"Wha' ques'ion?" Eodwine asked.
"H-how long have you b-been here?" Umwë supplied.
"Jus' t'day! I came in wi' the dawn from the Gap of Rohan. An' you, Umdilay?"
"Umwë," the Elf corrected politely.
"Ssssorry."
"No problem." Umwë said and bowed. He took another gulp of his ale. Eodwine seemed fuzzy and quite drunk. Umwë glanced at Eodwine's ale. I wonder how many he has been drinking today, he thought and his gaze turned to a person, who he believed was a man, that entered and sat down beside them.
Suddenly he started to sing, and Umwë sat as he was enchanted by the song. His eyes became glassy and he drew a deep sigh.
There is an inn, a merry old inn
beneath an old gray hill,
and there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
one night to drink his fill.
The ostler has a tipsy cat
that plays afive-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he runs his bow,
Now squeaking high, now purring low,
now sawing in the middle.
The landlord keeps a little dog
that is mighty fond of jokes;
When there's good cheer among the guests,
He cocks an ear at all the jests
and laughs until he chokes.
They also keep a horned cow
as proud as any queen;
But music turns her head like ale,
And makes her wave her tufted tail
and dance upon the green.
And O! the rows of silver dishes
and the store of silver spoons!
For Sunday there's a special pair,
and these they polish up with care
on Saturday afternoons.
The Man in the Moon was drinking deep,
and the cat began to wail;
a dish and a spoon on the table danced,
The cow in the garden madly pranced,
and the little dog chased his tail.
The Man in the Moon took another mug,
and then rolled beneath his chair;
and there he dozed and dreamed of ale,
Till in the sky the stars were pale,
and dawn was in the air.
Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat:
'The white horses of the Moon,
They neigh and champ their silver bits;
But their master's been and drowned his wits,
and the Sun'll be rising soon!'
So the cat on his fiddle played hey-didle-diddle,
a jig that would rouse the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
'It's after three!" He said.
They rolled the Man slowly up the hill,
and bundled him into the Moon,
While his horses galloped up in rear,
And the cow came capering like a deer,
and a dish ran up with the spoon.
Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The guests all bounded from their beds
and danced upon the floor.
With a ping and a pong the fiddle-strings broke!
the cow jumped over the Moon,
And the little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the Saturday dish went off at a run
with the silver Sunday spoon.
The round moon rolled behind the hill
as the Sun raised up her head.
She hardly believed her fiery eyes;
For though it was day, to her surprise
they all went back to bed!
"Bravo!" Umwë exclaimed and clapped his hands. He felt even more joy now and the ale tasted really good.
"I am Umwë" Umwë said to the man and bowed with a smile.
"Korik is my name!" Korik replied with a smile.
"The song was beautiful! It reminds of the glorious days I have been spending in Lórien." Umwë said.
"It glads me that you enjoyed it." Korik said softly.
All the happy memories came back to Umwë. and for once, it wasn't sadness that he felt when he got reminded of Lórien. He actually felt happy and thankful for all the good days.
"By the way Eodwine. I came this morning, so not even a day have I spent here yet. But I look forward at a long and happy stay, as my company so far has been most pleasant!" He grinned to them all and raised his mug of ale and said with a smile "Cheers for all the happy moments life has to offer!"
"Cheers!" the others said in agreement and raised their mugs of ale.
Umwë now turned to the new person that had joined them, Korik. "So you have just arrived, friend Korik?" Umwë asked and awaited his reply.
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