Mischief in the Shire

I threaded through the bustling Hobbits, being very careful not to trip over them. I was awfully tall for a human, but it was years since I felt uncomfortable around the Halflings. Almost more years than I could remember.

"Hello, there, Little Merry," I said to a young (young in the eyes of the Hobbits, that is) Hobbit, the son of Samewise Gamgee. He was tending to a giant pot of daisies.

I jumped aside as he flung around, shears held high.

He sighed. "Oh, it's you. I thought it was another Sacksville Baggins kid. They kept trying to make daisy crowns out of my treasures." He patted the flower arrangement. "And didn't I ever tell you to stop calling me Little?"

"Well, how else am I supposed to distinguish you between the other Merry? I call your brothers Little Frodo and Little Pippin!"

"Uh, you can always call him Meriadoc the Magnificent," he said, jokingly. He knew that his namesake, Merry Brandybuck, disliked being called that-- except on important occasions.

"So... Meriadoc Gamgee, son of Samwise the, uh, Great, of Bag End in the Shire, have you seen your sister?" I made sure to draw out the title so long that Merry had turned back to trimming the daisies.

"Primrose or Ruby?"

"Ruby."

"I shaln't tell you; y'all will mess up everything!"

"No, we won't!"

After a few minutes, I figured out where Ruby was. We both surreptitiously disapeared into the tent full of fireworks.

Edhelaelwen has traveled 6 miles since 1/4/09 and is on the Brandywine Bridge, headed to Tookland.