Author's note: Well I'm back again! And I've brought Chapter 5 with me! Yay! And this is my longest chapter yet! Yay! Ok here it is:
You're probably sick of hearing this, but I DON'T OWN TOLKIEN!
Chapter 5The rich beams of sunlight that filtered through his curtains woke Merry. He had slept peacefully all night, not a worry entering his dreams. Lazily, he got up and went to draw the curtains. The light temporarily blinded him. It took a minute or so for his eyes to adjust to the new lighting.
He looked out his window. Judging by the height of the sun in the sky, he had slept in till late morning. Without Pippin, he could sleep as long as he wanted and nothing would disturb him. It was so great without him! Merry quickly grabbed a shirt off the floor, roughly yanked it over his head and proceeded out of his room and down the corridor.
As usual, breakfast was set on the table. Valar Bless Mama! The delicious aroma drifted up his nose, invigorating his senses. There was a slight spring in his step as he walked over to the table. He sat down happily and began to eat. Mama entered the room from the kitchen. She was dressed and ready to go and do her daily errands.
"Merry stay here while I'm out. I'll bring Pippin home with me. I wonder why he hasn't come yet?" Mama looked up and thought for a second, thinking of all the possible reasons for his absence.
The last comment made Merry feel a little uneasy. Pippin was probably still upset about yesterday. WELL HE DESERVED IT!
"Anyway, I should be the upset one. He broke my boat!" thought Merry angrily. Mama snapped out of her dream-like state and looked down at Merry's feet.
"Your toe has healed quite nicely." She turned to look at the clock on the wall. Merry's mother suddenly jolted, slightly startling Merry.
"Oh look at the time! I'm behind already. Merry be good and stay put!" With that she hurried out the front door.
A baneful smirk crept across Merry's face.
"Does she really expect me to stay inside on a beautiful day like this?
He skipped into his room and reached under his bed. He pulled out a small, wooden fishing rod. It was a little worn from its years of service, but none the less could serve its purpose. A tinge of guilt crept through Merry. His Mama had specifically said he wasn't to go fishing for a week. Suddenly that little voice inside his head, which he figured was his dark side, rose to the surface.
"What she doesn't know, can't hurt her right?"That same evil smirk once again showed itself. Quickly he grabbed the rod and ran to the front door. The guilt inside him rose up one more time before it was pushed under by the need to go fishing.
Happily he skipped down the path. It was about 11 o' clock in the morning. Mama would probably be back at 2 o'clock so he would have to be back before then. Ugh! She would be bringing Pippin!
"Oh well, might as well enjoy it while I can!" His skip quickened into a run as he made his way to the edge of the Brandywine River.
When he got there, he sat down. Merry looked at the river, brimming with life. The pure blue water beckoned to him. He gave into the temptation and dipped his feet into the cool liquid. A wonderful, soothing sensation flowed through his body. It was cruel for Mama to forbid him from coming to the river! He twisted an unfortunate worm around the hook of his rod and cast into the blue of the river.
Immediately he felt the little nibbles of the fish below. Merry didn't budge though, they were only teasing him. He would wait for that big carp he spotted a few days ago.
Half an hour passed with no luck. Merry was starting to get sleepy. The warm sunshine together with the ebb and flow of the water acted as a natural lullaby. His eyelids became heavy. He loosened his tight grip on the rod and gently placed his head on the grass.
Sleep overtook him. A relaxing swirl of colours appeared before him. Their invisible tendrils wrapped around him, drawing him further into his subconscious.
The tendrils snapped abruptly and the colours disappeared as something from the outside cause Merry's weight to swing forward. His head was spinning from the sudden jolt and he opened his eyes, only to see the surface of the river before he plunged into its watery depths.
Merry was still in a daze as watched the marine environment swirl past him in a flurry of despair. Little fish quickly maneuvered out of the way of this new danger. Occasionally a large fish would swim by unfazed. Merry gathered his thoughts enough to realise he was still holding onto his rod. There was a large force pulling his rod. Merry must have instinctively gripped the rod at the first signs of a bite. He looked towards the end of his rod. His poor vision in the water managed to make out a large blurry blob of black, lashing fiercely through the water. He had caught a fish! Or it seemed the fish had caught him.
He tried to pull against it but his limbs felt like jelly in the water. He bucked against the force, only to collapse exhausted. This was the fish's domain and he was helpless in the water. There was only one thing he could do. If he kept this up he would drown. The fish had won. Reluctantly he released the rod and sprang to the surface for some much-needed oxygen.
He gulped in the air greedily. Quickly he swam to the side of the river. He heaved himself out, before collapsing in a heap on the grass. Merry lay there panting for a moment before he looked up at the sky. The sun was covered by thick, grey clouds that watched menacingly over the Shire. He looked around. Luckily that stupid fish hadn't taken him too far down the river. It was still well before 2 o'clock but now Merry was a soaking wet mess. He had to go home and dry off before Mama found out about his little escapade.
He looked a miserable mess as he made his way up the path to his home. Merry looked forward to a nice hot bath…and a big lunch! All that struggling had made him exhausted and hungry. He turned the knob slowly, only to find that the front door was unlocked. It could only mean one thing- Mama was home…
Merry crept inside silently, carefully not to bring attention to himself. Suddenly his mother rushed out of the living room towards him.
"HAVE YOU SEEN PIPPIN?!" His mother starting shaking him. She was crying hysterically.
"EGLANTINE SAID HE DIDN'T COME HOME YESTERDAY AND NO ONE HAS SEEN HIM AND…"
Merry felt a horrible clenching feeling in his gut.
"MAMA PLEASE! Stop yelling. We will find him!" Suddenly Mama's eyebrows furrowed. She looked at Merry, anger filling her eyes.
"AND YOU! YOU WERE TOLD NOT TO GO ANYWHERE! GO TO YOUR ROOM AND NEVER COME OUT!" Mama was obviously furious. She was worried about Pippin and the anxiety intensified her rage. Merry knew better than to argue at a moment like this. He ran to his room straight away and slammed the door. He huddled into a corner. Even though Merry was a tough boy, no child likes being screamed at. He put his head into his knee and started to cry.
After Merry stopped, he noticed that Mama's crying and rambling had also stopped. He got up and wiped away his tears.
"Piiiippppiiinn!" Merry looked over to his window, where the sound was coming from.
"Piiiippppiiinnn!" The whole neighbourhood was out walking the streets. They were all calling out Pippin's name. Mama had obviously called everyone in the neighbourhood to help look for Pippin. Merry closed the curtain. He felt a tinge of guilt run through his body. Could it be his fault that Pippin had disappeared?
"No! Of course not! Pippin probably got lost on his way home," The voice in his head reassured him.
"But what if it was my fault? I was really harsh towards him!" said Merry aloud. Even though he would never admit it, he did kind of miss Pippin. But not much!
"Huh, it's probably cause he was here all the time. I probably just got used to him. That's all!" It was no use arguing with himself now. Pippin was gone and Merry might never see him again.
"It's not my problem! If he got lost he can find his own way home!" However, as hard as Merry tried to push it out of his head, the thought wouldn't leave him.
He might never see Pippin again...
Uh oh! Pippin's gone! I wonder what's going to happen next? You'll have to keep reading to find out. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! You are what keeps me writing! Well I also write because I like to but…Ok I'm just gonna shut up now! Thanks again!
Xo0Phoenix0oX