Chapter 3:

Frodo and Merry had started their search for Pippin. In a little valley they halted. “I will go to that small pond over there,” Merry said. “Why don´t you look behind that hill there.” He pointed north.

Frodo nodded and they both quickly went in opposite directions.

When Frodo had reached the highest point of the hill he saw Pippin running straight in his direction, followed by a panting, elderly shirriff.

When the shirriff saw Frodo he called to him. “Stop the lad!”

Frodo grabbed his small cousin by the arm when he ran by.

“Let me go!” Pippin screamed and tried to pull himself free of Frodo´s grip.

“Pip. Pip, it´s me!” Frodo heard himself saying. “What has happened?”

In the meantime the shirriff had reached them. “The little rascal and his friends made a fire and nearly burned down Farmer Chubb´s field,” he panted. “They were also drinking and swallowing unripe blackmouthberries,” he continued. “The others I wasn´t able to catch, but this little one here I just wanted to turn over to his parents, when he tried to run off.”

Frodo stared at the shirriff in shock. Then he turned tp Pippin. “Is that true, Pip?” He got no answer.

With his left hand he grabbed the chin of the younger Hobbit and forced him to look him in the eyes.

Just from looking at Pippin he already had the confirmation of the shirriff´s words. Pippin looked pale, his eyes had deep shadows under them and his pupils were unnatural big in the bright light of the day. He was unkempt. His clothing was dirty and he stank of old sweat and Brandy.

“Pippin?” he asked again.

“No, it´s not true at all!” Pippin replied fiercely.

“Do not dare lie to me, Peregrin Took!” Frodo´s voice was now cold as ice and he felt anger building up.

“Why do you have to always stick your bloody nose into other people´s business, you cracked Baggins!!!” Pippin shouted at him and tried again to get loose of Frodo´s grip.

Frodo´s eyes sparkled. “I warn you Pippin…” he began.

“Well it´s true! Let… me… GO!” the young Tween screamed.

“That I surely will not do! You will come home with me now, at once!”

“I… WILL… NOT!” Pippin was in a rage. He swung his free arm back and then punched Frodo with his fist directly in the face.

Frodo let him go with a cry and covered his nose with both hands.

For a short moment the silence was absolute.

Frodo stared horrified at Pippin.

Pippin stared equally horrified back at Frodo.

And the shirriff looked at both of them with a shocked expression on his face.

Tears filled Pippin´s eyes. What had he done?

Before the elder Hobbits could react, he turned around and just ran.

The shirriff laid a hand on Frodo´s shoulder.

“Here, let me have a look, lad,” he said and assessed the bleeding nose.

Just than Merry came runing. “Frodo, what happened?” he shouted, shocked.

“I had an encounter with our little cousin, Merry!” Frodo replied.

Merry looked at him, wide-eyed. Again he was at a loss for words.

---------------------------------

Gandalf stopped his waggon at the main entrance of the Great Smials. A Hobbit came running at once and asked if he should unhitch the horse from the waggon and take care of it.

Gandalf gave the Hobbit a friendly smile. “Yes, my lad. That good old fellow here has put in a good days work.” He gave the white horse a little pat.

The old wizard looked around. It was some time ago that the had last visited the Great Smials, but it seemed as if little had changed.

The main gate opened and Paladin stepped out. Surprised he looked at Gandalf.

“Gandalf! I haven´t seen you around here in ages. Come in! What brings you here?” Paladin greeted him.

The wizard accepted Paladin´s invitation gratefully. He liked the Hobbit a lot. He had known him since Paladin was a small lad and warm memories woke in him when he now looked at the Hobbit, who now was father of four children of his own.

Soon the two old friends sat together with a cup of tea.

“I was on my way to pay Frodo a visit,” Gandalf said. “When I was standing on Bag End´s doorstep I met Samwise, the son of Frodo´s gardener, and he told me that Frodo had come here to visit little Pippin.”

He saw how Paladin´s face clouded over. “Is everything all right my friend?” the wizard asked worriedly.

Paladin sighed and was just about to speak up when Merry, Frodo and a shirriff entered the room. Frodo was holding a bloody handkerchief over his nose.

-------------------------------

Pippin ran and ran and finally he found himself at the meeting place of the Trolls. Tears were running freely down his face. He hid himself in the bushes and cried unrestrainedly.

“What had happened to him? He had hit Frodo! He had hurt him! What should he do now? He could never ever come under his family´s eyes anymore!”

The bushes rustles and suddenly Ragger´s face appeared above him. “There you are mouse! We thought you had been caught!”

Pippin didn´t think at all. He stood up and threw himself into Ragger´s arms seeking comfort, just as he would have done with Merry.

Merry always had held him in his arms tightly when Pippin wasn´t feeling well.

“What do you think you are doing?” Ragger cursed, embarrassed and gave Pippin a shove so that he fell down on his backside.

The other lads started to laugh. “You are such a cry-baby!”

Their laughter was ringing in Pippin´s ears. He jumped to his feet and ran away from his “friends”.

---------------------------------

Paladin, Gandalf, Merry, Frodo and the shirriff were sitting together at the table. Frodo pressed a wet cloth to his nose to reduce the swelling that surely was to come. Thank goodness his nose was not broken and it already had stopped bleeding.

