In Deep Water
Beta by PIppinfan1988

*It’s only water.  There is a lot of it but still; it’s very like the water from a bath.  The sun has heated it.  It’s always nice and warm in the middle of the summer.  I’ve waded out in it up to my waist before.  It is true that Merry was with me but swimming doesn’t look that difficult.  Nearly everyone in Buckland seems able to do it.  I’ve watched Merry do it.  Berilac does it and so does Merimas.  Most folks say that only the Bucklanders mess about with the river but that isn’t entirely so.  Frodo swims.  Oh, I know that Frodo used to live in Buckland and I know his mum was a Brandybuck but he is still really a Baggins for all of that and he swims.  Papa says that Tooks don’t swim.  He says we don’t need to swim because we don’t live on the river.  He never actually said that Tooks couldn’t swim, only that they don’t.  It’s warm out today and everyone looks to be having a splendid time of it splashing about here in this wee pond that the river forms.  I don’t see why I can’t enjoy myself too.*

Pippin waited until he was certain that no one was looking his way and then he began to crawl through the high grass on the edge of the bank toward the water.  Merry had said that he was not to get into the water without someone else being there but there were plenty of folks here and so he wouldn’t really be disobeying the rules.  “Never go into the river without someone who can swim, Peregrin.”  His Uncle Doc’s voice rang in his ears but he pushed it out again as quickly as it had come.  Uncle Doc wasn’t here just now.  In fact Pippin was certain that Uncle Doc would be surprised when he learned that Pippin could actually swim on his own!  Pippin would ease into the water and just swim over and join the others.  Everyone would be surprised.  Merry would probably brag on him for learning how to swim all on his own.  Pippin grinned as his reached the end of the high grass.  It would be grand to make Merry proud.

Pippin studied the dark water and waited for his chance.  He had to make absolutely certain that no one was looking in his direction.  He couldn’t risk anyone stopping him before he’d proved himself an expert swimmer.  They wouldn’t be likely to take his word for it.  They would have to see him swimming before they would believe him.  Pippin had never actually done any real swimming but he was convinced that he could do it.  He’d paid close attention to how it was done.  He’d watched Merry and Berilac for several weeks now.  They were the two best swimmers in all of Buckland and Pippin knew that anything he might need to know about swimming he could learn from observing his older cousins.  He was ready to give it a go on his own now.  He was tired of being left to splash about near the shore with Uncle Doc or Frodo or some other older relative keeping a close eye on him.  He wanted to swim with the other lads.  He was nearly eleven years old now and he was also a Took.  Tooks could do anything that Brandybucks could do.  In fact, Tooks could do anything.  They were Tooks after all.

Pippin’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he watched the sunshine glint off of the calm surface of the little pond.  His moment of glory had finally come.  The older lads were all facing the far bank.  He would be in the water and swimming toward them before any of them knew what was happening.  It looked as if Merimas had organized a race between Merry and Berilac.  They were all out in the deepest part of the water and Merimas had one hand up as if to begin the race.  Merry, Merimas and Berilac were swimming in place.  Pippin wasn’t certain how this was done yet, but Merry and most of the older lads could simply swim in one spot without going anywhere at all.  They would bob up and down gently but they wouldn’t move forward.  Pippin couldn’t figure this out just yet but once Merry saw that Pippin could swim enough to get across the pond then Pippin was very certain that Merry would teach him to swim in place.  Pippin smiled.  Frodo was sitting on the far bank reading.  Maybe Frodo would see him swimming too.  Not wanting to let his chance for surprise pass, Pippin hurried forward out of the tall grass, across the rocks that lined the edge of the pond and into the water.

The mud squished between his toes and he felt a slight chill as he slipped into the water.  It lapped up around his waist and he was surprised by how deep it was so near the edge.  He was used to coming into the little pond from the other side where the little children all went wading.  This side got deep in a hurry but Pippin supposed that didn’t really matter if you could swim.  The sun baked down on his thin shoulders and kept him warm as he wiggled his toes in the mud and adjusted to the water.  He looked at Merry and Berilac swimming for the bank on the opposite side of the pond and watched as Merimas continued to do that swimming in one place trick.  Frodo was just beginning to look up from his book.  Frodo must be interested to see who would win the race.  Pippin grinned and then took a big step forward leaning toward the water as he went.  He was getting into what he thought of as the correct position to swim.  Maybe he would even catch up to Merry and Berilac before they reached the bank.  That would certainly surprise everyone!

Pippin reached forward and moved his arms through the water in front of him in the way that he knew Merry and Berilac were doing now.  To his surprise he felt his feet lift off of the muddy surface below and hang in the water for a second.  He was so surprised that he nearly forgot to kick.  He had listened to Berilac instruct Merimas to kick harder earlier in the week when Merimas had been racing Merry and so Pippin kicked with all of his strength and felt himself move forward slightly.  Suddenly and without any warning at all Pippin felt himself sinking lower into the pond.  His stomach lurched with fear and he splashed his arms through the water wildly in an effort to pull back up.  Water went into his open mouth and he gagged.  He managed to bob up and get his mouth out of the water before sinking again.  This time his entire face went below the water.

Fear choked him as he realized that his feet weren’t touching the bottom anymore.  Where was the bottom?  How had the water got this deep?  He wasn’t that far in yet and it was supposed to be shallow near the bank.  Was he still near the bank?  He might have actually managed to swim out away from the bank.  He opened his eyes and saw nothing but dark, murky water before him.  Panic filled him and he flailed his arms about clawing for the surface of the water.  He wasn’t coming up!  He needed air!  He needed to get out of the water now!  Merry!  Merry!  See me!  Help!  His mind screamed but he didn’t dare open his mouth because the river could rush in and choke him.  He was going to drown!  Tooks don’t swim!  They don’t!  Just when he thought he might have to open his mouth his head broke the surface of the water and he gulped in air while waving his arms above his head and trying desperately to find something solid on which he might stand. “Mer-!” He opened his mouth to call for Merry and the water poured in as he started to sink. 

He was going under again and his mind raced.  His legs and arms pumped as he tried to climb the water and regain the surface.  His eyes were squeezed shut now.  He didn’t want to see the pond water anymore.  He wanted to get out.  He couldn’t breath.  Where was the bank?  Where was the air?  Where was Merry?  He broke through the surface again and he inhaled too quickly choking on the water that still covered his mouth.  He leaned his head back and looked up at the blue sky and reached both hands toward it.  His nose and mouth popped out of the water for an instant and he inhaled again.  Then he felt himself sinking.  NO!  NO!  The dark water covered him again and down he went only this time he was too tired to fight.  This time he was giving over to it.  His lungs burned and his chest ached.  No one was coming and he was going to drown. 

Frodo’s eyes widened and his heart pounded.  He couldn’t be seeing what he thought he was seeing.  Out beyond the area of the pond where Merry and Berilac were racing, Frodo thought he saw Pippin moving into the water.  Pippin couldn’t swim!  Frodo squinted against the sunlight and stood to get a better view.  Merry and Berilac were happily splashing toward the bank and just about at the mid-point of the pond was Merimas still shouting encouragement to the two contestants.  Beyond Merimas, Frodo saw damp auburn curls sinking beneath the surface of the water as two arms waved in the air.  Frodo cupped his hands about his mouth and shouted, “Pippin’s in the water!”  He then waved his arms and pointed but Merry and Berilac continued to swim for the edge of the pond.  Merimas frowned and looked at Frodo who was now starting toward the water, his book falling from his hands as he broke into a run.

