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Flooding and Glamours by Larner	10 Review(s)
Soledad	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/18/2008
It's nice to se them all in their young years. What a terrible thing such a flood can be, though. (Sorry for the double post... dratted touchpad is too sensitive.) Author Reply: It was fun to imagine those early years, too--until the flood hit and Primula ended up losing the baby.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/8/2006
Ah, I love the first ‚official despatch’ for Mayor Samwise! Aragorn knows what is truly important grin It’s fascinating what memories this little stone brought up. Sam is probably glad to know it belonged to Frodo. As for Frodo, it is sweet how much he anticipated the visit of Bilbo. I loved his exchange with Bilbo about startling the ponies – not popping up, but leaping down. Question box is a wonderful name – Frodo must have driven the adults to distraction, at least sometimes, with all his questions. Save his abilities as actor, I suspect it were his eyes why Peter Jackson chosed Elijah for the role of Frodo. If even Bard noted his eyelashes grin It’s sad to know Primula will loose this child, too. The excitement and anxiety about the flooding was probably not helping, either. I am so very sorry to hear you had viruses and all that on top of your other computer problems! Sadly I can do nothing more than to cross my fingers and hope it will be over soon! Author Reply: Well, Aragorn is sending something as a father to a fellow-father, one who will understand the need to share just how precocious small children are. Of course he knows what's important! I think that Sam is finding the stone increasingly important as he learns more of its history, and I find myself wondering if he'll ask Elladan and Elrohir about it one day, or perhaps Glorfindel. Glad you appreciated Frodo insisting on accuracy, and agree he was probably one to ask frequent questions of any he thought able to answer them. As Gandalf himself commented on Frodo's "bright eyes" I do think that the choice of EW to play the role was an excellent one, for he had all the requisite traits save "taller than some"--IF "some" is pretty much limited to Bilbo! Heh! Yes, it is sad to know ahead of time that Primula will lose this child, but such, unfortunately, is life. As for the viruses--I HATE hackers! Truly would like to gather them all up and force them into a room with the most unreasonable idiots on the planet. I, too, hope this is an end to it for a time.

Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/4/2006
How nice to see Sam as mayor and settled into the role so well. I loved the idea of Melian sending drawings and both she and her father knowing what was happening ! Author Reply: Well, of COURSE the two Dunedain would know, don't you think? And I just love the idea of the proud father sending his friend drawings his daughter had drawn for him! And Sam must have made a marvelous Mayor.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/4/2006
Oh wow! I somehow missed the notice on this! A new Larner story! And it's been up for a couple of days, apparently! shakes head I love the way this starts out--with Sam taking up his new Mayoral duties; and then moving on to Isembard recounting his adventures among the Brandybucks. shudder The description of the flooding was all too real!! I really look forward to seeing more of this! And how lovely to see a childhood story of Frodo when his parents were still alive! Author Reply: Yes, it's been up a couple days, and I just added chapter 2. It's a shorty, though, and with the author's notes I'll add tomorrow this is all there is. I've so wanted to do a child-Frodo story, and I found both the green stone and the smial by the river needed expansion. And so we came up with this. A short story, but I hope a satisfying one. So glad you find the flood realistic. You'd know, wouldn't you?

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/4/2006
Wonderful, Larner! I thought there might be a story behind that particular stone - and there it is, a nuzgul, I believe. And what's more, you put in a character, I like more and more - Isumbard Took. This is going to be very, very interesting. And of course, your little Frodo is fantastic! Author Reply: A very small nuzgul or a slightly substantial plotbunny--I'm not certain which. So glad you like little Frodo--I can see him so easily this way.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/4/2006
Good to see Sam taking up his proper place! And to see that the King of Gondor has his priorities right when it comes to sending messages to the Mayor. I look forward to learning more about Bard and his scary exile among Brandybucks! And it's good to see a younger Bilbo riding his pony like a true Took. Knowing traveller stuff like using your pony to keep you warm too! Sweet little Frodo! Waiting out there up a tree to welcome Bilbo - very cute. That smial doesn't sound a good place to be in the rainy season. And, if ever there was a potential flood where Primula should have been safely tucked up in Brandy Hall, I think it was this one. Bard might settle back to sleep easily enough, but I don't think Primula and Drogo will! Author Reply: Yes, Sam is now truly the Mayor, and the King is sharing his daughter's drawings with his friend in the Shire. Although I noted a bit of official business did manage to make its way into the dispatch, so Aragorn is trying to serve as King as well. Yes, Bilbo is a true Took, and is now sharing what he's learned with a younger one. But Bilbo is also definitely Bilbo, and would really prefer walking. I agree--River Place is NOT the place to be when the water's in danger of rising. Certainly Primula ought to be up in the Hall--but she's a stubborn Took at heart at times, and she's learned more from being married to a Baggins. I love the idea myself that Frodo would want to get fairly high up to keep an eye out for Bilbo's approach. So glad you appreciate it. Anyway, it's time to get off and doing for the day. Thanks so much for responding.

