Notes to Readers:
Please be sure to leave a review! They are very motivating, and each review you
leave entitles you to a free cup of cyber-tea in the parlour (The Muse and I do
try to make our guests feel welcome). What you are seeing here is the edited draft.
(Thanks to my editor—you know who you are! And welcome back from your break, I
hope you're ready to get back to work...)
Thanks for the comments! How do you like your tea?
Katakanadian, thanks for your help!
Aemilia Rose, I am sorry, dear, but there are sixty-some chapters to go. You
know that everything cannot be hunky-dory, don't you? Not for awhile, anyhow.
Take a deep breath and have another cup of tea. Tea soothes all ills, you know.
Xena, there might well have been a trap; thankfully the ruffians were called
away too quickly to deal with the uprising to think of laying traps. Thinking
about dead hobbits in the pit (we know there weren't any live ones there, for
the ruffians had not quite filled up the first level), I decided that any who died
would have been sent home to grieve their families. It was only as things began
to unravel that the ruffian chief thought of easing his heavy burden by
"disappearing" some of the prisoners.
FantasyFan, you're not going senile, isn't that reassuring? The chapters on SoA
are slowly being replaced as my editor finishes with them. Some of the little
changes you noticed were inspired by katakanadian, who sent me a note about a
confusing plot point. (Thanks, katakanadian!)
Another chapter of "Runaway" is in the works and you'll see it as soon as we
can get it finished (Thanks, Jodancingtree!). As a matter of fact, I think we
have a draft of chapter 26 now, and are just hammering it out nice and smooth
and shiny. Expect another chapter of "Small and Passing Thing" the day after
tomorrow, if all goes well. Thank you for your patience.
***
Chapter 5. Pause
'Is that all, Grandad?' little
Frodo-lad piped. Samwise had stopped reading, and sat as if in deep thought.
'Is that the end?' young Lily said.
'And they all lived happily, to the end of their days...?'
'Not quite,' Sam said, closing the
book. 'I'm sorry, Ellie, I've read into the middle night.' He glanced down at
small Rose, asleep with her head pillowed on one of his feet.
'Ah, I know, Dad, and I nearly spoke
twice, but we couldn't stop with the hobbits in that awful place,' Elanor said.
'Why, Mum told me how she gave Mr Fredegar a cup of cold water, thinking they
were about to take his life. "I couldn't let him go thirsty to his death,
somehow," she used to say, and it always made a tear come to her eye.'
'But they didn't know it was him!'
Frodo-lad said in excitement. 'They took him to the Lockholes instead! Why
didn't they know him, Dad?' he asked Fastred.
Fastred took his long-dead pipe from
his mouth and said slowly, 'They never bothered to get to know any hobbits, and
so they couldn't tell a Bolger from a Boffin. We all look alike to them, you
see.' He got up, adding, 'I'll just take a look around Undertowers, make sure
everything is as it should be.'
He exchanged a long glance with
Elanor, and she rose, saying briskly. 'Off to bed with you now, children,
there'll be more of the story on the morrow.' She looked to Sam. 'Won't there,
Dad?' she asked more softly.
Samwise nodded with an odd little smile.
'I've plenty of time, Ellie,' he said. 'I've nowhere to be going until I've
finished the story.' Fastred had waited for his answer, then let himself out
the door.
'But if they didn't end happily, what
idid/i happen?' Lily said.
'I didn't say they ended badly, Lily,'
Sam said, 'for there's a lot of middle to get through, first. But that'll have
to wait for the morrow. Off with you, now, and obey your mother.'
'Good night, Dad,' Elanor said,
getting up and dropping a kiss on her father's head before turning away to shoo
the little ones off towards their beds. She turned in the doorway, saying, 'And
what about you, Sam-Dad? Aren't you tired?'
'I think I'll just spend a few more
minutes with Mr Frodo before I turn myself in,' Sam said, patting the Book.
'You go on ahead, I'll blow out the lamps.'
'All right, Dad,' Elanor said. 'Good
night.'