Merimas watched Frodo for an instant more and then turned in the water and looked back toward the opposite bank. Someone was splashing around out there in the distance.  Thunder!  Someone was drowning and Merimas was the only one close enough to make it back in time.  Merimas began swimming toward the struggling figure with all of his might.  His legs were tired from treading water for so long and he felt an urgency to move faster than he normally swam.  There wasn’t much time if he was going to be of any help to the struggling swimmer.  A Hobbit could run out of air very quickly in deep water.  He could still hear splashing behind him.  It might be Frodo swimming out to try and help and it might just be Merry and Berilac swimming the last of their race but Merimas didn’t have time to look.  He had to keep his attention on the Hobbit in trouble.  If the Hobbit went under before Merimas managed to reach him then Merimas would have to try to dive under and find him.  Keeping the swimmer in sight was crucial. 

Berilac reached the shore first but only by an arm’s length.  Merry was getting stronger and faster.  Berilac wouldn’t be able to keep winning for very much longer.  As the two cousins crawled out onto the bank Berilac grinned.  “Nice try, little Cousin.” That always got to Merry and Berilac knew it.

Merry scowled.  “I’ll get you next time.  Let’s go again.”  He face was set into a determined expression as he joined Berilac on the bank.

“What is Frodo doing?” Berilac frowned looking out over the pond.

 Merry turned and using one hand to shade his eyes followed Berilac’s line of sight.  “He seems to be chasing after Merimas,” Merry frowned.  Then his eyes caught sight of someone just a few yards in front of Merimas.  Someone was fighting to stay afloat.  “Someone’s drowning!” Merry shouted.  He pointed out toward Merimas.

“Merimas is trying to reach him!” Berilac shouted.  Suddenly he was frightened.  He’d seen a rescue already this summer and the frightened hobbit that had been drowning had nearly pulled the rescuer under along with him.  Merimas was a very good swimmer but he wasn’t strong enough to fight a frightened, struggling hobbit while pulling him or her to the bank.  “Merimas is going to get himself pulled under!” Berilac shouted, sounding panicked.

Merry’s breath hitched as the drowning hobbit popped above the water again.  “It’s Pippin!” Merry shouted and without thinking he began to move toward the water. 

Berilac reached out a hand and stopped him.  “Let’s go around the edge.  We can run faster and maybe go in from the far bank!  Our arms and legs are too tired.  We’d never make it in the water now!”  Hoping that he had convinced Merry but needing to get to Merimas as quickly as possible, Berilac let go of his younger cousin and began to run around the edge of the pond.  Merry followed him and soon passed him.  Although Merry was still not quite the swimmer that Berilac was, Merry could easily outrun him.

“Kick, Merimas!” Berilac shouted as they ran.  “Kick hard!”

In the water, Merimas could hear the shouts from the bank as he swam toward the place where Pippin’s head was slowly sinking beneath the water’s surface.  The thin arms waved in the air frantically.  Merimas felt his side ache and he was becoming slightly dizzy with his efforts but he couldn’t stop now.  Frodo was still somewhere behind him but he wasn’t certain how far behind.  He didn’t know where Merry and Berilac were.  He was on his own.  Merimas was not one of the best swimmers in Buckland.  He was able to swim and he wasn’t afraid of the water but he lacked the speed and strength that had always come naturally to Berilac and Merry.  Merimas was painfully aware that he was not the best one to be rescuing swimmers in trouble.  The trouble was, Merimas was the only one close enough for the job.

“Don’t let him pull you under!” Berilac shouted.  “Knock him out if you have to, Merimas!  Better if you knock him out than to let him pull you both under!”  Berilac was breathless.  He didn’t know if his younger cousin could hear him but right now all he could do was shout advice and encouragement and run for all he was worth.

“It’s Pippin!” Merry shouted looking pale with fear.  “You can save him, Merimas!  You can do this!”  Merry didn’t think it was wise at all of Berilac to be shouting instructions at a time like this.  Either Merimas knew what he was doing or he didn’t.  Either way, Merimas would reach Pippin first and they had to hope that he would know what to do.  They had to sound as if they had faith in him.  Now was not the time for a rescue lesson!  “You know what to do!”  Merry reached the lower end of the pond and ran into the water.  From this angle he might manage to reach Pippin and Merimas at about the same instant that Frodo would.

Berilac continued on around the pond past the point at which Merry had gone in.  Berilac was looking for a long branch of something that he could extend to Merimas from the shore to help pull him in.  He could tell, even if Merry could not, that Merimas was fast loosing his strength.

Frodo swam with all of his might.  His mind flashed on Pippin’s curly head sinking below the water and on his arms waving about in the air.  He had to reach the child before it was too late.  He would not lose another family member to this river!  The Brandywine was simply not going to take anything more from him.  He pulled his arms evenly through the water wishing with each stroke that he had taken time to remove his shirt.  The weight of the water-soaked garment was holding him back and he couldn’t afford to be slowed by anything.  Merimas was doing all he could but the young Brandybuck was clearly becoming fatigued.  Merimas wasn’t giving up but he was slowing down.

Merimas watched in horror as the long, thin fingers of Pippin’s hands disappeared below the surface of the water for the second or third time.  He had just reached the location where the little hobbit had gone under.  He took a deep breath of air and dove beneath the surface fighting off the urge to rest his aching arms and legs.  He had to reach Pippin before it was too late.

Berilac watched as Merimas dove underneath the water.  “Merimas!” he shouted as he entered the water too now.  Merimas was attempting the rescue and there was very little that he would be able to do.  He had to believe that Merimas would be strong enough. 

Frodo forced himself forward.  He continued to swim with all of his strength even though he knew that he was too far from Merimas and Pippin to be in time to help.  He could hear Merry and Berilac shouting encouragement to Merimas but the truth was, none of them were going to reach Pippin in time.  If Merimas wasn’t able to save the little hobbit then, well, Frodo refused to think about that.

Merimas searched the murky water with his eyes and felt about frantically with his hands as he went lower and lower.  The water was so stirred up from the rains last week and from all of the swimmers splashing and kicking that it was impossible to see more than a few inches in front of his face.  He had to hope that he had gone under in the same place that Pippin had.  Even that was no guarantee.  The currents underneath the water might have pulled Pippin in another direction.  Merimas knew that by now Pippin wasn’t likely to be fighting the water and so the little hobbit would just be pulled along in whichever direction the water chose to take him.  Just as Merimas felt his lungs start to demand air, he reached out with one hand and grabbed a handful of wet curls.  Clutching onto them tightly Merimas began to try to move upward again.  The child didn’t weigh much but Merimas was so very tired now.

Frodo reached the spot where Merimas had gone under and was just getting ready to dive under when Merimas broke through the surface of the water and gasped.  Frodo thought for a minute that Merimas had been unsuccessful but then he watched as Merimas pulled Pippin out of the water by his hair.  Frodo reached out and grabbed the child’s shoulders and pulled him further out of the water taking some of the weight off of Merimas who was now barley able to keep himself above water.

