[Child of the 7th Age]

Child sat up in bed, her head still aching and tears in her eyes. All she had wanted to do was carry out the dictates that Ancalimon had given her. She remembered the peddler's words that there would be a letter on Pio's desk and that it would tell her to take the book of Elvish lore, and the small bronze mirror. Then she was supposed to study herself in that mirror, and look again and again, until she figured out answers to some of her questions about hobbit history and what had happened to it.

Right now, there didn't seem much likelihood of that. Before she went to bed, she had visits by Rose and Bird. They had both made a point of telling her they didn't need Pio's presents, since they had her gift of friendship forever in their hearts. The hobbit wasn't sure if they intended this the way it came out. It sounded as if Child had wanted the mirror only because she was greedy and didn't have Pio in her heart. And this was not true.

Then, she'd heard the story about Daisy barricading herself in Pio's cabin refusing to come out. It was even rumored she had weapons with her. Child shook her head in frustration. Daisy had known Piosenniel only a few brief weeks. They had barely been on speaking terms for most of that time. Only at the end of the voyage had the two managed to pull things together. Now Daisy was posing as Pio's great defender against her pack of "greedy friends." Only those same friends had known Piosenniel for years and years. They had gone on adventures, laughed and grieved together, and defended each other's backs many, many times.

But worst of all was Child's dream. She had gone to bed upset and seen a large angry Elf who turned into a ghost. The ghost looked vaguely like Piosenniel. She had chased her through the hallways and decks of the Star. Child was normally adept at eluding pursuers, but, because of all her aches and bumps, she was hobbling about in pain. Just as the Elf had grabbed her from behind, she had woken up.

So, what should she do? Once again, the image of the skiff came into her mind. It was becoming more tempting. But she couldn't do that. The one thing she had promised herself, when she left Beleriand, was that she would never lose Maura or little Andreth from her life. Child was certain Maura was intact, but she wasn't sure about Andreth. If she could ask Ancalimon for help with this, he would probably tell her to stop moaning and find the little Andreth inside herself.

She stopped and thought. She fingered the necklace at her throat. Then she thought again. If Andreth had been in this mess, she would have gone to Daisy and gently tried to explain. It was as simple as that.

So Child took a broom out from the corner of her room and used it as a staff to hobble down the corridor. First, she had to get the letter back. Everyone seemed to think that she had taken the letter and tucked it away, but this was not so.

Normally, doing a bit of burglaring would not be difficult for Child. But with the way she was hurting, swift action was out of the question. She had a pretty good idea where Angara might have hidden her treasure. She'd just have to go and sit there and wait until everyone cleared out. Then she'd pick the lock and stumble back down to Daisy.

[ September 10, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]