Ivy fluttered closer, listening to every word that he said.
"Leave him here and we'll take care of him"
Ivy started to smile. She now knew that Origo would be safe. The man nodded, turned and walked out of the inn. Ivy fluttered where she was.
"I think we should get this one a towel"
So, the man stood up and picked Origo up. There was a young maid behind the bar. Her brown hair was tied back. Ivy continued to flutter and landed on the bar.
"Of course" the young maid said.
The Puppy was gently handed over and the man went back to his friend. The maid looked down at the pup. She gave small smile and walked towards the door that led into the back.
Ivy fluttered after her. The door opened and slowly swung shut. Ivy fluttered right though the door like it was not there.
The small fairy took a second or two to look around. A creaking stair signalled the way the girl had gone. So, fluttering straight up though the ceiling.
The room that she was now in was strange. Unlike Diamond's house, this one seemed to be less decorated then hers. There was a dirty looking mirror with an old dusty table. A few candles were flickering and a cold wind whistled though the large gaps of the poorly made doors and window frames.
The young girl put the limp puppy on the bed and turned around. Ivy watched the girl walk out of the room again. Ivy fluttered onto the bed and stood there. The room was much colder then it should be. The walls seemed not to have been taken cared for many, many years. A thin layer of dirty had built up, making the room darker then normal.
Just then, a dull noise came from downstairs. Laughter from the people below. Lunch was fast approaching and people needed feeding.
A voice came from downstairs. It sounded very annoyed and it seemed that it was aimed at the girl.
"I'll be down in a minute or two!" the girl shouted back as she opened the door again.
The voice from down echoed up again, then went silent. The girl took a deep breath, looking very tired and upset. But the sight of the puppy made that small smile reappear.
The bed suddenly moved as the girl sat down.
Ivy noticed that the towel she had gotten was not a very good one. Small holes, most likely the work of mice or rats, dotted it.
The pup was gently wrapped up. The girl looked down at the small creature, now warm and safe. But her gaze was broken as the stair creaked. A woman then came into view.
"Why are you just sitting around?" she said, her voice raised.
The girl placed Origo on the bed and stood up. Ivy looked strangely at the woman. Her wrinkles were deep and her face could curdle fresh milk, as the saying goes.
"I am…"
But the girl was quietened before she had the chance to explain.
"I do not want to hear what you have to say!"
The woman was very angry at the girl. She marched in and stood facing the maid. The next second, an open palm hit the girls cheek. The noise made Ivy jump.
"Now, you get down there and you help with lunch!"
The girl held her cheek, her pale blue eyes were watering.
"Yes ma'am" she said, her voice held the pain.
The woman turned and stormed out again. The girl could do nothing but stand there. But she was used to it. Taking a deep breath and looking back at the puppy, she walked out.
Ivy could hear the girl walk down the stairs. She now had a problem on her hands. She wished to stay here, for Origo's safety. But it seemed that his well being would be in threat by that woman.
Lunch was defiantly underway in the Shire. Chimneys were smoking and the smell of warm, cooked food spread around every household.
Even the very tired Diamond had something cooking. But her lunch was not as good as it could have been more different then anyone else in Hobbiton.
Eglantine had left, just half an hour before. She needed to get lunch ready herself. The noise of sizzling started to erupt from the hot pan on the hobs.
A slice of bread was soaking in egg. Diamond, who had her apron on, wiped her hands. She smiled as the bread started to cook.
Four more pieces of bread lay in a pile near a plate. The plate had a yellow liquid on it. A few egg shells lay on the work top. Diamond smiled as she smelt the cooking egg.
A spatula was held in her right hand and the handle of the pan. The spatula was slid under the bread and it was flipped over. The side that had been facing the surface of the hot pan was now slowly browning.
The sizzling increased for a few seconds, then went back to normal. Diamond smiled as she waited for the second side to brown.
For a moment, Diamond thought that she had forgotten something important. But the mystery was quickly solved as she looked down. Normally, she would have a small puppy wagging his tail as he stood at her feet.
But Origo was not here. In fact, he was not in Hobbiton. He had been travailing for a few days now. But his progress had halted. Not due to him, but to a second accident.
Ivy took a deep breath as she waited for him to wake. It had been hours since the accident and it would be a few more hours.
