[Child of the 7th Age]

Before they went off to the fields and forests that morning, the hobbits gathered at the barrow and laid the bodies of Lily and Pongo to rest. Maura promised that, when they found themselves a free people, they would plant a garden in memory of the children of the fallen where hobbits could come and think and rest. Lindo delivered two lullabyes for Lily and Pongo that came from somewhere within the center of his heart. Nitir and the others had never heard him sing like that before.

Every hobbit placed a stone on top of the barrow, and planted a small flower to bloom beside it. Then they walked slowly and thoughtfully back to work.

A few, however, still lingered at the grave. Lily and Pongo's parents stood silently nearby. They talked quietly with each other. Both mothers had gone over to Lindo to tell him how much his singing had touched their hearts. He promised to teach them the words of the two lullabyes.

Nitir went up to the women. This was the first time she had seen them since the terrible scene in front of the Workhouse. She looked nervously down at her fingers and said in a quiet voice, "I am so very sorry. Perhaps I should have done differently. I didn't want any of this to happen." To herself she thought, "If I had chosen one, perhaps these two would still be here."

Lily's mother went straight to Nitir, and slipped her arm around her. "Because of you, you and Lindo, my daughter and Pongo had a life in this camp that was filled with caring and meaning. When we couldn't be with our children, because the Orcs forbid it, you were there to be our hearts and voices and hands. Lily and Pongo would not have blamed you for this. Remember them with love. I won't let the Orcs win, and turn their whole lives into a moment of horror. They were more than that. So remember them laughing and playing and singing, too."

The two women embraced Nitir, and then turned to Lindo to thank him. Then they returned to their burrows.

Nitir was ready to go back to the Workhouse when she caught a glimpse of Lindo staring with rapt attention at the little grave site. She didn't know if he was seeing the two children, or his own parents, or even his beloved Niphredil. Perhaps, he was gazing at all of them at once.

In some ways, Lindo had lost more than the others. He had no surviving parents, no siblings or cousins. And he missed the magic of Idril's household, the realm of Elves that meant so much to him. How strange that she, who came from such a different time and place, felt more comfortable in this small hobbit world than Lindo did.

Then, Nitir had an idea. It wasn't much, but it would force the lad to think more about what being a hobbit meant. Plus, some work would get done that needed doing.

"Lindo, excuse me." Nitir barged in on the hobbit. "Those songs were so beautiful. I wanted to tell you how I felt. But I also need your help. What Ancalimon said last night made me think. We need to teach the children their lore. That's partly my job, but there is one problem. I need someone to compose a song. From what Maura says, Ancalimon has been very important for us, and we need to remember that in a special way. If you could somehow translate that into music, I would be grateful."

"And, yes, there's one other thing. The camp may be expecting an unusual visitor soon. I have my suspicions about who that might be. And we may all need to pull together and do some things we haven't thought about before. I hope you'll help with that."

Lindo shifted about uneasily on his feet. He obviously had no idea what Nitir was talking about when she mentioned strange visitors. But it was not possible for her to be more specific until she herself was certain who was coming, and when they were coming, and, most important of all, why they were coming. She just wanted to entrust Lindo with a bit of a warning to keep his mind and eyes open and not to lose all hope.

[ August 14, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]