After a minute or two, Pimpernel eventually woke. The dark was still wrapped around her. The candles had been put out. The fire was crackling, sending heat into the room and smoke up the brick chimney. Snow had started to fall outside again. the carpet that had already been lain down before now had fresh snow falling on top of it.
A fox moved though the empty town. There was an eerie quietness about Hobbiton. The Green Dragon was silent. Snow covered it's roves.
The sign near the entrance was swing in the wind. It creaked at it moved back and forth. Snow hobbits were standing like small scarecrows with nothing to scare.
A curious fox would wonder up to one. It's eyes would scan the creature in front of it. The fox then got onto its two hind legs. Its two front legs rested on the neck of the snow hobbit.
"Well now" he thought, looking at the stones for eyes.
"Very strange"
The snow started to give way on one side. The fox quickly got off as the head started to roll. But it stopped. The fox was walking away. Flakes continued to land on his fur.
The fox then made his way nearer to the line of houses that had been built into the hill side. There were black windows dotted in the hill side.
Walls had been build along either side of the road. The fox trotted along the road for a while. A gate was swinging open in the breeze. The snowflakes continued to fall to the ground as the fox approached it.
The fox sniffed the wooden panels. The scent was unfamiliar to him. The foxes ears poked up. Sounds that not even a hobbit could hear met his ears.
His eyes looked around. his from paw lifted, then moved forward. It was then put down in the soft snow. It sank a little way in. The foxes eyes were still darting around, it was vary weary of what was going on around it.
There were no flowers in the small garden. A tree stood to the left of the big front door. Snow was still being piled onto the ground.
Pimpernel was just on the other side of the wall. Neither the fox nor the hobbit knew that the other existed. The animal continued on wondering. Only it's tracks would be seen in the light of day.
"Abira, you alright?" Pimpernel asked.
She sounded very tied. A yawn came over her, her free hand rubbed her eyes. Abira whimpered. It was now that she got hungry. Whimpering came from the puppy.
"Are you hungry?" Nelly asked.
The pup, who was difficult to see in the dark, nodded her head. A weary sigh came from Pimpernel.
"Alright then" she said, taking the duvet off.
The coldness hit her straight away. All the warmth that had been stored up had now escaped into the room. The fire was still burning, but it was battling with an ever present draft coming though the small cracks in the doors. Pimpernel sat on the edge of the bed. She picked the small puppy up. Abira was very warm indeed.
Nelly then stood up, the warm mattress was left behind. The hobbit slowly walked over to the door and opened it by the handle.
Outside, the fox froze. He stopped dead in his tracks. A sound had just met his ears. He didn't know what it was. It seemed to be coming from deep inside the large round thing before him.
After a few seconds, the fox ran. He bounded over to the stone wall that kept Pearl's garden from her neighbours. The creature landed on the other side. It stopped again. no sounds could be heard, not even from other foxes around him.
Pimpernel was now in the kitchen. The room was much warmer then the bedroom she had been staying in. the fire was still sending lovely heat into the room. It was much lighter then the room she had just left.
Abira, who had been slowly drifting back to sleep, was placed on the floor. She whined, sleep was what she wanted now.
The cellar door was opened and a sleepy Pimpernel walked in. Abi whimpered and curled up on the floor. Her paws were rested on by her head. She could hear her Nelly getting the bacon out.
"I guess I need to start cooking" she told herself as she walked out of the cellar.
The door was closed quietly. Pimpernel placed the packet of fresh bacon on the work top. Below her were cupboards. There were also cupboards in front of her as well.
Pimpernel raised her hand and gripped the handle of the cupboard. She opened it. Pots and pans met her eyes. The fire was creating shadows on the edges of the pans and in Pimpernel's eyes.
Her hand then wrapped around the handle of one of the pans. Nelly slowly lifted it. but what happened next scared not only her, but Pearl and Abira too.
The pans below started to fall. Pimpernel was too busy with getting the pan out to notice the pans starting to fall. The pans hurtled towards the floor. The first of the many pans hit the work top. The others followed on quickly.
The once quiet house was now very noisy.
Pearl, who had been sleeping in her room, a few doors down from the kitchen, sat bolt up right in her bed. Tiredness had been instantly taken away from her. The sound was still ringing in her ears.
In the kitchen, Pimpernel was holding her breath. There were no other sounds coming from the house.
"I hope there isn't anything wrong" Pearl told herself as she slowly lifting the duvet off.
