More Hobbits! Pippin is 13, Merry is 21, Sam is 23 and Frodo is annoyed. Hehehe.

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"TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT!"
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“Are you sure you can hit it from here?”

“Of course I am.”

“We aren’t too far away?”

“No, I can shoot further than this. Have lots of times. This is perfect. Can you see me?”

“I can from down here but I know where you are, remember?”

“Oh, well, I guess that would help, wouldn’t it? You suppose anyone can see me from across the way?”

“No, and they won’t be looking in the tree for you anyway. At least, they won’t be, if you do this right. You sure you can-“

“Honestly, Merry. Stop asking me if I’m sure, will you? I’m sure.”

“Fine, then. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Merry watched from the bushes beneath the tree as Pippin readied himself, taking aim at the bright, green door across the way with Merry’s sling-shot and then...

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Frodo turned the page and took a long sip of his tea. If there was anything more relaxing than sitting by a nice fire with a cup of tea and a good book then he wasn’t aware of it. Sam entered the room and sat a tray of freshly baked scones on the table next to him. “That must be a very interesting book to keep you indoors on such a lovely day as this,” Sam remarked with a smile.

“Oh, I am enjoying the quiet, Sam and those scones are the finishing touch to a lovely afternoon of reading and relaxing,” Frodo answered, not looking up from his book. By instinct, his hand found a warm scone and plucked it from the dish.

Sam grinned, “Well, I’d rather be enjoyin’ some time in the garden myself.”

“Then you should, Sam,” Frodo said. “You’ve done more than enough in here today. Why don’t you go out and enjoy the day. I will be fine.”

“I don’t like to leave you alone when there’s work to be done,” Sam objected. “Why I haven’t finished with the-“ He was interrupted by a rather loud, sharp, rap on the front door.

Frodo sighed, “I was not hoping for company today, Sam. Be very still and maybe whoever it is will go away.” The two of them remained motionless for a minute, both looking at the door. The curtains in the front parlor were drawn over the windows so no one could see them. There was always a chance that the unwanted company would give up. Another loud rap told them that this was not happening. “Want me to get it and say you’re busy?” Sam asked in a whisper as a third rap sounded.

Frodo frowned and rose from his chair. “I am busy. Yes, Sam if you would. I’ll just step out of sight and wait. Thump! “Persistent, aren’t they?” Frodo moved off out of sight and Sam went to the door.

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“Pip, hold still and don’t shoot, someone’s opening the door,” Merry hissed crouching down in the bushes and out of sight.

Pippin snickered and lay still on his perch watching Frodo’s front door swing open. “Merry, it’s Sam,” Pippin whispered.

Merry giggled. “Is he looking?”

Pippin giggled also. “He’s stepped out on the stoop and he’s looking all around. He’s scratching his head now. He’s looking over and up the road. Now he’s looking down the road. He’s scratching his head again.”

Merry snickered. “This is great. What’s he doing now?”

“He’s going back inside. This is one of your best ideas, Merry,” Pippin said, leaning over and looking down at Merry.

“Don’t do that, Pip,” Merry said, between giggles. “You’ll fall on your noggin’.”

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“I guess whoever it was gave up and went on,” Sam said, shutting the door behind him and smiling at Frodo.

Frodo moved back toward his favorite chair with relief. “A very good thing, Sam. I thought that a perfect day of rest and reading was about to be spoiled by a long visit with unwanted company.” He seated himself and took up his book again.

“Right odd, though,” Sam said, shaking his head. “I didn’t see nary a soul out there.”

“They must have thought I was out and left,” Frodo said, returning his attention to his book.

“Well, when they made up their mind to go, they made tracks in a right big hurry,” Sam grinned and started for the kitchen. Thump!

“They must have seen you,” Frodo sighed.

“I suspect so, as I was clean out on the stoop lookin’ for them,” Sam agreed. Thump! Thump!

“I guess you’d better go see what they want,” Frodo said, getting up again and going over to his hiding place. Thump!

Sam turned and went to the door again. He hated to see Mister Frodo’s day interrupted but yet it was a shame that Mister Frodo was spending the day cooped up in his smial. It was just too nice. Maybe whoever this was would suggest a nice walk. Mister Frodo didn’t get enough exercise these days.

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“Sam again,” Pippin snorted. “He’s out on the stoop again and this time his shrugging his shoulders.”

“No head scratching?” Merry giggled.

“There he goes. He’s scratching his head now, Merry,” Pippin giggled, trying to hold onto the branch and the sling-shot while shaking with laughter.

“Not so loud, Pip,” Merry smirked. “He might hear you. What’s he doing now?”

“Oh, Merry, you have to see,” Pippin said. “He’s off the stoop and looking round the side of the smial. He’s got his hand up to his eyes trying to sight something. I might could shoot him in the arse from here.”

