Chapter 6 Section 6: Lao Lin

Suddenly Frodo woke up.The room was still dark.Merry held the candle in one hand, and knocked hard on the door with the other. "There! What is it?" said Frodo, still in shock. "How dare you ask!" Merry shouted. "It's time to get up. It's four-thirty and it's foggy outside. Come on! Sam's getting breakfast ready. Even Pippin's up. I'm going to saddle the stand-horse, and the one with the camel's luggage. Bring the horse here. Remember to wake up that slacker, chubby! At least he has to get up to see us off!" Shortly after six o'clock, the five hobbits were ready to go.Little Chubby Borg yawned and followed him off.They tiptoed out of the house.Merry led the pack-horse along the path behind the house, and then across several meadows.The leaves were glistening with dew and mist, the branches were dripping, and the grass was dusty with dew.There is complete silence all around, making the sounds from far away very clear: wild birds are chirping in the forest, and some residents in the distance are closing their doors forcefully.

They went to the stables and brought out ponies: these were the stocky breed hobbits like.Although they are not fast, they are hardworking and suitable for all day labor.A group of people mounted their horses and rode into the fog without looking back.The dense fog seemed to part reluctantly in front of them, and then impatiently closed behind them.After an hour of silence, Gao Li suddenly appeared in front of them.From the strong fence hung many silver cobwebs. "How did you let us pass?" Fredegar said. "Come with me!" Merry said, "you'll find out." He turned and walked left along the high fence, and soon came to a place where the fence curved inwards along a valley.Not far from the high fence, there is a path that winds towards the high fence and slopes down slowly.The path has slowly rising brick walls on both sides, and halfway through, the brick walls on both sides meet at the path. Underneath is a tunnel drilled through a high fence, leading to the valley on the other side.

Little Fat Borg stopped here. "Farewell, Frodo!" said he. "I really hope you don't go into the forest. I hope you don't need help before dark. Good luck every day!" "As long as there is no worse future ahead than Old Forest's, I count myself lucky," said Frodo. "Tell Gandalf to hurry up along the Eastern Road, we shall be on the Highway before long, and hurry as fast as we can." Finally, they shouted "Goodbye!" together, and rode down the slope, into the tunnel, and disappeared from Fredegar's sight. Inside the tunnel was dark and damp.At the other end was a gate made of thick iron bars.Meili dismounted and unlocked the door. After everyone passed, he pulled the door and the lock clicked shut.The voice sounded ominous.

"Look!" Merry said. "You left Shire and came to the outside world. This is the edge of the old forest." "Are all the legends about Old Lin true?" asked Pippin. "I don't know which stories you're referring to," Merry replied. "If you're talking about ghost stories that the chubby nanny used to tell, about goblins and wolves and stuff like that; then my answer is no. At least I don't believe in those ghost stories. But there's something weird about this forest Let's just say that everything here seems to have its own opinion and is more sensitive to changes in the outside world, which is very different from the environment in Shire. The trees here don't like strangers. They will pay attention to you. Usually, as long as the sky is still If they are on, they will only look at you. Occasionally, the old trees that are most hostile to animals may deliberately drop their branches, stick out their roots to trip people, or entangle you with their roots. But I was told that at night Things are not so simple. If it is at night, I have only been here once or twice, and I dare not go too far from the high fence. I feel that all the trees seem to be whispering, in an unidentifiable language Conspiracies and schemes were conversed. Almost every branch of the tree was ghostly and windless. I heard people say that these trees really move and surround strangers. In fact, a long time They have attacked tall hedges before. They transplanted themselves deep-rooted to the side of the fence and pressed the weight of the trunk. Later, in order to protect their homes, the hobbits cut down hundreds of trees and set fire to clear the land in the old forest. A long clearing was burned east of the high fence. After that, the trees gave up their attack and became less friendly. The area not far from the fire is still barren."

"Are the trees the only menace here?" asked Pippin. "There are a lot of strange creatures living on the other side," Merry said, "at least that's what I've been told. I've never seen one of these guys, though. I'm sure there are creatures here that make tracks and trails." .Whenever you enter this forest, you can find obvious traces. But these traces and animal trails seem to change according to strange rules. Not far from this tunnel, there used to be a wide road leading to Bonfire Grassland, and then it will extend in the direction we want to go, east, then north. This is the road I am looking for."

A group of people left the tunnel entrance and rode into the open valley.On the opposite side of the valley there is a less obvious path leading into the forest.The road was probably a few hundred yards or so long, but as soon as it reached the edge of the forest the road disappeared.Looking back through the thick branches in the forest, everyone can still vaguely see the position of the high fence.Ahead of them were only tree trunks of every description: straight, curved, twisted, slanted, skinny, broad, slender, smooth, or gnarled.The only thing in common is that all the bark is covered with sticky moss.

Only Merry looked happy. "You'd better lead the way and find your way," Frodo reminded him. "We can't let us get separated, or we can't figure out which direction Takashi is in!" They rode through the woods, carefully avoiding the intertwined roots on the ground.Not a single blade of grass grew on the ground, and the terrain became higher and higher.As they went deeper into the forest, the trees seemed to grow darker, taller, and denser.Apart from the sound of condensation dripping from the leaves, there was no other movement in the entire forest.For the time being, the trees will not whisper or act rashly; but there is an uneasy feeling in all, as if they are being watched with hostile eyes.This creepy feeling continued to grow, and before long, everyone was looking around suspiciously, as if worried about being attacked by mysterious forces.