Pearl slowly walked towards her door. For some reason, she was now scared for her own house. Her heartbeat was louder and faster then ever.
The low level of light made everything seem more scary. Like it were to jump out on her. Her hand gripped the handle.
The door was slowly opened, it's hinges creaked. The door slowly opened. Pearl was scared to go out of the room. The corridor on the other side was dark, but warm. Candles had been flaming gently, casting their light over a small area.
Pearl poked her head outside and looked up and down the corridor. There was no sound or movement coming from anywhere.
The hobbit then started to slowly walk down the small tiled corridor. There were many rooms and many doors in Pearl's house. Old pictures had been placed along the walls. Some were of hobbits that were in Pearl's family. Portraits of her mother and father were there, hanging up.
There were a few small wooden tables had been stood next to the wall. On each one, there was a glass vase. Inside the vase was water and flowers. Some looked like they were no their last legs, others looked healthy.
The door to the kitchen came into view. It was shut, just like she had left it. Pearl had started to wonder if there had even been a noise.
On the other side of the door, a small puppy was whimpering. Abira had been really frightened at the loud noise. Pimpernel was slowly moving towards her.
"Please pup?" she asked.
"I didn't mean to scare you, it was an accident"
Abira was whimpering by the wall. She had gotten as far back as possible. Her small ears were flopped over her head and her eyes were darting over the place. Just like Pearl, the tiredness that she had felt had now vanished. Pimpernel took a deep breath. Her heart rate was now falling again. But she could still feel the suddenly adrenaline still rushing around her.
"Please pup? I'm making you something to eat"
Abira continued to whine. The kitchen door then opened. Pimpernel knew exactly who it was. the pots and pans that fallen were still laying on the floor.
"Pimpernel?" asked Pearl, looking in.
Pimpernel looked over. She had been right, Pearl had been woken up.
"I'm sorry Pearl" Nelly started.
"What are you doing up?" she was asked.
Nelly looked down at Abira.
"I was…"
She paused for a moment.
"I was hungry" she told her sister.
Pearl looked unconvinced. But she was too tired and it was too late to argue.
"Alright, what are you having to eat?" Pearl asked.
"Bacon" she answered.
Pearl gave a tired sigh.
"Alright" she answered.
"Just, make sure you clean up after yourself, OK?"
Pimpernel smiled and nodded.
"Sure" she answered.
Pearl smiled and then walked out, shutting the door behind her. Pimpernel looked upwards. She was thankful that her sister was not angry at her. An echo came though the house. Pimpernel knew that her sister had gone back to bed.
"Abi, are you going to come to mummy now?" Pimpernel asked.
The puppy looked liked she was calming down. Her eyes were still darting around.
"Come here, mummy is going to make you some bacon"
At this, Abira seemed to calm down dramatically. The small puppy stood up and looked at her owner. Abi's head tilted to one side and she whined. A smile came over Nelly's lips.
Abira was then picked up.
"Lets get these pans away, shall we?" she asked.
Abira whined in agreement. So, Pimpernel walked over to the first pan and picked it up. The surface inside looked warn and a bit burnt. It had seen many good years of cooking.
Many meals had been cooked over the years. It was then placed onto the work top. Five more pans were laying on the floor. They were all different sizes and had different uses.
It was harder for Pimpernel to pick them up with one hand free. Abira yawned as she was carried to the work top. Abi yawned and whined, she now wanted to go back to bed.
"Right" said Pimpernel, looked down at her puppy.
"You still hungry?" she asked.
Abira looked up and licked her. Pimpernel smiled and kissed her very cute puppy on the head. She then picked up the pan that she wanted and placed it on the cold stove.
The stove was made from metal. The door would have been hot if there had been a fire inside. The door creaked as Pimpernel opened it. The fire was now in embers from the last time that it had been used.
Pimpernel looked over to the side. She placed Abira on the cold tiled floor. A metal basket full of wood was standing near the fire place. A few logs were placed into the oven. Nelly knew that it would be a while before it would be hot enough to cook the bacon properly.
The metal door was shut. Abira was whimpering at her feet, she needed a cuddle again. Nelly picked her up and kissed her on the head.
"Oh I know your hungry, the bacon will be ready in a little bit" she explained.
The night wore on. The fox that had once been outside was now safe and warm in it's burrow. The snow flakes were melting on his fur. The drips slowly weaved their way though the red hairs.
The foxes head was resting on its paws. Its bushy tail was wrapped around, keeping the warmth of his body in. A cold wind blew down his den. Snow flakes landed in the entrance.
