[Child of the 7th Age]

Child and Rose slowly made their way to the garbage hatch. It was just above the water line. Child used her heavy dagger as a crowbar to wrench the shoot open. An overwhelming stench drifted down the passage.

She tied her skirts above her waist in a vain attempt to avoid becoming entangled in the morass of stinking flesh and rotting vegetable marrows. The two hobbits crawled about 15 feet up the chute. Then they sat on their heels and looked each other up and down.

Despite the gravity of their situation, they couldn't help giggling. Child taunted, "Ho, there, Rose. You look and smell worse than Strider did when he first met Frodo and Samwise at the Prancing Pony."

Rose obliged: "You don't exactly smell too good yourself! And this place isn't any Prancing Pony."

"Now, what are we going to do? Rose asked. "You surely don't think you'll burn down the ship with a few flints and a torch?"

"Oh, no", Child replied. "I'm not that naive. But a little diversion here and there on the ship might make it easier for someone to create some mayhem and mischief. And a little mayhem and mischief never hurt, while we're waiting for Idril to blow that horn and start the final attack. Who knows? Maybe we could even pry Sam and Frodo loose."

Child continued, "I thought I'd start setting the fires, and you can take your sword and this one dagger, and do a bit of investigative snooping and creating various diversions. If something major gets going, you can always call Angara in to help as she is supposed to be keeping a special guard over the hostages."

"What think you?"