HobbitFriend
February 7th,2003, 01:09 AM
*I was a bit bored in study one day, having nothing to do and came up with this. It's nothing wonderful, and it's a bit short compared to some, but I decided to post it anyways. Please tell me what you think.*
A Conspiracy is Formed
The sun had long faded from the pale sky in the Shire. The air was filled with suspicion and wonder as everyone began to leave Bilbo's Birthday Party. Pippin was just about to go get his pipe when there came a noise right outside the door of his quaint hobbit-hole in Tuckborough. “Who’s there?” Pippin said in a shaky voice. There was a knock on the door and then the sound of leaves rustling. Pippin crept over to the window to see what it was. After all, Bilbo had suddenly vanished in the middle of his speech and folks were talking. It could have even been Gandalf, coming to blame him for something and this Peregrin Took wasn’t about to take any chances. He leaned slowly over the counter and peered out the window. Whatever it was, it seemed to have gone away.
“Hi! Pippin!” Merry jumped up from under the window, nearly knocking Pippin off his feet as he gave a shrill cry and put his hand to his chest.
“Ah, Merry!” Pippin sighed. “It’s only you. You nearly frightened me to death!”
“Ha ha! Got you again! You need to learn not to worry so much. We’re in the Shire; nothing bad could possibly happen!”
“Didn’t you see what happened to Bilbo today? Maybe the trolls came back and hobbit-napped him!”
“Trolls are big and dumb, not invisible! You’ve been listenin’ to too many o’ Bilbo’s stories. ‘Bout time you smartened up a bit.”
Just at that moment, there was a loud knock at the door. “Open! Open up! Let me in! Hoy, Pippin!”
Pippin came to the door. “Hullo Sam!” Sam nearly fell through the open door. “Why, it looks like you just ran all the way from Hobbiton! Don’t think you’re goin’ to frighten me this time!”
“No, no, you don’t understand!” Sam gasped for breath. “M-m- Mr. Frodo’s in trouble!”
“Now listen Sam, what you need is a nice mug o’ beer and some mushrooms to calm down a bit,” Merry offered. He went to get some beer and came back with three mugs.
“Frodo’s gone mad!” Fatty didn’t bother knocking; he just came right in and blurted it out. “Is that for me?” He pointed to the mug in Merry’s hand.
Merry got defensive. “What you yellin’ about now, Bolger?”
Fatty seemed pleased with Merry inquiry. “Well, I saw Sam runnin’ this way and wondered what had happened. So I go to Bag End and ask Frodo what was the matter with Sam…”
“You ‘ad no right botherin’ Mr. Frodo about me!” Sam interrupted.
Fatty seemed not to notice and went on. He was now seated in a large, comfortable chair. “An’ Frodo just shrugs. ‘He’s probably been listening to another one of Bilbo’s wild stories again’ he says. But I don’t buy it. Somethin’s up, and I’m getting’ to the bottom of it!”
“What were ya yellin’ ‘bout, Sam?” Pippin dared to ask.
“I decided to go ask Frodo what had happened to Bilbo,” Sam began. “And before I get there, Gandalf shows up. Now, I ain’t one for spyin’ on nobody, but where there’s Gandalf, there’s usually adventure and stories, and you know know I like hearin’ about the elves…”
“Sam!” the others shouted.
“Oh, right. Well I hear something about Bilbo’s ‘surprise’ and some ring so I leaned close under the window.” Sam’s eyes turned downward. “Bilbo was sayin’ stuff about his disappearing trick he played on us and how it’s about time he left and all.” Sam got up now; there was a light in his eyes. “He was standin’ there – right in the middle of the room!” He motioned to Fatty as an example. “And he just… vanished! Poof!” Sam threw his arms into the air.
“Oh, come now!” Fatty protested. “You say you saw this with your own eyes? How do you know he didn’t just walk out of the room quickly – maybe with Gandalf’s help?”
“Well, I don’t know if Gandalf helped or not, but Bilbo seemed to be holding something shiny. And then when he vanished, his voice could still be heard and Frodo and Gandalf acted as if nothing strange or unusual were happenin.’ Then, Bilbo’s walking stick seemed to just float off the wall before it, too, disappeared! The door opened without any visible hand as Gandalf and Frodo shouted, ‘Bye Bilbo! I hope some day we’ll meet again!’ And we all saw Mr. Bilbo’s disappearing act at his party!”
Pippin stood, listening in awe, his mouth open. Then Merry broke the silence: “Indeed, this is strange news! I think we should investigate this further.”
“We’ll form a group; only we’ll know about it!” Fatty suggested. Pippin was still standing motionless.
Merry agreed, “Yeah! It’ll be our little conspiracy. Sam, you can ‘tend Frodo’s garden’ and then at the end of the day, you’ll tell us what you heard.”
“I don’t know,” Sam said warily. “What if Mr. Frodo finds out? I don’t want him mad at me. He won’t let me tend his garden no more!”
Pippin finally came out of his trance. “But what about Frodo? He could be in danger,” Pippin reasoned. “Now, what’s more important: adventure – eh, I mean Frodo, or his garden?” Pippin liked the thought of being part of a conspiracy and spying on Frodo, being the adventurous Took that he was. “We can meet at my place!”
“It’s settled then!” Fatty exclaimed. “Sam will be our main source of information, since he can get the closest to Frodo.”
Sam still felt slightly uneasy. “Are you sure?”
“Sam, it’s for Frodo’s own good. And we’ll all be here to back you up,” Merry reassured him.
“Alright, for Mr. Frodo. But if anythin’ bad happens, it’s your fault! I ‘ad nothin’ to do with it.”
