The Circle
The Shirriffs were just leaving (“We’re watching you and your crowd, Cotton.”) when he got there. “Did they search the secret root cellar?” he asked wearily. “Tell me.”
Silence.
“Yes, Da. They did.”
He sank to the floor, burying his face in his hands. His family, his friends: they’d starve.
“But look what we did.”
Rosie tugged the quilt aside, revealing a jumble of baskets, bushels, and sacks. His daughter’s face was so proud that it made Tolman want to weep. “They’re not going to break us, Da. Not so long as we keep together, and keep doing what’s right.”
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March 3, 2005. Written for Earengil: hobbits and quilting.