[Diamond18]

“Huh?” Pimpi replied, pausing in the pre-digestion of an apple mid crunch. Her attention had wandered during the chase, and she was fiddling with Tweedledee’s yellow ribbons (they brought to mind a song Vogonwë had once written, which went “Tie a yellow ribbon round the old mallorn tree”).

“Can you get Orogarn free?” Merisu rephrased her question.

.
.
.

“Two!”

.
.
.

“Oh, have you found Orogarn?” Pimpi asked.

.
.
.

“Two!”

.
.
.

“Yes,” Merisu replied with the barest hint of impatience, “he’s under the tree, can you not hear him?”

Pimpi stopped chewing and listened. Silence.

“Orogarn?” Merisu called.

.
.
.

“Two!”

.
.
.

“Oh,” Pimpi looked at the roots. “Nasty sort of predicament…. What do you want me to do?”

“Do you know of any spells or words that could make the tree give up our heroic Grundorian friend?” Merisu explained patiently.

“What makes you think the offspring of a hobbit and a man of the Mike would know anything about magic tree spells?” Pimpi asked nervously, eyeing the intimidating tangle of roots snaking through the ground.

“You never know,” Merisu shrugged (gracefully, of course).

“Wellllll…” Pimpi thought hard, “let me see… Vogonwë might know of something, he’s from Workmud after all. And he seems to know every sort of poem.”

“Vogonwë isn’t here,” Falafel pointed out, but neither shieldmaiden paid attention to the observation, so patently obvious it was.

“Did he not teach you any useful Workmudian spells?” Merisu prompted.

“I can’t say I was much interested in learning,” Pimpi admitted. “But if you give me a moment the repressed memories may unpress themselves.”

“Whatever that means,” Falafel muttered, annoyed at being ignored. Buttercup had found a small spring at the base of another tree and was admiring her reflection, twirling her curls with her newly painted claws.

“Patience, Orogarn,” Merisu called, “give us a minute and we’ll get you out somehow!”

.
.
.

“Two!”

.
.
.

“That’s getting old,” Falafel sighed.

“I have one!” Pimpi declared. “It’s called ‘Variations on a Theme by Bombaganini’:

Hey dol! Merry dol! Ring a dong dillo!
Ring a ding a dingalong a dingalonga a longading
Merry o merry me merry my a merry mo
Fal la, la fal, falla lalla lilly lo
Lilly lo a filly ho a dilly dol a derry dol
Derry dol a dolly der, dilly dally derry o
Fa lal la la lo, derry de, derry di, dirry derry dorry o
Hop a long a fop along a ring a long, hop a loppa leap alonga
Whazzzaaaa!

“Oh my sweet Eru,” Falafel stomped her hooves, and Buttercup’s curls drooped somewhat.

“I know,” Pimpi nodded.

At that moment, the tree emitted a low, guttural, unearthly, moaning noise that was also reminiscent of a toilet overflowing. “I think it’s working!” Merisu exclaimed.

And lo! the tree then belched forth an awful spew of leaves, dirt, mud, sticks, mice, raccoons, opossums, skwerlz, skwerl droppingz, acorns, peanuts, mockingbirds, bluebirds, chickadees, finches, and Orogarn.

.
.
.

“Two!”

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 7:31 PM December 08, 2003: Message edited by: Diamond18 ]