"But now, now she stays inside all of the time"
There was a strange silence. Diamond finally knew how it had effected Pimpernel.
"Alright" she said, looking down at her son.
"Alright, he can stay with her"
There seemed to be no lie in what Pearl had said. Faramir, still crying, was past over to his auntie. Origo slowly walked forward. He had been listening in.
Pearl smiled and looked down at him.
"And I guess that you would like to come as well" she said.
Origo looked between his Diamond and Pearl. Diamond took a deep breath.
"Would you like to go with auntie Pearl?" Diamond asked.
But still, Origo did not understand. A small, invisible fairy was standing there. Ivy knew that Origo had a hard time.
"Puppy, do you want to see Abira again?" asked the fairy.
The puppies tail began to wag. He loved seeing his Abira.
"Go with Pearl" Ivy said.
The puppy bounded over to this new hobbit and looked up. The girl looked down and smiled.
"Do you want to see you Abira?" Pearl asked, smiling.
Origo nodded, making his ears flop cutely. Without warning, Origo was picked up by his Diamond. The puppy looked at her and licked her. a warm, tired looking smile came over her.
"You'll be alright with them pup" Diamond said, kissing him.
There was a moment of silence as Origo was placed back on the floor.
"Right, I have to be back at the house" Pearl said, holding the small bundle of Faramir.
The door opened again and a cold wind blew at them. Ivy was fluttering near by.
"Go on then puppy, you'll get to see Abira" Ivy said happily.
Origo looked over at his Diamond. After a few seconds, the puppy started to walk forward. But then he stopped.
"Will you come?" Origo whined and looked back at his Ivy.
But she was not there anymore. Origo's little head moved over to the large door that was now open. The cold wind hit the small puppy as he walked forward.
"I'll see you later Pup" his Diamond told him.
The snow was very cold. Origo walked out. He looked up a little bit. Snow flakes were still falling to the ground as a thick carpet of white lay before him.
Pearl, having walked on a bit more, opened the gate. The door behind the puppy slammed shut. Origo looked around. the door was too large for him to even contemplate moving.
"Come on" Pearl said, waiting at the bottom.
Origo trotted onwards, leaving small paw prints in the snow.
Meanwhile, Abira was laying on her owners bed. Her fluffy head on her paws. A yawn came over her as she waited. The candles flickered as she lay in a fluffy ball.
But something got her attention. The large front door opening. A cold, but gentle breeze ran though the house. Abira was now very aware.
Origo came in from the cold into the lovely warmth. There were many drips of water sticking to his once warm fur. Origo took a few steps forward before shaking his whole body. Drips of cold water flew in every direction.
Pearl smiled. There were small wet paw prints on the floor now. Origo looked around. he still could not see his Abira or his little Ivy.
Origo then barked as Pearl walked by. Abira's small ears picked it up instantly. Standing on the bed, the puppy walked to the edge. With one split second look, she jumped and landed on the floor.
Abira the rushed out of the room and down the corridor. A few seconds later, she stopped as she saw what she wanted to see.
Origo was standing there, looking around.
"Origo!" Abira barked and scooted towards him.
The two puppies wrestled as Pearl smiled and walked by. Pimpernel walked out of the study, hearing the barks. She smiled as she saw her sister.
"Could you take him?" Pearl asked.
Pimpernel looked confused.
"Are you not staying here?" Pimpernel asked as she was handed her nephew.
"I have to go and see Pippin about something"
Faramir was not crying any more. He seemed to be taking in his new surroundings. Pimpernel took a deep breath.
"Do you trust me?" Pimpernel asked.
Pearl looked into her sister eyes. There was a moment of silence between them.
"Of course I do" Pearl told her.
Pimpernel gave a small smile.
"I'm glad you still do" she said, looking away.
She was surprised that anyone did after what had happened. Her eyes then caught the puppies as they ran past. She smiled, knowing that Abira now had a friend to play with.
"Right, I'll see you both later on"
Pearl turned and walked towards the door again. Pimpernel watched as the door opened and closed as her sister went outside.
The house seemed much quieter now as Pimpernel turned around and walked to the kitchen. She smiled down at her young nephew.
Meanwhile, Diamond was mopping up the rest of the floor. Her eyes were feeling very heavy. A yawn came over her.
"Maybe for just a few minutes" she told herself.
The hobbit slowly walked to her bed room. Her bed was unmade. The hobbit the lay on the warm bed. Her eyes were now very droopy. A yawn came over her as she turned on her side.
