[Child of the 7th Age]

Child sat at the galley table with her head in her hands. "On the hoof?" "Salt and barrels?" None of it made a great deal of sense.

There was one phrase, however, which she had heard with clarity. None of the supplies could be taken into the Second Age. Child remembered screaming and yelling at Bird for several moments about this whole affair and her lack of responsibility. The shapechanger had looked at her with hurt in her eyes, and then gone back into the water.

Child growled unrepentent and pounded on the table. What possible good were these provisions? She had to feed hobbits who were to be picked up in the Second Age, taken back for a bit to the Fourth Age, and then returned to an island in the Second Age. Finally, some of them were to stay at the island, while a large number were to be redeposited back in the Third Age. Her head felt giddy from simply reciting the instructions.

And how was she to deal with supplies that could only be stored in salt water? For one instant, Child had a terrible image of herself coming before Tule and trying to explain this mess. Her relations with the Elf had improved somewhat, but Child still did not feel totally comfortable with him. And, after the events of the evening before, she was not inclined to go pound on his cabin and broach the topic. There was a wall there that she could not break through.

Outside, in the waters, the carnival continued non-stop. Bird was diving in and out of the waves, seemingly oblivious to Child's anger or her cries for help. The hobbit shook her head in frustration. Her own people were certainly known for their lively ways and love of parties. But, next to the shapechanger and the mer-folk, even the hobbits seemed like a relatively sober and serious lot.

Child had carefully studied the History of the Shapechangers. For one fleeting instant, she wished Bird had been one of those Beornings who were skilled in changing skins. They seemed like a practical people who would never bring back an entire herd of sea-cows! She even thought of going out on deck and telling the whole crew to go back home and take their presents with them.

But none of this would do. Telling a free shapechanger she should become like the Beornings was regarded as the supreme insult. And Child didn't think the Mer-children would take her rejection of their gift any better. Levanto was a friend, and they needed his help with the rescue of the hobbits. Why should he be expected to understand the intricacies of food preparation on ships and dry land?

If only, Child thought. If only, things were different. If only Gondolin had never happened......but if onlys changed nothing.

And then it hit her. So much of life was like that. There was no one big answer to make things fall in place. Only the little ones you could tweak here and there to try and pull matters into a little better shape. And that is what she should be doing instead of sitting here and brooding. Child suddenly felt ashamed that she had lost her temper so throughly with Bird who had only been trying to help. She remembered seeing Bird come in from the waters and head down into the hull of the ship. Child got up from the table and went to search for her friend. But before she descended the ladder to go to the lower deck, she went and searched out Kali and asked him to come with her.

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Bird's post

Bird had found the deepest, darkest hold of the Lonely Star, the place where tackle, old bits of rope, and worn-out barrels were stowed in case there should ever be further need of them.

There she sobbed her eyes out. Everything had gone so very, very wrong! She had thought that she could help in some way with the rescue of he Hobbits, whom she knew vaguely were out there, somewhere, waiting for the help of those on the Lonely Star.

But Birdie knew nothing - nothing - about the Age that they were all being taken to. She had trusted to Child and Mithadan, more learned minds than her, to direct her in some way. And when Child had asked for help with the food gathering, Bird thought she would finally be able to contribute to the quest to help Kali's ancestors.

And she had gotten it all wrong, of course. And Child was so angry at her! How was she to know that the Mer-folk only gathered live food? It had never occurred to her that people under the sea would have no need - or way - to preserve food. Cooking, drying, salting, pickling; all the normal ways of conserving rations for future use on land, were not only unknown to the Mer-Folk - they were impossible!

"Think, Birdie. Think!" she wept, smacking her forehead until the skin turned red. But it was no use. Sh had felt so useless and confused since Pio had died. Pio would have known what to do. All the grief and loss Birdie had felt since she had lost her friend, and had tried to keep bottled up with clowning and drinking, came pouring out.

The Changeling knew that this was not the time or place for such maudlin grief. Kali was counting on them all. But she couldn't help herself. Part of her just wanted to moph into dolphin form and swim away from all of this, leave behind all the disappointment in herself, and the disappointment of her friends. The only thing that kept her here was the thought that Pio would never forgive her for running out.

"Oh, Pio! I wish you were here, now. I wish you had never seen Gondolin. Why did you have to die?" Birdie buried her head in her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. She felt that her heart would break.

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Child came bounding down the ladder. They had already searched two of the lower decks with no luck. Now they had reached the bowels of the ship. Child did not have to wait long before finding Bird. The sound of muffled crying came from underneath a tarp over in the corner. She cautioned Kali to stay behind a moment and went over to her friend.

