[Child of the 7th Age]

Bingo watched uneasily as the other hobbits made their way across the river one-by-one while clinging to the log. When Bingo's turn came, he climbed aboard the makeshift craft and took hold of the branch. His paltry strokes did little to propel the log to the other side of the river. It was the hobbits who stood on the far bank and pulled on the rope with all their might who actually guided the log over to the shore.

Bingo slid down from the log once he'd reached the shallow waters, wading through the reeds and bracken, and then clambering onto the muddy bank. Home was close now, no more than a short walk away. Yet Bingo felt no joy and little relief to be safely out of danger. Sassy was not coming home: not now, not ever. The one message pounding through his mind was that they should never have gone. None of them were old or wise enough to deal with the perils of the road. It would have been bad enough if Sassy had died defending them from some danger. But an accident like this seemed random and senseless as if there was no real purpose or meaning in it.

Bingo walked over towards Sondo. His friend's face was a blank so that it was hard to tell with certainty what he was thinking or feeling. But one thing was painfully clear to Bingo. The only possible way to live in a world where bad things happen at random was to offer a helping hand to those around you, especially the hobbits you cared the most about. That's what his aunts and uncles had done by taking them in after his parents' death. In their own bumbly way, they were trying to repair the bad stuff and make things at least a little better.

Bingo came up to Sondo and spoke, "You did alright. You did your best by us. That's all anybody can do. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't. None of us meant for this to happen. There isn't a hobbit here who wouldn't have stuck his neck out for Sassy and tried to rescue her if we could have. We didn't know her when she started. But she showed us what she was made of. Really, she was a lot like you.....a born leader and a generous hobbit. I'm sorry, Sondo. I'm so sorry. And once we get back, it's not going to be easy. If I can help you get through this, if there's anything I can do, just let me know. " He added softly, "I can still remember how I felt after my parents died." Bingo's voice trailed off.