Antane	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2006
I love beautiful little Frodo! :) Namarie, God bless, Antane :) Author Reply: Yes, I strongly suspect he was indeed a beautiful child, our Frodo. And glad he and Bilbo had such a strong relationship even that early.

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2006
Ooh, yet another great start to a tale Larner. So much going on in such a short space of time. We get attached to so many people so quickly too. But, yet again you have caused a late night! I just knew that I shouldn't have given into temptation and turned on that little lap-top but it was teasing me from its corner; 'Go on! Just five minutes! You know you want to!' Now an hour later...... Author Reply: This is a quick one, I fear; quick but a lead-in to stories I've already written. I found the abandoned smial by the river had to be explored, and how the Baggins family came to abandon it described. Hope you enjoy it, as short as it is. And I know how that "Just five minutes!" tends to work out! I found I wanted to look at how Frodo was as a child, even if only in one fairly brief period; and whose POV better to look at this through than that of Isumbard?

Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2006
Wow, Larner! Only one chapter and I can already say that this is a priceless story! I haven't seen a whole lot of young Frodo and his parents from you, so this is great! :) And I can so see young Bard growing into the kindhearted, responsible Hobbit we've come to love so well. I love that you show Sam stepping into the Mayor's office at the beginning. I think he'll have to grow accustomed to his new position, but of course he'll be the best the Shire has ever had. Love also Merry's wanting to be the one to give the dispatch, as "senior cousin. And Melian's pictures are great! :) Poor Primmie! And it's hard knowing she's going to lose this one too, and though I hate to say it, by the looks of things, soon. Sounds like we're going to have a nice plot here. But in this first chapter it's such little scenes as these that lend so much sweetness and charm: Looking up at the trees under which they were preparing to ride, Bard just had time to mark a figure on one of the wider limbs of the willow before it leapt out of the tree to light just before them. “Uncle Bilbo! Uncle Bilbo!” a small Hobbit lad clad in a warm brown cloak shouted as Bilbo and Isumbard found themselves working to master their startled ponies. “Uncle Bilbo, you’re here at last! You’re late! Where have you been?” “Hold, hold, Frodo Baggins!” Bilbo laughed as he brought his steed under control. “Hasn’t your father taught you not to startle ponies by popping up under their noses like that?” The child laughed. “My dad doesn’t know from ponies, Uncle Bilbo. You know that! And I didn’t pop up--I leapt down!" grinning Ah yes, that's our Frodo! He is such a darling child; Primula and Drogo were very lucky. He looked down at Frodo, his expression indulgent. “Willow’s planning griddlecakes with brambleberry syrup, young Hobbit.” “Ooh,” the child said, then looked at his mother. “Please, Mummy--can we go up for second breakfast, then? Please?” Primula was already pulling her small son under her cloak as the rain became heavier. “We’ll see, Frodo,” she said, refusing to promise. “We’ll see what the morning brings first. Now we’d best get our guests back to the hole.” This seems so natural, something that could happen to any child. "We'll see..." Ah, the infamous phrase! And particular to parents, I used to think...before I learned how handy it could be with little ones who are intent on asking a million questions and promises. :) “My mum would kill to have his eyelashes,” Bard commented as he pulled himself closer to the fire. I don't really know why, but I had to chuckle at that. I guess because Bard reminds me a bit of my own next brother, and just the thought of my brother making such an observation struck me as funny, since he wouldn't notice eyelashes if he was staring at them. Moments later Bard was with Bilbo in the kitchen assisting in fixing the meal and setting the table when Drogo and Frodo emerged from the bathing room, both laughing, Frodo clinging to a wooden duck that had been painted yellow. Frodo was sent to join his mother in the parlor while his father turned to assist in the preparation of the meal. Bard could hear the sound of the child’s conversation with his mother, more laughter, and then the sound of singing, at first from the mother but swiftly joined by the small lad, who had a clear, sweetly high voice. Bilbo paused in his work to listen, a gentle smile on his face. “It’s always such a pleasure to hear those two sing, Drogo,” he commented. “And after what Lobelia had been saying I was beginning to wonder if Primmie would ever sing freely again.” Father and child coming out from a bathing room with the child still clutching a toy--very familiar at my house...except both are usually soaked. :) I, too, like to think that Frodo and Primula sang well together, and I wonder if I even want to know what Lobelia said that would make Prim not want to sing. I've guessed most of what drove the little Baggins family away from Hobbiton, but my guesses have nothing to do with singing. He turned to lift small Frodo onto his shoulder. “And what have we here? Isn’t it the question box? Tell me, Frodo Baggins, why is the sky darker at night than it is in the daytime?” “Because