Merimas felt someone’s arms go around his chest and heard Berilac’s voice in his ear, “It’s all right now, lean on me.  Frodo has him.  Let go, Mer.”  Merimas relaxed his grip on Pippin’s hair and leaned against his older, stronger, cousin.

Merry splashed over and managed to put a hand on Pippin’s arm, squeezing it tightly.  “Frodo, is he breathing?  Is he-breath-ing?” Merry was nearly out of breath himself.

“Got to get him to the bank, Merry,” Frodo said and he moved forward dragging Pippin’s limp form along with him.  Merry, still holding Pippin’s arm, helped.  Together the two cousins pulled Pippin to the bank while Berilac assisted a very exhausted Merimas.

“You were great, Mer,” Berilac whispered.

“Did I make it in time?” Merimas panted.  As he and Berilac climbed out onto the bank they saw Frodo and Merry stretching Pippin out and putting him on his side. 

“I don’t know but you did your best,” Berilac said hoarsely.  “You got there and you pulled him out.”

“Come on, Pippin, breathe,” Merry urged as he rubbed the child’s back frantically while Frodo leaned forward and tried to listen for any sounds of breath.  “Breathe, Pip.  Please?”

“Is he all right?” Merimas demanded sinking down onto the ground beside of Pippin.

Pippin felt sick.  There was a nasty taste in his mouth.  He’d swallowed water somehow.  He gagged.  Someone was pounding him on the back.  He gagged again and water came up in his throat and he spit.  He pulled his knees toward his stomach and groaned.  He coughed again and someone was squeezing his shoulder and talking to him, asking him if he was all right, telling him to breathe and calling his name as if from far away.  Was it Merry?

“Pippin, can you hear me?” Frodo demanded leaning down level with his younger cousin’s face.  “Pippin, answer me!”  More water came spilling out of Pippin’s mouth and he moaned.

“Fro-do?” Pippin managed in a choked voice. 

Merimas felt himself relax completely.  He couldn’t have stood now if his life depended upon it.  Pippin was alive.  He’d done it.  He’d pulled someone from the water.  He’d rescued someone.  Pippin was alive.

“Pippin, what were you doing in that water?” Merry shouted, all of the panic he’d felt turning into a rage that was making him shake. 

“Swim-ming,” Pippin croaked.  “Did I make it?”  He coughed.  He was confused.  Was Merry proud of him or had he made Merry angry somehow.  How had he got out of the water?  Did he swim?  He let his eyes close.  He felt mud against his cheek and a couple of rocks were pushing against his ribs but he couldn’t worry about that right now.  His head hurt and he was tired.  What was it that Merry wanted?

Merry opened his mouth to say something but was at a complete loss.  He licked his lips and then swallowed in an effort to settle down.  He looked at the little hobbit and winced.  “You call that swimming?”

“I taught my-self,” Pippin whispered.

“That explains it,” Berilac sighed shaking his head.  He then looked over at Merry and said.  “I think we should ban all Tooks from swimming in the Brandywine.”

“Not a bad idea,” Frodo said before Merry could answer.  “I doubt we can get away with it, but it is a thought.”  Frodo pushed the damp hair from Pippin’s forehead and sighed.  “What will probably happen instead is that some of us will have to teach this little Took to swim.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” Berilac groaned.

“It’s better than spending the summer pulling him out of the water,” Frodo sighed.

“He wouldn’t do it again,” Merimas said studying Pippin.  “Would he?”

“You know he would,” Merry sighed.  “You heard him.  He actually thinks that he knows how to swim.”

“Well who told him that rubbish?” Merimas frowned.

“I’ve told you before, Merimas,” Merry said.  “You don’t exactly tell him things.  He just makes up his own mind and goes with whatever idea seems best to him.”

“We need to get him back to the Hall,” Frodo said.  “It wouldn’t hurt for you to get back there too, Merimas.  You could use some rest.  You’ve earned it.”

Merry grinned at him.  “You were brilliant, Merimas.  If it hadn’t been for you we,” he paused here and struggled to go on but couldn’t.

“We won’t think about that,” Frodo said sternly.  “What we will do instead is take Pippin back to the Hall.  A healer needs to look at him and someone needs to give him a very stern lecture.”

“Or a sound thrashing,” Berilac suggested as he helped Merimas to his feet.

“I think the stern lecture is more likely but I won’t rule out that second idea,” Frodo sighed and before he could reach over to lift Pippin, Merry picked him up.

Pippin wasn’t too certain but he suspected that he might be in a wee bit of trouble for something.  He didn’t know what it was just now, but Merry was carrying him.  Pippin wrapped his arms around Merry’s neck and leaned against his shoulder.  He let his eyes remain closed.  Where ever Merry was taking him would be fine.  He was safe now.

“Do you need help?” Frodo asked.  Merry had Pippin up in his arms and the lad had wrapped his arms around Merry.  Pippin seemed to be sleeping.

“No, he doesn’t weigh anything,” Merry said hugging the small, wet, Took tightly.

Frodo started to insist but the look in Merry’s eyes told him that it would be best not to do so.  Merry needed to carry the child  He needed to hold Pippin and to reassure himself that Pippin was going to be fine.  Frodo stepped back and put an arm around Merimas.  Berilac was holding the rescuer up as they walked and so Frodo helped him.  Merimas was not much younger than Berilac but he had always been smaller and less self-assured.  Now, Merimas was glowing with pride.  This would most likely give Merimas some of the confidence that he lacked.  Berilac and Meriadoc had never needed help with that but Merimas did.  Frodo patted Merimas on the back and said, “That was very impressive, Merimas.”

*****

Pippin sat up in the bed and frowned at his Uncle.  “But I can already swim,” Pippin offered. Why was it that adults always seemed to miss the point of things?

“Your sort of swimming nearly got you drown, Peregrin Took,” Saradoc boomed as he stood over the child’s bed glaring down at him.  This one was completely unpredictable and at times, over whelming.  The trouble with that was in spite of it all, the little lad was quite a charmer.  It wasn’t easy to remain stern while looking at that innocent little face.

“Easy, Sara,” Esmeralda objected.  She was sitting on the bed next to Pippin and she reached over and ran a hand through the little one’s curls.  “He’s had quite a scare.”

“Apparently he hasn’t had enough of a scare to know that he can’t swim,” Saradoc said sternly.  “I cannot go easy on this issue, my darling.  Peregrin has to know exactly how close he came to death this afternoon.”

Pippin’s eyes widened.  “Death?”  He flinched slightly and squeezed the blanket with his fingers.  “I almost died?”

“Yes, you almost died,” Saradoc said a bit less sternly because he could see that Pippin was turning pale before his eyes.  He simply couldn’t allow Pippin the easy way out on this issue.  The little Took had to understand for his own safety and for the safety of others.  Merimas had put his life at risk today too.  Not everyone who tried to help a swimmer in trouble came out of the water alive.  It had been a very lucky thing that Pippin had been unconscious during the rescue.  There had been no panic-filled struggle in the water.  “You were seconds away from drowning when Merimas reached you.”

Pippin’s eyes watered and he leaned back against Esmeralda who continued to stroke his hair.  She knew that Sara was right but she hated that they had to do this to the child.

