This is a real, actual prologue this time because I have something to say that involves this story so here goes.

This story is the result of a challenge posted to the PippinHealer's Group on Yahool.

The challenge was set forth by Dreamflower who is one of the Moderators for the site.

Every Tuesday, Dreamflower posts a Pippin-related quote from Lord Of the Rings to the PippinHealer's site and this time after posting the quote she put forth a little challenge.  Here is the quote that started the challenge.

**"'Yes, it is all very dim and stuffy in here,' said Pippin. `It reminds me somehow, of the old room in the Great Place of the Tooks away back in the Smials at Tuckborough: a huge place, where the furniture has never been moved or changed for generations. They say the Old Took lived in it, year after year, while he and the rooms got older and shabbier together. Gerontius was my great-great- grandfather: that puts it back a bit. But that is nothing to the old feeling of this wood. Look at all those weeping, trailing, beards and whiskers of lichen! And most of the trees seem to be covered with ragged dry leaves that have n ever fallen. Untidy. I can't imagine what spring would look like here, if it ever comes; still less a spring-cleaning.'"**
~ J.R.R. Tolkien from Chapter IV of The Two Towers (Page 450)

The challenge that Dreamflower set forth was:
I'd love to see someone write a drabble or a drouble or a ficlet or even just a
snippet about the first time Pippin saw the Old Took's room. How old was he? Why
was he in there? And what happened while he was there?

The story that follows is my response to her challenge.  This was originally posted to the PippinHealer's site on 04-16-2009 so if the story seems a bit familiar to you, then you may have read it there.  I posted an un-beta's version of it on PippinHealers and since then Llinos has been kind enough to Beta it for me so the version you see posted here has been Brit-Picked by a real Brit!  Thank you, llinos.

Anyway, thank you for reading if you do. 

Also, please note that my story is slightly AU in that judging by Pippin's quote from The Two Towers.  I won't say more as it will spoil the story.  You can decide if you think this is AU or not.

GW  04/19/2009