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Child of the 7th Age · 10-31-2003, 01:58 AM

Kali, Ella, Mondy

"Surely there can't be any more holes in the hedge! We must have found them all," Lily crossed her arms and stamped her foot impatiently. For after a long day at school and an even longer trek, her feet were beginning to ache and her stomach to grumble. Nor was she the only one who was feeling a little restless.

"Just a bit longer," Berilac assured the children, glancing towards the older Honeysuckle siblings who had promised to show him one or two trouble spots near the North Gate. Berilac nodded at the gatekeeper who was at least on duty and continued walking towards the base of Bree Hill. It was Mondy and Ella who now spoke up, identifying two different places nearby where there were clear breaks in the hedge.

One was a tiny hole, only big enough for a young hobbit lass to wriggle inside. It was half hidden by a number of small branches that Ella had propped up at the entrance the day before, thinking to conceal the secret place for herself and her friends so no others could find it. She slipped inside the opening and came out holding a water flask along with the remnents of a hard cracker or two stored in a small pouch, provisions she had left on an earlier afternoon outing.

The group continued a few more paces until they came to the point where the fortifications actually disappeared from sight for a moment, veering around to their extreme right. Following the path around, Mondy pointed to a gaping hole of considerable proportions just ahead that extended clear through the hedge and came out on the other side, some five or six feet tall. Of all the places they had visited, this one was in the worst shape.

"What happened here?" queried Berilac, his voice laced with concern.

Mondy looked over and grinned. Apparently this was a well known story in the streets of Bree. "This is where Will Farroweed drove a cart into the hedge! He stole a flask from his father and went driving madly down the Great East Road. Only his horse and cart veered off and catapaulted over the ditch, slamming them into the hedge."

Berilac said nothing but was privately appalled that nothing had been done to repair the mess other than to drag the broken cart away; this had only made the hole look bigger. He shook his head and sighed, "Is that it then? Everyone finished?" He glanced at the members of the group one-by-one. Kali fidgeted and hung his head, refusing to meet Berilac's eye.

Noticing his brother's behavior, Mondy leaned over and whispered, "What's wrong? If you know something, you need to tell it!"

"It's not exactly the hedge," Kali spluttered out, trying to explain. "Well, it is and it isn't... You see it's the place where the hedge ends and Bree-Hill begins." He stopped an instant and sighed, "I didn't want to tell anybody because there's a treasure there."

The young lad looked up sheepishly, then broke loose of the group and sprinted forward with everyone else following behind. He led them to the spot where the hedge came flush against the base of Bree-Hill. The fortifications halted abruptly since no bandit could have scaled such a vertical slope. Unlike the earlier parts of the hedge and dyke, this section was far from the road and shielded from sight by a thick screen of overhanging trees and bushes. If anyone had wanted to conduct business on the sly, this would have been the perfect place.

Kali tugged on Berilac's sleeve and lowered his voice, "Promise me you won't get angry... And don't tell mom..." Berilac smiled as Kali led the older hobbit forward underneath the cliff. To anyone who might chance by this hidden nook, the outer facade of the hedge looked perfectly normal. However, Kali pulled out a branch or two and soon revealed the beginnings of an inner hole. The lad poked his body inside and came out again carrying a rusty dagger whose point was broken off, the remains of several broken beer flasks, and a copper penny or two.

"My treasure! Maybe there were pirates here?" Kali's face looked hopeful; he held the dagger up to the light as if it was the finest sword in Bree and stared round at his friends to see how they would respond. Ella and Mondy exchanged quiet glances. Since Kali's greatest dream was to sail off in a boat, they were not surprised their younger brother would think these things were left by pirates. What did surprise them is that he had never before told either of them about his treasure.

[ October 31, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[ November 03, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

10-31-2003, 01:58 AM	#107
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Kali, Ella, Mondy "Surely there can't be any more holes in the hedge! We must have found them all," Lily crossed her arms and stamped her foot impatiently. For after a long day at school and an even longer trek, her feet were beginning to ache and her stomach to grumble. Nor was she the only one who was feeling a little restless. "Just a bit longer," Berilac assured the children, glancing towards the older Honeysuckle siblings who had promised to show him one or two trouble spots near the North Gate. Berilac nodded at the gatekeeper who was at least on duty and continued walking towards the base of Bree Hill. It was Mondy and Ella who now spoke up, identifying two different places nearby where there were clear breaks in the hedge. One was a tiny hole, only big enough for a young hobbit lass to wriggle inside. It was half hidden by a number of small branches that Ella had propped up at the entrance the day before, thinking to conceal the secret place for herself and her friends so no others could find it. She slipped inside the opening and came out holding a water flask along with the remnents of a hard cracker or two stored in a small pouch, provisions she had left on an earlier afternoon outing. The group continued a few more paces until they came to the point where the fortifications actually disappeared from sight for a moment, veering around to their extreme right. Following the path around, Mondy pointed to a gaping hole of considerable proportions just ahead that extended clear through the hedge and came out on the other side, some five or six feet tall. Of all the places they had visited, this one was in the worst shape. "What happened here?" queried Berilac, his voice laced with concern. Mondy looked over and grinned. Apparently this was a well known story in the streets of Bree. "This is where Will Farroweed drove a cart into the hedge! He stole a flask from his father and went driving madly down the Great East Road. Only his horse and cart veered off and catapaulted over the ditch, slamming them into the hedge." Berilac said nothing but was privately appalled that nothing had been done to repair the mess other than to drag the broken cart away; this had only made the hole look bigger. He shook his head and sighed, "Is that it then? Everyone finished?" He glanced at the members of the group one-by-one. Kali fidgeted and hung his head, refusing to meet Berilac's eye. Noticing his brother's behavior, Mondy leaned over and whispered, "What's wrong? If you know something, you need to tell it!" "It's not exactly the hedge," Kali spluttered out, trying to explain. "Well, it is and it isn't... You see it's the place where the hedge ends and Bree-Hill begins." He stopped an instant and sighed, "I didn't want to tell anybody because there's a treasure there." The young lad looked up sheepishly, then broke loose of the group and sprinted forward with everyone else following behind. He led them to the spot where the hedge came flush against the base of Bree-Hill. The fortifications halted abruptly since no bandit could have scaled such a vertical slope. Unlike the earlier parts of the hedge and dyke, this section was far from the road and shielded from sight by a thick screen of overhanging trees and bushes. If anyone had wanted to conduct business on the sly, this would have been the perfect place. Kali tugged on Berilac's sleeve and lowered his voice, "Promise me you won't get angry... And don't tell mom..." Berilac smiled as Kali led the older hobbit forward underneath the cliff. To anyone who might chance by this hidden nook, the outer facade of the hedge looked perfectly normal. However, Kali pulled out a branch or two and soon revealed the beginnings of an inner hole. The lad poked his body inside and came out again carrying a rusty dagger whose point was broken off, the remains of several broken beer flasks, and a copper penny or two. "My treasure! Maybe there were pirates here?" Kali's face looked hopeful; he held the dagger up to the light as if it was the finest sword in Bree and stared round at his friends to see how they would respond. Ella and Mondy exchanged quiet glances. Since Kali's greatest dream was to sail off in a boat, they were not surprised their younger brother would think these things were left by pirates. What did surprise them is that he had never before told either of them about his treasure. [ October 31, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ] [ November 03, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ] __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.