“I’ll stay out of the water,” Pippin said in a whisper.  “I promise.  I won’t go in ever again.  I don’t want to drown.”  His voice quavered and the tears fell down his cheeks.  He was thinking of the stories about Frodo’s parents now.  He didn’t want to die in the water.  A part of him remembered how it had felt to sink into the water and see the sky disappear but he quickly pushed that out of his mind.  It was far too frightening to think on.

“No, that is exactly what is not going to happen,” Saradoc said sitting down on the edge of the bed.  “As soon as you are better, perhaps in a couple of days, you are going to learn the proper way to swim.”

“I-I-I don’t want to swim,” Pippin said nervously.  “Tooks don’t swim.  Papa says so.”

“Your Papa is correct,” Saradoc said trying not to smile.  Paladin always had maintained that the Tooks did not swim and if Paladin had been here right now he would have objected to Saradoc’s plan.  Paladin Took would not be happy to learn that Saradoc intended to see to it that Pippin could swim.  “However, little Tooks who go about the water and who visit Brandy Hall must know how to swim.  If you’re going to spend time with Brandybucks then you have to learn about the river.   It’s the only way to keep you safe.”

“If I stay out of the water then I’ll be safe,” Pippin said trying to shrink back against his Aunt.  “Tooks should stay out of the water.”

“But you didn’t stay out of the water, did you?” Saradoc said. 

Pippin shook his head.  He hadn’t stayed out of the water.  But he really had thought that he could swim.  He’d seen it done lots of times.  It should have been easy.  There had to be something more to it or maybe Papa was just right about it all.  Tooks don’t swim.  “I promise I’ll stay out of the water now,” Pippin offered helpfully.

“You will learn to swim, Peregrin Took,” Saradoc said.  “Then if you still want to stay out of the water that is fine but you will get back into the water long enough to learn the proper way to swim.  I intend to see to it that you are safe when you visit us and frankly, we should have taught you to swim a few years back.  We would have done so if you’d been a Brandybuck.  Brandybuck children learn to swim very early on because we live so close to the river.”

“I-I don’t live close to the river,” Pippin said pouncing on the first opening in his Uncle’s argument.  “I don’t live close to any old rivers.  Swimming will be wasted on me.  When I’m home I won’t have anywhere to do it!”  That should work.  Uncle Saradoc hated waste.  He often said so.

“So you don’t plan to visit us in the summer anymore?  And you don’t plan to ride the Ferry anymore?”  Saradoc frowned.  “Merry will miss your visits but I suppose that is your choice.”

“I can still come,” Pippin said softly.

“Then you will be learning to swim,” Saradoc said firmly.  “It is never a waste to teach someone something that can save their life.  Or something that can save the life of another Hobbit.”

“I couldn’t save anyone,” Pippin objected.  “I’m too small.  Everyone is bigger than me.”

“You were big enough to get yourself into trouble this afternoon,” Saradoc said standing up to leave.  “If no one else had been down at the pond today then we would not be having this argument.  You will learn to swim and I will not change my mind.  You may not be very big just now but I have a suspicion that at some point you’ll grow.”  He reached over and mussed Pippin’s hair and then left.

Pippin waited until he was gone and then he turned his bright green eyes on his Aunt.  This would work.  Aunt Esmeralda would understand.  She was a Took after all and Tooks understood about other Tooks.  She would know that Uncle Doc was completely wrong about all of this.  “Aunt Esme?” Pippin began.

“Yes, dear one,” Esmeralda said schooling her expression.  If she was any judge at all she was about to be treated to one of Pippin’s finest ploys for sympathy.  She looked at her young nephew and waited.

“I’m scared of the water.  I don’t want to drown.  Tooks don’t belong in the water except to bathe,” Pippin said watching his Aunt carefully.  He tried to sound as small and frightened as he could.  He had to be convincing.  “What if I can’t learn to swim and I drown?”

“Darling,” Esmeralda said gently.  “We would never let you drown while trying to teach you to swim.”  The little imp was really trying to charm her into taking his part on this.  “Your Uncle has taught a great many little children how to swim.”

“Were any of them Tooks?” Pippin asked.  That should put an end to this argument.

“No,” Esmeralda said.  “No, you will be the very first Took that I know of who has learned to swim here in Buckland.”

“I’m not old enough to swim,” Pippin said.  That usually worked.  Everyone was constantly telling him that he wasn’t old enough to do things.  No one could argue with that.

“Merry learned to swim when he was four,” Esmeralda said smiling at the memory.  Merry had taken to water like a fish.  Her darling babe had been a natural when it came to swimming.

“Four?” Pippin looked astounded. 

“Yes, I’m afraid that you will be starting a bit late,” Esmeralda said.  She would appeal to the part of Pippin that needed to compete with Merry.  Pippin spent almost every waking moment trying to keep up with her Merry and so she was quite certain that this would work.  “Merry was a natural swimmer.  He learned very quickly indeed.  We were all very proud.”

“But Tooks-“

“I am a Took,” Esmeralda said.

“I know!  That’s why I know you know that I can’t swim.  Papa knows it,” Pippin said quickly.

“I am also Merry’s mum,” Esmeralda said smiling.

Pippin was confused by this remark.  He knew she was Merry’s mum.  He wasn’t daft. 

“That means that Merry is part Took,” Esmeralda said.  “He has Took blood in him and Merry can swim.”  She watched as Pippin’s mouth fell open.  Think on that Peregrin Took.

“Maybe the Brandybuck part of Merry is the part that swims and the Took part is just going along with it because it has to,” Pippin said recovering.

“You listen to me very careful,” Esmeralda said leaning forward so that her nose nearly touched Pippin’s.  “Took blood is strong.  We Tooks are a very proud folk and we do not simply go along with anything.  When Merry swims it is because all of him knows how and wants to do it.  It isn’t only his Brandybuck side doing the swimming.  Now you are a Took and you are my nephew.  I say that you can learn to swim and so you will!”

Pippin gulped.  Never argue with a Took lass when she is angry.  That was something that Pippin knew very well indeed.  If he were going to get out of learning to swim then he would have to try something else because his Aunt was not going to give in on this subject.  She had her back up like a cat and she was going to be even more stubborn than Uncle Doc.  Pippin sank back against the pillows of the bed and nodded. 

Esmeralda stood.  “You rest now and I will bring your supper to you in about an hour.”  That settled that!  The male members of her family had never been a match for her when she was determined.  She had bested her own father when she wasn’t much older than Pippin.  She was not about to allow one little lad to best her.  Besides, it was for the child’s safety.  She might not like it but Sara was right.  Pippin would not be safe in Buckland until he learned how to swim.  The child would soon forget his fear of the water and be right back in the pond or the river.  Pippin had to learn to swim before his natural curiosity got him killed.  Esmeralda knew that swimming wasn’t natural for Tooks but Pippin was not an ordinary Took. This little one spent too much time among Brandybucks not to be affected by it in some way.  There was also Pippin’s unfailing need to get into things that he shouldn’t be about.  That included rivers.  He’d proven that today.

*****

Pippin stood on the edge of the pond and shivered.  “It’s cold,” he complained.

“No it isn’t,” Merry said firmly.  “The sun is very warm today.”

“I’m cold,” Pippin said stubbornly.