The clock on the wall chimed twelve times. Ivy could hear the wind whistling though the small gaps. Muffled talking and laughter could be heard coming from the main bar downstairs.
A glass shatter made Ivy look at the door. The clock on the wall continued to tick and tock. The hour hand moved slowly towards the number six and then started to climb up towards the number twelve again.
The sun outside was arching and falling towards the western horizon. The coldness seemed to grow as well as the lengths of shadows.
But in a far off memory, the world was very different. Warmth surrounded a figure, wondering though the forest. But the figure was not of man, elf, dwarf or hobbit. It was in fact of a small puppy.
In modern times, this puppy was call Origo. But his name had not been given too him yet. Pilith was his real name and was unknown to anyone but a small group.
The puppy's eyes were darting around, trying to find something. But there was nothing there. Every so often, the puppy would stop and look. He was being watched by an unseen animal.
"Mya?" Pilith barked, looking around.
His bark echoed around, but there was no reply. So, placing his nose very close to the ground, the puppy began to sniff. He scurried along, sniffing quickly.
As he sniffed, a scent caught him. He turned around and sniffed the same spot again. He suddenly lifted his head and looked around. But there was still no sign of the other puppy.
So, going back to sniffing the ground. Pilith found that there was a line, running away from him. This was the break though that he needed. He started to trot along, keeping nose to the ground.
Behind a tree, the creature he was after saw him coming.
"Oh no" she thought, looking around for another place to hide.
But it was too late. A bark came from behind the tree. It was now too late. Mya froze, hoping that, if she stayed as still as she could, Pilith would not find her.
But Pilith had a different plan. He snuck around the side, very close to the tree. The pup could see the slowly wagging tail of his victim.
Mya's head slowly moved from one side to the other. But she was not ready for what came next. Pilith pounced at her, making her tumble under the weight of the puppy on top.
"Found you!" Pilith barked.
Mya playfully growled and wrestled with him. A few times, Mya overpowered Pilith. But the majority of the time, Pilith was more powerful.
"Now it's your turn!" Pilith barked and ran off.
Mya yawned and looked around. It was now her time to find him and she knew that he was a good hider. She watched the puppy get smaller and smaller until he could not be seen anymore. Just as the she was about to run off after him, she saw a figure walking though the forest. It was moving quicker then normal.
Mya's eyes fell on the yellow booted figure. She knew exactly who it was. So, quickly changing into her human form, she walked out from behind the tree. For a moment, she thought that Tom did not see her.
But indeed he did. A smile came over his face as he watched the young girl walk towards him.
"One did have a small inkling that you would be in the forest"
Pilith could see two figures now, standing where he had just ran from. For a moment, he could not make them out. But after a few more seconds of looking, he knew that it must be Tom and Mya.
So, Pilith changed into his human and started to walk back to where they were. Mya smiled as she saw Pilith walking towards her.
"I see that you two have been playing a game" Tom said, a strange twinkle in his eye.
Pilith had come to learn that they could not get away from Tom. Even when they thought he was at home, Tom seemed to be by them all along.
"Yes, we just wanted to get rid of some energy" Mya said.
Pilith smiled as he reached them.
"I was doing the same, a walk is a very good way to get rid of energy. I myself sometimes need many hours of walking to clear my head of all worries"
But there seemed to be a small bit of worry in his eyes. Tom's real reason for walking had not been told yet. He struggled for a way to tell them.
Pilith looked into the old face of his friend. Something was different back it. It seemed that something was bothering him and it not going away, no matter how much walking he did.
Tom eyed Pilith. For a moment, there was a connection. A subliminal message seemed to pass between the two of them.
"No" Pilith said, without a word said from the other two.
Mya looked between the two of them, obviously not getting the message that Pilith did.
"Pilith, what's the matter?" Mya asked.
Tom took a deep breath.
"I need you to do something for me" he said.
Mya was confused. This was something serious going on.
"What is going on?" she asked.
Pilith seemed to have a short fuse.
"No" he said, short and to the point.
"We are not going to leave"
Tom took a deep breath, knowing that he would need all of his words to get them to do his will.
"It's the only way to help, you need to go to Gondor" he said.
Mya suddenly realised what he was planning to do.
