"There IS no popcorn!" Eglantine sighed and brushed a red curl away from her face. She had just picked up her youngest, Peregrin, from a visit with Celandine, a good friend of hers, and was in the process of transporting him back home. At least, that was her intention. The two-year-old kept squirming in her arms and demanding popcorn.
"Of all things..." Eglantine muttered to herself. "Pippin," she adressed her son, using his common nickname, "You can't have any popcorn. Number one, you just ate at Celandines and number two, it is the middle of spring and far to warm to sit around a fire roasting popcorn!"
Her auburn-haired child merely squirmed in her arms and repeated his demand for '' 'optorn.'
Eglantine wondered if perhaps Celandine had been feeding the child popcorn. "She must like the heat, if she can stand to lean over a roaring fire in the middle of May!" Pippin appeared to settle for a moment, then, just as suddenly began squirming again. Eglantine was at her wits end. With a sudden movement she whirled around and stalked back to Celandine's.
She found her friend outside, sitting under an apple tree in blossom. Egalntine set Pippin down on the ground and marched over to Celandine.
"Have you been feeding Pippin popcorn?" she demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at her friend.
Celandine gazed up through calm hazel eyes at the irate Took. "No." she replied simply. "Why?"
"Because he will not rest until he gets some and I cannot handle it!" Egalantine paused, huffing for breath.
Celandine leaned back agaisnt the trunk and gazed at the blossoms. Suddenly she began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Egalantine enquired dryly.
Celandine pointed at the white blossoms. "Tell me, Eglantine, what do those flowers remind you of?"
Eglantine gazed up at the tree and considered the blossoms. They were fully in bloom now, and seemd to grow in bunches. Big white bunches, just like bunches of-
Eglantine stared at her friend, comprehension filling her features. Pippin, who had steadily been toddling over, bumped into the tree and wrapped his arms around it.
"'optorn twee." he said blissfully.
Eglantine smiled at her son and sat down next to her friend, underneath the popcorn tree.
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This story is based on my own word for cherry and apple tree's in blossom. I've always loved popcorn tree's. They are one of my favorite signs of spring. Although those who don't knwo what I'm talking about may tend to get a big irritated.....