“No you’re not,” Merry said grinning.  “You're chicken.”

“I am not!” Pippin objected glaring up at Merry.  “I’m not a chicken!”

“Splendid!  Then this should be easy for all of us,” Merry smiled.  It helped to challenge Pippin’s nerve.  The little squirt couldn’t stand to be thought a coward.  Merry would push Pippin right into the water and he wouldn’t even have to touch him.  “Unless of course you’re lying to me and you really are chicken.”

“I-I-I’m not lying!” Pippin said nervously.  He looked over at the dark water of the pond and remembered the taste of it in his mouth.  He shuddered.  “I just don’t want to swim is all.  I’m cold.”  He wrapped his arms across his bare chest and tried to look cold. 

“Merimas, is it cold out here?” Merry asked turning to his older cousin who was standing next to him.

Pippin looked hopefully at Merimas trying to will him into agreeing that it was cold. 

“No,” Merimas said slowly.  He didn’t want to be put into the middle of this and he felt a bit sorry for the Pipsqueak.  Pippin had to be frightened.  Still he’d seen first hand what almost happened to this little one and he had no desire to spend the summer worrying about whether or not Pippin was in or out of the water.

Pippin frowned and took a step back from the water.  It wasn’t fair!  He was surrounded by Brandybucks!  How was he supposed to get out of this with all of them here and all of them bigger than he was and on their home soil?  Bilbo had once told him that it was a great advantage in any battle or disagreement if you were on your home soil because it gave you the upper hand.  You were home and you knew what was what. “Well I’m cold!”  Suddenly an idea hit.  “I might be sick if no one else is cold!  If I’m sick then I need to stay out of the river!”  Pippin tried to keep the joy out of his voice but he wasn’t certain that he had managed it.  This was brilliant and he was thrilled to have had such a marvelous idea just at the very moment that he needed it.  Sometimes ideas didn’t come when you needed them.  They turned up hours later when you couldn’t use them but this idea was right on time!

“Sick?” Merimas frowned.  Maybe the Pipsqueak was sick.  He’d nearly drowned only two days ago and he had swallowed a great deal of water.  He looked at Merry who was scowling now.  Merry didn’t believe it or else he was annoyed by the delay that an illness would cause in Pippin’s lessons.  Uncle Doc had insisted that they ‘take Pippin to the pond and don’t bring him back until he can keep his head above the water.’ 

“You have to take me home now,” Pippin said looking at Merry.  “If you put me in the water and I’m sick then I could get worse and die!”  Maybe that had been a bit too much but Merry was very stubborn and Pippin was out-numbered so it was important to make things sound as awful as possible. 

“Oh for the love of the Shire!  That is the biggest load of pony dung that I’ve heard in some time,” Berilac groaned.  “Are you dying any time soon or will this be a long, lingering illness?” 

Now Pippin was scowling but it was Merry who spoke.  “Not so fast, Berilac.  Maybe he is sick.”

Pippin couldn’t help but grin now but he quickly tightened his lips and concentrated on looking pale.  He always looked pale when he was sick.  His mum would say that he looked as if all of the color had been washed right out of him.  Pippin didn’t know if he could make himself look pale but he was certainly trying.  Merry was coming around and if he could look pale then that would help.

“You don’t honestly believe that little squirt do you?  Merry, are you daft?  I thought you were bright enough to see through this!” Berilac objected.  Sometimes Merry could be such a twit when it came to Pippin.  How could Merry fall for this?  It was as plain as the nose on Merry’s own face that Pippin was lying.

“We can’t be certain, Berilac,” Merry said.  “None of us are healers after all.  If Pip says that he’s sick then he might be sick.  I don’t know about you but I think we should take him back to the Hall right this minute and find out.”  Merry picked up Pippin’s shirt and handed it to his little cousin.  ‘Watch and learn, Berilac,’ he wanted to say but he didn’t dare.  “Put that on and try to stay warm until we reach the Hall.”

Pippin reached out and took the shirt.  This was going well.  Merry was actually worried.  Berilac was no match for Merry when Merry was worried.  Pippin was not having swimming lessons today!  That dark nasty water was not getting into Pippin’s mouth and drowning him.  He’d been too clever by half.  He was putting his shirt on when Merry spoke again.

“Merimas, why don’t you go ahead to the Hall and fetch the healer?”

Pippin froze.  “Healer?”

“Oh, and have mum get Pippin’s bed ready.  I’ll carry him to the Hall and-“

“I can walk!” Pippin objected.  The last thing he wanted was to be carried to the Hall like a baby.  Merry had carried him there two days ago but Pippin supposed that had been all right.  He had almost drowned and anyone who has almost drown needs to be carried but if anyone saw him being carried to the Hall a second time then everyone would tease him for certain.

“I’m not taking any chances,” Merry said quickly.  “I don’t want to be the one who ignores the signs of an illness and causes you to die.”

Frodo, who hadn’t said anything at all up until now was trying very hard not to laugh.  There was an evil streak in Merry.  The lad was too clever for most and he was also not above doing whatever seemed to work.  Pippin might be a master at gaining sympathy with most folks but not with Merry.  Frodo lowered his head and looked down to avoid laughing.  Pippin’s expression was just entirely too amusing right now.  His little cousin was all eyes at the moment.

“I won’t die walking back to the Hall,” Pippin said looking desperately up at Merry.  “I promise.”

“How do you know you won’t die on the way to the Hall?” Merry said.  “You could be seriously ill.  Anyone who is cold in this heat has to be ill.  You could pass out on the road to the Hall and just die right there without another word.”  Merry tried to look worried and he must have been doing a grand job of it too because Pippin seemed to be considering his words.  Merry would have to watch or Pippin might actually begin to believe that he was ill.  Merry was just that good at all of this.  “Merimas, what are you waiting for?  Get a healer and get mum too.  Pippin is probably going to be in bed for several weeks if this is as serious as it seems.”

Oh, Merry!  Merimas sighed and then started to walk away from the pond and toward the road.  He wondered how far he’d have to go before Merry stopped tormenting Pippin.  He tried not to smile.  Suddenly Pippin wrapped his arms around Merimas and held fast.  “Don’t go!  Don’t get a healer!  I just need to go back to the Hall and eat something.  I think I might just be hungry, Merimas.  Don’t I look hungry to you?”  Pippin was looking up at him now and still holding onto him.

“You can’t eat yet,” Merry said.  “If you’re sick the healer might not want you to eat.  In fact, you might not get to eat for several days.  Well, maybe soup or something but not much because if you are seriously ill then eating may make it worse.”

Berilac and Frodo had both turned away now and Merimas would have liked to also.  This was giving him a bad case of the giggles and he didn’t know how long he could last with Pippin looking up at him and Merry laying it on thick like he was.

“I have to eat!” Pippin released Merimas and turned to Merry.  “If I don’t eat I’ll die!”

“You must be in a very weakened condition,” Merry said.  “It seems that almost everything might cause you to die.  If you get into the water to learn to swim you might die.  If you don’t eat you might die.  This is very serious indeed!  Merimas, get two healers if you can find them.”

Frodo exploded with laughter and Berilac fell to the ground clutching his stomach.  “Two healers!  That’s priceless!”  Berilac snickered.

