The Road East

A Shortcut to Mushrooms

Linny's POV

"Primula would you hand me my notebook?"

"Why can't you get it yourself?"

"Well you're closer to it, why is it a problem?"

"You're so lazy, you can't even walk across the room to get a notebook."

"Ok fine, I'll get the stupid notebook! You could have just said no and everything would be less complicated!"

Exasperated with Primula, I stomped across the kitchen to get my little notebook out of my bag that I'd brought to Bilbo's party a few days ago. She'd gotten so much harder to get along with since then, I have no idea why. She's not let me even leave the house. I swear I'm about five seconds from exploding and it seems so is she.

She snorted,"Less complicated, of course. It's always the easy way out when it comes to you isn't it?"

My face heated up and I rolled my eyes,"Primula, I swear, one more word and I swear I'll-"

"You'll what? Tell dad?"

"I don't know, maybe!"

She laughed, "What a threat! Dad doesn't even talk to you!"

At just that moment my disheveled father walked in. His curly red hair fell in his eyes and his mouth hung open as if to say something, but nothing came out. One of his suspenders fell off his shoulder. His eyes darted between the two of us until his eyes finally settled on me for too long for it to make me feel comfortable. Finally he turned on his heels and padded down the hallway. I thought of nothing to say until I heard a door open and close.

"Well that's not my fault!"

"Isn't it?"

"No."

"Really because I remember the night our mom died and you were nowhere to be found. I remember how we checked the entire house and yard, our sick mother included, just to find empty space. Where were you? That's right, I remember now, you were out stealing from innocent people! When she died, I believe she died from worry, all thanks to you."

This was an all new low for Primula. She was blaming me for the death of my mother! Everything she said up to this point had frustrated me, but this...I couldn't feel anything but a knife being plunged and twisted in my heart, by my own sister's hand. She knew she had dealt me a great wound, I could see it in her face. A smirk brushed her lips while a blush of anger flushed her cheeks and the sympathetic part of her flashed sadness and remorse in her eyes.

With caution I stood from my chair, picked up my notebook and pencil and fleed the house. I stopped in my front yard. Looking around me I saw just the flower from my sister's garden. A primrose flower. It at least begins the same as my sister's name. In two strides I reached the carefully planted and cared for flower and dug my hands in the dirt surrounding it as deep as they would go. Just as quickly, I ripped it out by its roots. Holding it by its stem, I threw on the ground as hard as I could.

There was dirt all over my hands but I didn't care as I wiped my face of tears. I felt like a mess, like everything I've ever accomplished in my life was nothing. As I closed the gate to our yard I heard Primula running down the cobblestone walkway. She met me as I was a few steps away from the gate.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I glared at her. Her tone was accusatory but her face showed actual worry. Such a strange thing to be on her face after what she had said.

"Going to those..." She spat out the word, "Friends?"

I paused from my egress. "What are you implying? Isn't it alright for me to have friends? Or was I expected to always stay around the house with you all day and never ever experience anything outside of helping you clean and cook? Is that what you wanted all this time? Well I'm sorry I disppointed you!"