Categories > Books > Silmarillion > Whom Thou Namest Friend, Part 1
Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable. For more information, see my profile.
Chapter 2
"So, who dis we meetin'?" asked Deborah pulling on her sandals in the living room.
Pengolodh let that pass. "You will see when you meet them."
"And Mom and Dad are okay with this?"
The Elf turned and regarded her. "Do you honestly believe that I would take you or your brother anywhere for any purpose without their knowledge and consent?"
"Oh. Right."
Elijah came into the room. "You ready to go, Deborah?"
"Now I am!" And Deborah stood up to go.
Pengolodh led the two children at a brisk walk up the street. The weather was fine, and the sun was shining brightly, with only a few big fleecy white clouds drifting lazily across the sky. The street was busy, and and the threesome found themselves sharing the sidewalk with any number of pedestrians and bicycles.
A small black poodle stopped to sniff and bark at Deborah's ankles, and she laughed indulgently. "We really should get a dog," she remarked.
"Maybe," said Elijah. "but it better not be a little teacup dog."
"Why not?" asked his sister. "They're so cute!"
"Yeah, maybe," grunted Elijah.
Pengolodh glanced at the two of them, and was reminded of when he had first met them not so long ago. . .
oo00oo
Ten years earlier:
Pengolodh hummed softly to himself as he walked down toward the house that he kept. For a number of years now his relations with the Mortal Men had been friendly but distant, and there was nothing to indicate that that would soon change. He sometimes wondered if he would ever make of one of them a friend like AElfwine had been. He did not think so. The Americans (at least now) did not seem so very interested in such tales as he would have had to tell them. If some of them were, he had yet to meet them.
He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of children's voices. He looked round to see about a score of them playing a lively game of Tag on the spacious front lawn in front of a very large house. The Elf watched with amusement as they bumbled and tumbled around, shrieking with laughter and of course the occasional "Tag! You're It!"
But about five minutes after Pengolodh had stopped to look, one of the youngest of the girls (she could not have been more than two years old) seemed distracted by something, probably a butterfly. She began to chase it, seeming to have forgotten about the game going on around her. Intent on her quarry, she paid no heed to where she was going. She ran straight out onto the sidewalk, passing Pengolodh as she did so, and from there directly into the busy street.
Pengolodh gasped in horror and sprang after her without a second thought. Car drivers veered to avoid him and blew their horns, sometimes accompanying this with a raised fist or obscene gesture. But Pengolodh was as intent on the little girl as she was on her butterfly, and barely looked to right or left. He knew vaguely that he might be killed at any instant, but he was not thinking about that. His one idea was to get to the little girl, pick her up, and carry her to safety.
About the middle of the street he caught her and swept her up. She cried out in protest and and kicked him, but he held her securely and turned to cross the street again. At that moment a blue convertible careened wildly towards him, and it seemed certain death was upon him, but it missed him by inches as the driver violently swung the wheel.
The child screamed and clung to the Elf's dark braid, burying her face in his chest. Pengolodh, still reeling a little from his close brush with death, darted across the road and reached the other side in safety.
A woman had come running out of the house. Her eyes were wide with terror. "My baby!" she wailed, taking her weeping little daughter into her arms.
"She is all right," said Pengolodh soothingly. "She is unhurt." He paused. "What is her name?" he asked, and wondered at himself.
"Her name is Deborah," said her mother, and she sighed. "Thank you so, so much for saving her. She's not my only one, but she's mine." She paused. "You could have been killed doing that!"
Pengolodh refrained from saying he almost had been."I did not think."
"Well, you saved my baby."
Pengolodh shifted uneasily. "Well," he said abruptly. "I am afraid I must be going."
"Come by sometime," said the woman. "Share a meal with us."
oo00oo
"What you thinkin' 'bout?" asked Elijah, jerking Pengolodh out of the memory.
This time he could not resist. "Was that English, Elijah? It may not be my mother tongue, but it is yours."
Deborah giggled, and Elijah rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. "What were you pondering?"
"The day I met your family. Or rather your mother and sister. You, as I recall, were having one of your teeth removed."
Elijah grimaced. "Don't remind me."
"You were five!" said Deborah.
"Yeah, and you were two," said Elijah. "I don't follow."
"I think she means," interposed the loremaster. "that you were young enough for the horror of the ordeal to have been somewhat dimmed in your memory."
"That's because she never had to have any of her teeth pulled."