“It isn’t funny!  He could die!” Merry objected sounding completely serious.  “Look how pale he is!” 

Pippin gulped.  He had managed to make himself pale just by thinking about it!  He must look very pale if Merry was this worried about him.  What had he done?  “I’m not really pale, Merry,” Pippin said quickly.  “I just made myself look pale.  I concentrated on it and all of the colors came out of me!”

Now Merry was struggling not to laugh.  Did Pippin actually believe that?  Of course he did!  “You’re so brave, Pip.  Here you are practically dying and you’re worried about upsetting me.  I never should have called you a chicken.  You’re the bravest lad in all of the Shire,” Merry managed.  How he was keeping a straight face during all of this pony dung was beyond him but then he was very good at this sort of thing.  Frodo and Berilac were dreadful.  The two of them would have ruined this completely if it weren’t for the fact that Pippin is only ten and very gullible.  Look at them rolling on the grass laughing like a couple of loons!  At least Merimas is showing some skill.

“I-I-I’m not brave and I’m not pale,” Pippin objected.  He squeezed his eyes shut and looked as if he might be straining to lift something.  Pippin had to make the color come back into his face before Merry had him surrounded by healers! 

“But you’re cold,” Merry objected.

“No I’m not!” Pippin said hurrying to unbutton his shirt.  He was trying to take it off as quickly as he could.  He had buttoned it up before and it was all wrong as usual.  His buttons never matched up when he did them in a hurry.  It was as if some of them moved about the shirt and hid from him.  Now he was trying to unbutton them and that was also proving to be difficult.  Merry had him rather nervous.

“You said you were cold,” Merry said.

“I’m not,” Pippin said.  “Some of these buttons are stuck, Merry.  I’m not cold really I’m not.  I feel find now.”

“I thought you were dying,” Berilac laughed.

“I’m fine,” Pippin said.  Berilac was forever saying something at the wrong time.

“I don’t think we should risk this,” Merry said.  “You need to be looked at by a healer.”

“Or two,” Berilac snickered.

Frodo reached over and pinched Berilac on the arm.

“Ouch!”

“A couple of days in bed with my mum looking after you and lots of medicine and-“

“I’m fine, Merry!” Pippin pleaded.  Why wasn’t Merry listening?  Had he really made himself look that pale?  What did Berilac find so funny?  Was Berilac laughing because Pippin might die?  And what was Frodo laughing about?  Pippin froze in place and studied his four older cousins.  Merry looked worried and, and something else.  Smug!  Merry looked smug about something!

“Merimas, are you still here?” Merry said.

Merimas rolled his eyes.  Pippin was starting to figure it all out.  Merry was over doing it like always.  If Pippin had it figured out then what was the point?

“You tricked me!” Pippin shouted glaring at Merry. 

“Did I?” Merry asked sounding as innocent as possible.

“You made me say I was fine,” Pippin said.

“So you’re angry?” Merry asked.

“You tricked me!” Pippin repeated.

“You were trying to trick me,” Merry shrugged.  “It seemed fair.”

“It isn’t!  You’re on your own dirt and I’m not!”  Pippin said.  He knew that wasn’t exactly right but it was very close to whatever it was that Bilbo had said about being at home and how it was an advantage.

“What?” Merimas frowned.  “That didn’t make any sense at all.” Why was Pippin going on about dirt?

“Home soil,” Merry corrected.  “I’m on my home soil.”

“That’s what I said!”  Pippin shouted.  Merry always thought he knew everything.

“Finish taking your shirt off because you are getting a swimming lesson,” Merry said sternly.

“I am not!” Pippin objected backing away from Merry.

“Dying again are you?” Berilac asked with a chuckle.

“I-I-I’m not swimming!  I don’t want to,” Pippin said.  He could feel tears forming in the corners of his eyes but he didn’t care.  He hated to cry in front of the older lads but he was not getting in that water.

“You always told me that you wanted to learn to swim,” Merry said.  He had to calm Pippin down a bit or they’d be forced to toss him into the pond and that would only frighten him more.

“No I didn’t,” Pippin lied.  He was struggling not to cry.  He wouldn’t mind it so very much if Berilac weren’t here but Berilac would never let him forget that he’d cried.  Berilac was just like that.

“Yes you did,” Merry said gently.  “You told me that you wanted to learn to swim so that you could come out into the deep water with me.  You told me that you wanted to be allowed to go boating with Frodo and me.  You know that Uncle Doc will never let you do that until you can swim.  No one is allowed in the boats until they can swim.”

“I changed my mind,” Pippin said backing up a bit more.  He really loved the boats and he’d sat in them when they were pulled up on the bank.  He’d even been in one once while it was on the river.  He hadn’t been in it long because he’d only partly got it untied from the boat dock before he’d been caught and hauled back out of the boat again.

“Pip, it’s all right if you’re a bit nervous,” Merry said.  He avoided saying that Pippin was scared to death because he was trying to be diplomatic.  His father had always made a point of saying that diplomacy was a great way to handle difficult situations.  Merry preferred something more direct but just now diplomacy would have to serve.  Pippin was in quite a state.

“I’m worried about, about, about Merimas is all,” Pippin said hitting upon the idea of turning the attention onto someone else as he spoke.  Merimas was a likely target.  Berilac could turn nasty and Frodo was too clever.  Merimas was nice.

“Me?” Merimas frowned looking confused.  Why would Pippin be worried about him?

“He’s stalling, Merry,” Berilac said.  He was and if someone didn’t step in they’d be there all day and Pippin still wouldn’t know how to swim.  Frankly Berilac doubted that they could actually teach a Took to swim.  It was against nature.  Tooks were land hobbits through and through.

“I’m not stalling,” Pippin said and then decided to rush on quickly before Berilac could interrupt which Pippin knew was very likely to happen.  Berilac was far too talkative.  “It’s only that if I’m not very good at first then poor Merimas might be traum-tra-traum-a-sized by it all.”

“Traumatized,” Frodo corrected smiling.  Pippin had apparently been listening to his older sister’s conversations again.  The child was forever picking up large words that he couldn’t quite master just yet and most of them came from his older sisters or Bilbo. 

“That’s it!  He’d be traum-a-ta-zised if he saw me drowning again,” Pippin nodded.  “You don’t want Merimas to be traum-a-ta-zised do you, Merry?” 

Merry rolled his eyes skyward and sighed.  “I think Merimas will be fine, Pipsqueak.”

“Maybe not,” Pippin said unwilling to give up on this new idea for getting out of his swimming lessons.

“Pippin, can I talk to you for a minute?” Merimas asked walking over and kneeling on the grass in front of the child. 

“I guess so,” Pippin said a bit cautiously.  What was it that Merimas wanted?

“What happened the other day was scary,” Merimas said slowly.  He wasn’t certain if this would help but he had made up his mind to try it anyway.  Besides, he had wanted to say it to someone and it did involve Pippin so why not?

“Y-You weren’t scared were you?” Pippin asked still cautiously.  This could be like Merry’s trick before.  Merimas might be trying to trap him.  You had to watch older cousins all of the time.

“I was,” Merimas said softly.  “I was afraid that I wouldn’t reach you in time.  I was afraid that I might run out of strength and not get to you at all.  I was afraid that if I did actually reach you that you might panic and pull us both under the water.  I was afraid that both of us would drown.”

