3. The Puddle
The Puddle
Frodo was staring at the puddles left by the recent rain. Bilbo could see the half smile upon his beloved kinsman's face. He'd often seen that half smile when Frodo was younger, but had seen nothing of it when he'd returned to Rivendell from Gondor or during the ride from the Shire to Mithlond.
Suddenly a small flock of birds alit around the nearest puddle, chirping and crowding together, dipping their beaks to drink, and bathing in it.
Frodo laughed merrily for the first time since they'd sailed West, and Bilbo smiled. His own dear lad was healing at last!
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
