Title: Lost in the Woods
Synopsis: Young Merry and Pippin are playing a game and they get lost.
Rating: PG
Story:
Through the Old Forest Merry and Pippin ran. Each was in different areas of the woods. Both were lost. They had been playing a game they had invented and called 'lost in the woods', where they went as far as they could and then tried to find their way back. Merry and Pippin had played the game countless times and never once had they actually gotten lost – until today.
Merry looked around. He was scared and hungry. He also felt responsible for loosing his cousin. The younger hobbit looked up at the sky. The first stars were coming out and he was reminded of Varda. "This is hopeless," Merry whispers. He sits down and puts his head in his hands and sobs.
There is a light and he looks up. There is a beautiful woman wandering through the wood. She is dark haired and pale skinned. Merry's mouth gapes open. He could not believe the being here. She was so beautiful dressed in a pale blue, flowing dress and singing. He did not know what she was singing, but that did not matter to him. She smiles at him and beckons. Slowly, Merry stood. His eyes were wide and enhanced, as if he was under a spell. The woman walked slowly away, singing her siren song. Merry followed obediently, not knowing what was in store for him.
Meanwhile, Peregrin Took was running through the forest. He had seen smoke, but not the bad type. He skidded to a stop in front of a small home with lights on and smoke billowing from the chimney. The hobbit went to the door and was about to know.
Suddenly, there was a strange sound. It chilled Pippin and made him feel ill. The door into the home he stood in front of, opened suddenly. A woman with lace in her hand opened it. "Come. Danger is coming," said the woman as she pulled Pippin into the house.
"Danger," Pippin asked. He looked out the window. His cousin was out there somewhere. "Oh, Merry," he whispered, "My cousin is out there."
The elderly woman looked at him with fearful eyes. "We must go find him. He is in terrible danger. The witch is calling," the gray haired woman said. She threw a shawl on and pulled Pippin out the door. They ran through the woods. The music was getting louder and Pippin was feeling even worse. When they stopped, he gasped. The person in front of him was hideous and she stooped over his cousin. Merry lay as still as death; unaware of his danger.
The elderly woman began to chant. There was a hiss from the woman, but she did not stop. Pippin could hardly believe what he saw. He began to weep as the elderly woman continued to chant. The witch was becoming weaker and paler. Crying out in a rage, she fled. Why, Pippin did not know, but he did not care. The younger hobbit went to his elder cousin. Kneeling, he put a hand on his shoulder. Merry was so cold and still. "Merry," he whispered, shaking him. Suddenly, he woke and sobbed. Shaking, Merry grasped Pippin close. "Come, we had best go," Pippin said when he was sure Merry was well enough to walk. He looked around for the old woman who had saved his cousin, but she was gone. Frowning, Pippin stood. He wrapped an arm around his cousin's waist and led him slowly to Farmer Maggot's home, seeing how it was the closest and because Pippin did not wish to explain his cousin's state, because even he did not understand what had happened.
Through the night, Pippin wondered if Merry would survive. He was so cold and he hardly breathed. As he slept, he mumbled and thrashed. At one point, it was too much for Pippin to bear and he had to leave the room. Sliding down onto the floor, he curled up and fell asleep.
The next morning, he was wakened by shaking. His cousin had survived and was the one doing the waking. He looked sickly still, but his complexion was better. "Let's go home," Merry said, helping his cousin up. Thanking Farmer Maggot, they left and left the memory of what happened behind. However, neither of them could quite forget the situation, even though it was Merry's birthday.
His home was decorated and filled with people and good smells. Merry was nervous though. He knew that he would have to give a speech at this party. He was turning thirty-three today – tonight in fact.
As soon as he and his cousin had returned from Farmer Maggot's home, his mother had ushered him and Peregrin into a room that Merry had never seen before. It was filled with fabrics, laces, buttons and things that Merry could not name. He was shown three different fabrics for pants and vest and made to choose which one he liked. For pants he chose a heavy cotton fabric and for his vest, he chose yellow embroidered wool. Merry did not notice what Pippin chose for fabric because he was interested in the seamstress who was making his outfit. She moved with smooth and deliberate movements. Her gray eyes were furrowed and a strand of honey blond hair had slipped from its braid and fell in front of her eyes. As she sewed, the stitches wove their way across the seams and in no time, the seamstress was putting the buttons on and the button holes in and had started working on the brown pants.
Merry could not look at her as she worked any more and so he just sat there, staring at his lap. He wanted this to be over. He wanted his party to be over. The seamstress suddenly handed the finished vest and pants to Merry and then he was ushered out of the room. The rest of the day went by in a blur. Before he knew it, Merry was staring out at the group of people who had gathered to celebrate his birthday. "Hello," he said, "Well, today, I turn thirty-three. A lot of things have happened in my thirty-three years. It seems in the last few years more things have happened then in the past. I have seen more and more responsibility has been dealt to me and I can't wait to see what is going to happen next. Cheers." He raised his glass, took a sip and stepped down from his seat. The hobbits cheered and clapped and music started up and the party went into full swing.