SquidgeWorld Archive

- Warnings: None

- Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to the Masterful JRR Tolkien and probably New Line Cinema and some other people. I am not worthy. I make no money off of this and probably should be working on something where I might actually make some money but here you go...

- Feedback: Like candy! TheArtofDodger@msn.com

- Author's Notes: Response to Baylor's 'spooky story' challenge on 'QUINK'. Set in the year 1398 which makes Berilac - 18, Merry - 16, Pervinca - 13, Doderic - 9, and Pippin- 8. Thanks go to my Mom for the beta!!

- A Good Spook -

"Gentlemen."

Merry looked up from the where he sat on the floor, leading some of the younger lads in a game of marbles. Berilac was leaning in the doorway, arms across his chest, smiling at Merry.

"Challenging yourself, Merry?"

"Not really. Why don't you come in here and put me on a level playing field?"

Berilac was the best hobbit at marbles that Merry had ever known. Not one of the boys had ever beaten him, not even Cousin Frodo who was quite the master himself. Merry had sworn to himself that he would beat Berilac before he reached his own majority.

"Not today, Cousin. Your da' said we need to get outside and sweep up some of the leaves," Berilac said.

The younger lads groaned in protest. Fall had come fast this year, some of the leaves dropping before they even changed color. Merry, however, had been inside all day and welcomed the chance for fresh air.

"I like sweeping the leaves," Doderic piped up. "Especially if we get to jump in the piles afterwards."

"Yes," Berilac replied, "and then sweep them all up again."

Merry laughed and told the lads to clean up their marbles. Berilac left to find more recruits.

"We don't have to sweep on the other side of the hill, do we?" one of the younger boys asked.

"Maybe," Merry said with a smirk.

"What's wrong with the other side of the hill?" Doderic asked.

Merry turned, eyeing the lad. Doderic was nine years old, surely he had heard the tale before.

"Don't you know about the Beast?" Pembroke asked him.

"What Beast?"

"Well," Merry began, "it was before we were born, Doder, but see there is this beast who lives in the Old Forest."

The lads, including Doderic, sat back down on the floor and Merry smiled at his captive audience. He always enjoyed telling a good spook.

"He's huge, like ten Hobbits on top of each other."

"I thought it was seven hobbits," Melilot piped up.

"No," Merry said sternly, "it's ten. And he has big yellow eyes and sharp pointy teeth and fur all over his body. Big furry feet, big furry hands, big furry face."

Merry watched Doderic's eyes go round.

"He sleeps all year except right before winter comes, he wakes up. And he is hungry. But usually he goes to other side of the forest to eat Men. But once he came to the Shire. He came right up to other side of the Hill and ate two little Hobbit lads that were playing there."

Merry watched Doderic swallow hard.

"That's why all Hobbit lads try to stay away from the other side of the Hill during the fall. The Beast is still out there and nobody knows when he'll come back to the Shire."

"Merry!"

Merry whirled around to see Berilac standing in the doorway once more, a scowl on his face.

"Yes, Ber?" Merry asked, trying to appear innocent.

"You'll give the lads nightscares. Stop that."

"The lads or you? Don't tell me you are still scared of the Beast, Berilac?"

"Watch yourself, Meriadoc. Come on lads, let's get to work."

The boys followed Berilac out of the room. Merry gave Doderic one last glance and saw the color had drained from the lad's face.

Feeling a job well done, Merry followed the others outside.

*****

It was at breakfast the next day that Merry realized the error of his ways. He was just going to work on his oatmeal when his father came in the room with *that* look on his face. The one that made Merry put his spoon down and swallow hard.

"Meriadoc, good morning."

"Good morning, Father."

"Would you care to join me in my study for a moment?"

Merry looked at his full bowl of oatmeal and then looked back at his father. "I only just started."

"Now, Merry."

"What'd I do?" Merry exclaimed, but when his father put a hand on Merry's shoulder, Merry stood up and allowed himself to be led away.

Once the study door closed behind them, Merry crossed his arms against his chest and titled his head up in defiance. He was sure he had done nothing wrong. He hadn't been awake long enough to do anything wrong.

"I demand to know what all this nonsense is about!" Merry told his father.

"Did you tell some of the lads that ridiculous story about the Beast?"

"Yes. They've all heard it before."

"All of them?"

Merry paused and then met his father's face. "Except Doderic."

"Hmmm, would that be Doderic who wouldn't open any of the kitchen cupboards because you told him a giant spider had come to live in the mess of Brandy Hall? Or Doderic who wouldn't go outside for a month because you told him about sand that would swallow him whole? The same Doderic who got ill with fever after he stayed up in a tree all night for fear that a Hobbit-eating Black Cat would pounce on him if he came down?".

"Yes," Merry said meekly, staring at his feet.

"He was up all night from nightscares, Meriadoc. He kept insisting he heard this Beast of yours outside his window."

"In all fairness Da', it's not *my* Beast. I first heard the story from Frodo."

"Don't get smart with me, Merry. I am not amused."

"Yes, sir."

"Go back and finish your breakfast and then I expect you to get back to work on those leaves. You and you alone, Merry. No recruiting the other lads to help you out. This is your punishment."

"Yes, sir," Merry answered and then turned to leave.

"And Merry, no more stories, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

*****

A troupe of Tooks arrived later in the day, led by the Thain himself, who had business to discuss with Saradoc concerning the Harvest Festival.

The first words out of Pippin's mouth upon seeing his Aunt Esmeralda were, "Where's Merry?".

"Pippin!" Pervinca scolded. "Don't be rude."

She hugged and kissed her aunt and then asked, "Now then, where is Merry?"

Esmeralda laughed and informed them both that Merry was on punishment for the day and they'd have to wait until supper to see him.

"What did he do?" Pervinca asked, hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes.

"He's been telling the lads spooks again and caused a bit of an upset in someone's sleeping schedule," Aunt Em replied, giving Pervinca a knowing smile.

"Doderic," Pervinca sighed. "Where is he then?"

"I believe he is in his room taking a bit of a nap."

"Well come on, Pip, let's see what can done about it."

Pervinca walked off in determination and Pippin returned his aunt's smile before scampering off after her.

*****

Pippin listened to his sister try to reassure Doderic that there was no Beast and that *Merry was full of poo*, as she so elegantly put it.

Doderic didn't seemed convinced.

Pippin remembered all the times Merry had tried to scare him with stories.

*They are called River-People, Pip. They come out of the water when a Hobbit is swimming all alone and they stab them with spears and then drag them down to the bottom of the of river until they drown. That's why only Brandybucks are brave enough to go on the river.*

Pippin had stuck out his chin and told Merry that no River-People would keep him from swimming.

*Mites, Pippin. Teeny-tiny people who come in your room at night and steal your things. If you wake up and see them, they jump on you all at once and drag you off to their secret underground world of Mites.*

Pippin had stamped his foot and replied, *If they are so small then I will just squash them with my foot. No one is taking my brand new slingshot from me.*

*Tree-People. They live at the very tip-top of the tallest trees. They wait for little Hobbits to get stuck in their trees, and then they come down and bite at you with their sharp little teeth.*

Pippin crossed his arms on his chest and answered with, *Then it's a good thing I am such a good climber and will never get stuck, isn't it, Merry?*

Pippin watched his sister stroking Doderic's curls and decided he'd had enough of Merry's spooks.

*****

Pippin slept in Merry's room that night. He had scolded Merry for all of two minutes after supper before declaring that he had a bunch of new marbles and demanding a rematch from the last time he had visited the Halls.

Now they were snuggled down in Merry's bed, giggling and whispering as lads often do when they are supposed to be sleeping.

Pippin yawned three times in a row and Merry decided they should go to sleep. He was quite tired himself, after working on the leaves all day.

