[Child of the 7th Age]

Perry nodded in respect to Frodo and the family. Then, he went up to Enid, and slightly bowed his head, "I was sorry to hear about Rudoc's demise. I did not know your family well, but a death like this is doubly painful and hits us all hard."

She looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Thank you. Frodo tells me you are a Ranger who tries to guard us hobbit folk from evil ways. I only wish there'd been more like you to help my Ruddoc out."

Perry touched his cap and sighed, "So do I, maam, so do I. But where will you go now? he continued. "Have you made other plans?"

Osle made his way forward with his elbows splayed, pushing everyone else aside, "You'll need to talk with me on that. My ma is tired to the bone, so I do our thinkin' now. But, to tell the truth, I'm not sure. We came upon a real strange 'un with a grey cloak and a cart, and he told us to git towards Bree, and find a Ranger or a messenger. We know you're a Ranger, but none of us--even Frodo--has the slightest idea what a messenger is."

So Perry tried to explain as best he could about the Shire and the messengers. And all the while he was talking, half of his brain was saying these folk really needed a refuge, and the other half was thinking how crazy he'd been to lead them on when he'd never even seen this "Shire" or talked to any messenger.

"So," he continued, "if you'd like to come with me in the directon of Bree and Straddle and Coombe, maybe we could find one of these folk and see what you think."

Every hobbit in that small burrow had a different response to this. Enid looked as if she'd just been offered a one-way ticket to Aman. The baby just kept balling, and the younger ones continued playing with Rose. Osle seemed a bit skeptical; it sounded too good to be true. Who would want the likes of them, anyway? There'd been plenty of small hobbit villages along the road, but no one had ever offered them a hole of their own. Plus, Frodo was pretty happy doing what he always did, and didn't think he'd like others sticking their nose into his business, even if they were hobbits.

It looked as if the whole idea was about to collapse when Avice, nursing her little one, looked up with hopeful eyes, "Please, couldn't we try? It wouldn't hurt to talk. We could always go off our own way, if the talkin' led nowhere."

By the end of the evening, everything had been agreed. They would all travel west together, even Frodo. The latter declared he had no intention whatsoever of leaving his Stoor clan to the south. But a bit of infomation gathering never hurt, especially when it was the warm summer months. The trip would need to be done in easy stages, what with the older one and the babe, and the mountain pass, but even Perry thought they could make it. And hobbits, especially those that wander about, are incredibly sturdy. Perry and Rose shared a meager dinner with the family, bringing out their own supplies to supplement the soup, and said good night till the morning.

[ September 18, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]