17. Old Growth
With Sharky's demise, Bag End's a-bustle. Cleaning mostly, but as trash goes out, parcels arrive – refugee belongings returning from wherever they'd ended after Fatty fled Crickhollow.
By day, Lobelia stays in her guest room, but she nightly wanders amid the boxes, seeking something to answer an unfamiliar feeling...
The old framed map lies half-hidden, but she draws it out, stares at the world beyond the borders: Eriador, Wilderland, the Lonely Mountain. Wild old lands – older than the Shire by far. Standing there on the yellowing paper, they seem weary, yet... content. They remain and mourn, and bloom anew...
Notes:
1.Next chapter in this cycle: Caritas.
2.Day 11: Card: The Hermit
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