"Gondor?" she asked, her eyes now fixed on him.
"But you said Sauron is rising, we can not seen by anyone. You know this!"
Tom knew that the two of them would play it hard. But he also knew that they wanted to help.
"Indeed I do. But war will spread to every corner of middle-earth. This is your time to help" he said.
The pictures suddenly started to fade as they talked. Origo was now waking up. A small whine came from him as he lay there. Ivy was fluttering around the building that they were in.
The building seemed to be split into two. A bar downstairs, along with a large cellar full of bottles and barrels. Then, up a flight of stairs, living quarters. The rooms upstairs were falling into disrepair.
The beds seemed to be very old and broken. Their sheets seemed to be older then memory. The wood that made up the frames of the door were brittle and broken.
A cold wind blow, whistling though the gaps. Ivy flew though the walls, taking in everything that she saw. She was just about to flutter into yet another room when she heard it.
Barking.
"Origo" she said, a smile came over her.
So, her small wings fluttered faster then ever. The wall that separated the two rooms came ever closer. The small fairy seemed to pass right though, into the room that Origo was in.
"Puppy!" she said, flying down to the bed.
Origo was struggling to get out of the blanket that he had been wrapped in. But Ivy was not the only one to hear the barks of the pup. Downstairs, the young barmaid looked towards the door. She knew that the puppy was now awake.
So, leaving the area behind the bar, she opened the door and walked up the creaky stairs. She smiled as the door opened. A large smile came over the girl as she quietly shut the door.
"I see that your up" she said.
Origo was panicking. He did not know where he was or why he was there. All he knew was that he had to get out of there.
The girl slowly came forward, this made Origo even more scared. Large hands swooped down at him. All he could do was to lash out at the threat.
"Puppy!" the girl said, stepping back.
The puppy seemed to be very, very frightened. All that he wanted to was get out of here. But, unknown to the girl, Ivy was trying to settle Origo down as well.
"Puppy, puppy calm down" Ivy said, fluttering towards him.
"She's not going to hurt you"
Origo's eyes darted from the fairy, to the girl. The puppy seemed to slowly calm down as Ivy talked to him.
"She just wants to help" Ivy told him.
Ori could see nor hear any lie in what she said.
"But, who is she?" Origo whimpered, not liking the cold, dark room.
Ivy took a deep breath and looked towards the girl. Her blue eyes were looking right back at Origo.
"Are you going to behave now?" she asked.
Ori blinked and slowly nodded his head. Ivy smiled as she stroked his ear. The young girl slowly held out one hand. Origo looked up at her, he caught her scent a bit, but he needed to make sure.
The girl felt the wet nose of the puppy touch her.
"See, I'm not going to hurt you" she said.
Just then, yelling came from down stairs. The girl's heart beat rose. She knew that she had taken too much time away from the bar.
The stairs seemed to creak even more as the person made their way up. A second or two later, the door swung open.
"What are you doing up here?" asked the woman.
Anger crossed her face as she stood there. Origo backed away, growling a bit.
"I do not pay you to stay up stairs!" she said.
The girl backed away as well, but the bed stopped her from getting any further back.
"There are people down there, waiting to be served and there is no one there to serve them"
"I'm sorry, it wont happen again" the girl said nervously.
But the woman did not believe her.
"Wont happen again?" she asked, giving a small laugh.
"I do not pay you for fooling around"
The girl gave a small glance away. She had never been paid for the job she was doing. The owners seemed to think that there was no need.
"If this happens again, I will have no other choice but to get rid of you. Now, get down there and work"
The girl nodded and looked back at the small dog, now standing near the opposite end of the bed. The woman turned and slammed the door.
The girl took a deep breath and tilted her head back. Ivy was feeling sorry for the young girl now. She was being treated like a slave.
"This always happens" the girl said, turning around to the puppy.
Origo blinked and came a bit closer.
"She always treats me like this"
There was sadness in her voice as she sat on the bed. She smiled as the puppy now came up to her. The woman was now downstairs again, behind the bar.
"I always have to do more then I can handle and I don't even get paid for it"
But there were things that she held close to her heart. Memories that she had yet to tell anyone. The girl took a deep breath and stood up.