Everyone was very quiet now and Pippin had to try hard in order to find his own small voice in the middle of all of that quiet.  “I didn’t know you were afraid,” he said.

“Well I was.  It was the very first time that I ever saved anyone from anything and I wasn’t certain that I could do it properly,” Merimas said.  The words were pouring out of him now.  He had meant to tell Berilac or maybe his mum about all of this but everyone kept patting him on the back and telling him how brave he was and he just couldn’t let them know the truth.  Since Pippin was frightened too, Merimas felt that he could tell him.  One chicken to another he supposed.  “I kept wishing that it were Berilac or Merry who had been closer and who were swimming to save you.  I just knew that both of them were stronger swimmers and that they would be better at doing a rescue.  I thought that you and I were both very unlucky in the way it was all turning out.  You were going to drown because your rescuer wasn’t up to the task.”

“But you kept swimming,” Pippin said softly.  How was it possible that one of the older lads was frightened?

“I did because I knew that I had to try even if I didn’t make it.  I was all the hope you had,” Merimas said.  “I had already looked around and no one else was close enough.  You were in too much trouble before any of us spotted you.  It had to be me.” 

“And you saved me,” Pippin said.  “You got to me and you pulled me out of the water.  Merry says that you pulled me right out by my hair.”

Merimas nodded but he’d said all that he could for the moment.  Now Pippin would have to talk which was usually no problem at all.  Pippin was a chatterbox.  Berilac had always said that Pippin could talk non-stop and would if you didn’t put food in his mouth once in a while.

“Were you traum-a-zised by it?” Pippin asked looking wide eyed.  Maybe Merimas had been traum-a-zised.  Pippin wasn’t certain what that meant but whatever it was it could happen if you saw something bad happen.  Pearl said so and Pearl knew about such things.

“I don’t think so,” Merimas said.  He wasn’t too clear on the meaning of this word either.  It sounded like one of those words that Frodo often used.  It was big and impressive but no one had any idea what Frodo was trying to say.  Merimas wondered briefly if Frodo was aware of that fact or if he thought that everyone was clear on the meaning of those words.

“I couldn’t breathe,” Pippin said.  “I got water in my mouth and I couldn’t come up to the top of the pond.  I thought I was going to drown.”  Tears were running down his cheeks now but he didn’t care.  He had been afraid and he was still afraid.  “I don’t ever want to go in that pond again.”

“If you don’t then you may regret it,” Merimas said.

“Why?” Pippin asked.

“Well, what if you were sitting here by the pond like Frodo was the other day when you nearly drowned?” Merimas said.

Frodo smiled.  Merimas was about to get to the heart of the matter.  Beside of him Berilac opened his mouth to say something and so Frodo quickly gave him a stern warning look.  Merimas had this handled.  Berilac needed to stay still.  They all did.  Frodo hoped that Merry wouldn’t speak up just yet either.  Merry was so used to being the one to talk sense to Pippin that Frodo was afraid that Merry might jump in and spoil what might be the solution to things.

“That would have been safe for me,” Pippin said. 

“It would have but what if someone else had been in the water while you were reading?”

“I would have still been safe,” Pippin said.  Where was Merimas going with this?

“What if you’d been sitting on the grass reading and some little hobbit had done exactly what you did and gone into the water even though he couldn’t swim?” Merimas asked.

“I’d have yelled for help,” Pippin said proud of the answer.

“And if no one came?” Merimas prompted.

“I-I-I’d have, well, someone would have come.  There are all sorts of hobbits in Buckland and most all of them swim.  Someone would have come,” Pippin said.  He was certain of this.

“But would they have come in time?” Merimas wondered.  “What if I had decided that because Merry and Berilac are both better swimmers than I am that I should wait and let one of them save you?  Or what if you’d come down here to try swimming and the other Hobbits by the pond couldn’t swim at all?”

“But you did save me,” Pippin objected not wanting to think that he could have actually drowned.

“Could you save someone if they were drowning?” Merimas asked.

“I can’t swim,” Pippin reminded him.  Merimas knows that.  Why is he asking?

“Then you’d have to just yell for help and hope that someone came or else you’d have to watch the hobbit in the water drown with no hope of saving him yourself,” Merimas said.

“I don’t want anyone to drown!” Pippin said, looking horrified at the thought.

“But folks do sometimes,” Merimas said.  “And the reason that they do is because they get in deep water without knowing how to swim or because no one is around to help or because they aren’t careful and they don’t think.”

Or because they’ve gone out in a boat late at night after dark and one of them doesn’t swim at all.  Frodo couldn’t help but think about how his parents had died as he listened to Merimas calmly explaining things to Pippin.  He wished someone had been able to explain things this rationally to his parents.  They might be here right now if they had listened to someone like Merimas.  Frodo noticed Merry looking worriedly over at him and he smiled weakly back to reassure him. 

“I wasn’t careful and I didn’t think,” Pippin said.  “I never do think really.  Papa says I should think things over before I do them but I always do them first and think about them later and- I almost drowned both of us!”  The realization smacked into Pippin’s head with such force that he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Merimas.  “We could have died!”

“But we didn’t,” Merimas said a bit startled to have Pippin hugging him so fiercely.  Was this what it was like for Merry most of the time?  Pippin was hugging Merry tightly the other day after the rescue and Merry hadn’t seemed to mind at all.  It was rather nice to have some little hobbit think you were important he supposed.

“You were so brave even if you were a chicken like me,” Pippin rattled in Merimas’s ear.  “You saved me from the water.”

“And now you have to learn how to swim so that you can save someone else,” Merimas said.  He did hope that Pippin wouldn’t go back to the Hall and tell everyone that he was a chicken.

“Are you going to be here?” Pippin asked.

“I am,” Merimas said.  “I feel kind of responsible for you just now.  I think I should stay and make sure that you can swim.”  He smiled.   Merimas was pleased by Pippin’s request.  His little cousin never really requested his presence at times like this.  Pippin was always asking about Merry or Frodo, but not about him.  This was something new.  It was rather nice to be a rescuer.

“Do you think Tooks can learn to swim?” Pippin asked still nervous but less so.

“I think they can if they have several Brandybucks to teach them,” Merimas grinned.

“And you even have a Baggins,” Frodo said.

“A Baggins who is also part Brandybuck,” Merry pointed out.  “You are surrounded by the finest swimmers in all of the Shire.  You can’t help but learn.”  Merimas had completely turned things around.  Merry was impressed.  It wasn’t easy to deal with Pippin and it was especially difficult when Pippin was upset.

“Do we have to go out over my head to teach me?” Pippin asked looking at Merry now.

“No,” Merry said reassuringly.  “In fact, we start your lesson with both of your feet firmly planted on the bottom of the pond and the water no higher than your waist.”  Merry had never intended to force Pippin out over his head so quickly but he supposed that Pippin had assumed that he had to be in deep water in order to learn to swim.  Merry knew that if he frightened Pippin, that his younger cousin might never learn to swim.  If they were to teach Pippin to swim then they had to begin slowly.

Pippin smiled.  He looked over at Merimas and asked, “Are you coming in too?”

“I can if you want me to,” Merimas said.  He was surprised by this.