"Bird, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I asked you to bring food here, and that's exactly what you did." Her hand reached over to to touch her friend's trembling shape.

Bird sat up with red eyes and a smeared face. She stuttered out, "I, I, didn't mean to. I didn't know. I guess I didn't think."

Child retorted, "No, you did exactly what I asked you to do, no more or less. If I'd wanted you to do something else, I should have said so. I'm the one who made a mess of this."

"Then, what are we going to do?" Bird had stopped crying and looked concerned. She stared down at the floor and sighed, "If Pio were here, she could fix this. Maybe she'd know how to put the food in a special place where she could stop time, or perhaps she'd make the chamber very cold. I remember keeping things like that one time in a snowbank."

Child shook her head, "Yes, Pio might have known how to do that, but I don't. So we'll have to try the best we can. Neither of us are Elves. Yet our people manage to get by. They do a little of this and a little of that, and sometimes things get fixed. That's what we'll have to do here as well."

"Kali's come up with quite a list, since he knows more than I do about preserving foods from the sea. He says we can keep some of the fish in salt-water vats, and try to dry out the rest, or even cook some of it that we'll eat in the next few days."

"Kali says there's a big tub on this lower deck that Men once used to squash grapes into wine. It's big enough that we could temporarily house two or three sea-cows here. That should be enough so the children will have some milk."

"And, best of all, Kali's folk learned how to use some sea-plants themselves to wrap food inside and preserve it. This won't work for everything, but he's certain we'll be able to save a good part of it. And that should help us get through."

She deignated Bird and Kali to be in charge of this new task, and to get Rose and Daisy to help out, or even some of Levanto's folks to go look for these magic sea-plants. As Child climbed up the ladder, she could hear Bird and Kali busily laying out their plans.

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Helen's posts

Gamba's Journal On My Very Own Vellum, Written While Imprisoned in the Tombs of Numenor

3319, Second Age, Day # 7

I had another terrible dream last night. I dreamed that down by the waters' edge the children were playing, and then something came to the surface and spoke to them, and they ran to the elders; and then the water came up into the caves and drowned everybody. I told my dream to the Loremaster and he frowned, and went away.

In the house of Lady Idril
And for Gondolin she fell,
Valiant Pio, Brave Pio,
Lady Piosenniel.

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3319, Second Age, Day #8

More bad dreams. I dreamed that the new god in the temple at the top of Meneltarma came and took us away one by one and whoever was taken away was never seen again. I liked Eru better.

Loremaster says that the elders want to see me about my dream. Now I'm really scared.

Levanto, Levanto,
Silly Sorry Merman He
Pursuing Piosenniel
Away across the sea.

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3319, Second Age, Day # 9

The elders asked me about my dream, and I told them about both of them. They didn't tell me I was being silly. They told me not to be afraid and they said if I remembered any more dreams I should tell the Loremaster.

Tonight Phura says he'll sing this over me to help me fall asleep. Loremaster calls it "Maura's Longing." It sounds like a love song to me, but Loremaster insists it's a lullabye, I don't know why. And I don't know why the last verse has only two lines. Loremaster says I ask too many questions sometimes.

Where the depths the sun is drinking
Wild the waves with wind are dancing
Deeply there the tide is pulling
Let it pull your heart to me.

Where the sun gives green and flowers
Where the clouds give silver showers
Where the wind shows all her power
Let her blow your heart to me.

Far above a star is shining
And the lovely moon is roaming
There the path of stars is glowing
Tread that path and come to me.

Through the tide, the storm, the sky,
Oh, fly, my love, and come to me.

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3319, Second Age, Day #10

Phura told me a secret today. But Loremaster might read this so I can't write it down.

Last night I didn't have any dreams that I can remember, except I dreamed of a sad lady chasing crawling babies and taking care of little children in a messy little garden by a ruined building. One of the babies was eating dirt. I guess all babies do that. I think it's disgusting. At least they had a garden with growing things in it. I could see the sunshine.

Pure and pristine, wafting whiteness
softly spirals, gently groundward.
Spreading silence, shining stillness
All enlightening, all embracing.

Buries barrow; softens sorrow
Ladros's lament lifting lightly.
Finrod's freely given gifting
Men and hobbits homely housing.

Andreth and Adanel, All Lore
House of Hador, men reminding;
Tuk the teacher, Hobbits helping;
Faith refinding, Ancalimon.

What a hard poem. I don't like these alliterative ones. I'll finish it tomorrow.