He must have nodded right off because the next thing Merry knew Pippin was frantically shaking him and whispering his name over and over.

"Hoy, what is it, Pip? I'm sleeping here."

"I heard a noise."

"What?"

"A noise. I heard something outside."

"It's the wind. Go to sleep."

"Merry!"

"Pippin, it's Brandy Hall, things creak and moan and make noises. What's the matter with you?"

"I just heard a noise," Pippin sulked and burrowed back down under the covers.

"Don't be a ninny, Pippin. Go to sleep."

*****

Merry slept in a bit that morning, his body aching from cleaning up the leaves the day before. He found Pippin in the parlor playing sticks with Doderic.

"Morning, gents."

Doderic scowled at Merry and looked away. Pippin gave Merry a sad look and went back to the game.

"What's the matter with the pair of you? Doder, you aren't still mad about the whole Beast thing are you?"

"I heard it again last night," Doderic said.

"No, you didn't," Merry told him.

"Did so. Pip heard it too."

Pippin blushed and nodded. "I did, Merry. I told you but you wouldn't listen to me."

"Pippin Took! Don't you start," Merry scolded. "You've never been scared once by any of my stories. You shouldn't encourage Doder like that."

"But I heard it!" Pippin cried.

"No, you didn't. Be quiet, you'll get me in trouble."

Pippin scowled. "Fine, but I heard it."

"I heard it too," Doderic added, then sighed and met Merry's eyes. "Anyway do you want to play sticks?"

Merry gave Pippin one more commanding look to stay quiet and sat down on the floor.

*****

No one mentioned the Beast again all day and at bedtime, Merry went to Doderic's room to wish him goodnight.

"Doder?"

Doderic lifted his head from his pillow and looked at Merry through the darkness. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry, you know, about scaring you."

"It's all right," Doderic answered, though he didn't sound so sure of himself.

"I forget that you get scared like that."

"I wish I didn't. I'm such a baby."

"No, you aren't. You just appreciate a good story, that's all." Merry hoped Doderic could hear the smile in his voice.

"You do tell a good story, Merry."

"Thank you. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry."

"Thank you."

"Night, Doder."

"Goodnight, Merry."

*****

That night it was Merry who woke up first. Something was scratching on his window. Merry sat up and looked outside, but all he could see was some sort of yellow light.

Merry scrambled out of bed and went over to the window. The yellow light looked like two candles side by side.

Whatever it was, it was moving toward him.

"Merry?" came Pippin's muffled voice from the bed.

"Something's out there, Pip."

"What?" Pippin exclaimed, sitting up in bed. "What do you mean something's out there?"

Pippin hopped out of bed and went to the window. "Oh, Merry, it looks like eyes."

"It's not eyes, Pip."

"Yes, it is. It's looking at us."

"Pippin, it's not the Beast."

"Oh! Merry, it could be the Beast. I didn't think of that."

Pippin clutched at Merry's shoulders, his fingernails digging into Merry's skin through his nightshirt.

"Hoy, Pip, stop that, it hurts."

"Sorry," Pippin said, letting go of Merry's shoulder.

Suddenly the yellow light went out and all they could see was the black of the night.

"Where'd it go?" Pip asked.

"I don't know." Merry stared out into the night.

Pippin crawled back under the covers. "Merry, are you coming back to bed?"

"All right, Pip," Merry answered and cast one last glance out the window.

When both the lads were snuggled back under the blanket, Pippin scooted closer to Merry.

"Merry?"

"Hmmm?"

"You wouldn't never let anything eat me for dinner, would you?"

"Never, Pip. Now go to sleep."

*****

Merry got up before Pippin and dashed outside without breakfast. His mother hollered after him to come sit down and eat his oatmeal, but Merry ignored her. He made his way to the spot just outside his own bedroom window.

Putting his best tracking skills to work, Merry noticed that the ground was stomped down and there were scratch marks on his window.

/It could have been anything/ Merry reasoned with himself.

And then he saw it.

