[Child of the 7th Age]

The door to the cabin lay half open. From within came the notes of a simple tune. Ancalimon poked his head inside. Scattered about on table and bed and chair lay the reassuring clutter of this and that, the typical signs of a small hobbit dwelling. This homely sight made a welcome change after a week of too much sorrow. He had seen many small graves at the foot of Eru's Mount. With sadness, the peddler recalled the eyes of a people frightened and confused. They seemed perilously close to being lost.

Yet, here, before him on the Star, stood a small enclave of hobbit sturdiness and laughter which reminded him why he was here. He glanced over at the woman. Her back was towards him, as she gazed through the porthole at the open sea.

Ancalimon cleared his throat, then loudly stamped the end of his staff against the wooden floor. As the woman turned, she gave him a look both welcoming and impatient. "Where have you been?" she retorted. "I was afraid I'd never see you again."

"Nitir, you didn't believe me? I promised you we would meet again." He chuckled and shook his head, "Still stubborn, and with so many questions!"

"Now, I didn't mean that! Only it seemed like such a long time. And the hobbits?" she asked with pounding heart. "Have you seen them?"

"I could only enter the tombs one time. I didn't dare draw attention to your people, since the Mount itself has been corrupted. And my coming and going only increased their risk. It's too dangerous. But I did manage to slip in once this past week."

Child leaned forward, while Ancalimon described the stark conditions he had witnessed. The hobbit found herself shivering as she listened to his tale.

She sighed, "After all we've acomplished, after the sacrifice Piosenniel made, it sounds as if we still don't know whether my kin will survive. Even if Mithadan and Pio's plan works, it may not be enough. Perhaps the imprisonment has been so harsh they've forgotten who they are."

"I didn't say that. Only that the hard work will not end when the Star sails away. The rescue is but half the task. There's no magic here. This is real life. The story goes on, and at least for now, your own part in it as well."

"After the rescue, if all goes well, and that is not a certan thing, there will be a choosing at the foot of Meneltarma. Every hobbit, every hobbrim, even those on the Star, will be asked to make their choice."

"For you and your friends, there will be three paths from which to choose. One will lead home to the Fourth Age, the next will bring you transformed to the shores of Meneltarma itself, while the final road, perhaps the most dangerous, leads towards Anduin of the early Third Age."

She glanced at him, "Pio has told you my questions? That I have been thinking about staying with the hobbits after we sail to Anduin?"

"Yes, you can make this choice if you're sure it's what you want. And your skills and heart would be badly needed by that community."

"But you must understand what you're choosing. All of the history, the lore, and the songs will go with the hobbrim into the hidden depths of time. For your people in the Anduin, there will be a struggle to survive and find themselves again. All the community, the structures and even the values that you loved in Maura's hobbits, will be gone."

"And, for a long time, there will be few books and little learning, those things you've always cherished. So before you answer, you must realize this."

She thanked him and was about to say goodbye. But one more thing came spilling out, "Did you see him again?" she asked.

Ancalimon smiled, "Yes, many times. He never forgot his words to you, although his family and his efforts to make the community grow brought great satisfaction."

"His body was buried on the bluff near the stone with the inscription? I went back to the island later, and felt a little of him there."

The peddler nodded his assent. She looked up and quietly said, "I also haven't forgotten. That's one of the reasons I want to make certain the choice I make is right."

[ September 13, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]