The shirriff explained what had happened. After he had finished silence lay in the room. Paladin was white as a sheet. Merry´s face seemed chiselled from stone. Frodo´s eyes looked sad and worried and the wizard had deep wrinkles of sorrow creasing his forehead.

Paladin jumped up. “We have to find him” he shouted, desperate. “He will not come back home on his own. I know Pippin…” he paused “…knew him… actually know him…when he has realised what he has done,” Paladin continued,” he will be very ashamed of his behaviour.”

His anger over the misbehaviour of his son, the future Thain, was surpassed by parental worry. He feared for his child.

The others nodded in agreement and started their search. They had no idea where Pippin could be. It had happended before, that when he was upset after an argument he had run off to find comfort with Frodo or had even tried to go alone to Merry in Buckland, but this time those were not possibilities.

“Pippin! Pippin!” the searchers shouted, but they did not got a response.

------------------------------

Gandalf walked alongside a little pond. “The lad has to be somewhere!” he thought. It had already got dark, but the light of his staff lit up his way.

Then he saw a small, lonely figure sitting on the bank of the pond and throwing small stones into the water.

Carefully he neared the lad and sat down next to him.

Pippin glanced up at Gandalf. His eyes were red and swollen. Then he lowered his eyes again. Gandalf waited for a moment, but when there was no word coming from Pippin, he began tp speak.

“Your family is searching for you everywhere Pippin, my lad. They are very worried.” Gandalf´s voice sounded gentle and warm.

“Gandalf,” Pippin whispered, “I have done something terrible. I hit Frodo.” Tears were running down his cheeks again. Speaking out loud, what he had done, hurt him a lot.

Pippin put his right hand inside his trouserpocket, He pulled it out again and looked at his fisted hand, the hand which whom he had hit Frodo, before he opened it slowly. On his palm lay some small green berries.

He wanted to have that warm and carefree feeling back, which was caused by the berries. He did not wanted to think about what he had done.

Pippin lifted up his hand to put them into his mouth, but Gandalf softly lay his big hand on the Hobbit´s small one.

“Pippin,” he said. “You can swallow those berries now and forget for a bit. However, what you did, you cannot change it. The pain that you are feeling about your misbehaviour will come back.”

The sobbing of the Hobbit lad grew louder. “But what should I do?”

Gandalf lay his hand on the Hobbit´s back to calm him.

“Let me tell you a little story…. Listen carefully!”

“The story happened a very long time ago, when the world was still very young. The North Wind blew over wide meadows, glittering rivers and big woods.

“On one of his journeys the North Wind suddenly stopped and looked astonished. In front of him stood a plant, that he had never seen before.

“She was tall and had heartlike leaves, that closed around her stalk. Her blossom was like a star in the sky and sparkled in perfect grace.

“The North Wind looked more closely at the plant. The leaves low to the ground formed a small shelter and two very small eyes looked fearfully at him from within it.

’’’Hello,’ the wind said. ’’’Who are you?’’’

’’’I am a caterpillar. I live here.’’’ The creature replied.

’’’And who are you?’’’

’’’I am the North Wind. I travel over all the world!’’’

’’’But isn´t it dangerous out there?’’’ the caterpillar asked the North Wind.

The Wind smiled at the small creature. ’’’Yes, sometimes. But it is also beautiful.’’’

’’’How I would like to also see the world,’ the caterpillar sighed. ‘But I am scared… . Can you tell me, what I should do, North Wind?’’’

’’’No, I cannot do that. You have to make your decisions by yourself. If you stay inside your shelter, hide yourself away in the dark, you will not have to face dangers, but you will also see nothing from the world.

’’’If you climb up the stalk of your plant and change into a butterfly, than you will be able to fly through the world. You will see many things that are wonderful, but you also will meet many obstacles and dangers that you have to face and to overcome.

’’’Think about it well, what you want to be and what you want to experience.

’’’Anyway, I have to leave you now and fly on. Fare well,” the North Wind called and waved good-bye to the little caterpillar.”

Gandalf stopped his story here and looked silently at Pippin. The wizard hoped that Pippin would find his way back on the right path. It hurt him deeply to see the lad so lost and gone astray.

“And what way did the caterpillar decide?” the Hobbit finally asked quietly.

Gandalf folded his hands together. A soft light grew visible between them. When he opened his hands again, in the darkness a golden shining butterfly rose up out of them and flew towards the night sky.

Pippin looked after it with big eyes, till it had melted together with the stars above.

His gaze now wandered to the green berries that were still lying on his palm.

He bent forward and held his hand over the pond. Slowly he turned it to the side and berry after berry rolled down and vanished away into the black depth of the water.

Than the young Hobbit stood up. “I think I need to go and apologize,” he said and took a step into the darkness.

Suddenly he hesitated and stopped walking. He hated the darkness,

He turned around and looked at the wizard, who also had risen from his place and now stood behind him with his gleaming staff in one hand.

“Gandalf? Does one have to go the difficult way always alone?” he asked.

A smile played around the lips of the wise old man and he looked lovingly down at the small Hobbit to his feet. “No,” he said and took Pippin´s small hand in his own. “One can also walk this way together with true friends.”