* Gandalf nodded to acknowledge Bethberry's going about her business of herbs, smiling appreciatively at her industriousness. The thought came to him of Calimie's fabled herb garden at Castle Maladil ... would it be found intact, well-tended, guarded? Or uprooted, weedy, trampled underfoot? *
* But the riddle-game cried out for full attention, it being impossible to get on with the day until its end, as so much was riding on the unresolved contest. If Bird won, it would be counted as a fine tale to be shared around a safe hearth over steaming mugs of spiced wine. But if Gandalf won, the look in that Ranger's eyes urging him South on the Greenway hinted that the eleven silver pennies Bird would earn in his employment would weigh far less on the scales of doom than the perils to be faced. *
Alas, I've outfoxed myself Bird, and composed a riddle with two answers. You answered "A River" ... Not the answer I had in mind, but I deem it apt enough to fit, if loosely.
[ August 27, 2002: Message edited by: Gandalf_theGrey ]
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