This story was written for Marigold´s Challenge 41.

The challenge was to write a story about any journey other than the Quest that begins with this line of dialogue:

“Are there any apples left?”

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The Big Adventurous Journey

Beta by Marigold and Llinos

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“Are there any apples left?“ the small, black yearling asked his mother, while his gaze wandered searching over the green grass.

The grey steed also looked around and then up into the crown of the apple-tree.

“Only on the highest branches, my son. We cannot reach them there. But look around you. We have enough fresh grass to still our hunger.”

She jogged to an especially juicy looking place and started to eat the green delicacy.

“Grass!” snorted the yearling. He wanted apples! Longingly he looked up to the red apples, shining in the sun.

He sighed.

Suddenly he heard a tiny voice, singing a very sad song. Curious the yearling craned up his neck and saw a tiny bird, on the highest branch of the tree, that did not look happy at all.

“Hello,” he said. “ Why are you so unhappy?”

The bird stared at the Pony-child in frustration and fluttered down to him. “ There is a worm in the apple up there, that I would like to have. But I can not get him out!”

The yearling started to think. “Maybe we could help each other. I would like an apple very much, but I cannot reach it.”

The bird smiled, flew back to the treetop and pecked through the thin stalk that held the apple on the tree.

The pony neighed with joy, when it saw the apple flying towards the ground.

Cautiously he bit the apple in two parts with his sharp teeth. The bird was flying excitedly around him and as soon as the worm became visible he caught it.

Contentedly he ate the worm, while the yearling happily consumed his apple.

“Thank you! Alone I could not have managed it!” they said in the same moment. Taken aback they looked at each other, before they started laughing.

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Merry looked expectantly up at the older Hobbit in front of him. Bilbo was lying back in his armchair, comfortably puffing his pipe and enjoying the warmth of the crackling fire.

He smiled lovingly at the young Hobbit, who had made himself comfortable on the soft sheepskin at his feet.

“That is a very nice story, Merry, my lad. And it also has so much truth in it. Every creature has different strengths and when we all work together, we can achieve so much more than we do if everyone only ploughs his own little field.”

Merry nodded his agreement and his grey-blue eyes sparkled proudly.

“That is exactly what I wanted to express with the story. I…..”

At that very moment a little tornado whirled through the room and left behind a trail of destruction. Tiny brown footprints and muddy splashes quickly decorated Bilbo, Merry, the floor, the sofa and everything that was in the way. A laughing child´s voice shouted loudly: “Catch me if you can! Catch me if you can!”

Two exhausted looking Hobbits ran behind. Their curls were hanging in wet strands into their dirty faces and their once white shirts were strewn with brownish stains.

“Pip....pin....Stop… it....“ panted the dark haired Hobbit, while the other leaned on the door frame, gasping for air.

Pippin however, who liked this “game” a lot, hopped on through the room, clapping his hands and singing: “I am the fastest! No one can catch me! I am the fastest! ….”

Merry sighed and glanced down at his still nearly clean clothes. “Sometimes one has to take risks…” he murmured and grabbed the child, whose attention was still focused on Frodo and Sam, with a quickness that showed that he had experience in it.

“Meeeeeeerryyy!“ the prisoner started to howl,“ Let me go! Frodo and Sam have to catch me!”

For a moment everyone spoke, protested and scolded at the same time. But suddenly one voice was to heard over all the others.

“BE SILENT CHILDREN!”

All, even Pippin, fell silent in an instant. Bilbo´s tone was not to be ignored.

“Could I have an explanation why you have come running in here and spread at least a wheelbarrow of earth around my best parlour?”

Sam blushed. “We are sorry Mister Bilbo! It is just...we...we..“ he stammered. Frodo laid a hand on his friend´s shoulder.

“We were at the market and on the way back we were surprised by rain,” Frodo continued.

“And…well…you know… a Took and a muddy puddle attract each other like magic somehow… and…” he lifted his hands helplessly, before shaking his head. “I am sorry, Uncle!”

Bilbo knelt down before the over energetic child, who was still fidgeting in Merry´s firm grip.

“At the market were you, hm? And I wager you probably got a little treat at every stand with that charming expression on your face. A sweet here, a piece of cake there… am I right?”

Pippin grinned and nodded.

Bilbo turned around and looked at Frodo. But rather than being angry, he had an amused glimmer in his eyes.

“I think you still have a lot to do Frodo. Your little cousin here needs a bath, and so do you, and then there is the parlour that needs some cleaning.”

“I will take care of the cleaning, Mister Bilbo!“ Sam quickly threw in.

Bilbo smiled kindly at him. “Thank you Samwise! But you don´t need to. Frodo and Pippin will be able to do that alone. You better wash yourself and put something clean on too, my lad, and then I could greatly use your help to prepare dinner.”

“Merry“, he now turned to the Hobbit lad, who was still struggling to hold Pippin in one place. “ Would you please help Frodo with getting Pippin washed?”

Frodo blushed and Merry put on his best smile. “ Of course, Uncle Bilbo.” He responded and marched with Pippin past Frodo, but not without throwing a pointed glance at his older cousin. He had warned him not to take Pippin with him to the market. Oh yes. But Frodo had been too good-natured and had melted down at the pleading looks that Pippin had given him.

