Finding Love in the Lord of the Rings

****Chapter Four****

Chapter Four

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Cody awoke to the noise of feet pattering against the leaves that laid strewn on the forest floor. Human hears would never have been able to detect the footfalls of a hobbit for we cannot detect a lot of thing. But, the sharp hears of a hobbit can pin point any sound no matter how faint.

The last cobwebs of sleep slowly faded from Cody but she desperately tried to recall what had happened in the dream she had been rudely awakened from. All she could remember was a face, she could not clearly see its face for it was fuzzy, bathed in moon light and that was all. She knew this was no ordinary dream but no matter how hard she tried she could not get a grasp on it.

She was distracted by this dream that she did not realise that the footsteps where slowly getting nearer. She didn't have much time until the visitors would be upon her. She quickly dove behind a bush that was just slightly taller than her and waited until the travelers arrived.

One by one they rounded the corner that was on the trail. At the head of the party was Frodo Baggins followed by Samwise Gamgee, Perigrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck. She knew she had to follow them for the splinter gave a slight tug telling her to go on.

The companions went through an old forest who had many memories of the years of Middle Earth. The trees did not welcome the party, or Cody in that matter, they seemed to whisper to one another warning the other trees of the trespassers. The branches looked as if they were slowly reaching down as if to try and grab at the hobbits. Cody did not like this feeling for she felt as if the whole forest knew her secret and was watching her.

After for what seemed like an eternity to Cody the forest ended and opened up into a beautiful field. The hobbits rejoiced at being in the open Cody felt exposed for there were no trees to hide behind. There was nothing out there except the open sky. She had to be cautious if she did not want to be seen.

The hobbits slowly made their way through the field and reached a lake with an old willow tree bending ever so slightly over the water, its branches resting on the surface.

Cody knew instantly that something wasn't right about this tree. The other hobbits didn't seem to noticed and gratefully settled down under the tree in the welcoming shade it provided.

They slowly one by one started to fall asleep from exhaustion and the cool feeling of the shade that protected them from the sun. Cody didn't know what to do she didn't want to fall asleep in case they woke before her and left. So, she sat down and tried to remember her life before Bilbo's party. Not the past that the evil had made but her real childhood, her real life.

Slowly her eye lids became heavy and she was about to doze off when she suddenly heard panicked shouts coming in the direction of the willow tree. She sat up immediately and gazed over in that direction, what she saw was something she would never forget.

When she looked under the sweeping branches of the old tree she saw Frodo grabbing a pair of feet that were coming from inside the tree. She didn't know who's they belonged to but she noticed that none of the hobbits where present to try and help. She so desperately wanted to race over there, to see his face and save the day but the splinter held her back. Again it twisted her thoughts changing them to where she hoped Frodo would be the willow's next victim.

Then, out of no where, came a song that seemed to jump over the hills to where Cody was now hiding.

♪ "Hey dol! Merry dol! Ring a dong dillo.

Ring a dong! Hop along! Fal lal the willow!

Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!" ♪

The singing got closer and with each word the splinter coward in the corner of her mind for this being was good.

The figure came bounding over the hills like he had no cares in the world. He wore a bright blue coat and had a long beard that swayed this way and that as he skipped down the hill towards the crises below.

Cody watched in disbelief as he talked to the willow calling him Old Man Willow and one by one the hobbits appeared out of the trunk that the willow was keeping them as prisoners.

This was not the safe place of the Shire where everyone was care free and didn't have to worry about danger. This place was much worse and was clearly full of dangers and it would soon get worse.

This man, Tom Bombadil as he called himself, knew of these dangers but acted as if they were his pets. The willow tree had a name and he scolded it for "eating ", I guess you could say, the hobbits.

Just then Tom broke out into another song leaping back up the hills with the hobbits right on his heals. Cody reluctantly followed not wanting to be seen. When she reached the peak of the hill she looked down into the valley below and looked at Tom just as he turned around. He saw her and to this day she could not tell if he winked at her or if it was just a figment of her imagination. She didn't think about it at the moment, she just followed the group until they reached a house in which they all entered and she then went back into hiding.