A clump of hair. Except it wasn't hair, it was more like fur.

A big, brown, clump of fur.

Right under Merry's window.

Merry picked it up and put it in his pocket.

*****

"'Vina?"

Pervinca was tying her hair up and looking at herself in the mirror. She turned when she heard Merry's voice.

"Merry, what are you doing up so early?"

Merry shrugged and looked around the guest room, avoiding his cousin's eyes.

Pervinca sighed. "Well, come in then, Merry. You might as well get whatever it is over with."

Merry came in and shut the door. Then he sat down on the chest at the foot of the bed and fiddle with the tassels hanging off the end.

"Merry, I haven't had breakfast yet and I'm hungry. Just say it. It can't be that awful."

"I think there really is a Beast. I have fur. And scratch marks and tramped ground under my window and I heard it. Pip heard it too and we saw something Pip said were eyes but it couldn't have been. There's no Beast, someone just made it up a long time ago to scare little children but I heard it and I have fur," Merry let out all in one big breath.

He expected Pervinca to laugh but she didn't. Instead she stood in front of him with a solemn look on her face and held out her hand. "Show me the fur."

Merry pulled it out of his pocket and placed it in her hand. She studied it carefully, turning it over and over in her palm. "This isn't Hobbit hair," she said at last.

"What are we going to do?" Merry asked her.

"We could go on a Beast Hunt," she suggested, her eyes lighting up at the thought.

"No, no way!" Merry exclaimed. "I'm the one who tells the Beast story. If I start acting afraid now, I'll never hear the end of it. Besides, my da' said no more stories and if I lead everyone on a Beast Hunt, I'll get the strap for sure."

Pervinca sighed. "I suppose you're right." She sounded disappointed.

"I mean a hunt is a good idea, 'Vina," Merry said to reassure her. "But let's just wait one more night, how about that?"

"All right, Merry. We'll see if it comes back tonight. Now, I'm off to breakfast. Care to join me?"

"Absolutely. And 'Vina, thanks for not laughing at me."

Pervinca smiled at him. "Oh, Cousin, I'm sure I'll have an opportunity to laugh at you for something else later on."

*****

First thing when Pippin woke up, he started in on the yellow lights. Merry pulled him aside and told him not talk about it in front of Doderic or he would start having nightscares again. Merry reassured Pippin that he was looking into the matter and not to worry.

Merry didn't tell Pip about the trampled ground or the scratch marks. He certainly didn't tell him about the big, brown, clump of fur.

That night Merry was determined to stay awake all night. He wasn't going to miss the *whatever it was* when it came back. But Pippin was afraid to sleep alone in the bed, so Merry got under the covers with him. Then Pippin had to lay snuggled up all warm and comfortable against Merry's side, insisting that if he couldn't feel Merry next to him *I would think you had gotten eaten*.

Merry hadn't slept well after the incident the night before, so it wasn't long before he drifted off into a sleep filled with yellow eyes and furry monsters.

He awoke to Pippin shouting his name.

"Merry!"

Merry sat straight up in bed. "What?"

"Look."

Merry followed Pippin's finger to the window. There, smeared across the windowpane, was an over-sized handprint. It was most definitely not a Hobbit hand.

"Pippin, go get your sister. I have to talk to Da' for a minute."

"Merry, if you tell your da' about the handprint, he'll say you are just telling stories again. You'll get in trouble."

"I'm not going to tell him about the handprint, Pip. Don't worry."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"All right then."

Merry found his father in the study, pouring over some papers with the Thain.

"Da'?"

Saradoc and Paladin both looked up.

"Good morning, Merry," the Thain said.

"Good morning, Uncle Paladin. Da', can I talk to you for a moment?"

"What's on your mind, son?"

Merry cast a glance at his uncle and then looked at his father once more.

"Hmm," Paladin said, "I think I'll go say good morning to my own son. If you'll excuse me."

Paladin left the study, giving Merry a squeeze on the shoulder as he walked by.

"Well then?" Saradoc asked him.