"I best be getting back to work now, just wait here and I'll be back with some food" she said.
Origo's head was then stroked as the girl stood up. She smiled and turned, walking out of the room and shutting the door with a small click.
Origo looked at the door, then over to Ivy. She took a deep breath.
"What happened?" the puppy asked.
Ivy took a deep breath.
"I don't know" she said, looking around.
"All I saw was you flying though the air and landing. The man on the horse brought you here and went away again" she answered.
Origo looked around.
"Where are we?" he asked, looking over at the window.
The sunlight started to fade as the sun slowly sank. The coldness deepened as the warmth from the sun failed to warmth that land below it.
Hunger was now getting to the little puppy. Ivy knew that he hadn't eaten in a few hours and the look that he gave made it all clearer.
A large plate of turkey appeared before him. Even before his memory loss, Origo had liked it. But not as much as before.
The puppy wagged his tail and started chomping on the large plate before him. Ivy smiled as she watched. The smell of turkey started to waft around the small room.
"Maybe I should get a fire going" Ivy said, looking at the fireless heath.
She smiled as she fluttered over to it. There was no wood in the heath. It looked as though it had not been used in a few years.
Ivy smiled and looked at the spot in the heath. Without warning, a pile of wood appeared. It was like it had come out of midair and landed without a sound.
Origo thought nothing of this for he knew who was responsible. Ivy smiled as she pointed at the wood. Just then, exactly where she had been pointing, sprung a fire which quickly enveloped the logs.
The heat seemed to come as a large wave which travelled around the room. Ivy turned and fluttered back to the bed.
By the time that she had got back, half of the turkey had been eaten. Origo blinked as Ivy came and sat back down near the puppy. All she could do was watch him eat and eat and eat.
After only a few minutes, all of the meat was gone. Ivy started to giggle as Origo licked the plate clean.
"Alright pup, its clean enough" she said, making is vanish.
A small whimper came from the pup. He was still hungry.
"But, you've just had some"
Origo looked too cute to argue with. Ivy tried hard to resist his little face.
"Oh alright!" she said, making a second plate of turkey appear.
Origo wagged his tail and started to eat again. Ivy took a deep breath, knowing that they could have done this at Hobbiton. But for now, they were miles away and with no option of turning back.
Downstairs, the girl was taking orders and pouring out drinks. As she did so, an accident happened. A glass that she had been drying slipped and fell to the cold tiled floor below.
It shattered into a thousand tiny fragments.
"Clear that up immediately!" said the woman, her voice was stern.
The girl took a deep breath and squatted down and started picking up the small shards of glass. After a few minutes, she had picked up nearly every piece.
Dinner was starting to come upon the Shire as the sun set. Darkness was getting deeper. The shadows of the trees stretched as the sun lowered.
A hobbit walked though the melting carpet of snow. Children were still playing, even though the coldness was deepening.
Samwise huffed as he walked though the small gap into the big field. He stopped, a funny sight met him. He could easily made out his daughter down the other side of the field.
She and her friends were still making the snow hobbit. Sam smiled as he walked down to it. Elanor was patting snow into the already massive ball. Another one had been made and lifted on top of the first one.
But none of them, not even Elanor, could reach it.
"Elanor, dear" said her father, standing there.
Elanor looked over and smiled.
"Hello" she said, walking over.
"It's good, isn't it?" she asked.
Samwise smiled and nodded.
"One of the biggest yet" he answered.
Elanor gave the exact same smile that her mother did.
"Dinner will be ready soon" Samwise told her.
"So start saying your goodbyes and come back home" he told her.
Elanor smiled and turned. Samwise looked around. The sky then caught his attention. Twinkling stars came out of their hiding places.
Sam noticed that some of the brighter stars fighting to shine though. But most were blocked by the thin clouds that had the last hint of the blueness of the day past.
Rosie hummed as she prepared dinner. The smell of cooking chicken radiated around the house. Laughter echoed down from the lounge as plates were placed on the work top.
A few minutes later, the front door opened. Rosie felt a cold tickle on the backs of her legs. Samwise was back home.
Both Sam and his daughter took their coats off. It was then that Elanor felt how cold she had been as she started to warm up. The smell of chicken was incredibly inviting.