“Pippin, no,” Merry hissed, laughing. “Don’t you dare. Frodo would kill us.”

“If he caught us,” Pippin said, taking aim.

“No, Pip and I mean it,” Merry hissed, tossing a pebble up at his younger cousin and hitting him on the arm.

“Doesn’t matter now,” Pippin sighed, disappointed. “He’s on his way back inside again. “Would have been very funny.”

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“Well?” Frodo asked, coming into the room again as Sam closed the door. “Who was it?”

“I’ll be darned if I know, Mister Frodo, sir,” Sam frowned. “I can’t find anyone and I looked all around.”

Frodo scowled. “That’s odd, but I can’t say that I’m disappointed. Maybe now they’ve finally gone.” He sat down and picked up the scone which was now slightly cooler. Pity. They were so much better warm, but then, Sam’s scones were a treat even cold.

Shaking his head, Sam went into the kitchen to clean up his cooking mess leaving Frodo to his scones and his book. He just didn’t understand how he could have missed their unwelcome visitor a second time.

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“Are you sure you can fire it off from down there, Merry?”

“It will be easy, Pip. I taught you to shoot, remember?”

“Aye, but your so low to the ground. How will you hit the door from there?”

“I’ll hit it. You just keep still and watch.”

“You could come up here and I_”

“Will you keep still? It’s my turn now and I’ll do this my way. You had your turn.” Merry leaned forward and took aim through an opening in his hiding place while Pippin shifted about restlessly in the tree above him. “Now, watch and learn, my lad.”
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Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Frodo spun about in his chair with a full mouth of scone and glared at his front door. This was just too much. “Can’t a poor hobbit read in peace?” He sighed and looked in the direction of his kitchen. He hadn’t heard Sam for a few minutes so he supposed that his young friend had taken his advice and gone for a walk in the garden.

Thump! Thump! Thump! What to do? Should he give up and open the door? He was loath to but he did suppose that it might be important. Whoever it was had been persistent. He sighed. Thump!

“I’m coming,” Frodo announced and moved toward the door resignedly.

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“Great shooting, Merry,” Pippin said. “Oh, here comes someone. It’s Frodo this time.”

“I can see him,” Merry whispered. “I’m looking through the bushes now.” Merry snorted as he caught sight of Frodo on the stoop of Bag End. “This is so great.”

“He’s looking about. Now, he’s got his hands on his hips and he’s frowning.” Pippin giggled so much he shook the tree limb slightly.
“Pip, take it easy. You’re going to give us away,” Merry snickered. “Look, now he’s calling for Sam.”

“Where do you suppose Sam is?”

“I reckon that he might be right behind you,” Sam’s voice answered as he put his foot gently but firmly in the center of Merry’s back, holding him to the ground.

Pippin squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. “Merry, you said that no one could see us over here,” Pippin hissed in an accusing tone, leaning over his branch and looking at Merry who was trapped beneath Sam’s foot.

“Well, if you hadn’t been so loud, no one would have seen us,” Merry grumbled.

Sam chuckled. “Didn’t see you so much as hunt you down.”

“How?” Pippin asked, interested.

“Well, I just got to thinking on how odd it was that I couldn’t see no one before and so I went out of the kitchen door and waited out back. Then when I heard the knocking start up again, I just poked my head around the side of the smial and seen the pebbles,” Sam said. “I just took note o’ where they was comin’ from and then slipped around behind you is all.”

Pippin grinned at him from his branch. “That was very clever, Sam. Wasn’t that clever, Merry?’

“Brilliant,” Merry growled. “Now, will you please get your foot off of me?”

Sam smiled and slid his foot off of Merry’s back. Across the way, Frodo had given up and gone back inside of Bag End. “What are you going to do, Sam? Are you going to give us away to Frodo?” Merry asked, raising up on an elbow.

“Well, I should as this is a right sneaky little trick that you’re pullin,” Sam said.

“Now, Sam, we aren’t hurting anyone,” Merry objected. “It’s just a bit of fun.”

“You should have seen your face,” Pippin smirked. “It was so funny!”

Merry sighed. Why didn’t Pippin ever know when to hush? “Never mind that, Pip. Sam doesn’t want to hear about that, do you, Sam,” Merry said, standing and putting an arm around Sam’s shoulders. “I’ll wager that Sam wants a turn at shooting.”

Pippin’s face split into a wide grin. “That would be great, Sam! Do you think you can hit the door from here?”

“I ain’t gonna try, Mister Pippin and neither are you,” Sam said, sternly. “Mister Frodo is trying to read.”

“Frodo is always trying to read, Sam,” Merry said, exasperated. “But of course, if you don’t think you can hit the door from here then that’s all right. It takes practice after all and Pip and I wouldn’t want you to try it if you don’t feel up to it.” Merry winked at Pippin from behind Sam’s line of sight and hoped that his little cousin would get the hint.

