3. Smoke and Mirrors
'Twas a night of lights and strangeness – his abiding memory is of lantern light beneath the Party Tree, of fireworks, a speech, then the flash and bang and shocked faces.
And had there been, just ere the outburst of babble, a laughing echo?
Fatty did not know then, and does not know now. But despite the calming teacakes and cordial, all night his stomach had roiled – he'd not sat well with the world.
Something had stirred in him the night that Bilbo Baggins left.
So when an all frowns and secrets Merry appears upon his stoop, he lets him in...
Notes:
1. Day 2: Card: The Magician
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.