Her eyes slowly started to shut as she lay there. The clock ticked and the healthy fire crackled. The conditions outside were nothing much to talk about. A carpet of white snow had been dumped across the land as far as even an elf could see.
A small figure trundled though the onslaught of flakes. Pearl was shivering as she made her way to Merry's home. The journey seemed to take even longer in the harsh, cold wind. Small cold flakes landed on Pearls skin.
The hobbit gritted her teeth as she continued to walk. Her small fingers were numb with the coldness. Hunger was now getting to her. Lunch had not even been started and didn't look like it for the next few minutes.
Merry's large front door came into view. It was yellow. The gate was banging in the wind as Pearl made her way to it.
A couple of seconds later, she reached the door. She knocked three times. Her hand was now so numb that she could hardly feel anything.
Inside, the fire was crackling in the heath. Merry, who had finally sobered up enough, was sitting at the desk. There was a piece of parchment before him.
"Now" he thought, looking down at what he had written before.
There was only one word written on the parchment.
Longbottom leaf
Merry smiled as he dipped the tip of the feather quill into the small ink pot. He gave it a small tap and began to write.
First Grown: Longbottom, Southfarthing
But something new had distracted him. there was a knocking sound coming from the corridor. For a moment, Merry just wanted to leave who ever it was and get on with writing. But that was most rude.
So, taking a deep breath as he arose from his seat, Merry went to answer the door. A minute or two later, the door opened. Standing before him, a cold looking Pearl.
"Pearl?" asked Merry.
"Do come in!" he said, getting cold as well.
The shivering figure of Pearl came into the house. Drips of melted snowflakes were falling onto the tiled floor as the door was shut behind her.
"I need to talk to Pippin" she said, taking off her wet coat.
Merry's hopes were dashed. He had not had a visitor for a very long time. A small bit of disappointment crept up. But Merry tried not to show it.
"Of course, he's in the spare room" Merry answered.
So, without another word, Pearl walked past him. Merry knew little of what she was here for. Pearl walked down to the spare room. The door had been closed. But it did not remain shut for long.
The door flew open. Pippin, who was laying on the bed, sat bolt upright. He looked over at the door. Pearl walked in, without saying another word, closed the door.
Merry was left outside, the closed door now in his face. He took a deep breath and looked around. Merry had always been left in the dark when it had come to important things. But he knew that there was nothing he could do. Taking a deep breath, he walked away, back to his study.
Pippin was looking at the figure that was now standing there.
"Pearl?" he asked.
Tiredness was getting to Pippin, but he would soon lose it.
"How could you?" asked Pearl, shaking her head.
Pippin rubbed his eyes, wondering what she was on about.
"How silly can my little brother be?" she asked.
Pippin was still trying to figure out what she was talking about.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, a hint of his tiredness came out in his voice.
Pearl could not believe what he had just asked.
"What am I talking about?" Pearl asked in amazement.
"I am talking about Diamond, Pip. I am talking about the one person whole loves you more then anything!"
It was then that the feeling came back to Pippin. He took a deep breath and looked up.
"I just…" he started, but stopped.
Pearl was standing there, looking at him. Deep down, Pippin knew that he had acted wrongly towards Diamond. He knew that he had not taken her feelings into account.
"What should I do?" Pippin asked.
Pearl took a deep breath and walked towards her younger brother. She stood there for a few seconds before sitting on the bed next to her brother.
In the room just down the hall, Merry was sitting back at his desk. the quill had been picked up again and he had started to write.
There were now a few lines of writing on the parchment.
Grown: Longbottom, Southfarthing
First Grower: Tobold Hornblower
Merry stopped for a while, wondering what else to put.
"It isn't much to start off with" he thought, looking around.
There were many books in his study. Just like every household, there were new and old books. Merry arose from his seat one more time and walked over to the shelves. Merry knew that he could spend hours looking though the books. But the tradition of smoking was much more important.
Merry picked out an exceptionally old book. It had a peeling grey cover. Merry opened the book. As he did so, a small sheet of paper fell down from the book.
The crisp paper fell at his feet. Merry looked down at the floor. He blinked and slowly picked it up. There was writing on it. Old, unreadable writing covered both sides of the paper.
Merry opened the book again. The hobbit looked at the pages. There were no numbers on the pages, so Merry did not know where it should be placed.
Back in the room, Pearl was talking to her younger brother.