"I just wondered, um, maybe, I mean..."

"Merry? What's on your mind, hmmm?"

Merry met his father's eyes and relaxed a little. "I just wondered, I know the thing about the Beast is only a children's story, but someone made it up a long time ago and maybe, couldn't they have made it up because of something that really happened?"

"I thought we put this Beast stuff behind us?"

"Yes, but don't all stories have some truth to them?"

Saradoc looked thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose that's true, Merry. But as long ago as that story started, it was probably no more than a wild dog. These things get stretched out over time, you know."

"So just a wild dog then?"

"Yes, a wild dog who has been dead for a long, long time."

Merry sighed. "Thanks, Da'."

"Is there anything else the matter, son? Doderic isn't still mad at you, is he?"

"No, Doder and I are fine. I apologized. I told him he's not a baby to get scared."

"That was good of you. If he needs to hear it, I can tell him about the time Frodo told you that if you eat honey the bees would try to sting through your stomach to get to it."

"No, that won't be necessary," Merry said hurriedly.

"And how you still won't eat honey to this day."

Merry narrowed his eyes. '"Good day, Father." Then turned on his heels and marched out of the study.

*****

Merry had wondered if they shouldn't ask Berilac and Doderic to go along with them, but Pervinca had insisted not.

"If this turns out to be nothing, we want to be able to sit in the dining hall tonight with out suffering utter humiliation."

Pippin had pulled some sticks out from under his bed. The ends of the sticks were barely pointed.

"I don't think those are going to serve very well as weapons," Merry told him.

"But I made them all on my own," Pippin pouted.

Merry sighed. "All right," and took one of the sticks.

The three went over the Hill to the other side and then started down. At the bottom of the hill was a small cluster of trees and even though the sun was out in full glory, the trees cast a long shadow across the Hill.

They entered with caution, Merry continually reassuring himself that the whole thing had been in his head and this day was going to be nothing more than a silly childish adventure.

Still, he felt better when Pippin took his hand.

They crept further and further into the trees, until all sunlight seemed blocked out.

It was then that the noise started. A low moan that turned quickly into a guttural growl. The three hobbits froze in their tracks. The sound seemed to be coming from all directions. Pervinca crept closer, stick in hand.

"'Vina? Can you see anything?" Merry asked, as Pippin gripped his hand tighter.

"It's too dark in here," Pervinca whispered. "I can't even tell where it's coming from."

"Merry?" Pippin whispered. "I don't want to get eaten."

"Ssshh, Pip," Merry commanded.

The noise seemed to be getting louder and for a moment, Merry thought he heard two of the *whatever it was* growling.

"Uh, 'Vina, maybe we should not do this."

"Merry," she answered in exasperation, "How are you going to catch the Beast if we don't go closer than this? We can sneak up."

"Merry, I want to go back," Pippin said, tugging on his hand.

"My Da' said the whole thing probably started because of a wild dog. It may be a wild dog," Merry said.

"Then the let's go see," Pervinca answered him.

"But wild dogs bite and Pip can't run very fast," Merry protested.

"'Vina, please," Pippin pleaded, plastering himself to Merry's side, "I want to go back."

Pervinca looked at her baby brother and her eyes softened. "Oh, all right, we'll come back tomorrow. With proper weapons."

This time Pippin made no defense of his homemade weapons.

*****

Once they got back inside, the children realized they had missed lunch. The three made a mad dash for the kitchens to see what left. As they rounded the first corner, Merry ran smack into the Thain.

"Hoy, there, slow down," Paladin said.

"Sorry," Merry muttered.

"You three missed lunch. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing," Merry answered, but he could still hear the growling noise in his head and his face must have shown it.

"I hardly believe it was *nothing*," Paladin said. "Not when the three of you get together. Come with me."

Before they knew what was happening, the three found themselves in Saradoc's study with both the Master and the Thain looking sternly at them.

"You've been acting very odd lately, Merry," Saradoc said.

