[Crystal Heart]

Sam didn't understand what in the world had happened. He had gotten up to get some food and now he was in the water. Now he was in the water. He was sure this was all Bingo's fault. His arms swung around as he tried to get back to the raft that was floating down river. Panic and fear clutched his heart as realizations that he was about to die here in the Shire in the river, alone..... He swung his arms even faster in fear.

Memories of his life flashed before his eyes as the water poured into his mouth. He could hear gurgled screams coming from somewhere nearby, but his head wasn't thinking about the fact that it was him who was screaming. Memories of how he had treated his parents, the food he had last eaten, the fight with Bingo, the stupid raft he had agreed to even set foot on, his last steps out his house door, the night with that beautiful hobbit girl... Esmerald. His memories swam swiftly, almost exactly like the river, through his mind as the thought that this was the end full took him.

Sam knew that he did not want to die, that he was far too young to succumb to death. Furthermore, he understood that what he wanted wasn't necessarily what he was going to be granted in this situation. As his arms tried to swim, he felt his feet getting further towards the bottom of the river. His head bobbed up and down. He barely had enough time to breath in between the breaks of water and air. As he was pulled farther down the river a thought struck him, his last thoughts were these and these breaths his last. Never again would he see the green, lush fields of the Shire. Never again would he eat his mother's wonderful food. Never again would he be a young hobbit.

As he floated down the river, he silently prayed a promise to be a better hobbit if someone just saved his life.