"I remembered when I first met her" Pippin said, looking down at an invisible point.
Pearl looked at her younger brother. She had never heard how the two of them had met. Pippin took another deep breath. Deep down, the girl wanted to know more.
"And, what do you feel?" Pearl asked.
Pippin slowly looked at his sister. There seemed to be a different sort of look in his eyes. The hobbit took a long, deep breath.
"How did I feel?" he asked, looking away.
Images were now flashing before his eyes. A warm spring day had arose around the Shire. Birds were singing as the day warmed. The trees all around were blowing in the gentle wind.
Pippin yawned as he arose early. The night before had been eventful. Yet, Pippin could hardly remember it. There was movement in the kitchen. Paladin, Eglantine, Pearl, Pervinca and Pimpernel were seated at the table.
Pippin looked more tired then any of them.
"Your late!" Eglantine said, standing at the table.
She had a pan of hot bacon in one hand and a spatula in the other. Pippin did not want to argue.
"I'm sorry" he said, taking his seat.
His plate was full of cooling food. Eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, beans were piled on the plate to names a few. A fork and a knife had been placed on either side.
"I cant believe she's getting married" said Pearl, smiling.
Pimpernel sat near by. She seemed not to have aged over the years.
"Neither can I" Vinnie said.
Pimpernel seemed not to talk as much of the others. She sat there, listening to what her sisters had to say. The girl's night had been eventful as well. They had stayed in. Like the boys, they had had ale. But not as much as they did.
Rosie was already up. She had been since five o'clock that morning. A mixture of nervousness and excitement ran though her as she sat on her bed.
The sun was now up in the east. The day was better then anyone could ask for. There was but a few clouds sailing in the sky. There was no threat of rain spoiling her day.
As the hours ticked over, five o'clock ticked over to six. The to seven, eight, nine and then ten o'clock. Hunger was now getting to Rosie as, finally, she snapped out of her day dream. The chimes of the clock caught her attention.
Pippin snapped out of his day dream.
"Well, I felt happy" Pippin told her.
"Happy and…"
He paused for a second.
"Safe"
Pearl found there to be, like Gandalf did years past, no lie in what he said. Pearl took a deep breath. The two of them had been talking for the best part of half an hour. But it seemed a lot quicker.
"Do you love her?" Pearl asked.
Pippin looked over at her.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean, do you want her back? Do you love her?" she asked.
Pippin fell silent. Only the crackling of the fire could be heard.
"Yes" he said, looking back at his sister.
"Yes I do"
"Then why don't you show her? Go over to Diamond and tell her!"
But Pippin shook his head and looked away.
"I cant" he said, looking down.
"But why?" she asked.
"Because she wont want me back"
It was then that Pearl got an idea. She smiled as she looked over at her younger brother.
"Why don't you write what you feel down on parchment?" she asked.
"Write Diamond a letter, it maybe easier for both of you"
Pippin looked over at his sister.
"Would that work?" he asked, not very confident.
Pearl gave a small smile.
"Well, yes I do" she said.
The sun started to dive as the day grew later. The clouds started to part as Pearl walked home. Lunch had come and gone. The journey back was much easier then the journey there.
A door opened, a cold blast of air entered the house as Pimpernel sat in the kitchen. She had a small baby in her arms. He was fast asleep. His little eyes closed, his small chests rising and falling as he breathed.
Pearl hung up her coat and walked though to the kitchen. There, she smiled as she saw her sister.
"How is he?" she asked, walking around.
She gave a smile as she laid eyes upon her nephew. Pimpernel yawned as she sat there.
"I guess I should make lunch before we do anything else" Pearl told her sister.
Pimpernel nodded.
"Bacon sandwich be alright for you?" Pearl asked.
"Yes please" Pimpernel said, getting up from her seat.
She smiled as she walked towards the door.
"I'll be in the lounge" she told her sister.
Pearl nodded and went into the cellar. She walked up to a shelf and picked out a packet of bacon. She then walked out again and closed the cellar door. She smiled as she got things ready. She got a pan out from the cupboard near by. There were many used pans there. Pearl brought out a particularly battered and used looking pan.
She placed it on the hob and started the fire underneath. The flames started to heat up the metal hob. But Pearl had yet to put the bacon in.
Pearl stood there, pack in hand. She was thinking of the conversation she had just had with her brother. She knew that Pippin loved Diamond. It had been evident in what Pippin had told her. But he was still being difficult. He was not accepting the fact that it was his fault.