"Sorry, Da'."

"Well, out with it then. What have you been up to?" The Master's voice left no room for objection.

"Pip heard the Beast outside our room," Merry started.

"Only Merry didn't believe me," Pippin added.

"But then I heard it too."

"And then we saw yellow eyes."

"And I went and looked and found scratch marks."

"And fur."

"And then a handprint...wait a minute," Merry paused, turning to Pippin. "I never told you about the fur."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Did so."

"Did not."

"Oh. Then 'Vina did."

"She did not."

"Did so."

"Lads," Paladin interrupted. "That'll be quite enough." Then he turned to Saradoc. "Brother, if my son and I might use your study for a moment."

"Certainly."

Saradoc ushered Merry and Pervinca from the room and closed the door behind them.

"Well then, Pip, what have you got to say for yourself?"

Pippin shuffled his feet and looked down at the floor. "Merry always tells stories to scare people. He scared Doder and he did it on purpose because he thinks it's funny."

"So you turned the tables?"

"Yes, sir."

"And that's fair?"

"How do you mean?" Pippin asked.

"If someone does something to you, you do it back?"

"He didn't do it to me, he did it to Doder."

"Pippin you know full well what I meant."

"I'm sorry. I just saw how upset Doderic was and it made me mad."

"This is not acceptable behavior, Pippin."

"I know."

"You thought this up all on your own?"

Pippin's head whipped up. "Yes, sir!"

"All by yourself?"

"Yes, sir," Pippin answered, looking his father square in the face.

"Thought it up and pulled it off all by yourself?"

"Yes, sir."

Paladin looked at his son for a moment and then said, "Very well. Go eat and when you are done you can work on those leaves that are still in the yard."

"But all the leaves are cleaned up," Pippin protested.

"Not the ones on the other side of the Hill."

"Oh."

"And Pippin, if any of your *friends*, the ones who were *not* involved in this, want to help you out, that would be acceptable."

"Yes, sir."

*****

Pippin wasn't all that surprised when his sister came over the Hill that afternoon.

"I thought you might be lonely," she said.

Pippin smiled at her. "He didn't say it, but I think Father was a bit impressed by your little plan."

"That you took credit for, no doubt."

"He knew it was you."

Berilac came over the Hill next with warm cider for them all.

"The handprint was well done, Ber," Pervinca said.

"It's art, you know. I was rather proud of it myself."

Finally Doderic came over the Hill, bundled up in two sweaters, a jacket and a scarf.

"Mum's afraid I'll catch a cold."

"Mother's are like that," Pippin said, pulling ineffectually at his own scarf, tied three times around.

"You know, Doder," Pervinca said, "I was quite impressed with the double growling noises. You really went all that way into the trees just to scare Merry?"

Doderic blushed and nodded. "Did I do good?"

"Very good," 'Vina reassured him.

The surprise was when Merry came up over the Hill. They all stopped to watch him as he approached Pippin.

"You got a quite a little group working for you, Pip."

"Are you real mad, Merry?" Pippin asked nervously.

"I should be," Merry said scowling. "I mean, I am."

"You had it coming, you know." Berilac said.

"Not the point," Merry replied, increasing his scowl.

"You are a little bit impressed though, yes?" Pervinca asked him.

Merry's scowled twitch into a smile for a second. "A little bit."

"After all," Pippin told him, "we did learn from the best."

"Am I the best?" Merry asked.

"I meant Cousin Frodo," Pippin said, smirking.

Merry scowled even more. "Do you want help with the leaves or not?"

"Yes, please," Pippin said. Then a bit softer he added, "You really aren't angry with me, Merry?"

"Oh, I'm angry, Pip. But don't worry, you'll get yours."

They hugged then and Merry listened to the details of his cousins' scheme.

If any of them heard rustling in the trees behind them, they paid it no heed.

And if, as they headed back up the Hill for supper, Pippin saw two yellow eyes peering at him from the trees, he never said a word to anyone else.

THE END