Rosie smiled as her oldest daughter crossed the threshold into the kitchen.
"How long until it's ready?" Elanor asked.
A small towel had been picked up.
"About twenty minutes" Rosie answered.
Elanor smiled and stood there, looking at what her mother was doing. But her attention span was not very long. So, she left the room and went to her own.
Hunger was now getting to her as she closed the door. The fire in heath was still burning as she went to her bed. The candles reflected in the window. The darkness was defiantly deepening.
"You want to play?" asked the girl suddenly, looking over at a stagnant figure.
A horse stood there, its front right hoof raised off of the ground and its main seemed to be carved to make it look like it was blowing in the wind.
"Well what do you want to do?" she asked.
It was then she had an idea. A smile came over her as she thought of it.
"But we're not allowed, we'll get into trouble" she said.
But the opportunity was too tempting. So, gathering her horse, she went for it. But she could not predict how much trouble she would get into.
The door slowly opened, making sure her mother and father were busy. She smiled, hearing her mother in the kitchen. But the whereabouts of her father were still unknown.
The girl's heart rate rose as she made her way past the kitchen. The door to her parents room came into view. It was then a voice came into her head.
"Elanor, just stop for a moment" it said.
"Think about what your doing. If your father finds out it's gone, then you'll be in deep trouble"
But Elanor knew that her parents couldn't stay mad at her for long. So, looking around one last time, she opened the door. The feeling she got was very strange. A cot lay on the far side of the bed and, sleeping inside was her youngest sibling.
"Now, where would he keep it?" she asked herself.
She walked over to the large cupboard and opened it up. But there was no sign of the big red book. She slowly and quietly closed it. A draw was then opened. But there was still no sign.
An echo them met her ears. Her heart rate seemed to rise instantly. But all it turn out to be was a random creak in the wood just outside of the room.
"Maybe…" she thought, looking over at the bed.
"Maybe it's under there"
So, slowly closing the draw, she walked over to the bed. She looked around one more time and knelt down. Under the bed were many, many boxes.
She gabbed one and slid it out. It was very heavy. The lid was then taken off. But it was not the red book. In fact, Elanor did not know what was written on the pieces of paper that she had found.
But she could not wait to read it. So, putting the lid back, she got out another box. But yet again, the book was not there.
Down the corridor, Rosie was now cutting up the dinner. A large knife sliced though the tender meat of the chicken. She smiled at the meat was slowly transferred onto all the plates.
Vegetables were bubbling in the many different pots. But they were all ready to be served. Piles of honey roasted chicken were now laying on the plate.
The pans were taken off of the heat and drained of water. But they were not served onto the plates. Instead, they were placed into bowls.
"Dinner is ready!" Rosie shouted down the hall way.
Elanor's heart stopped. She knew that she needed to get out of the room as soon as possible. A large red book lay on the bed. Elanor did not know what to do with it.
To leave it there, or to bring it with her into her room. Either way she had to get rid of the evidence. So, she put the box lid on and slid the box under the bed.
She grabbed the big red book and scurried out. She now needed to get past the kitchen.
"Elanor!" her mother shouted.
Worry started to grow in her heart. She knew that if she got caught, she could get grounded for the rest of her life. The kitchen door came into view. There seemed to be a lot of movement.
But the door had been closed enough for Elanor to slip past. So, she did. Her breathing seemed to calm as she made her way to her room.
The bowls of vegetables were being placed on the table along with water for the children and ale for Sam and Rosie.
"Where is Elanor?" Rosie thought, eyeing her empty chair.
Elanor was in fact quickly hiding the big red book that belonged to her father. Under the bed was the best place to put it.
"Elanor, your dinner is going cold!" her mother called.
Elanor then walked out and shut the door to her room. She walked along to the kitchen and walked in. Nervousness was getting to her. But she tried not to show it. She smiled as she walked to her place.
"Your lucky that there are things left" Samwise said, piling the roast potatoes onto his plate.
Rosie was standing up and placing vegetables on the children's plates. Frodo was sitting facing her sister. He was waiting as patiently as he could for the potatoes. Elanor picked up the spoon and started to scoop one after another onto her plate.