Pearl took a deep breath and looked away from the slowly heating pan.
"Maybe I should just let it go on between them" he thought.
She knew that her words would hardly change anything. But little did she know that Pippin had actually listened to her. in fact, he had taken aboard nearly everything that she had said.
Pippin walked into study. He was very sober and focused on getting Diamond back on his side. Merry was still writing on his new project.
"Merry, I need some parchment"
Merry looked at Pippin.
"What do you need it for?" he asked.
There were many words written on the parchment in front of him.
"Its important" Pippin said.
Pippin didn't want to tell Merry what it was for. A few seconds of thinking past.
"Alright" Merry said, taking a deep breath.
So, Pippin gathered a piece of parchment, a quill and an ink pot. Without another word, he walked out and shut the door again. Merry had now lost all of his concentration. He looked down at what he had written. He mumbled the last few words. But no idea of what he was about to say came to him.
Pippin, on the other hand, was having a better luck in writing. He had got into the lounge and shut the door. The ink pot was opened and the quill dipped inside. Pippin looked at the piece of paper.
"Come on Pippin, think!" he told himself.
He smiled as he knew what to write.
Dear Diamond
He started, but the rest did not come so easily.
I know, over the past few days, that my behaviour had declined. I can not say how sorry I am. But I am sorry. More sorry then in have ever been.
All I can ask for is your forgiveness.
Pippin was finding it very hard to write. Everything that came out of him did not sound like him at all. But he knew he had to carry on.
All I want is to start a fresh. Start with a new sheet and work on it. I know it may be hard to read this letter, but it's all the truth I can tell.
Pippin read back what he had written. He smiled as he placed the quill down on the table. he folded the parchment and placed it in his pocket. The stopper was then placed back in the neck of the ink bottle. The quill and bottle were picked up as Pippin left the room.
The temperature outside was getting colder and colder as the sun fell slowly down in the west. Hobbits had already had lunch and every snack since.
Dinner was now being prepared in most households. But, in one, a hobbit was sleeping. Diamond had continued on sleeping. But she would not sleep for any longer.
Pearl was waiting outside in the coldness. But she was not alone. She held, in her arms, a tiny bundle. Faramir was shivering as much as the small puppy on the floor.
Ivy was with Origo. But, unlike the puppy, the fairy could not feel the cold. The small puppy whimpered as he stood there, waiting for his Diamond to open the door.
"Maybe she cant hear it" Ivy said, looking at the large door.
Origo whined.
"Should I go and see where she is?" Ivy asked.
Origo gave a small nod. He didn't want to move due to the coldness. So, Ivy fluttered up and though the door. Origo yawned and shivered. He sneezed.
"Bless you pup" Pearl said, taking a deep and shivering.
Diamond was still laying on her bed as Ivy fluttered in. she stopped in midair, looking at the sleeping hobbit. Ivy now had to wake Diamond up. But she knew that the hobbit could not see or hear her. a different plan must be taken.
Ivy fluttered up to one of the stands that held a candle. The small, flickering flame was then extinguished. The fairy looked back at the sleeping hobbit.
"Sorry" she said.
The next second, the metal stand that had once been secularly attached to the wall had now fallen. It spun slowly in the air and crashed with a loud bang that echoed around the room. Within the second, Diamond had awoken and sat upright on the bed.
There seemed to be no noise in the house. But, quickly, Diamond's hearing came back. Diamond looked around. She noticed something strange about the room. It was then she noticed that something was different about the wall. The stand was laying just a few feet from her.
"How did…?" Diamond asked, looking down at the floor.
But something new distracted her. Barking came faintly from the other side of the door. The door had been left a jar.
The hobbit wondered if she was just hearing things. But another round of barks confirmed that she was not just hearing things. The hobbit stood on the cold tiled floor that ran though out the house. Diamond looked down the hall way. A small whistle of wind blew past her.
Three, seemingly loud bangs coming from the front door. Taking a deep breath, she walked down the cold corridor. There was a click and the door opened.
Origo darted forwards before both Diamond, Pearl or Ivy could see him. The small puppy brushed past his owners feet. Only a small black dot rushed from the corner of her eye.
"Hello Diamond" a voice said.
Diamond looked around and saw Pearl standing there. Her feet were wet and cold, for hobbits did not have a need for shoes.
"My dear Pearl, do come in!" Diamond said, not wanting her to stand out in the coldness a second longer.