“I had to practice ever so long,” Pippin said. “It isn’t easy to hit the door. I’m fair at it, but Merry’s better. You don’t have to try, Sam. Have you ever used a sling shot before?” Pippin leaned over the branch and looked at Sam quizzically while, behind him, Merry smiled and nodded at his little cousin. This was going well.

“Of course I have,” Sam said, a bit insulted. “My older brothers taught me when I weren’t no bigger than that.” Sam used his hand to illustrate how small he’d been at the time of his sling-shot shooting lessons.

“Well, then you could hit the door from here?” Pippin asked.

“I suspect that I could,” Sam admitted. “But that’s not the point, Mister Pippin. Do your folks know what you’re doin’?” He looked sternly at Pippin who glared back at him.

“My folks don’t always have to know where I am,” Pippin said, sitting up on his branch. “I’m thirteen now and I can do things on my own. I don’t have to tell them everything.”

Sam snorted. “I should take that to mean that they don’t know a thing about your doings at the moment.”

“Look, if you can’t hit the door from here, just admit it,” Pippin said, letting go of the branch and folding his arms over his chest. “Maybe your older brothers weren’t as good at teaching things as Merry is.”

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Thump! Thump! Thump! Frodo got up from the chair and stormed to the door. Someone was going to get a very long lecture about ruining other hobbit’s restful afternoons. He had suffered quite enough of this nonsense. Where was Sam?

He flung open the door and yelled, “Whoever you are, come out and show yourself!” That was all he managed to say before he was smacked soundly in the thigh by a pebble. Startled, he dropped to the stoop on his hands and knees and scanned the road in front of Bag End. Stars! Someone was shooting at him! In front of his own Smial!

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“Oh! Now I ‘ve gone and done it,” Sam moaned as Pippin and Merry giggled wildly.

“See, Merry,” Pippin snickered. “I told you it would be funny if I had shot Sam in the arse!”

Merry was rolling on the ground laughing. “Great shot, Sam. You got his attention with that one!”

Sam was turning very pale and not at all amused. He sank to his knees next to Merry and moaned. “I’m gonna to catch it for this and no mistake. I deserve it.”

“Merry, I think he’s spied us,” Pippin said, suddenly from the tree and the three of them all looked in Frodo’s direction. Frodo was on his feet now and he had picked up a hand full of pebbles from the stoop and was walking in their direction, eyes blazing.

“Uh-oh, I think it’s time to make a run for it, Pip,” Merry advised crawling underneath the tree. Above him, Pippin let out a howl of pain.

“He’s throwing at me!”

“Get down out of his sights,” Merry hissed, moving quickly.

“Merry, he hit me!” Pippin objected, loudly.

“And I plan to hit you again, you little pest,” Frodo yelled as he approached them.

Wide-eyed with surprise at this new development, Pippin began to climb down from his branch, falling the last few feet and landing on his knees next to Sam who hadn’t moved since he’d hit Frodo.

“Peregrin Took! You are in for a real battle now,” Frodo shouted, lofting a group of pebbles in their direction, several of which hit Pippin on the backside.

“Run,” Merry yelled, gaining his feet and Pippin made an effort to join him, but Sam snagged him by the ankle and held fast.

When Frodo reached them, Pippin was trying to get away from Sam and Merry was standing just a few feet from them. He couldn’t run off and leave Pippin to face an angry Frodo all on his own.

Frodo glared at the Pippin and then at Merry then turned to Sam. “Good work, Sam. I see you’ve caught these tricksters. Now, which one of my dear, little cousins shot me in the leg as I stood on my own stoop?”

Pippin and Merry both looked at Sam and waited, miserably for what was coming. “Well?” Frodo asked.

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Sam had been right. It was a fine day and far to nice to be indoors. Frodo settled back into his favorite cane-backed chair under the large shade tree in his yard and turned the page of his book. “Merry, bring me some more of that ale and I think I would enjoy another bowl of that stew that Sam fixed if it isn’t too much trouble to warm it up.” Frodo smiled. This was turning into a very fine afternoon.

He looked over toward his garden and gave Pippin a smile before turning back to his book. “Only the weeds, Peregrin or you’ll be in my garden all month helping to replant what you’ve pulled.”

Pippin looked up and sighed. He had been given garden chores as his part of the punishment and Sam was sweeping out the smial. Merry was on kitchen duty at the moment. He sighed again as Merry neared him on his way to give Frodo the requested stew and ale. “If Sam hadn’t got my ankle, we’d have gotten away, “Pippin hissed.

“I should have let you shoot him in the arse,” Merry whispered as he passed.

“What did you say, Meriadoc?” Frodo asked, looking up.

“I said, I hope you enjoy your stew, cousin,” Merry said, as Pippin looked down at the weeds to avoid notice.

“Oh, I believe I will,” Frodo said. “Sam’s stew is always a treat.”

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The End