FRODO'S JOURNAL - A day in the life of a Hobbit of the Shire. (Pre-Quest Years)

The weather continued to be unseasonably fine. Since my outing a few days before had ended rather unexpectedly, I decided yesterday,to attempt another leisurely stroll. This time I vowed to relay on my own two feet and stay out of the saddle.

I hadn't progressed very far in my hike, however, before I was detoured. As I passed by Mundee’s hole, I heard someone call my name. Mundee had emerged from her front door and was waving at me from the porch.

"Frodo!" she called again

"Hullo, Mundee." I greeted in return. "How have you been?"

"That’s the very question I wanted to ask you!" She replied, concern evident on her face. " I returned from Frogmorton late yesterday, and I only just heard about your accident."

Momentary embarrassment took hold of me. Partly because, as I wrote before, even though I am not a master at managing a pony, I have no wish to be thought of as an incompetent rider. Also, some part of me was troubled that I might appear foolish in Mundee’s eyes, the same part that had driven me to show off in front of Bennie, and had landed me in that same embarrassing and somewhat painful situation.

"I promised the Gamgees that I would bring them back some of my grandmother’s currant jam," Mundee went on to explain, "and when I delivered it to them a little while ago, Sam told me all about it. I’m almost surprised to see you out and about."

I wondered what Sam had said that made her think that I had been so thoroughly incapacitated. I did my best to brush off her concern. "Not to worry, I’m fine. Are your grandparents well?"

"Don’t change the subject, Frodo." Mundee crossed her arms. "A bump on the head can be very serious. Sam also told me that you didn’t have it looked at."

"Sam worries too much...and so do you. It was nothing to fret about."

"You let me be the one to decide that! You’re my cousin and my friend. I’ll fret if I want. Besides, Sam said you were knocked unconscious!"

I tried to remember if I had actually lost consciousness or if the fall had been so fast and hard that it had merely left me extremely disoriented. I did remember that the time between the realisation that I was about to fly out of the saddle, and finding myself on the ground with Bennie, Sam and the Gaffer bending over me had seemed an eternity. And, I most definitely could not have said when Sam and his father had arrived on the scene.

Mundee had been studying me as I exerted a tremendous effort to recall the missing time.

"Well..." I began.

"Sam said that you were unconscious for several minutes." Mundee was emphatic.

I was beginning to wish that Sam hadn’t said quite so much.

"Well, even if I was, I’m perfectly fine now, as you can see."

"No...I haven’t seen that, actually. I haven’t had a chance to examine you. Someone should have, you know."

I remembered that Bennie had wanted to examine me, but I thought it best not to mention that particular fact to Mundee.

"Are you hurt anywhere other than your head?"

"I’m not hurt!" I insisted.

She raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"Honestly, apart from a few bruises, I’m reasonably unharmed. It seems my head took the brunt of the impact, and you know how hard headed we Bagginses can be."

Mundee was not amused by my attempt at levity. She was all seriousness. "Why don’t you come inside and let me have a look?"

I didn’t know what to say at the prospect of Mundee performing an inspection upon my person, talented healer though she may be.

"I...uh...no...I don’t need...I meant..." I stammered.

"Frodo, I’m only going to look at your head."

I knew well enough from her immovable expression that I was not going to win this battle. I followed her through the front door of her hole and into the parlour, with Bodo’s warning ringing in my ears.

"I’m going to offer you some advice, lad. If I were you, in future I would do my utmost best to see to it that I was never, under any circumstances, alone with either Bennie or Mundee."

Mundee’s maid, Sally, greeted us as she passed the parlour on her way to perform some duty in the kitchen. Well, at least Mundee and I weren’t completely alone.

As I took the seat that Mundee indicated, I wondered just exactly why I felt so uneasy. Was it worry that Bodo would finally and truly lose his temper and accuse me of compromising his daughter or daughters, that in truth, he really didn’t trust me? Or, was it that I didn’t trust myself?

Mundee stood behind me and I felt her hands in my hair and the gentle pressure of her fingertips as she lightly probed my scalp. "Well...I don’t feel any lumps. Are you having any pains?"

"After the initial throbbing head, no. My headache was mostly gone by that evening. It was just a bit tender the next day, that’s all."

Still exploring, she moved her fingers around a little, with a solicitous touch. The sensation was altogether quite pleasant, to say the least.

She leaned close as she worked, "How does that feel?" she asked, her breath stirring my hair like a gentle breeze.

I believe my reply was, "Mmmmm."

I was beginning to wonder how those deft fingers would feel on my neck and shoulders...then, in a heartbeat, I relived the entire experience of Bennie’s hands gently caressing my shoulders...and Bodo’s entrance after.

"Mundee?"

"Hmmm?" She sounded preoccupied.

"I probably should be going. Are you done with...um...your examination?"

"Yes, I suppose so..." But her hands remained in my hair, and I was in no hurry for her to remove them. Then suddenly, she severed her touch and I sighed and stood up slowly.

Neither of us spoke much until she presented me with my own basket of jams and other delectable items from her grandmother’s pantry. It was with a measure of reluctance that I let her show me to the door.

So...am I going to live?" I teased.

She smiled at me with a glint of mischief in her brown eyes. "I would say so. But, Frodo, do you really want my honest, medical opinion? "

"You know I trust your opinion."

"You’ll live a lot longer if you stay off of Bennie’s ponies."