So, Pearl entered the house, still carrying Faramir in her arms. The door was closed quickly behind her. Diamond smiled as she looked back around.
"How is he?" she asked, looking at Pearl.
She gave a small smile and looked down at Faramir.
"He's asleep" she answered.
But Diamond was not talking about her son.
"No, how is Pippin?"
There was a strange silence. One that Pearl did not like.
"Well, we had a talk and" she paused.
Diamond looked at her. Pearl could see the loneliness in her eyes.
"And what?" Diamond asked.
"And I think its best you wait until tomorrow" she answered.
Origo had come back out of Diamond's room. he was still in his playful mood as he walked towards her. but he stopped. He had a strange feeling that he had never got from her.
The puppy knew that something was wrong. He gave a small whine as he neared Diamond's feet. Diamond looked down and gave her puppy was warm smile.
"Well" said Pearl, handing the sleeping baby to his mother.
"I best be off" she said.
Diamond took her some and held her in her arms.
"Thank you for looking after him" Diamond said.
"No problem, he was well behaved" she said.
Diamond gave a proud, but embarrassed smile.
"But I still did not get my work done, I accidently fell asleep" she said, looking at the floor.
The bucket of water and the mop were still standing outside of the kitchen, ready to be used. But other important things had to come. Eating and getting Faramir ready for bed were now on Diamond's priority.
"Well, I best be off, dinner has to be prepared"
So, Pearl turned around on the spot and opened the door. A second wave of cold air met Diamond as Pearl walked out. The large door was shut, stopping the wave of coldness fighting its way in.
Diamond looked down at her son. There was a strange feeling in her bones. Something big was missing from her life and she knew exactly what it was.
Pippin was not around. The house seemed bigger then normal. The distances felt further as Diamond walked down to her room. The whole house, although all of the candles were still flickering, seemed darker.
Faramir was placed in his cot. Origo was standing at the door. His small tail was wagging as Diamond turn back to him.
"Right" she thought, walking over to him.
The next seconds, Origo was scooped up and given a massive hug.
"Lets get you some food and then we'll have an early night" Diamond told him.
Origo whined happily and licked his Diamond. So, holding her puppy in her arms, Diamond walked down the corridor to the kitchen.
But Diamond was not the only one preparing food. Samwise was in the kitchen, along with the rest of the family. For the first time in a while, Frodo was sitting at the table. but there was something strange about him. he was quieter then normal.
Rosie, his mother, seemed to pick up on this straight away. But she did not know the reason for his withdrawal. All she could do now was watch as he took mouthful after mouthful. Normally, he would have been the first to finish his dinner. But this time it was not the case.
Elanor, his older sister, had finished what she had on her plate and was now eyeing up the rest of the food. Bowls and bowls of food had been lain out across the table.
"Could I have some more please?" she asked, looking at her mother.
Rosie, who held her youngest child in her arms, took a deep breath.
"Let others have a chance to have a look in" Rosie said, scooping up mush on her spoon and feeding it to Pippin.
Elanor sighed and looked down. The dinner table was now a very boring place to be. The attention of the young girl was short. Her eyes wondered from her mother, then onto her father. There were toys on the floor. To the girl, this was torture. Elanor looked over at her mother. But she was not looking back. The young girls hands were twitching. She needed to play or do something to pass the time.
The clock was ticking slower then normal. Elanor looked back at the table and saw that her mother had hardly started.
"Could I be excused from the table?" Elanor asked, hoping that she would.
But it didn't.
"Wait until everyone is finished" Rosie told her daughter.
This seemed unfair. No food and no getting down from the table. Frodo placed his knife and fork on his plate. Rosie took a deep breath.
"Would you like to go back to your room?" Rosie asked.
Frodo looked at his mother. Rosie noticed that there was no fire in her oldest son's eyes. His head slowly moved up and down. His scraped his chair along the tiled floor and slowly walked out of the room. Elanor didn't think that it was fair.
The girl looked over at her mother. But her mother gave a sharp glance in her direction. Elanor's complaints were saved from being told. Elanor went back to looking down.
A door closed down the hall way. A sign that Frodo had reached his room. Rosie took a deep breath and continued to feed Pippin.
After what seemed like half an hour for Elanor, her mother spoke.
"Alright, Elanor, you can have some more, but not too much"
A smile came over the girls lips and she reached for the nearest bowl. It was roast potatoes. They were done to perfection. They were crispy and brown. A large spoon had been left in the bowl. Elanor picked up the handle and scooped out five more roast potatoes.