The fox continued to sleep during the cold night. Day light started to rise a few hours later. The snow had once again stopped, but the gloomy weather had not.
The snow had created an even deeper carpet of snow. Faint foot prints were still visible. Lights began to turn on in different windows. Chimneys were bellowing out black smoke. Pearl, who had been woken up during the night, had hardly any sleep. She just laid there, looking up at the black ceiling.
On the other hand, Pimpernel had quickly gone back to sleep. She had been the reason why Pearl had awoken in the first place. Abira had been hungry. She had woken Pimpernel to get what she wanted. The two of them had gone into to the kitchen.
All was well and quiet until Pimpernel had gone to get the pans out from one of the cupboards. Nelly safely removed the first two pans. They had been placed on the work top below. Without noticing it, the pans below had started to slip.
The noise echoed though the house. All three of them had now been scared. Their tiredness had been stripped from their eyes, their heart rate increased dramatically.
But, now morning had came. Pearl was sitting at the kitchen table. There was an unwashed pan in the sink, waiting to be washed and dried by Pimpernel.
Just as Pearl was taking another small sip of her tea, the door opened. Pimpernel walked in. For some reason, she showed no signs of having been up. Nor did the small puppy she held.
Abira was resting her fluffy head on her owner. Pearl looked around, her eyes were still trying to close.
"Good morning" Pimpernel said brightly.
She walked around the table to the other side and sat down.
"It would have been" thought Pearl.
Pimpernel didn't receive the same cheery answer.
"Pearl, what's wrong?" she asked.
Her sister gave a deep sigh. She was just about to tell Pimpernel what she thought. She opened her mouth. But she closed it again. she stopped herself just in time.
"No, nothing it wrong" she answered.
But Pimpernel was not so easily convinced. She knew that Pearl had lost some sleep over the night.
"Pearl, I'm sorry for last night" she said.
Abira could barely see over the top of the table, even though she was sitting on Pimpernel's lap.
"No, Pimpernel, its fine"
Pearl picked up her mug of tea and drank.
"It was just, she was hungry" Pimpernel told her.
The mug of tea was placed back down on the table mat.
"Pimpernel, I said I didn't mind" Pearl told her for what she hoped was the last time.
Nelly smiled and looked down at her puppy.
"Are you hungry again, pup?" she asked.
Abira looked up and nodded her head. Pimpernel's smile widened. One of Nelly's fingers had been tickling Abi's soft fur.
"Alright then, come on"
The hobbit then stood up and walked towards the cellar. Abira's eyes were darting around. a look of confusion mixed in with the will to explore came across her eyes.
With her free hand, she pulled open the door. Abira watched the door swing open. The warmth of the kitchen gave way to the coolness of the cellar.
Nelly walked pasta few shelves, the stopped. A small smile came across her.
"Do you want to help me find the bacon?" she asked.
A small disagreeing whine came from the pup. Pimpernel looked down at her. Even though Abira could not say a word, her eyes told Pimpernel that she didn't want to play.
"Alright then" said Nelly.
The packet of thinly sliced bacon was picked up. Abira seemed to perk up instantly. Her eyes were focused on the packet that was in her owner's hand.
Meanwhile, Merry was only a few miles away from where he wanted to get to. Merry had set off from his home in Hobbiton to find his friend, Pippin Took. Merry had no idea where Pippin had gone.
But Merry was not alone. He had with him two companions. An Elf and an Dwarf. Wet and dry mud clung onto all three of them. The hem of Merry's cape was wet and muddy. His bare feet and legs were no better. The cold wind made them feel even colder.
Hunger was now gripping Merry again. He wished that the coldness would just go away. But he knew that more snow was expected. Legolas was leading the three of them down the road. The snow seemed to stretch into the distance.
Legolas seemed fresh and awake. He did not feel the pain of the cold wind or the distance like his friends. Legolas looked more, alive, then his two companions.
Gimli, the dwarf, had been grumbling to himself since the night before. Water vapour rose from his mouth every time he said something.
"Walking, great idea"
There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. A few times, Gimli would deliberately rose his voice. But the elf did not take notice of him. the trees around them had grown massive. The sun light struggled though the clouds above.
Birds flew over head. Crows in small groups flew over. Their call echoed around the quiet woods. Small red breasted robins sang their song in the lower branches.
One or two would swoop down to the soft snow. Their small feet sunk into the snow. The birds small head looked around quickly. Another song came from the small bird. The volume was larger then normal for a bird of its size.
