[piosenniel]

Child and Pio's collaborative post

‘Oh leave the drying up for tonight. I have found something you must see.’

Supper had been seen to and its aftermath. Gilly and Mithadan had put the babies down for the night, and easy task this evening since their excursion earlier had worn them out. Gilly had fixed a cup of tea for herself and taken it back to her room. During supper, Mithadan had mentioned several letters he was sending out tomorrow and she wanted to finish her own to her family in Waymeet and have it sent along.

Mithadan came back to the kitchen and picked up a towel, intending to dry the dishes that Pio’s hands were flying over. He laughed at the distracted frenzy of the dishwasher as she scraped the burnt on crust from the final pan and commented that perhaps he should get out the mop instead, seeing the quantity of soapy water that had splashed onto the floor from her hurried actions. Her mind only half on what he'd said, she nodded at his words as she hurriedly rinsed the cleaned pan and stacked it precariously on the pile with its fellows. A quick wring of the dishrag followed, and then it was flung unceremoniously over the side of the sink.

And now he found himself flying down the hall after her, his hand gripped by her still wet one, toward their bedroom. The pan of soapy water, left to its own fortunes, still sat in the sink.

‘Hold up, a moment!’ he said, planting his feet firmly on the floor as they crossed the threshold. ‘What’s all this rush about!’ She loosened her grip on his hand, almost causing him to fall backwards and ran to her little bedside table, pulling open the drawer to remove the ledger.

‘This!’ she cried an edge of excitement evident in her expression. She sat down on the bed, her back up against the headboard and motioned for him to sit next to her. ‘Look what I discovered in that stack of books we found by the Bywater Pool.’ Curious, he took the plain looking leather-bound book from her, wondering what was in it that would make the Elf shiver in anticipation.

A gasp escaped him as he opened it up and read the first page. ‘Cami’s journal!’ She nodded at him, her eyes glinting in their eagerness. ‘I have not read it yet,’ she said as she turned the page to the first entry. She leaned back against the headboard, shoving a pillow behind the small of her back for comfort.

‘Go on’, she said softly, nudging him with her hand. ‘Read it to me . . .’

~*~


Three days have passed since my return to Greenwood. I feel I must set something down in this ledger, although I had hoped for a sweeter tale . . .

Mithadan’s voice caught as he read the inauspicious beginning, but Pio’s hand, resting against him, gave a little pat, urging him to go one.

I have neither seen nor heard from Maura. I can only suppose that Bilbo’s plea was not heard, or that the Powers beyond Arda have listened and chosen not to grant our wish.

But this is not the end of it. When I first awoke in the morning, I found little Mo and Ban curled up asleep and, within a moment or two Rose was sprinting down the path to welcome me from where she’d been staying with a friend. But there has been no sign of the others, despite the passage of time.

I spend my days searching through our village or traveling to nearby hobbit settlements to inquire if anyone has caught a glimpse of a small Stoor lass with blond curls and laughing blue eyes. The Elders glance at me strangely for there are no children in our area who fit Holly’s physical description.

The night that Lorien brought my three elder sons to the Dragon, the boys had been camped in Greenwood with Will and Hob Greenbottle. The latter are accounted responsible and levelheaded hobbits as well as the finest huntsmen in our settlement. With my blessing, and after begging for permission, Gamba, Asta, and Roka had traveled with the Greenbottles and several of the ‘tweeners on a two-week trek deep into the woods to secure needed provisions for winter. Their return is now several days overdue, and the Elders are becoming nervous.

Yet I will not give up hope. I wonder if Lorien could have some part in these mishaps, not intentionally, of course, but by careless oversight or blunder. Still, this would not explain the disappearance of an entire hunting party from the forest, a group that included nine hobbits as well as the ponies that they had taken with them.

Written with a heavy heart, the 18th day of Blotmath, shortly after Rose and I finished our supper