"Oof!"

"Ouch!"

"Ahhhh!"

"Get off!"

I bounce along the dirty slope, crashing into stumps, branches, and the other hobbits. We roll down, down, down, until suddenly the hill drops off and we land in a pile on the road. I groan and spit my hair out of my mouth as I try to wiggle my legs out from under the pile of bodies. 

"Momma is going to kill me!" I say, letting my head fall back on the dirt. 

Pippin laughs, pointing to a large pile of dung right in front of his head. "Not as much as my dad would've. That was close!"

Merry whimpers as Sam rolls off of his legs and goes to help Frodo up. "I think I've broken something!" I lift my head in concern only to watch him hold up a carrot, of all things, snapped almost in two. 

"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took," Sam mutters angrily, brushing himself off.

"And what about me?" I ask, upset at being left out.

"You should have known better, Bluehill," he says without looking at me.

"Well, it's just a detour!" Merry tells him, shaking off clouds of dirt. "A shortcut!"

"Shortcut to what?" Sam asks, still upset. 

"Mushrooms!" Pippin shouts, still lying flat on his stomach. He starts to get up but is shoved down again by Sam, who scrambles towards the clump of fungus growing up by tree roots. Merry is quick to run after, pushing Pippin down again in his haste. I offer him my hand, laughing at his expression. 

"Not my fault I ended up on the bottom," he grumbles, then joins in the mad digging of mushrooms. 

"You're welcome, I guess." I walk over just as Merry grabs the biggest mushroom out of Sam's hands. 

"That one's mine!" 

"Oh, bugger off. You wouldn't even know what to do with it," Sam replies, snatching it back and shoving it in his bag. "Besides, you can always get more from Farmer Maggot."

Merry and Pippin look at each other, then up at me. I shrug. "He's probably right, you know. You two wouldn't know what to do with a recipe book if it hit you on the nose." 

"So? Doesn't mean we can't enjoy eating good mushrooms!" Pippin complains, but helps fill Sam's sack anyways.

"I think we should get off the road," Frodo suddenly calls back to us, but I hardly take any notice of him. A cold breeze lifts my hair off my face. I shudder. "Get off the road! Quick!" Frodo shouts again, and this time all of us listen. We scurry across the road and hop under some overhanging roots, the five of us barely fitting in the small space.

Sam and Merry fight in whispers over who will get to keep the mushrooms, freezing suddenly at the sound of heavy hoofbeats.

A loud snort. Heavy breathing. 

My heart stops beating as the rider pauses right above us.

Frodo looks up through a gap in the branches, his face tight and pale. 

The earth shakes as two metal clad feet land on the ground.

I'm gripping Pippin's arm so tightly my fingers start to tingle.

A metal hand wraps around the root right above me. 

A sound-- almost like sniffing. I try not to breathe.

Worms wriggle at my feet and it takes everything in me not to flinch away from them.

The sniffing grows louder. The horse rears and neighs loudly. I bite my lip and try not to scream.

And then Sam reaches over me and Pippin to grab Frodo's arm. He starts, putting his hand in his pocket. Merry looks sadly at the bag of mushrooms, then tosses it away. It lands in a bush with a thud. An awful screech fills my ear and I squeeze Pippin's arm even tighter. He pulls me up and we run, run, run as fast as we can into the woods.

Merry slips in front of us, and Pippin and I collapse by his side as Frodo and Sam slow to stop past us. "What was that?" Merry asks breathlessly. Frodo doesn't reply, staring instead at something in his hand. 

"Come on," Sam finally says. "We've got to keep moving." He even offers me a hand up, then yanks Pippin and Merry to their feet. "Frodo, let's go." Frodo jumps, then puts his hand in his pocket again. 

We stumble through the brush, knocking branches out of our way, trying not to trip over branches. By and by the sun slips behind the horizon, and our running becomes even more difficult.

The screeching sound fills the air again, and I cover my ears to block it out. "Keep going!" Pippin whispers, pulling me behind a tree. We run from trunk to trunk, pausing behind each one to make sure the coast is clear.  

"Where are we going?" I ask Pippin, who only shrugs. 

"Anything?" Sam calls to Frodo, who peers around the tree in front of us.

"Nothing," he responds.

Pippin walks up behind Frodo. "What is going on?" He asks, hands on his knees, more than a little out of breath.

Merry answers before Frodo has a chance." That Black Rider was looking for something." He pauses, staring Frodo down. "Or someone. Frodo?" Frodo looks at him, but before he has a chance to say anything, Sam pulls him to the ground.

"Get down!" He hisses. Merry tugs on the hem of my dress, and I lay flat on the dirt, trying to ignore the stick poking my stomach. A Rider suddenly appears on the hill in front of us, a threatening black figure silhouetted ominously by the moon. A screech, and the horse rears up, pawing the air. The figure turns away and continues on, but I am too frightened to move even still.

"I have to leave the Shire," Frodo whispers, still staring at where the Rider used to be. He turns to Merry with urgency. "Sam and I must get to Bree." 

Merry nods. "Right. Bucklebury Ferry! Follow me." We stand up nervously and begin crashing through the undergrowth again when another Rider bursts from the trees, into the middle of our line.

"There's another one!" Merry shouts. "Frodo, this way!"

"Run!" Pippin urges, darting around the horse. I stare in terror at the beast, watching it as it bears down on me, until Sam grabs my elbow and pulls me out of the way. 

"Run, Jessa, run!" We sprint down the path, cloaks flapping behind us. I can hardly breathe, but fear propels my feet faster than they have ever run before. I fall, tripping on a branch, then am running again before I realize it.

The Rider screeches, so loud I can hardly hear anything else, can hardly keep following Merry in the dark, can hardly keep from screaming myself. Over a fence, and then I can see the river, and the ferry, an escape. I run across the dock, right behind Merry.

"Get the ropes off! Get the ropes, Sam!" I try to help him untie them, but he works much faster than I can. Instead I wave my arms at Frodo, who is still running down the path.

"Frodo!" I shout. "Hurry!" The other hobbits join me as Sam pushes us away from the dock.

"No! Frodo!" He leaps off the dock, across the small gap of water and tumbles onto the ferry, knocking me and Sam down. Pippin shoves off even further with a wooden pole just as the Rider reaches the end of the dock. The horse slides to a stop, it's hooves barely resting on the edge of the dock. It watches us, and I can feel it's anger. It shrieks, an ear-piercing, mind-splitting noise before wheeling around and riding away. I can feel the water rippling with each hoofbeat.

"How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo asks frantically, watching the Rider with wide eyes. 

"The Brandywine Bridge," Merry answers, pulling us across the river with his pole. "It's twenty miles away." Sam helps Frodo stand, then offers me a hand up, but I shake it away.

"I don't think I can stand," I whisper, watching in terror as the Rider is joined by two more, each just as terrifying. "I want to go home." The shock of the night catches up with me and I start to cry. "What's going on, Frodo? Why are they here? What do they want?"

"My uncle, Bilbo--" He starts to say, then stops. 

"Is this about his vanishing?" Pippin asks.

"Yes, it's all about that. He had something those Riders want very badly."

"So then why are they here, chasing you and not him?" I ask. "I don't understand!"

"He gave it to you, didn't he?" Merry asks, but it's not really a question. "Whatever they want, you have it. And they'll do anything to get it." Frodo nods and looks at Sam, who shakes his head.

"Remember what Gandalf said, Master Frodo. These others aren't even supposed to come along!"

"But they're here now, Sam. And they've been seen by the Black Riders. It's not like they can go home now."

"We can't go home?" I ask. "But my Momma-- I said I'd be home for supper! I have to get home! Everyone must be worried sick! Merry, you have to turn around! Now!" I stand up and try to grab the pole from his hands, but he wrenches it away from me. 

"Jessaka," Sam says, hesitantly putting a hand on my shoulder. "You can't go back. You'd put yourself and all of us and your whole family in a whole lot of danger. You're stuck with us now."

"NO!" I scream, wrapping my arms around my face. There's silence for a moment while I cry. Then I swallow my tears and wipe my eyes, probably spreading mud all over my face. "Sorry. I'm ready now." I turn to face Frodo, and force a smile on my face. "Where are we going?" 

"To Bree, to the Prancing Pony." He grabs my shoulder, squeezes tightly. "We'll be okay, Jessaka."

I sniff and wipe my nose. "Thanks." 

"Um, can we go back to the fact that Jessa was not excited about being stuck with us?" Pippin interjects. "Because I, for one, am deeply offended."

Merry kicks him in the shins and he yelps. "Not the time, Pip," Merry hisses. Sam rolls his eyes, Frodo cracks a smile, and for a moment everything feels normal. 

Happy New Year everyone! Hope your 2020 has been going well. If you're reading this, say hi! Tell me how you're doing, what's happening in your life-- and while you're at it, what you think of the story so far. :) Love you all! Spirit