Its eyes scanned the ground. Only a few of the larger blades of grass stuck out from the snow. The robin hopped around for another few seconds before setting off into the air again.
The bird beat it's small wings, it sang as it weaved though the forest. It was then that his eyes caught something. Three figures walking along the road. The small bird made a b-line towards them.
The trees around had small branches. The robin flew and perched high above the ground. Merry was struggling to keep up with the pace of the elf. His hood covered the rest of his face, but his feet were exposed.
"Legolas?" Merry asked.
He was shivering and numb. His hands were holding the coat tight around him.
"Legolas?" Merry asked again, this time a little bit more desperately.
The elf then stopped and looked around. His eyes fell upon the cold and wet hobbit before him.
"You are cold" Legolas said.
Merry did not like the way that Legolas spoke. He seemed to know exactly what was wrong without being told. The hobbit nodded.
"Bree is only a few hours walk away. We will be able to reach it by night fall if we don't stop"
Merry now didn't like the options he had been given. To either stay, but not reach Bree quicker. Or to keep walking onwards.
Merry then sighed and knew exactly what Legolas wanted to do. The elf gave a small smile and turned around. Merry looked down, he missed his home terribly.
His feet were aching from the walk that he had had to do. Legolas seemed not to understand that hobbits needed more steps to the yard then they did. Even Gimli was suffering.
His boots, which were made of leather, were wet. There were drips of cold water running down his greying beard. His feet sunk into the snow. For miles his foot prints could be seen. Merry's were right beside the dwarves.
Legolas made no sign that he had walked the distance.
Coming toward Bree was a cart. it had a cargo of hobbits and a puppy. The hobbits inside were all very weary. But the fact of making it to Bree made them happier.
Diamond looked very tired indeed. The fact that the cart was so jumpy and uncomfortable made her sleep disturbed. Faramir Took was sleeping in his cot. A small bit of golden brown hear was laying on his forehead. The blanket he was in was warm and dry.
Hobbit babies were much smaller then human or elf babies. For hobbits only grew half the height of men. But this did not mean that they could not do things that their counterparts did.
In fact, it had been hobbits that had destroyed the Ring of Power all those years ago. Men had doubted that they could even resist the power. But it had been the same men who fell under it's power.
But those days had long since past. The Shire and the rest of the world had been saved from an evil that would last for near eternity. But the adventures had not stopped for the fellowship.
Pippin was asleep. His eyes closed, small snores came from him. The cold wind was being blocked out by a blanket that he had over him. Dreams had been playing across his eyes every time had fell deep enough to sleep.
His dreams were kept silent. But he knew that he couldn't for long. They were getting worse again. Pippin, for some reason, didn't really like Yule any more. The dreams would reach their peak on the eve of Yule.
Many times he had had only an hour or two sleep. He knew that Diamond had her own idea of what was going on. But they were nowhere near what was really going on.
Pippin felt the pain of the Palantír, as Gandalf called it. Curiosity had got the better of Pippin. He couldn't help himself. The scene was still fresh in his mind.
The room had been dark. Snores echoed around the large room. There were many men sleeping there. Pippin had lain awake, lifting his head up from time to time. His eyes were set on the wizard.
The room was large and a bit cold. A bed had been made for all of the company.
There was no ceiling above. Beams of wood crossed the small space. There was not much light in the big room. A cold breeze ran though the gaps in the wooden doors.
Pippin could not take the temptation any longer. The hobbit quickly got up, sweat was running down his face. Pippin started to walk towards the wizard.
But something happened that made him jump.
"What are you doing?"
A voice came from behind him. Merry was also awake. Although Peregrine's heart rate was already high, the fact that Merry was now watching made what he was about to do even more dangerous.
Pippin slowly and quietly made his way towards Gandalf. The hobbit then noticed that the wizard's eyes were open. Now Pippin did not know if he was asleep after all.
But the wizard did not move or ask any questions. Pippin's eyes then fell on the bundle that was held by the wizard.
The Palantír seemed more forbidding in the semidarkness. Carefully and slowly, Pippin reached out to the ball. His fingers touched the blanket that had been wrapped around it.
"You still have a chance of turning back" a voice inside of Pippins head told him.
For a moment, he agreed with the voice. But then curiosity came back, stronger then even. The ball was taken away and replaced with a near by chamber pot.
There was no turning back.
Merry was now sitting up in his bed. He had watched Pippin from the moment that he had got up. Pippin was shaking worse then ever. His nerves had rocked, making his knees shake. There were butterflies in his stomach.
