[Child of the 7th Age]

That evening the Star welcomed visitors aboard. Azraph and Phura along with Gamba and the boys had sailed over with Rose on one of the smaller skiffs to take a look at the ship that Cami always seemed to be discussing with such pride. The meal itself was delightful, with great piles of mushroom stew, a fresh and welcome import from Meneltarma.

But conversation had been slow. Gamba kept gazing through the porthole to the Sea beyond, with eyes distracted and confused. He'd said little during the meal, and Cami noticed that, several times, Phura had stared at him, with a face filled with worry and concern. The older brother struggled to be polite, but he seemed equally distracted. Cami was begining to wonder if she'd made a mistake in insisting the two of them this evening. She thought it might provide a bit of a break from everyone's worries about the Choosing. It didn't seem to be working.

After dinner, the little ones and Rose had run off to play with the hobbrim children who were going down to feed the sea-cows. Azraph and Phura had excused themselves to walk on deck together and have a good look at the stars overhead. Cami stayed behind in the galley, clattering about with the dinner dishes and a sink full of sudsy water. Seeing Gamba still sitting morosely in the corner, she quickly sailed a tea cloth over in his direction, "Here, this is for you. Get busy. I have a pile of dishes that need to be dried."

The boy distractedly stood up and began picking up the plates, one by one, to dry them. Then seemingly out of nowhere, he blurted out, "Do you like it here?"

"Here? Here, on the Star?"

"No," he shook his head, frustrated at her lack of understanding, "I mean here in the Sea. "Do you like the Sea?"

She reflected a moment before she replied, "I've never thought of it like that. The Sea is beautiful, but I don't see it as my home. My home is the ship, at least for right now. To me, it's a little floating island where I feel safe and secure. To be truthful, of all the folk on the Star, I probably have the least natural love for the depths of the ocean."

"Then you're not staying here?" He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "But the lore is going to be here. That's what Phura says. All the poetry and history and songs."

"Yes, I expect he's right. Or at least most of it. And I'll miss that. But most of the hobbits won't be here. Most hobbits love the land, and they'll be going to the Anduin. So I'm going too."

"Anyways," she added, "there's a lot of scenery I'm hoping to get a look at after we sail. A lot of people and places..." Her voice trailed off.

"What sort of people and places?'

She looked over at him with a conspiratorial look on her face, "Can you keep a secret?'

Gamba nodded his agreement, and waited for Cami to continue.

"I want to settle somewhere in the north. Maybe even wander for a bit. Spend the winter in the forests of Greenwood near the silvan Elves, maybe the summer close to Rivendell. There are a lot of Elves there too. It's a place of great beauty."

"I know a little Sindarin, and I've been trying to learn more. Ancalimon has promised to help us get settled. Who knows? Maybe someday, I'll even get to see the mallorns bloom." Cami sighed and looked out the porthole, half expecting to see a rich green land. But no, there was only the Sea.

"There's something else. I need to know something." He interrupted her thoughts. "Do hobbits live in caves where you're going?"

"In caves?" Cami laughed. "No, wherever did you get such a strange idea. Some live in holes on hills and river banks, but even they have a whole string of windows looking out. But you're a Fallohide. Where we're going, Fallohides live outside in the forest. Perhaps with a shelter on the forest floor if you're wintering in one place, or even in the trees like some of the Elves."

Gamba looked relieved, then hesitated and went on, "But why don't you just stay on Meneltarma? It's lovely here."

"Oh, it's lovely all right, but too small. You could skirt around the mountain, and walk from one side of the isle to the other in a single day." Cami laughed, "I need more space than that, somewhere to explore and stretch my legs."

"Gamba," Cami looked up at the boy very intently, "You have to follow your heart and do what's right for you. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, but what if someone I love, in fact the only person I have left, is going someplace else, and he may be all alone?"

"That's hard, very hard," she shook her head and sighed. Separation was something she understood too well.

"Gamba, you have to do what you think is right. Ask yourself where in Arda you belong. But I will promise one thing. Rose and I have talked about this. If you feel your path lies in Middle-earth, with the forests and rolling hills, you don't have to worry about being alone. You are welcome to come with us, you and the boys, to be part of our family." She said the words quickly and then looked away, trying not to search for an answer in the boy's eyes.

Gamba shook his head, "I don't know. I just don't know. But thank you. I won't forget your words." Then she led him to the upper deck to rejoin his brother and the children, as the party again set out in the skiff with Rose to make its way back to the Elven ship.

[ November 18, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]