"Lucky me!" smiled Deborah. "Are we there yet?"
Chapter 2
"So, who dis we meetin'?" asked Deborah pulling on her sandals in the living room.
Pengolodh let that pass. "You will see when you meet them."
"And Mom and Dad are okay with this?"
The Elf turned and regarded her. "Do you honestly believe that I would take you or your brother anywhere for any purpose without their knowledge and consent?"
"Oh. Right."
Elijah came into the room. "You ready to go, Deborah?"
"Now I am!" And Deborah stood up to go.
Pengolodh led the two children at a brisk walk up the street. The weather was fine, and the sun was shining brightly, with only a few big fleecy white clouds drifting lazily across the sky. The street was busy, and and the threesome found themselves sharing the sidewalk with any number of pedestrians and bicycles.
A small black poodle stopped to sniff and bark at Deborah's ankles, and she laughed indulgently. "We really should get a dog," she remarked.
"Maybe," said Elijah. "but it better not be a little teacup dog."
"Why not?" asked his sister. "They're so cute!"
"Yeah, maybe," grunted Elijah.
Pengolodh glanced at the two of them, and was reminded of when he had first met them not so long ago. . .
oo00oo
Ten years earlier:
Pengolodh hummed softly to himself as he walked down toward the house that he kept. For a number of years now his relations with the Mortal Men had been friendly but distant, and there was nothing to indicate that that would soon change. He sometimes wondered if he would ever make of one of them a friend like AElfwine had been. He did not think so. The Americans (at least now) did not seem so very interested in such tales as he would have had to tell them. If some of them were, he had yet to meet them.
He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of children's voices. He looked round to see about a score of them playing a lively game of Tag on the spacious front lawn in front of a very large house. The Elf watched with amusement as they bumbled and tumbled around, shrieking with laughter and of course the occasional "Tag! You're It!"
But about five minutes after Pengolodh had stopped to look, one of the youngest of the girls (she could not have been more than two years old) seemed distracted by something, probably a butterfly. She began to chase it, seeming to have forgotten about the game going on around her. Intent on her quarry, she paid no heed to where she was going. She ran straight out onto the sidewalk, passing Pengolodh as she did so, and from there directly into the busy street.
Pengolodh gasped in horror and sprang after her without a second thought. Car drivers veered to avoid him and blew their horns, sometimes accompanying this with a raised fist or obscene gesture. But Pengolodh was as intent on the little girl as she was on her butterfly, and barely looked to right or left. He knew vaguely that he might be killed at any instant, but he was not thinking about that. His one idea was to get to the little girl, pick her up, and carry her to safety.
About the middle of the street he caught her and swept her up. She cried out in protest and and kicked him, but he held her securely and turned to cross the street again. At that moment a blue convertible careened wildly towards him, and it seemed certain death was upon him, but it missed him by inches as the driver violently swung the wheel.
The child screamed and clung to the Elf's dark braid, burying her face in his chest. Pengolodh, still reeling a little from his close brush with death, darted across the road and reached the other side in safety.
A woman had come running out of the house. Her eyes were wide with terror. "My baby!" she wailed, taking her weeping little daughter into her arms.
"She is all right," said Pengolodh soothingly. "She is unhurt." He paused. "What is her name?" he asked, and wondered at himself.
"Her name is Deborah," said her mother, and she sighed. "Thank you so, so much for saving her. She's not my only one, but she's mine." She paused. "You could have been killed doing that!"
Pengolodh refrained from saying he almost had been."I did not think."
"Well, you saved my baby."
Pengolodh shifted uneasily. "Well," he said abruptly. "I am afraid I must be going."
"Come by sometime," said the woman. "Share a meal with us."
oo00oo
"What you thinkin' 'bout?" asked Elijah, jerking Pengolodh out of the memory.
This time he could not resist. "Was that English, Elijah? It may not be my mother tongue, but it is yours."
Deborah giggled, and Elijah rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. "What were you pondering?"
"The day I met your family. Or rather your mother and sister. You, as I recall, were having one of your teeth removed."
Elijah grimaced. "Don't remind me."
"You were five!" said Deborah.
"Yeah, and you were two," said Elijah. "I don't follow."
"I think she means," interposed the loremaster. "that you were young enough for the horror of the ordeal to have been somewhat dimmed in your memory."
"That's because she never had to have any of her teeth pulled."
"Lucky me!" smiled Deborah. "Are we there yet?"
Sign up to rate and review this story