Merry´s grin grew even wider, if that was possible. That he was the “good” one and the one who had to help Frodo out of trouble, did not happen often. To be honest, actually it had never happened before… at least not that he could remember.

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The two cousins had their hands full to save the bathing room from being totally flooded. However after some time the hot water showed its wanted effect and the over exited child began calming down.

After all the chaos was over and a tasty, big meal had disappeared into the stomachs of five hungry Hobbits, Bilbo sat down in his armchair again and the four younger ones gathered around him, making themselves comfortable on the floor. Pippin cuddled himself in between his cousins and Sam, who of course was also invited to listen to Bilbo´s stories, sat down next to Frodo.

“Once upon a time...“ Bilbo began.

An exiting, lively adventure with dragons and eagles and wolves started to pull the young Hobbits into its thrall.

After Bilbo had finished, four pairs of eyes stared at him in fascination. Bilbo smiled, rummaged around for his pocket watch and looked at the time.

“It is already quite late, lads. Sam, you had better go home now, before your father starts to worry. And Pippin, it is already past your bedtime.

Pippin pulled a long face. “I am not tired at all!” he said, while trying to hide a yawn that threatened to come.

Bilbo picked the small lad up from the ground. “I see. Not tired at all!” he laughed and carried Pippin into the room that was prepared for him while staying at Bag End.

Frodo and Merry walked Sam to the door and wished him a “Good night”, and then they went back to the parlour to play a game of chess as a relaxing end to the evening.

Meanwhile Bilbo had dressed Pippin in his nightshirt and had tucked him in.

 “Uncle Bilbo?“

 “Yes?“

“I want to go on an adventurous journey too! Now, at once!”

Bilbo softly stroked the child´s untamed curls. “You are in the middle of an adventurous journey, my lad. Even a much bigger one than the one I told you about. That was only a little adventure.”

Pippin looked quizzically at Bilbo.

“When I went on my little adventure, from where did I leave?“ Bilbo asked.

 “From here?“

“And to where did I return?“

“Here.“

“Exactly, I went away from home and I returned to home. One little adventure, in the middle of one so much bigger. My big adventure started, when I left my eternal home. And yours as well.”

“I don´t understand that. My adventure?”

“When you were born Pippin, you left your eternal home and stepped out on the road of life. Life is the biggest adventurous journey that there can be. You never know what will be, you do not know the way before you and still you always walk on. Is it not that which makes a true adventure?

“And one day, when your feet start to feel tired, you will go on your last journey, that will lead you back home.”

Pippin pondered a while over these words. “Uncle Bilbo?” he then asked. “Can we go tomorrow on a small adventurous journey anyway, to make the big adventurous journey even more adventurous?”

Bilbo chuckled and gave the child a kiss on the forehead. “Maybe.

“But now it is time to sleep, he added. “Good night Pippin.“

“Good night Uncle Bilbo,“ the lad responded and just moments later he was already sound asleep.

Silently the Hobbit crept out of the room. The door he left open a bit, because he knew, from Pippin´s former visits, that the little Took would be scared otherwise, should he wake up during the night.

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Some hours later, when silence lay upon Bag End and the moon was standing high in the night sky, little feet pattered over the wooden floor.

A door was pulled open and a little shadow slipped inside the room behind.

“Merry?

“Merry? Are you awake?“

Merry, who lay deeply cuddled in his bed and was having just a wonderful dream, about a cake, that, when eaten, appeared newly baked again when he said:” Cake, bake yourself!” tried to ignore the voice that slowly made its way into his mind.

“Merry?“ the voice repeated itself, but now louder and combined with a shaking on his arm.

“What is it Pippin?“ the one spoken to yawned finally and sat up, still very sleepy.

“Why didn´t you take me with you, when you went?”

“.....take you with me? To where?”

“On the big journey.“

Merry stared, confused in the dark. His still tired mind tried hard to put Pippin´s question to something that he could make sense off.

“What big journey Pippin? Have you dreamed?”

“No, I haven´t Merry. Why did you leave without me? You could have told me you were going or you could have waited for me!”

“Pip....I have no idea what you are talking about.“

“Uncle Bilbo said that life is the biggest adventurous journey ever...and you started it without me!“

“Ah..... “

“Why, Merry?“

“I don´t know, Pip.“

Pippin sighed.

“It is all right, Merry, I forgive you“, he then said generously, climbing up into his cousin´s bed and cuddling close to him.

For some time it was silent.

“Merry?“

“Mhm?“

“Do you promise me that you will never again leave without me? That we will make the rest of the journey together always and that one day, when we get tired, we´ll go home together?”

Merry hesitated.

 “I ..Pip... I cannot promise you that....“

Merry could nearly feel the sad and deeply disappointed expression on Pippin´s face.

“But I can give you a different promise,“ he added quickly. “I promise you, that I will always be there for you.“

Pippin gave his cousin a damp kiss on the cheek, cuddled still a bit closer to him and murmured, “That is a nice promise.”

Merry stroked a curl out of the face of the now sleeping child and added silently,

“.... I will care for you even when you aren´t able to see me with your eyes anymore.”

-- The End --