Rosie took a deep breath. She really needed to talk to Frodo. But she couldn't let on to her other children.
"Could you hold him please?" she asked her husband.
Sam smiled as he placed his mug down and took his youngest child. Elanor was watching her mother hand over the child. Rosie gave a quick glance back, but said nothing. She walked out of the room and down the corridor. The door to her son's room looked a lot like the other rooms in the house.
Rosie took a deep breath and opened the door. The room was hot and dark. The heath seemed not to be as lively as normal. The candles were burning at their lowest they had ever been, almost to the point of going out.
There were no words exchanged between the two of them yet. The door was slowly and quietly closed. Frodo continued to lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling.
"Are you going to talk?" Rosie finally asked.
Her eyes were focused on her son. But he did not even take one glance at his mother. Rosie's question was unanswered. She gave a deep breath and walked over to the bed.
Frodo's mind was back on what had happened to him. He felt his mother sit on the edge of the bed. Frodo yawned as he lay there.
"Frodo?" Rosie asked.
The next second, Rosie took Frodo's small hand. It was the first time that he had felt his mother's touch in a while. In fact, he could not remember when it had been just him and his mother in the same room.
"Are you going to talk?" she asked.
Frodo took a deep breath and nodded. Rosie gave a small smile.
"Are you…" started Frodo.
"Are you angry at me?" he asked.
He was very worried that his mother would not love him again. But there was something in Rosie's eyes that reassured him.
"No" Rosie said, looking at her son.
"No, I'm not angry" she said.
Frodo took a deep breath and looked away. He did not trust the words of his mother.
"I saw…" he paused for a moment and looked at his mother.
"I saw them"
Rosie was confused at what her son had just said.
Questions ran though her head trailed by pictures of the worst things she could think of.
"Who did you see?" she asked, looking at his eyes.
There was a small bit of worry in her voice. But her question was soon answered.
"Pippin's trees" Frodo said happily.
Rosie wondered what that meant.
"Trees?" she asked.
Frodo smiled and nodded.
"They talked to me" Frodo said.
"Talked?" asked Rosie.
This, to Rosie, seemed impossible. She did not know what to say. She knew that her son would not lie to her. But then, it seemed impossible for trees to talk.
"What did they say?" Rosie questioned further.
"Well" Frodo started, trying to remember.
"They asked me things, things I didn't know" Frodo said.
It seemed harder to remember now. It had been a few days since then.
"Like what?" his mother asked.
There was a strange silence in the room. Only a small bit of noise echoed though from the kitchen. But it was mostly pots, pans and bowls being put away.
Rosie's ears were ringing with silence as she continued to hold her son's hand. She looked at her son.
"Well" said Frodo, small things were now surfacing in his mind again.
The coldness was getting to him. Frodo's eyes could see the snow flakes falling all around him. The cold wind and the feeling of hunger were brought back. The sound of wind rushed past his ears.
His fingers were numb and feet as well. Bangs grew louder as something, much bigger then any building around, came towards him. Fear ran though the small hobbit as a large creature stood before him.
Frodo had lost his voice. The fear that had already felt increased ten fold. There was a strange sound coming from the tree. One that was unusual for a tree.
"Orc!" said a loud voice.
Frodo Gamgee backed away as a branch fell towards the frozen ground. Frodo jumped out of the way. The branch seemed to snap into splinters that flew in near every direction.
But this branch was just a starter. Another shattered only a foot from him.
"S… stop!" he shouted.
There was near silence as the tree stopped its barrage.
"Please? I'm lost" he said, cowering where he stood.
A low grumble echoed around the forest. The tree seemed to become a solid statue.
"Lost?" it grumbled.
Frodo was both shivering with fright and shivering with coldness. His hair was wet and stuck to his face. Cold drips fell from his nose.
"Yes" he whimpered.
He missed his family and the safety of his home. The tree seemed to stand there for a few seconds.
"Where are you from?" it asked slowly.
Frodo did not know weather to trust to trust the tree or not.
"Hobbiton" Frodo told it.
The tree gave a groan in acceptance.
"Hobbiton, ah?" it asked.
Frodo gave a small nod. The tree slowly started to think.
"What are you doing from you home?" the Ent asked.
Frodo took a deep breath, remembering how much trouble he would be in when he got back. But the worries changed.
"What if I don't get back?" he asked himself.
The small boy looked up.
"Would you help me get home?" he asked, playing his last
card with the Ent.