The hobbit then knelt down. Merry had gone very quiet. He couldn't believe what his friend was doing. Both Pippin and Merry knew what a dangerous time this was.
The blanket was then taken away to revile a perfectly round ball of dark marble. It seemed to be dark at first. But as his fingers caress the smooth marble, small glimmers of light started to erupt from inside.
The light grew and grew, his fingers seemed to be drawn towards it. Pippin tried to struggle, but the invisible grip was too strong.
His eyes closed. Pictures were flashing across them. Sauron was flashing before his eyes. The images started to change. A city flashed before him. Fire, death and darkness.
Pippin would later learn that he had seen Minus Tirith.
Merry was on the outside, he could see pain on the face of his friend.
"Pippin?" he asked, he still didn't know if he was just putting it on.
It was then that Pippin's dream ended. Everything turned black and a loud scream came to his ears. The hobbit suddenly sat up.
It took Pippin a few seconds to realise where he was. The cart had rolled on though the night. The sun was now up, as well as his wife.
"Pippin?" she asked.
For some reason, Pippin felt like she knew what had happened.
"Pippin, what's wrong?" she asked.
Sweat was running down Pippins face. He started to think back to the dream he had just had. He, for years now, wanted them to stop. Yule was not as fun as it used to be.
"Nothing" he said.
His eyes seemed to be drawn to a distant point.
"Nothing is"
The cart continued to roll ever onwards. Origo had been quiet for most of the day. He had curled up in a blanket over night. The pup didn't feel well. But no one noticed.
Diamond, who had been drifting back to sleep, looked over at her pup. She knew that something was up with him, she just didn't know what.
The hobbit then sat up and gently picked up Origo. Ori whimpered sadly, he was now cold again.
"Origo, you don't look so well"
His little eyes didn't have that fire that he normally had. He didn't moved, he let Diamond carry him. Origo was then placed on his owners shoulder.
Two small sneezes came from the pup.
"Bless you pup" said Diamond, kissing him on his soft head.
Origo whined and whipped his little paws on his nose. A yawn now came over him. He shook his head afterwards and whined.
Neither Diamond, Pippin or Origo knew that they were going to meet old friends. Pippin, who had been sleeping, yawned like Origo did.
"I'm getting hungry" he thought.
His eyes scanned down to the small wicker baskets beside him. One of them was empty, the other was full. A cloth had been lain over it. It was white, but had lost a bit of its colour.
The cloth was then taken off. Lambas bread had been wrapped up in crisp green leaves. Pippin lifted it out and took a piece.
The small piece of bread reminded Pippin of home and what it meant to him. All the small things were more important then ever.
He did not realise it, but his family and friends were the most important thing to him. Pippin made a pact with himself never to leave Diamond or Faramir.
A small bit of Lambas was broken off. Diamond was looking down at Origo. His arm then extended towards her.
"Here" he said.
Diamond looked over at him. She saw the bit of lambas in his hand. A warm smile came over her lips.
"Thank you Pip" she said, taking it.
They smiled at each other. The cart continued to roll on. Above them, a crow flew. It's eyes scanning the ground below.
It too was following the road towards Bree. With a beat of its wings, it glided though the air. Below, it could see the cart. But did not go to investigate.
Bree was on the horizon. The land was white, but the crow could make out the smoking chimneys. But the buildings were hard to make out. there were many trees between the crow and the small town.
The wind rushed past the bird. To people on the ground, the sight of a crow was normal. As the bird flew near to its destination, the houses grew larger and larger.
The sun glinted in their windows. Snow lay on top of the thatched houses. the trees stopped at the wall of Bree. Though some were dotted around inside it's walls.
The crows swooped ever downwards.
The bird flew past the first couple of houses. Water dripped down onto the street below. Each house stood along a muddy road. Smaller roads snaked off around the rest of the town.
One building had people walking in and out of it. the crow swooped down even more. There was an old sign swinging over the door way. A plank of wood had been secured to two metal chains.
The chains had rusted over the years. Creaks came when ever the wood swung. Upon the board, a picture had been carved. It was on a white horse, but now the paint had been eaten away over the many years it had been there. Words were visible. Three in number, but faint.
They read "The Prancing Pony"
This was where Merry was heading. It was the only place that could have news of his friend. But the coldness was still getting to Merry.
His pace had slowed right down. Legolas was still walking at his pace. Both the dwarf and the elf were now a few meters in front of the hobbit.
