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[pearltook1]

Author: Pearl Took
Title:Morning Hasn't Broken
Rating:G
Theme:The Longest Day
Elements: Morning Has Broken - from an old Gaelic melody. The lyrics are by Eleanor Farjeon, written in 1931. I love the 1970s version by Cat Stevens - here on YouTube with lovely nature photos and lyrics - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylf62YYB4V8
Beta: Just whipped this out the afternoon of the due date, so I'm sorry for any boo boos.
Summary: A little tale about the Remarkable Daughters of Gerontius Took
Word Count:962

It was a most unusual sight, had anyone seen it. Three hobbit lasses walking the verge along the Stock Road headed east from Great Smials in Tuckborough.

“I’m determined to find out for myself.” The eldest of the sisters, for they were sisters, said, completing a previous statement.

“Then I am too, for it’s never made sense to me either,” said the middle sister.

“Is it going to be far? I’m getting hungry,” put in the youngest.

Belladonna Took stopped and turned on her heal in one graceful motion.

“Didn’t you bring your hiking satchel, Mira?”

Moonlight washes out blushes, so Mirabella’s was hidden from her sister’s gaze.

“Umm . . .”

Bella huffed, plunged a hand into her own satchel, pulled out an apple and smacked it into the child’s palm.

“I reckoned you’d forget so I brought double.”

After a crunch and mumbled “thank you”, the lasses set off.

“You really think we’ll get our answer further east, Bella?” Donnamira resumed the conversation.

“Of course. It where the sun comes up out of. That’s got to be where the breaking happens.”

“And the fixing.” Mira swallowed quickly to get her bit said clearly.

“Of course. For I’ve got up many a morning before dawn and never ever have I heard any sounds of breaking, and goodness knows we all know that sound when we hear it.” Bella’s sisters nodded in agreement. With ten brothers they definitely knew the sounds breaking things make. “And the sun, she never looks broken, as you can look at her then, afore she gets too bright, and I’ve seen nary a crack. So, why in the Shire do the grownups go on about ‘tis the break o’ dawn’ and ‘mornin’ has broken in grand form this mornin’!”

“We’ll get to the bottom of it.” Donna sounded like their Mother when she was giving her large brood orders that had best be followed. “We’re Tooks and Tooks do that sort of thing.”

“Do they really?”

Tree trunks echoed back the shrieking.

“Enough! Enough!” The Voice boomed and silence reigned.

“Gandalf?” Bella thought she recognized the wizard’s voice, but then again, she wasn’t certain.

All three lasses recognized his chuckle.

“Yes, Belladonna Took.”

The soft grey form of the tall wizard seemed to float out from the wooded shadows.

“I would ask what the three daughters of my good friend were doing out this hour of the night, but I heard a good deal of your conversation. You’re all off to learn about day break.”

“Yes, Gandalf.” Mirrabella, being the youngest, had happily rushed at her tall friend to hug him around his knees. “She’s ever so bothered by ‘dawn breaking’ and ‘morning breaking’ and such that she decided we should all go find out.”

Donnamira grabbed hold on Gandalf’s other side. It was a wonder he didn’t fall over.

“And when we get that all figured out, we’re going to go west and see what all the nonsense is about ‘night fall’ and ‘dusk descending’, as those don’t make any sense either.”

Belladonna, with nowhere left to hug the wizard’s legs, leapt at him. Catching her nearly did knock him over.

“We’ll take you along, if you’d like, Gandalf.”

“Oh, you’ll take me along, will you?” Only a Took would word it that way, he thought with a grin.

“It would be ever so much fun, Gandalf!” Mirra chirped. “You know more stories than anyone else in all of the Shire!”

“And you’re tall enough to see when we’re near the edge of the east and will be able to see where the breaking and fixing happens even better than we shall.” Donna thought a moment. “Well, at least see it sooner than we shall.”

He set Bella down on her furry feet and then eased her sisters from around his knees.

“As pleasant an offer as that is, my dear lasses, I’m terribly sorry to have to turn your offer down.”

“Why?” all three said together.

“Because you’re . . .”

“Lasses! Don’t you dare say it is ‘cause we’re lasses, Gandalf the Wizard!”

He nearly burst with not laughing at Belladonna’s “fierce face”, though he wagered with himself that one day it might just halt a troll in its tracks.

“It has nothing to do with you’re being lasses, Miss Belladonna. Are you of age?”

Bella went sheepish, shaking her head in silence. This was a factor she herself had considered. Not enough to make her stay home. Not enough to not bring her sisters along. But she had considered it.

“No, you are not, and you’re the eldest. I really must escort you all back to Great Smials. But I will say this. Someday if ever a hobbit is to go find the answers to those monumental questions, I’m sure it will be you three.”

“Hoorah!” the lasses danced about him. “We’ll go to the east and to the west!”

“At least to the west,” Gandalf pointed, “as that way leads home.”

They started off together westward down the road.

“Tell us a story as we walk, Gandalf?” Mirra asked.

And he did.

*     *     *

“Morning breaks fair.” Legolas gestured eastward with a sweep of his arm. “We will need to stop sooner if we are to avoid being seen.”

“You mean even Elves say that?” Pippin muttered. “Morning doesn’t break. I’ve never heard or seen it break, and believe me, I know breakage. I can’t count how many dawns I’ve got up early for, not to even mention all the ones we’ve been awake for on this walk of ours. It never has ‘broken’. ‘Tis pure folly!”

Gandalf smiled.

“I’ve a story to tell you, my lad, when we stop for the day. Something about those remarkable daughters of Gerontius Took.”