Frodo took a deep breath and sat back in his seat. He was now very tired of waiting and wanted to start eating. Samwise lent over and grabbed the gravy boat. He smiled as he lifted it. The next second, the rich, brown liquid was poured all over his food.
Frodo smiled as he started to place roasted potatoes on his plate. Elanor looked around, her eyes kept wondering to the door. A voice seemed to keep talking to her.
"You have to put it back. Trouble will only come of it!" it said.
But Elanor knew that she couldn't put it back. She could not go into her parents room again. It would surely seal her punishment.
Dinner past slower then normal. Samwise smiled as he cleared his plate and picked up his mug of ale. There was only a small bit left. He smiled as he downed it in one.
Just then, a noise came from down the hall way. The baby was awake. Sam smiled.
"I'll get him" Sam said, getting up from the chair.
It was now that Elanor became even more nervous. She looked back down at her food and felt sick. She had suddenly lost her appetite.
Samwise walked into the room. As he did, he noticed something strange about the bed.
"That's funny" he said, looking at the crinkled duvet.
A corner of a box poked under the bed. Before Sam went to his son, Sam went to the bed and slid out the box. It was exactly the same one that he kept the red book in.
"Oh my" he said, lifting off of the lid.
The red book had gone. The baby was then picked up and Sam walked out. He had a small inkling of who might have taken it. But he was not one hundred percent sure.
"It's gone" Sam said, walking in.
Rosie was now clearing away the plates and bowls. Elanor was sitting there, she knew the her father had found out about the book.
"What has?" Rosie asked, standing there with a plate in each hand.
Samwise took a deep breath.
"The book Frodo gave me when he left" he answered.
Elanor could pick out the sadness and worry in his voice. She knew that she was close to being found out.
"Are you sure you looking in the right place?" she asked.
Samwise looked at her children. He knew that if he reviled the location, then he could not hide the book there again.
"I'm certain. I haven't lent it out to anyone and the children don't know where it is" he said.
Rosie took a deep breath and looked over at her sons and daughters. Only one seemed to be deliberately not listening. Elanor.
This made Rosie very suspicious.
"Elanor?"
Rosie's voice was now very stern. She needed to get the truth.
"Do you know anything about the missing book?" she asked.
Elanor's eyes darted around, she could not bare to look at her mother.
"N.. no" she answered.
But Rosie could see though the lie.
"Elanor, are you lying to me?" she asked.
Samwise took a deep breath.
"Elanor, where is it?" Samwise answered.
Elanor took a deep breath.
"I don't know where it is" she answered, but she knew that she could not keep it up for long.
Rosie shook her head. But she could not prove that her daughter had taken it.
"Alright, you can go now" Rosie said, taking Elanor's plate.
Elanor left, more hastier then normal. Rosie took a deep breath as she placed the plate by the sink. The door to Elanor's room slowly shut.
"I have to get rid of it" Elanor thought, taking the book from under her bed.
But she knew that her mother would sooner later find out. Elanor knelt down and slid out the book.
"But if I tell them, they cant get too made at me" she thought.
But this would ruin her plan of reading it. A noise echoed down the hall way. But it was just her siblings making their way to the lounge.
Elanor placed the book on the bed. Her heart was in her mouth as she opened the cover. The title page then met her.
A few lines had been crossed out. Elanor's eyes then fell on the first title.
There and Back Again…
A Hobbit's Tail
By Bilbo Baggins
This was the first part of the book. Elanor had never read it before. She had always been told about the adventures of Bilbo and Frodo from her father. But she was getting more information about it.
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
Elanor smiled, the words were perfect and a very good way to start off a book. But there was more.
It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs.
Samwise yawned sat in the lounge. The clocked ever closer to the time where the children would be put to bed. He downed his tea and smiled as he watched his children expelled the last of their energy.
"Right, we best get to bed" he said, standing up.
Merry and Rose giggled as they chased each other around. Sam walked out of the room, leaving Rosie on her own. The kitchen door had been left open.
Sam placed the mug by the pile of plates and walked out again. He headed right for Elanor's room. He smiled as he opened the door. Elanor jumped as she sat on her bed. The book was closed instantly, but there was no time to hide it.
Sam stood at the door.
"Elanor?" he asked, spotting the book.
Elanor froze, her and her father's eyes were locked on each others.
"Where did you get that?"