Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR, I just obsess about it all day.

6. Why?
Merry is not quite 13, Pippin is 5 (about 8 and 3 in Man years)
1395 SR

“Merry? Why is the sky blue?”

Merry looked up from his book and down at his little cousin, who was sitting under a fig tree at the edge of his Uncle Paladin’s farm, playing with some building blocks. Pippin was attempting to build a cart, or some other sort of contraption, but was currently looking up imploringly at his older cousin with inquisitive green eyes.

Merry considered the question carefully. Then he put on his most studious face and said, “Because of all the water in the clouds and stuff. Even if it’s not raining, there’s still water up there, so that makes the sky blue, like the lakes and the rivers.”

“Oh,” Pippin whispered in awe and Merry went back to his reading. “Merry? Why is the water blue?”

Merry lowered his book again, stumped. Why was water blue? Well, whatever he told Pippin, it better be a good enough answer to keep the lad occupied for awhile. “Because there are these little tiny creatures living in the lakes and the rivers, and they make it blue, but you can’t see them. You just have to know that they’re there.”

“But why isn’t water blue when you pour it in a glass?”

“Because the little creatures don’t like glass or mugs or such, so they stay with the water in the lake. Without them, the water’s just clear.”

“Oh, all right then.”

Pippin went back to tinkering with his building blocks and Merry returned triumphantly to his book. He had been saddled with watching his little cousin while their parents went into town. He had figured it would be a simple enough job, but he hadn’t counted on so many interruptions and pesky questions. And what strange questions! Did this Took never stop thinking?

He turned the page and continued with his story. His older cousin Bilbo, who had no end of interesting books in his library, had loaned it to him a week earlier when he was visiting Frodo. It was a tale of a mighty warrior who had to rescue a princess from an evil dragon. He was just getting to the interesting part when he heard Pippin get up from the ground and pad his way over to the log upon which Merry was lying.

“Merry?”

Merry sighed and peeked over the top of his book and into wide, green eyes. “Yes, Pippin, what is it now?”

“Are they dangerous?” Pippin asked worriedly.

“Are what dangerous?” Merry asked, confused and slightly concerned. Pippin was rarely scared.

“The little creatures that live in the water? Is that why so many hobbits are afraid of the water and can’t swim? Do they hurt hobbits, because we went swimming yesterday? Is that why I felt bouncy after we got out of the water? Can they make you sick? Am I going to die?”

Oh dear, what he started? Merry sat up and put his book down. He clamped Pippin’s tiny shoulders in both his hands, looked his little cousin long in the eyes and shook his head with finality. “Of course not. Would your parents really let you go in the water if they thought anything bad would happen? The little creatures are our friends, like the fish.”

“Then how come so many hobbits can’t swim?”

“Well, because they can’t, that’s all. They never learn, and since they never learn, they’re afraid.”

Pippin nodded, but still looked confused, though thankfully no longer frightened. Merry waited, knowing another question was bound to pop out of that head at any moment. Sure enough…

“But if they learned, they wouldn’t be afraid?”

“That’s right.”

“So then, why don’t they learn?”

Merry rolled his eyes. Didn’t he just answer that question? “Because they’re afraid to,” he explained again.

“That doesn’t make any sense Merry,” the young Took said accusingly, his hands on his hips. He had expected his older, smarter, wiser and wittier cousin to have a better explanation than ‘they’re afraid because they’re afraid’ and was greatly disappointed to say the least.

Merry couldn’t help but laugh at Pippin’s scandalized pout. “I don’t make the rules Pip. I’m just telling you how it is.”

Pippin sighed and returned to his blocks and Merry happily returned to his story. Now at last, he could find out how the mighty warrior rescued the princess. He turned to the next page, completely absorbed. The warrior was climbing the stairs, his sword drawn courageously before him, a closed door was far ahead, the warrior was approaching it, there was a noise from behind, a shadow loomed, the warrior whirled around to strike at his foe…

“Merry?”

“What now, Pippin?” Merry asked, failing miserably to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

“Why is the grass green?” Pippin asked, undaunted.

And in that moment, Merry came to a startling realization: he had been duped. He’s no trouble at all; you won’t even notice he’s there. His aunt and uncle had lied to him, they had tricked him into babysitting this endless barrage of inquiries and there was nothing he could do about it. The lasses were gone, relieved of Pippin-duty for a change, and were off enjoying themselves who knows where. The adults wouldn’t be back for another two hours or so. There was no one here but him and Pippin and a handful of servants who could not be expected to drop what they were doing to watch the little nuisance so that Merry could finish his book. This was revenge, Merry knew it. Just because he accidentally spilled grape juice on Uncle Paladin’s brand new silk waistcoat last night. Adults could be so petty sometimes.

“Merry?” Pippin asked again and tugged on Merry’s sleeve, getting annoyed himself at being ignored. “Why is the grass green, Merry? And why is the sun yellow? And why do flowers come in so many different colors? Why do only flowers get to be colorful? Don’t the trees and grass get jealous?”

Merry sighed and put his book aside. This was going to be a long afternoon.
 
 

End of this ficlet. More to come.
 
 

GF 9/15/04