the moon doesn’t give as much light as his sister the sun,” Frodo explained. “Ah, very good--you remembered,” the older Hobbit laughed. “Why are the stars so small?” Frodo asked. “That is a question to ask your Uncle Bilbo, Frodo. He’s certain to know the Elves’ story for it." Awww! The question box, is it? :) Oh, I do wonder why. grin Bilbo had Frodo in his arms while Drogo was carrying a protesting Primula, who’d been wrapped in a blanket and a thick cloak. Even in the circumstances, I love that image. Can't wait to see more of this! As to Lesser Ring, I haven't forgotten it and it's at the top of my "to read" list, but I just realised the other day that after that I'll only have one more, and I guess I don't want to get to the bottom. :) Then there's "To Remember By, " the fifth chapter of which is in current need of repair, since I just had to spell Rhun without the "H." sigh I'm leaving for the entire summer in about a month, so I'm trying to tie up loose ends as much as I possibly can and I desperately want to finish that and it's...interesting companion. The companion has only a couple more little chapters to go, so I'm not worried; it's the other that concerns me--we're only about halfway, and it's getting more complicated and out of hand all the time. I can't believe it was ever supposed to be a ficlet! :) God bless, Galadriel Author Reply: This is a short story indeed, my Lady, as it consists of one more chapter and then the Author's notes. I'm greatly honored you found so much to write about in just this chapter. For her Mothers' Day gift for her mom my great niece has "written" a story, doing lines of squiggles across the page. She intends to have her mother open it, at which time she will "read" the story to her, then "reread" it at intervals, changing details as they occur to her. That I write stories has intrigued her a good deal. She's five. And her drawings are quite interesting, often consisting of just blocks of colors which also tend to change in meaning as she re-explains what each represents. And as a teacher for over thirty years I've seen so MANY small children's pictures which can be so strange and yet wonderful. I can certainly imagine Aragorn proudly sending off such a packet of mystifying shapes to Sam. Dads can't change in nature that much over the millenia. Frodo's impulsive at times, and I can imagine him going up a tree to keep watch for Bilbo, even if a storm might be coming, then not realizing leaping down will startle the ponies. Yet I had to have him accuse Bilbo of being late, I found. Still love that scene at the beginning of FOTR in the movies, I find. So you are beginning to realize just WHY parents use "We'll see" so often are you? And that Bard would begin to appreciate the vanity of women and girls just seemed right for him. So, your brother wouldn't even notice as yet, would he? Some never do. Just being frustrated with others can damage the willingness to sing. My sister and I used to sing a good deal together when we were young; but then when our folks divorced after 25 years together she decided to be angry at Big Bro and me as if we were somehow to blame. I've tried and tried to make it up with her, and one time confessed to her that I missed singing with her. She responded that she rarely felt like singing any more; yet she still refuses to reconcile, which is a great hole in my heart. I can see Primula so upset by Lobelia's accusations of infidelity that she found herself not wanting to sing for a long time. Small children and bath toys and questions have been so much a part of my life! Had to write them here. And I see Frodo as having a ton of questions, and ones which would tax the wits of those questioned, for I think he'd truly want to know things and not just capture the attention of others. And so glad you appreciate the image of Drogo holding his protesting wife in his arms, as carefully wrapped against the elements as is possible. Good luck with your own stories. I've decided not to try publishing more than one story at a time in case I lose the thread of one, unless the second story is a one chapter story, or so I intend as a regular policy. Otherwise I tend to get distracted and not get back to earlier ones, or so I've found. Where are you off to this summer? Hope it's an enjoyable time for you and yours!

Armariel	Reviewed Chapter: 1 on 5/3/2006
Oh my, a flood? this is pretty scary, and I know she's going to lose that baby:(...but am curious to see what's meant by "glamours". Lalia sounds like a real pill! Would like to see more of her, heheh..... Author Reply: "Glamours" will be explained in the next chapter. This is quite a short ficlet, by the way--particularly considering the nuzguls that attack me sometimes come in pairs and have shown intent to drag the story almost as long as LOTR itself! (Grinning!) And, yes, she loses the baby, unfortunately; but only partly due to the flood. Lalia was described in Tolkien's letters as a real pill, so that as described in a number of stories of the time, including Lindelea's "The Consequences of a Fall," few were too sad when the old harridan died, not even her son Ferumbras. Don't know if I want to attack Lalia as yet. Author Reply: I can't believe I shortchanged Dreamflower here. It's DREAMFLOWER'S "Consequences of a Fall," NOT Lindelea's. Mea culpa! Please forgive me, Dreamflower! Please forgive me! Lovely story.

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