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3319, Second Age, Day #11

Loremaster laughed at me and told me that Phura told him the secret too. So I guess it wasn't such a big secret after all. Anyway, Phura said that he thinks that Enta's cousin Azra is really pretty. Well, she is, but she sure is sassy too. I would never picture quiet Phura with sassy Azra. But what do I know. Phura won't be of age for another twelve years anyway. Loremaster told us both that a lot can change in twelve years, so it doesn't matter much. I think her sister Nitir is prettier anyway, and nicer. But then I won't be of age for another seventeen years. Phura, when you read this, don't laugh.

I asked Loremaster why Azra and Nitir have so many relatives named Azra and Nitir. All the lasses and ladies in that whole branch of the family seem to be named Azra or Nitir. I wonder how they tell the aunts from the neices. Loremaster said that ages ago Maura Tuk decreed that one Tuk family branch would forever maintain the names Azra and Nitir, and if that family died off for some reason then the nearest branch must resume the tradition. I asked him why. He said only the elders know, and the members of that family, and it is some big secret. But Phura seems to know what it is, and Loremaster kept hushing him, and Phura looked mad. So Phura knows too. But they won't tell me.

In the meantime, who would have guessed that Old Loremaster Lindo wrote both a lullabye for Azra and a lullabye for Nitir, which of course we get to learn now. And wouldn't you know it, I'm falling behind. This Snowbattle Of Ladros song is too hard, I think. But Phura, of course, has it all memorised already including the two new lullabyes. Showoff.

I dreamed that there was a really big storm out to sea, and a bunch of white ships came to us, I guess because of the storm. They were really pretty ships. But the storm took them out to sea again. Loremaster looked very sad when I told him that, and went off again. I wonder if he'll talk to the elders. I asked Phura whether he has any dreams, and he said no, none, except for one that he has over and over again. But he wouldn't tell me what it was.

Snowballs shaping, Workhouse wooden
doorway darkening, sneakily slushing
Breeches backside. Wrathful watcher
outraged rushes, snowballs shaping.

Stern Snowhobbits, circling suddenly,
Icy arrows Lindo lashing.
Tem and Tocca, Retya, Tarka,
Paura, Munda, Med and Westa,

Furra, Hara, Kesha, Asta,
Temba wild and daring Gamba
Dancing, dashing, dodging, daunting,
Castoff caution, hurling handfuls.

Long did Lindo fend off offense.
Retya rallied stern Snowhobbits,
taunting, tackling, climbing, capturing,
Fiery fourteen felled Lindo.

Phew. Now if only I could memorize it. What a wretchedly impossible poem. Its only redeeming feature is that there is a Snowhobbit named Gamba, like me, and he is called daring. I wonder if anybody would call me that. I wish loremasters would write only normal poems and not this alliterative nonsense. And I still have to do the two lullabyes. Thanks, Phura.

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3319, Second Age, Day #12

I wish I knew why we were suddenly on this big Ladros review, and the settling of Dorthonion. Loremaster Lindo's songs aren't any better than any of the other old loremasters, and why he wrote so many lullabyes I don't know, but they are getting annoying. Loremaster says its because my dreams were about Ladros and the elders thought it would be wise to review the songs from that time. I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. And I don't see what half of my dreams had to do with Ladros. I didn't have one single dream about a snowball fight.

Azra's Lullabye

Stars above are softly shining,
Wind and waves my ship are rocking,
I my love for you am singing,
Sleep, my lovely, sleep.

Though our days we live in thralldom,
Deep inside your soul lives freedom.
Dream of shining elvish kingdoms!
Sleep, my lovely, sleep.

Watch and wait, always remember,
Never to despair surrender,
Hope will find you, hope remembers,
Sleep, my lovely, sleep.

Far away wild gulls are wailing,
Far away fond hearts are waiting,
Far away proud ships are sailing,
Sleep, my lovely, sleep.

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3319, Second Age, Day# 13

Loremaster says I shouldn't be using my journal to just complain about everything. Well, all right then. Fine.

Nitir's Lullabye

Curls across your pillow lying,
Shining curls my heart entwining.
Dreamy smile, my heart beguiling
Dream, dear heart, sweet dreams.

Tears across your pillow lying
Shining tears, Nienna sighing.
Tracks of tears with time are drying,
Dream, dear heart, sweet dreams.

Hope across your future lying
Bright hope, Ancalimon finding,
Dreamy hope, God's heart beguiling,
Dream, dear heart, sweet dreams.

Love across your spirit lying
Shining love, my heart entwining
Dreamy love, my heart beguiling,
Dream, my heart, sweet dreams.

Well, I wonder what she had to be so sappy about. Loremaster says I have to learn about Nienna and Ancalimon now. Of course, Phura already knows.

[ September 11, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]