[Child of the 7th Age]

Child came roaring back onto the Barrow-downs site and began pestering everyone to find out where Frodo Baggins was. She carried a beautiful copy of the Silm under her arm, bound in purple velvet and with a mithril chain and lock.

She truly had never owned such a gorgeous volume. She had once tried to purchase such a collectors' edition on e-bay, but discovered that her meagre earnings as a Shire messenger did not cover the cost of such a book.

Child was babbling incoherently. She had apparently left the Downs for several hours in order to communicate with her employers. They had questioned her story about being detained by Morgoth in the void, and she had even feared that she might lose her appointment as a messenger. And since Child's hobbit family lacked the resources of the Bagginses or Tooks, it was quite important that she retain her position and salary.

Child had managed to settle that matter and had then returned to the party site. She had just discovered the beautiful Silm given to her by Frodo and was very excited.

Child races over to Frodo and gives the poor skinny fellow a large squashy, motherly hug. "You are a dear," she tells him, "and I'm glad you are looking better now, although you could still use a meal or two to put some meat on those hobbit bones!"

Child secretly decides to cook a big pot of mushroom stew after she gets home and have one of her children carry it over to Frodo's hobbit hole in the Downs, both as a thank you and to make sure that the fellow ate a bit more properly. Child could be a bit absent minded at times, but, like all properly raised hobbits, she had immaculate manners and was very careful to say thank you.

[ May 30, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]