Merry staggered as some uneven points. A few times, he had stumbled to his knees. This only made things worse for him. His cloths were soaking wet and cold.
His hands hurt as he placed them in the snow. Pain came across his face as he slowly got up. Gimli had stopped.
"You alright there lad?" he asked.
His voice had a hint of Scottish in it. It had been the exact same one when Merry had first met him. Although Gimli's appearance had changed ever so slightly.
The redness of his large beard had started to turn. There were now, weaved within the red hairs, greying ones as well. His helmet had been taken off, yet his main axe had been brought with him.
A strong looking hand then reached out to Merry. The hobbit took it and stood up. Gimli's grip was very strong, so strong that it hurt Merry's hand.
"Th.. Thank you" Merry said, shivering.
Legolas had stopped, he was now looking back.
"You alright?" Gimli asked.
Both of them were now the same height now. Merry and Gimli looked at each other.
"I'm sure old Pippin will be safe" Gimli told him.
Merry took a deep breath and looked down. Water vapour rose into the air.
"I hope he is alright, I don't know what I will do without him" Merry said weakly.
Gimli put a heavy hand of the hobbits shoulder. The two of them then looked into each others eyes. For a moment, there was silence.
"He'll be alright" Gimli said.
The dwarf then looked over at the elf. Merry looked down again. The snow crunched as Gimli walked away. The hobbit followed on a few seconds later. The coldness was still bothering him, but a small bit of hope had come back.
The hobbit started to walk onwards again. He could hear the snow crunching under Gimli's heavy boots. The area around them was eerily quiet. There were no or few houses around them.
The world was still waking up. Clocks around the land chimed eleven times. Breakfast had come and gone. Plates were being put back into their cupboards.
Estella Bolger placed the last plate in and shut the door. The door shut with a thud. A cup of tea was waiting for Estella on the table.
The hobbit then sat on the seat. It scraped along the tiled floor. There was an oven behind her. A chicken was being cooked inside.
Its skin was browning by the minute, juices seeped down the outside. Honey had been rubbed all over the bird before it had been shut in the oven.
It would be later that day when Estella would finally get to eat it. Her friends were coming around for dinner and a chat. It was common to do so. Last time, it had been Pimpernel's turn. Estella knew what had happened to Nelly's home afterwards.
But Estella kept telling herself that it was only an accident. But she couldn't help checking every minute. The fire made the kitchen hotter and lighter.
The chimney drove up though the ground to the outside. The chimney was made of red bricks. The smoke poured out of the top. It was carried away by wind. The hill had a layer of thick snow around it.
Children were already outside in the snow. Their snow hobbits had been left in perfect condition over night. One of them had collapsed.
"Elanor" said one of the children.
Frodo Gamgee had been let outside again. For he had been grounded yesterday. His friends had continued to build the snow hobbit when he had gone inside.
"I'm telling mummy" he said, then walked off.
His friends walked behind him. The hill rose, doors opened and closed as hobbits walked in and out.
"Wait here" he said as they reached the gate.
He opened it and walked over to the front door. he reached up to the handle, which was quite hard for him, and opened the door. The warmth started to rush over him. But the cold air started to rush the other way in a battle.
The door was closed, breaking the battle. The house was warmer then the outside.
Frodo walked though house. Rosie, his mother, was in the kitchen. Rosie was in her lovely blue dress. She was at the sink. Water had been filled into the metal sink.
Plates were dripping wet on the side.
"Mummy?" Frodo asked, trying to get her attention.
Rosie looked around and smiled. Her hands were soaking wet.
"Hello dear" she said brightly.
"How are you?" she asked.
"Mummy, Elanor has destroyed our snow hobbit!" he said.
Rosie looked a bit confused.
"That's now like her" Rosie told her son.
"But it was her! She did it yesterday" Frodo argued.
Rosie took a deep breath and lifted her hands out of the warm water. Plates lay inside the water, bubbles hid them from view.
A towel had been drying on the back on a chair. Rosie walked to it, her hands dripped small drops of water. The towel was picked up. Rosie started to rubber her hands dry.
"Right, come with me" she said.
So, her and her son walked out of the room. Toys were scattered around the floor. The two of them walked towards one of the door. Rosie stopped and knocked on the door. Inside, Elanor was sitting on the bed. Her sprits had raised since yesterday.
She looked up as the door opened. She could see her mother standing there. A smile came over her lips. But it was short lived. Another figure came into view. Her smiled disappeared as quickly as it came.