Pippin nodded and then began trying to unbutton his shirt.  “What I really want to learn is how buttons work,” Pippin said absently.  Buttons were stubborn and were probably invented by a Brandybuck.  They didn’t work properly at all unless you struggled with them and worked hard at lining them up.

*****

Pippin yawned and leaned back against the tree.  It was a very lazy sort of day and he’d been up far too late the evening before dancing and singing at Clover Proudfoot’s birthday party.  He had only agreed to come out to the pond with Pervinca because she wanted to let Pearl’s little one splash about in the shallow end.  Ivy was barely five and she adored the water nearly as much as Pippin had when he’d been her age.  He smiled as he watched Ivy splash water at Pervinca and giggle.  Pervinca laughed and gently splashed the child back.  Ivy giggled harder and then ran out a bit further into the water.  It was up to her waist now and she was splashing with both chubby little hands and teasing Pervinca.  “Come after me!” Ivy shouted.

“You come right here to me, Ivy,” Pervinca said sounding stern.  Ivy shouldn’t be out that far.  How had she slipped away so quick?  Pervinca stepped out slightly further toward the giggling little lass and reached out a hand.  “Come here, Ivy.”

“You splash me!” Ivy said between giggles.  “I splash you then I run!”  This was funny.  Auntie Pervinca was nervous.  She was afraid to get splashed.  Ivy backed up a step.  “You come get me!”

Pippin frowned as he watched Ivy.  The child was out too deep.  She was playing and she didn’t realize what she was doing.  He stood and began to walk toward the pond.  He was walking quickly and his heart was pounding in his chest.  Ivy was only five and she had inherited the Took talent for trouble.  She was also very single minded.  She listened to Pearl because everyone listened to Pearl. But Ivy wouldn’t listen to Pervinca or to him.  Although Pippin was nearly thirty, he had yet to master the art of sounding stern.  Little Ivy thought of her Aunt Pervinca and her Uncle Pippin as big playmates.  She didn’t have to listen to them.

“Ivy please come here,” Pervinca said nervously.  Pervinca didn’t swim.  Not a stroke and she never had.  Pippin was the only member of the family who had been crazy enough to learn to swim.  Pervinca remembered how furious her father had been when he’d found out that Uncle Doc and Aunt Esme had allowed Pippin to learn to swim.  Now Pervinca wished with all of her heart that she had learned too.  Ivy was still backing away from her.  “Ivy, darling, please!”

Aunt Pervinca looks frightened.  Her eyes are all wide like she’s scared.  Ivy backed up some more and then she was frightened too.  The water was suddenly up to her chin!  She didn’t like this at all.  It wasn’t funny now.  She opened her mouth to yell and reached out her arms to Aunt Pervinca and water went into her mouth.  She choked and stepped back to get away from the water.

Pippin was running now.  Behind him he could hear Pearl screaming.  Pearl must have come down to the pond to play with Ivy and arrived in time to watch her darling daughter going in over her head in the Buckland pond that was formed by a spill from the Brandywine River.  Pervinca was wading forward now and Pippin could see Pervinca’s shoulder’s shaking. She was crying.  She was frightened of the water herself and she was frightened for Ivy.  Why hadn’t he been the one to take Ivy into the pond?  He knew better!  Too much ale at the party and too little sleep must have clouded his mind.  He really had thought that Pervinca and Ivy would be fine in the shallow end.  He, of all folks, should know how fast a little hobbit child moves.  “I’ll get her!” he shouted as he rushed into the water and passed Pervinca.  He could see Ivy’s head bobbing above the surface of the water for an instant and then she was gone.

“Ivy!” Pearl screamed.  “Ivy!”  Her mind raced and her knees gave way and she sank onto the grass.  Ivy was drowning!  Her baby was going to drown!  Her mind filled with panic as she realized that she could do nothing to save her darling child.

“Pippin!  She’s gone under!” Pervinca shouted her voice filled with frustration at her inability to do anything more than stand in the water up to her waist and shout at her younger brother.  How had Ivy got out that deep?  Ivy was a tiny thing and if Pervinca was in water up to her waist then how deep was the water where Ivy had gone under?

Pippin dove into the water with both eyes open and searched the murky little pond desperately.  Even under the water he could still hear Pervinca and Pearl screaming.  Pearl was calling Ivy’s name over and over again.  Pippin searched with his hands and was rewarded with the touch of another hand, its fingers grabbing desperately at his own.  He gripped it tightly and pulled it toward him.  He kicked with his feet and holding his little niece close to his chest he broke the surface of the water shocked to find that he and Ivy were nearly in the middle of the pond.  An undercurrent must have pulled the tiny hobbit lass out as soon as she went under.  It was a miracle that Pippin had been able to find her at all.  It was an even bigger miracle that she was now struggling in his arms and screaming like a wild animal. 

“Momma!  I want Momma!”  Ivy wailed as she tried to break Pippin’s hold on her and climb out of the ugly water.  She was frightened.  She swung her arms about and smacked Pippin across the bridge of the nose as she choked and coughed on the nasty-tasting water.  “Momma!”

Pippin was much larger than Ivy and he was also much stronger but she was fighting him with everything in her.  He wrapped an arm tightly about her and managed to pin her arms to her sides after the sharp blow to his nose.  He was certain that his nose was bleeding but he had to hold fast to Ivy.  Water dripped out of his hair and he could just make out Pervinca standing in the shallow water wringing her hands. 

“He’s got her, Pearl!  Pippin has Ivy!  He has her and she’s alive!” Pervinca shouted never taking her eyes off of Ivy who was giving Pippin fits.

Pearl was coming toward Pervinca now on shaky legs.  She was willing herself to believe that Ivy was alive.  Pervinca wouldn’t lie to her.  Pippin could swim after all.  She had seen him go into the water for Ivy.  “Ivy?” she said softly looking out toward the center of the pond, desperation clear in her quavering voice.

Pippin reached the shallow end of the pond and began striding through the low water with Ivy out in front of him.  He held her out away from him to avoid any more punches or kicks.  Her sharp heels had dealt him more than a few bruises he was certain.  He was stunned when Pearl rushed into the water up to her knees and took Ivy from him.  Pearl hated the water.

“Momma!” Ivy wailed wrapping her arms around her mother.  She was crying so hard that her entire body was shaking.

Pippin stood there with water dripping down the end of his nose and smiled.  She was all right.  He had been in time.  He had rescued Ivy.  Just then Pervinca wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.  “Thank you,” she managed burying her face against his chest as she hugged him.

“Thank Uncle Doc and those queer Brandybuck cousins of ours when you get the chance,” Pippin said holding his nose in an effort to stop the bleeding.  He hugged Pervinca and watched as Pearl comforted Ivy.  Merimas had been right.  He didn’t want to think about what it might have been like to just watch Ivy go under.  He hugged Pervinca tighter because his older sister knew what it was like to only be able to watch.  He wondered if it was too late to teach Pervinca to swim.  He’d have to ask Merry. 

The End

GW    09/29/2008(post date)

***I would like to note that my beta wanted me to put the first paragraph of this story in Italics and I really, really tried to do that but every time I posted this, the entire story went into Italics.  Finally, after several tries to format this correctly, I gave up.  Sorry, PF.  Not only do I need someone to beta these things for me, I also need someone to post them.  -GW