The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - The Lonely Star -- Chapter 4

mark12_30 · 12-05-2002, 06:13 AM

The voyage was more pleasant than Gamba had dreamed, except that he missed the trees; but he promised himself that there would be trees where they were going; Cami had made that very clear.

At night, Phura rejoined Gamba and the boys, and Azraph slept in the same room as Andril. Gamba quickly got used to Phura's clammy skin, but the little boys didn't, and none of them wanted to snuggle with Phura during the night. Phura sighed more than once. "I miss Kesha, " he would say. Gamba always muttered something sympathetic and changed the subject.

If the wind was light, Azraph and Andril and Phura often went swimming, and Levanto and Bird would join them, and they would pace the ship. Kali and Daisy joined them sometimes. They stayed in good physical condition this way, and their appetites remained high, which concerned Mithadan occasionally. But the fishing remained good. The few times that the fish supply got a bit too short, and the nets had been empty for too long, the fleet hove to, and Andril, Kali, Daisy, Phura, Azraph, Levanto, and Bird would swim around til they found a school of fish, and simply herd them into the net. Bird always felt a little bit guilty about this, but she reasoned that the hobbits did have to eat.

Phura spent a fair amount of time swimming with Bird, and sometimes when he did, Gamba would come down and join Levanto. This puzzled Mithadan at first, but Cami took the captain aside, and explained how popular the hobbits' Levanto game had been in the tombs with the young hobbit children. Mithadan laughed wryly at first, and then sobered.

"So-- this Levanto/Piosenniel game has what to do with Gamba?"

"Esta was Gamba's Piosenniel. Levanto lost his Pio; Gamba lost Esta. They understand each others' loss."

"Ah, " Mithadan said, and turned to look over the rail. While Phura and Bird swooped and gamboled, Levanto swam alongside the Star with Gamba clinging to his back, and they were deep in discussion. Every now and then a wave broke, and Gamba would splutter a bit, but he spat out the salt water, and the conversation continued. Cami suspected that Levanto and Gamba's parting would be another difficult one, and she looked up at Mithadan. There would be too many goodbyes.

She sighed, and turned back to watch the strange foursome, the hobbrim frolocking with the dolphin, and the drenched hobbit clinging to the merman. And suddenly she laughed, glad that Gamba did not know he was doing something that no third-age land-loving hobbit would have been caught dead doing.

That night, as other nights, she wondered why Gamba left the little boys with her, and disappeared with his large dinner and went elsewhere. She wondered if he was sharing it with Levanto. She shrugged, and thought she was glad he had someone to talk to.

[ December 11, 2002: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

12-05-2002, 06:13 AM	#447
mark12_30 Stormdancer of Doom Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars Posts: 4,349	The voyage was more pleasant than Gamba had dreamed, except that he missed the trees; but he promised himself that there would be trees where they were going; Cami had made that very clear. At night, Phura rejoined Gamba and the boys, and Azraph slept in the same room as Andril. Gamba quickly got used to Phura's clammy skin, but the little boys didn't, and none of them wanted to snuggle with Phura during the night. Phura sighed more than once. "I miss Kesha, " he would say. Gamba always muttered something sympathetic and changed the subject. If the wind was light, Azraph and Andril and Phura often went swimming, and Levanto and Bird would join them, and they would pace the ship. Kali and Daisy joined them sometimes. They stayed in good physical condition this way, and their appetites remained high, which concerned Mithadan occasionally. But the fishing remained good. The few times that the fish supply got a bit too short, and the nets had been empty for too long, the fleet hove to, and Andril, Kali, Daisy, Phura, Azraph, Levanto, and Bird would swim around til they found a school of fish, and simply herd them into the net. Bird always felt a little bit guilty about this, but she reasoned that the hobbits did have to eat. Phura spent a fair amount of time swimming with Bird, and sometimes when he did, Gamba would come down and join Levanto. This puzzled Mithadan at first, but Cami took the captain aside, and explained how popular the hobbits' Levanto game had been in the tombs with the young hobbit children. Mithadan laughed wryly at first, and then sobered. "So-- this Levanto/Piosenniel game has what to do with Gamba?" "Esta was Gamba's Piosenniel. Levanto lost his Pio; Gamba lost Esta. They understand each others' loss." "Ah, " Mithadan said, and turned to look over the rail. While Phura and Bird swooped and gamboled, Levanto swam alongside the Star with Gamba clinging to his back, and they were deep in discussion. Every now and then a wave broke, and Gamba would splutter a bit, but he spat out the salt water, and the conversation continued. Cami suspected that Levanto and Gamba's parting would be another difficult one, and she looked up at Mithadan. There would be too many goodbyes. She sighed, and turned back to watch the strange foursome, the hobbrim frolocking with the dolphin, and the drenched hobbit clinging to the merman. And suddenly she laughed, glad that Gamba did not know he was doing something that no third-age land-loving hobbit would have been caught dead doing. That night, as other nights, she wondered why Gamba left the little boys with her, and disappeared with his large dinner and went elsewhere. She wondered if he was sharing it with Levanto. She shrugged, and thought she was glad he had someone to talk to. [ December 11, 2002: Message edited by: mark12_30 ] __________________ ...down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve.