Goldilocks Gardner was a very respectable hobbit. Quiet, settled, not like any queer folk. In the year F.A. 42, she married Faramir Took, child of Peregrin Took who soon became Thain of the shire. They lived together merrily, in their little hobbit hole, expecting to stay there till' the ends of their days. That is exactly what they had planned. They kept their noses out of other folk's business, something hobbits struggled to do, or didn't care for. She was the third daughter of Samwise Gamgee, and Rose Cotton, Ninth child. But as much as she forced the thought upon herself that she was perfectly content with her life, she always felt that something wasn't quite right. Something was, well you could put it: missing. She had never wanted children, which was often frowned upon, but soon became forgotten and was seldom mentioned. She had liked living on her own, with the exception of Faramir of course. She liked the calm, and quite atmosphere of her area. So quite obviously she didn't feel lonely. No, the thing that she longed for was change. Hobbits liked their routines, and you would expect a hobbit such as Goldilocks Gardner to want everything to stay perfectly sound and same. But even she, felt her life was dull. Perhaps it was because her father, Samwise, had travelled far from home, all the way to Mordor with Frodo Baggins to destroy the ring. Or that her husband, Faramir's, father was now in Gondor, as a knight. Strange and unexpected activity from hobbits, but Goldilocks grew to her tweens influenced by adventure. She may have liked her quiet, she enjoyed no company, but she wanted most in the world to do something extrorindary. To do something no hobbit could do, to travel places no being would have believed in. And this is what she planned. She had heard from her father not only of Frodo's adventures, but of Bilbo Baggins also. Hamfast Gamgee, her grandfather told her a thing or two. "He was a good fellow, interesting as well," He would tell her. "not many believed in his stories, his adventures." However Goldilocks did. Most of her 12 siblings disagreed, thought Bilbo Baggins was mad. Thought he was queer, strange, some would even say selfish on occasion. But the stories she was told by her grandfather still lived on in her heart. And Samwise continued to tell anybody interested about the remarkable tales of Frodo and Bilbo. Although none would agree, he had kept a good audience, and he was the only one who had believed in the truth. Apart from Goldilocks, of course.
She and Faramir often shared what their parents told them together, and had long conversations seeping deep into the night about these adventures and achievements. She quite enjoyed those nights very much. She liked hearing about Peregrin Took, and his first cousin Merriadoc Brandybuck. She liked hearing the story of the war of the ring from another's perspective. They both enjoyed hearing what path their parents lead when the Fellowship parted. She could never get tired of these wonderful tales, no matter how exaggerated Faramir often made them. He told her who he had been named after, and this man's great deeds, while she told him about the most terrible, and evil place that was Mordor.
One day, she wished to tell him her plans of leaving the Shire. Although she did not know where to start or where to go. It was a crazy plan, but maybe if she told him they could go together, plan where this adventure would take them.
"Faramir," She would often start, but never knew how to continue. How would he react? Would he convince her otherwise? He was indeed very important, and needed in the Shire, maybe she was crazy. Maybe she had probably been better off forgetting it.
So when he asked her what she needed, she would simply tell him she forgot, or smile in his direction.
Her large feet wandered just outside of her hobbit hole, she inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh smell of the morning breeze, she almost felt like a small daisy, being drifted away with the wind, and over great hills and past the Shire. She imagined the great places outside of the borders of her home, how beautiful they would be. How very magnificent they are. She envisioned Rivendel, and Lothlorien, she could almost see Minas Tirith, and The great mines of Erebor. And when she exhaled, she let all those wonderful thoughts of her imaginations float away with her breath. She opened her eyes to her own wonderful home, the golden diamond that was the sun shining right above the green grass and rainbow plants and flowers. There was a soft wind, but no more. It was a lovely spring day. Goldilocks always felt so blissful in spring. She saw Faramir stamping along the stepping stones of their front garden, so immediately she began taking her quick feet toward him. He stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw her smiling face, opening his arms wide to give her a warm open hug. "Hello, love." He would always breath into her shoulder, while Goldilocks clutched onto his short frame.
In this moment Goldilocks remembered what she wanted to tell him, and she forced herself to say it.
"Faramir, I have something to tell you." She began, and waited just a small moment to make sure that she had his absolute full attention. Giving a little nod right in her direction, she swallowed, clearing her throat a little before she continued. "Well, I am very happy living here. Very happy indeed. And I do wish to stay here. But we have always spoken about the great adventures of our family, the ring, and, I do long to visit outside the Shire someday." She blurted out, she looked similar to a child asking for a new toy, hopeful, and shy. She had been meaning to say this for a long many weeks, so she had a new weight lifted from her shoulders. Awaiting his reaction seemed like an age to Goldilocks, as he took a good long while to finally speak up.
"And where would you go?" Faramir asked in confusion, he hadn't enough information to tell her what he thought just yet.
"I wander, that must be a matter for inside! You have had a long day, maybe something to eat or drink, then we may discuss what I have been planning." She told him. And she was quite right too, Faramir was a little tired, very hungry, and it would be quite a better idea to sit down to talk about Goldilocks' plans. So the couple trodded inside, and began to prepare an afternoon tea.
"So," Faramir hinted, reminding Goldilocks of what she had been saying earlier. After his two cakes, and a cup of tea, he felt content and ready to listen to his wife's ideas. She looked up, interrupted from her trail of deep thought. She hadn't quite grasped what he was referring to and let out a small "hmm?" to tell him to go on.
"What were ya' saying earlier, love?" Goldilocks Immediately remembered, and prepared what would seem like a speech in her head. "Oh! Yes, yes. Right. Well, as I was saying, we both grew up with parents who had gone on these such extraordinary adventures! Hadn't you ever imagined what these places would be like, the paths, the people, the plants?" She decided what she had said seemed most appropriate, and couldn't wait to hear what he had to say. "Maybe I have. Years ago, when I was still young, but wouldn't it be a little strange, going off on these adventures now?" Goldilocks felt a ping of disappointment go through her, she had hoped he would be excited, yet he had called it strange. "Strange? Of course not love. As long as we have imagination, we could go anywhere. I think you'd have heard of the outside of the regular Hobbits area. The wonderful, magnificent places that lie beyond-"
"The dangerous, places, may I add? Have you given this much thought? It is crazy talk to go off into the blue!" Faramir, may have been imaginative, however he was just like any other average hobbit. He stuck to routines, did the things most hobbits do. He was always respected in the Shire for this.
"I thought you were a Took, Faramir. The family known for unusual behaviour?" She reminded him in a matter-of-fact fashion. "Your family is known to be more adventurous than the average hobbit, so why change that? Wouldn't you love to visit Gondor, see your father again?" The thought of his father in Gondor was almost enough to convince Faramir, but he would not have it.
"This is a serious matter, Goldilocks, it must be delt with properly. We must not take this lightly. Let us face the truth. You cannot go unplanned off into the sunset!"
At this point Goldilocks was not only dissapointed, but mad. Who was he to say where she can and cannot go? She already knew that for a Took Faramir wasn't all that adventurous, when she had met him it was to her surprise that he was respected at all by any hobbit- But she thought he would be delighted by the idea of leaving the warm borders of the Shire. "The reason I had brought this topic to your attention was to plan! And plan I shall! I can go on my own, you know. Now if you will be so dull, off with you! I can visit Peregrin and Merriadoc myself." Goldilocks sat up from the table that was darkening as the sun was setting. Giving one last nod of disapproval, she left the room to prepare, and plan. However, Faramir had a spiral of thoughts of his own. Not only did he long to meet his Father yet again, the Shire is small and easily dull. He wanted to meet the race of men, and see with his own eyes the great places in the maps, books, and illustrations. He did not know or understand the real reason he never wanted to leave. Was it how respected he was among the hobbits? Or perhaps, the feeling of home, leaving his warm hobbit hole filled him with dread. He just didn't know, couldn't place a finger on it. "I am being childish." he thought alone to himself. "I am being stubborn, why can't I leave the Shire, just once because I am a hobbit?" and somehow, alone in the darkness, swimming though the thoughts he was so clearly drowning in, the Tookish side of him woke up. And he would have loved nothing better to leave the comfort of his home. To see Gondor, and his Father. Meet the one who he had been named after. "I shall tell Goldilocks immediately, she will be delighted!" Yes, Faramir took would be accompanying Goldilocks Gardner in an adventure.
(Chapter written by Rebecca Elise).
