of the deep gash in his foot. Merry used Sam's handkerchief to bandage the cut, and Pippin ran behind a hedge to be sick.
Merry handed the stone to Sam while he made sure the bandage was tight enough to stop the bleeding. Sam showed Frodo what they had just pulled out of his foot. The stone was about the same length as Sam's middle finger. Hundreds of years on the riverbed had worn one edge into a sharp point, which had pierced Frodo's foot when he jumped on top of it.
Pippin appeared from the other side of the bush with a grin. "Look who I found." He said.
Dr Proudfoot and his family had been enjoying a nice picnic when Pippin had burst into the middle of them in the process of being sick. Of course, being a doctor, he had wanted to know what the matter was. Now he bent down to examine Frodo's foot.
When Merry had removed the stone, the pain had lessened somewhat, and Frodo was sat up, leaning on his elbows, watching the doctor.
Sam still hadn't let go of his master's hand. He was only a simple gardener, and couldn't doctor wounds very well, so he felt very useless in that area. But by holding Frodo's hand, he hoped he was offering some form of comfort.
"It doesn't look all that deep Frodo, I should imagine it will heal in a few days." Said the doctor. He rebandaged Frodo's foot with Sam's handkerchief, for even doctors don't carry bandages around with them all the time.
He complimented Merry on his quick thinking, asked Sam to give his love to Bell, told Frodo not to go swimming for a while, patted Pippin on the shoulder, and went back to his picnic.
Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Sam made their way back to Bag End, Frodo hopping along leaning on Sam's shoulder.
Many of the more nosy people stopped them on their way, wanting to know what had happened. They looked a funny sight, Sam half-carrying Frodo, and Merry and Pippin on either side like a guard of honour. They had to tell their story so many times, that by the time they reached Bag End, the blazing hot sun was setting on another warm and sticky day.
Sam sat with Frodo on the bench outside. It was cool enough to sit and watch the world go by for a few hours, so Merry and Pippin went inside to get some drinks.
"Sam" Frodo said, as his gardener sat down beside him "I wanted to thank you."
"Well I don' rightly know what for Mr Frodo. 'Twas Mr Merry who bandaged your foot up all nice like, an' Mr Pippin who fetched the doctor. S'matter of fact I was pretty useless."
"But that's where you're wrong Sam. You were a great comfort holding my hand the way you did. I hope I didn't squeeze it too hard?"
Sam winced, as though every bone in his hand was broken "I think you may just 'ave cracked a few bones, I doubt it will ever be the same again. But nothin' serious." He joked. Frodo laughed.
"Sam, I only just realised, you ran straight into the water to help me, even though you were afraid. You thought about my safety more then you did about your own."
"Well" Sam answered with a blush. " Wouldn't really call in bravery Mr Frodo, I just did it, never really thought about it to tell truth. And besides, I'd follow you to the ends of the earth an' back, should you be in need of my help Sir, if you take my meanin'."
"Oh I do Sam. But I wouldn't worry about it. I have no plans to be going to the ends of anywhere, save maybe my own garden." The two of them laughed.
Merry and Pippin brought out mugs of tea, and they discussed the accident, wherein Merry wrestled with a giant water snake to get to Frodo, and Pippin had to pick his way through a jungle to find the doctor. Sam just smiled.
OO
Ivy lay in bed later that night, exhausted from her day of swimming, and frustrated that she wasn't making much progress. Still, she had managed to float on her back, which was a small achievement, and she had succeeded in feeling like she was flying. Sam entered the room with an old wooden box in his hands.
"What've you got there Grandpa?" Ivy asked, sitting up in bed.
"It's my memory box." Sam answered, with a small smile on his face. He sat on the end of Ivy's bed, and opened the lid. Ivy crept along the bed to peer over his shoulder. It was full of nick-knack's, and Ivy couldn't understand why Sam held it as though it contained every precious thought and feeling he had ever had.
"So you think my swimming story never happened?" Sam asked, as he continued to look through the box.
"Well, it all seemed a bit fishy to me." Ivy said, and laughed at her own joke.
"Here, I'll show you." In his hand, Sam held up a sharp edged stone, about the size of his middle finger.
May Elbereth bless my Reviewers; Flames will be used in destroying the ring.