Situation One: Laundry

“Frodo, honey, could you give me a hand with this laundry?” calls Mrs. Baggins. Her arms are loaded with heaps of clothing and you can just barely see the top of her curly head. “Frodo?” she calls.

Frodo hears his wife’s strained tone, but has stopped feeling so bad. They’ve been married for a few years, and he is no longer quite so eager to help his wife around the house. Frodo’s face contorts as if with pain, “Oh, ow-ow-ow! Dear, you know this wound has never fully healed. Remember Weathertop? Ow! I can’t get up; I’m in too much pain…”

Mrs. Baggins rolls her eyes and dumps the load of laundry on Frodo in his easy chair when she passes him. “I’m not falling for that one again, Mister.”

Situation Two: Spiders

Mrs. Baggins is reading in the study one morning, quietly enjoying a cup of her favorite tea. The sun shines through the round window, warm and golden. She turns a page and is startled by a bloodcurdling scream from the bedroom: “Aaaaaugh!” Her hair stands on end and her heart begins to pound.

Tossing her book aside and knocking her teacup over, she hurries out of the study, sprinting towards the bedroom. “Frodo!? What is it!?” she asks breathlessly as she enters the bedroom. She finds Frodo frozen in front of the dresser, halfway dressed. His eyes are dilated and his chest heaves. “What’s wrong!?” asks Mrs. Baggins.

Frodo finally snaps out of his trance and jabs his finger at the spot next to a vase filled with flowers. “Kill it!” A small grey spider is there, eyeing Frodo with all eight of its eyes.

Situation Three: “The Anniversary”

“Daddy? Can you play outside with me, please?” Little Samwise Baggins tugs on his father’s pant leg, looking up at him with big blue eyes. He holds a small leather ball. Frodo smiles warmly down at him and pats him on the head.

“Not today, son. Today is daddy’s special Anniversary, remember? Daddy doesn’t feel well,” he says.

In a whiny voice, Sammy questions his father, “But Daddy! Mommy says your Anny-vers-erry was yesterday.”

Frodo chuckles, “Uhm, oh, well, sometimes Daddy feels sick after his Anniversary too. I’m sorry Sammy. Why don’t you go see if Frodo Gamgee will play with you?” Frodo begins to usher him outside.

“But Daddy!” protests Sammy, “Mommy says you’re fine! Mommy says you always make excuses like that!”

“Well, Mommy doesn’t know what it’s like to be poisoned by a giant evil spider, does she?” scoffs Frodo, “And what about being stabbed by a–” Frodo is cut off as he bumps into his wife. She stands in the hallway, arms crossed across her torso, tapping one foot with a reprimanding look. “Uh,” stutters Frodo sheepishly, “I was just going to show him outside, honey. Why, I think I feel better now. Let’s play catch, son!” Mrs. Baggins smiles, pleased, and lets her husband through, kicking him in the pants as he passes.