Echoes of the Past
Tale 2

Sam’s lost
Part 1 of 2

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this one. Take heed of the first paragraph…it might make you laugh

‘Roses are so beautiful.’ He thought as he picked one from the rosebush, avoiding the thorns. ‘I wish I could marry a lass as pretty as one.’ He slowly put his nose in the middle of the red rose and inhaled deeply, then sighed. Then he heard a strong voice from behind,

“Sam? SAM!” He felt a firm tap on his shoulder. Sam quickly spun around to
see his gaffer, towering over him. “Stop pickin’ flowers me boy! Your mamma wants help around the house!” Sam got up and brushed the dirt from his pants and went inside the hobbit hole.

The Gamgee household was always busy, especially in the morning. Hamson, now twenty-one, and Halfred, now seventeen, were usually out and about the house. Grabbing some breakfast every once in a while. Daisy, a very lovely lass at the age of fourteen, helped her mother set the dishes and cook the food. May, ten years since last month, watched the younger children, Samwise, now six and Marigold now three. But this morning was extra busy.

Ham and Halfred were going on something Sam called a ‘venture’. So they were bustling about, gathering their coats, walking sticks and years supply of food. Daisy and May were going to go with their mother, Bell, to walk about Hobbiton. Being the second youngest of the family, Sam had to stay home with Mari and his gaffer.

“Mamma, I don’t wanna stay here! I want to go with Ham and Hal!” He complained to Bell that morning, tugging on her dress. Bell was always patient with all of her children. She was very pretty. Her light brown hair curled down over her shoulders, which often hung in her green eyes. She knelt down to his level, staring into her sons hazel eyes.

“Sam, dear. You can’t go with them.” Sam was a beautiful hobbit lad. Sandy blonde hair that hung in his eyes from time to time (just like his mother’s), surrounding a tan, round face. He always seemed to be her favorite son.

“Why?” He asked. Then Ham, sneaking up on him as usual, said in a mocking voice,

“Because, Sammy, your just a big baby and we don’t like babies on our adventures.” Sam stuck his tongue out at him.

“I am NOT a baby! Mari is the baby, not me! I can take care of myself… and don’t call me Sammy!”

“Stop it Ham.” Bell shooed him away and peered into Sam’s eyes again. “I just don’t think your old enough to go on one of your brothers ‘outings’.” Sam opened his mouth to protest, but he thought twice and closed it again. His mother smiled.

“You will be old enough soon, though you might think soon is not fast enough…” Then May’s musical voice drifted through the open door,

“Mum! Are you ready to go?”

“Just a minute dear! Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” Sam nodded his head solemnly. Bell gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked out the door. Sam watched her go.

‘I’m old enough!’ He thought. Sam was a smart lad, but sometimes his stubborn personality got in the way, making him do things that were stupid or idiotic. He would never give up, no matter what the consequences.

“Get out of my way, Sammy!” Halfred barged through the door and pushed past Sam like he was just a puff of smoke. “I have stuff to pack.”

“Why do you need to pack more? You have enough food to feed every hobbit in Hobbiton!” Sam exclaimed, keeping his balance on one foot before falling onto the floor.

“Because, clumsy fool, Ham and me are goin’ to the Woody End. So we’re packin’ extra stuff. Just in case we get lost, see?” He lifted his walking stick out of the corner of the kitchen and set out.

Sam followed him to the door. His brothers had overstuffed packs on their backs, walking sticks in hand, and a confident look slapped on their faces.

“Well let’s be goin’, otherwise we won’t make supper!” Ham beckoned his brother then they walked down the gravel path. They disappeared from Sam’s sight in a matter of seconds.

The air outside was cool. Almost to cool for that time of year, and the flowers around the hobbit hole seem to react to the change. The sun was hidden underneath a big gray cloud at that moment, though that couldn’t explain the temperature drop. Sam crossed his arms in front of his chest tightly.

‘I can to go on ventures! You just wait, I’ll show all of them.’ He thought, as he closed the big green door.

“Sam! What are you doin’? Mamma said you couldn’t go!” Mari exclaimed. She saw Sam come into the hole with a determined look on his face, but didn’t think anything of it. But when she followed him to her and Sam’s room, she saw that he was throwing on his gray jacket. Immediately she knew.

“Mari! Shh! Gaffer can’t know I’m going! So keep your sweet little mouth shut!” He whispered harshly. Mari eyes started to tear up. Her bottom lip quivered. Sam quickly put his hand over her mouth.

“Mari, please! Don’t do this!” He hugged her gently. She threw her arms around him.

“I don’t want you to get lost! You could you know!” He smiled, still holding her.

“Not likely. I’ll be with Ham and Hal.” Mari groaned, obviously not satisfied. “I’ll be right on their tails alright? I won’t get lost or anything.” She sighed and let him go.

“I won’t tell papa.”

Sam had everything he could possibly need for his journey, and maybe a bit more. He thought of forgetting the whole thing a couple times but his determination kept him on the gravel path. He didn’t look back.

He could see his brothers footprints pressed into the gravel. Following them was going to be the easy part; the hard part was not being seen. His brothers had excellent hearing and sight. But Sam had better.

Goosebumps started to pop out on his arms. Even though they were behind his jacket, the cold air still seeped through.

“Why is it so cold? It wasn’t like this early in the mornin'” Sam said aloud as he buttoned his jacket. Now Ham’s dark brown hair was seen as he reached the top of a hill, then his jacket, then his whole body. Sam couldn’t get to close. Being caught was the last thing he wanted to do.

Sam thought his brothers would never stop walking. They had gone at least two miles. The trees around the path started to thicken. Some were so tall that they concealed the sun. (Which was no longer hidden from the clouds.) Sam, being only six, had not been this far from his home before. He had always wondered what it was like.

He could hear Ham and Hal talking amongst themselves not to far ahead of him.

“Sam always has to be the big baby in our house. He always whines to mum if ‘e don’t get his way.” Ham said with a snort. Hal nodded his head.

“What are ya talkin’ about Ham? Sam IS a big baby.” Ham and Hal laughed heartily and took a right turn off of the path and into the forest.

Sam muttered to silently to himself as he too stepped off the path.