They all cheered. Pippin left and came back with four mugs of beer, and they sat and drank heartily by the fire as they devised plans in their secret conspiracy. They didn’t know, however, what danger they had gotten themselves into…
A Conspiracy is Formed
The sun had long faded from the pale sky in the Shire. The air was filled with suspicion and wonder as everyone began to leave Bilbo's Birthday Party. Pippin was just about to go get his pipe when there came a noise right outside the door of his quaint hobbit-hole in Tuckborough. “Who’s there?” Pippin said in a shaky voice. There was a knock on the door and then the sound of leaves rustling. Pippin crept over to the window to see what it was. After all, Bilbo had suddenly vanished in the middle of his speech and folks were talking. It could have even been Gandalf, coming to blame him for something and this Peregrin Took wasn’t about to take any chances. He leaned slowly over the counter and peered out the window. Whatever it was, it seemed to have gone away.
“Hi! Pippin!” Merry jumped up from under the window, nearly knocking Pippin off his feet as he gave a shrill cry and put his hand to his chest.
“Ah, Merry!” Pippin sighed. “It’s only you. You nearly frightened me to death!”
“Ha ha! Got you again! You need to learn not to worry so much. We’re in the Shire; nothing bad could possibly happen!”
“Didn’t you see what happened to Bilbo today? Maybe the trolls came back and hobbit-napped him!”
“Trolls are big and dumb, not invisible! You’ve been listenin’ to too many o’ Bilbo’s stories. ‘Bout time you smartened up a bit.”
Just at that moment, there was a loud knock at the door. “Open! Open up! Let me in! Hoy, Pippin!”
Pippin came to the door. “Hullo Sam!” Sam nearly fell through the open door. “Why, it looks like you just ran all the way from Hobbiton! Don’t think you’re goin’ to frighten me this time!”
“No, no, you don’t understand!” Sam gasped for breath. “M-m- Mr. Frodo’s in trouble!”
“Now listen Sam, what you need is a nice mug o’ beer and some mushrooms to calm down a bit,” Merry offered. He went to get some beer and came back with three mugs.
“Frodo’s gone mad!” Fatty didn’t bother knocking; he just came right in and blurted it out. “Is that for me?” He pointed to the mug in Merry’s hand.
Merry got defensive. “What you yellin’ about now, Bolger?”
Fatty seemed pleased with Merry inquiry. “Well, I saw Sam runnin’ this way and wondered what had happened. So I go to Bag End and ask Frodo what was the matter with Sam…”
“You ‘ad no right botherin’ Mr. Frodo about me!” Sam interrupted.
Fatty seemed not to notice and went on. He was now seated in a large, comfortable chair. “An’ Frodo just shrugs. ‘He’s probably been listening to another one of Bilbo’s wild stories again’ he says. But I don’t buy it. Somethin’s up, and I’m getting’ to the bottom of it!”
“What were ya yellin’ ‘bout, Sam?” Pippin dared to ask.
“I decided to go ask Frodo what had happened to Bilbo,” Sam began. “And before I get there, Gandalf shows up. Now, I ain’t one for spyin’ on nobody, but where there’s Gandalf, there’s usually adventure and stories, and you know know I like hearin’ about the elves…”
“Sam!” the others shouted.
“Oh, right. Well I hear something about Bilbo’s ‘surprise’ and some ring so I leaned close under the window.” Sam’s eyes turned downward. “Bilbo was sayin’ stuff about his disappearing trick he played on us and how it’s about time he left and all.” Sam got up now; there was a light in his eyes. “He was standin’ there – right in the middle of the room!” He motioned to Fatty as an example. “And he just… vanished! Poof!” Sam threw his arms into the air.
“Oh, come now!” Fatty protested. “You say you saw this with your own eyes? How do you know he didn’t just walk out of the room quickly – maybe with Gandalf’s help?”
“Well, I don’t know if Gandalf helped or not, but Bilbo seemed to be holding something shiny. And then when he vanished, his voice could still be heard and Frodo and Gandalf acted as if nothing strange or unusual were happenin.’ Then, Bilbo’s walking stick seemed to just float off the wall before it, too, disappeared! The door opened without any visible hand as Gandalf and Frodo shouted, ‘Bye Bilbo! I hope some day we’ll meet again!’ And we all saw Mr. Bilbo’s disappearing act at his party!”
Pippin stood, listening in awe, his mouth open. Then Merry broke the silence: “Indeed, this is strange news! I think we should investigate this further.”
“We’ll form a group; only we’ll know about it!” Fatty suggested. Pippin was still standing motionless.
Merry agreed, “Yeah! It’ll be our little conspiracy. Sam, you can ‘tend Frodo’s garden’ and then at the end of the day, you’ll tell us what you heard.”
“I don’t know,” Sam said warily. “What if Mr. Frodo finds out? I don’t want him mad at me. He won’t let me tend his garden no more!”
Pippin finally came out of his trance. “But what about Frodo? He could be in danger,” Pippin reasoned. “Now, what’s more important: adventure – eh, I mean Frodo, or his garden?” Pippin liked the thought of being part of a conspiracy and spying on Frodo, being the adventurous Took that he was. “We can meet at my place!”
“It’s settled then!” Fatty exclaimed. “Sam will be our main source of information, since he can get the closest to Frodo.”
Sam still felt slightly uneasy. “Are you sure?”
“Sam, it’s for Frodo’s own good. And we’ll all be here to back you up,” Merry reassured him.
“Alright, for Mr. Frodo. But if anythin’ bad happens, it’s your fault! I ‘ad nothin’ to do with it.”
They all cheered. Pippin left and came back with four mugs of beer, and they sat and drank heartily by the fire as they devised plans in their secret conspiracy. They didn’t know, however, what danger they had gotten themselves into…