So far, there are no traces of any trails, and the trees seem to keep blocking the way of the four.Pippin suddenly felt that he could take it no longer, and without warning, "Hi! Hi!" he said. "I have no malice at all, please let me go there!" The others were taken aback and stopped in their tracks.This shout seemed to be covered up by a heavy curtain, which was generally vague.There are no echoes or answers in the forest, and it only makes people feel that everything has become more crowded and wary. "I wouldn't do this if I were you," Merry said. "It's doing us more harm than good."

Frodo began to doubt whether he could find the way this time, and whether his decision to step into this terrible forest was right.Meili kept looking around, seemingly not sure which way to go.Pippin noticed the look on the other side. "It didn't take long for you to get us lost," he said.However, Merry whistled at the same time, pointing forward. "Fortunately! Fortunately!" he said. "I feel that these trees are really moving. I think the campfire grassland should be in front of me, but the original path has moved to nowhere!" As they headed towards the grassland, the nearby sky became brighter and brighter.Then they walked out of the woods and came to a circular open grassland.They looked up and were surprised to find that the sky turned out to be a clear blue.Because, originally, they were blocked by the dense vegetation of the forest, and they couldn't even see the disappearance of the thick fog and the rising sun.However, the sun was not yet high enough to pass over the surrounding plants and shine into the clearing.Near the grassland, the leaves appear extra dense and concentrated, as if trying to block the land without revealing any water.The clearing is mostly low weeds and some taller wild plants, including: hemlock with extra-stemmed leaves, parsley with woody stems, and fire-stained weeds that grow densely among the scattered ashes , rampant nettles and thistles.The place did look like it had been ravaged by fire, but compared with the surrounding forest, it became a beautiful garden that was much more relaxing.

The hobbits felt a lot more excited, and they all looked forward to the warm sunshine shining into the open space.At the other end of the lawn, there is a gap between the iron walls made of old trees, and everyone can clearly see a path going deep into the dense forest.The path is not narrow, and there is a rare gap at the top enough to allow sunlight to shine in; but the evil old trees inside sometimes shake their strange branches to cover this rare gap.Soon after, they followed this path into the dense forest again.Although the road is still not smooth, but this time they marched much faster, and their mood is much more cheerful.For, it seemed to them, the forest had at last receded, and would allow their unhindered passage.

However, after a while, the air in the forest began to become stagnant and hot.The trees on both sides were getting closer and closer, so that they could no longer see the distant scene.At this moment, they could feel more strongly the malice of the whole forest rushing towards them.In the silence, the hoofbeats of the pony on the dead leaves and the occasional sound interrupted by the roots of the trees echoed in the ears of the hobbits, becoming a kind of torment.Frodo tried to sing to cheer everyone up, but for some reason his voice became a murmur that only he could hear. *Oh!A traveler who walks in dark places, Don't despair!Darkness will not block forever, The forest will not be endless, At last the sun must be seen shining on the path: Whether the sun sets or rises, Evening sunset or beautiful morning light. Regardless of the north, south, east, and west, the forest will not be endless???＊ Ending - he couldn't go on even after he sang the last two words himself.The surrounding atmosphere seemed to suddenly become heavy, and even speaking felt an inexplicable pressure.Just behind them, a huge dead branch fell from a height and crashed to the ground.The gathered trees seemed to block the path in front of them again. "They probably don't like the notion that the forest isn't endless," Merry said. "Let's stop singing for now. When we get to the edge of the forest, watch us give it a chorus!" He said cheerfully, even if there was any worry in his heart, he didn't show it on the outside.The others were silent.They feel very depressed.Frodo felt a heavy burden upon his heart, and at every step he regretted the folly he had provoked the trees.In fact, he was about to stop, and if possible, even propose that everyone turn back; but at that moment, things took a new turn.The trail no longer meanders up and the road is much smoother.The dark trees retreated to both sides, and everyone could now see the wide, straight road in front of them.They could even see a green hill some distance away, with no trees on it, which stood out very abruptly in this forest.The trail seemed to go straight down the hill.Seeing that they could temporarily escape from the envelopment and oppression of the forest, they regained their energy and hurried on their way.The trail dipped for some distance, then climbed again, finally bringing them to the bottom of the steep hill.As soon as the path came out of the woods, it mingled with the grass and became less obvious.The woods around the knoll surrounded it like a ring of thick hair around a bald head. The hobbit led the horse and climbed up, all the way to the top of the hill.They looked around from the top of the hill.The surrounding area is still bright under the sun, but there is still some misty mist floating in the distance, so the hobbits can't see the distant scene clearly.Nearly all the fog has dissipated, but there are still some dense fog dotted around here and there.To their south, there was a very meandering depression in the forest, from which thick fog continued to emerge like white smoke. "There," Merry said, pointing in that direction, "is the Wicker River. The Wicker River flows down the mountain, goes southwest, goes through the middle of the forest, and finally joins the Spirit River at the end of the hedge. We can't go there Walk away! The Wicker Valley is said to be the weirdest place in the entire forest, and according to legend, it is the root of all strange things.” The others looked in the direction Merry pointed, but could see nothing but thick mist and a deep valley; beyond the valley, the south of the forest was also hidden in the mist. The sun has now risen to mid-air, making everyone on the mountain feel hot.It was probably eleven o'clock now, but the autumn morning fog still hadn't completely dissipated, making it impossible for them to see into the distance.Looking to the west, they could only see the faint image of the high fence at best, and the spirit river after that was completely unrecognizable.The north that gave them the greatest hope was that they could not even see the shadow of their destination: the Eastern Avenue.A group of people seemed to be standing on an isolated island in the sea of ​​trees, and the surroundings became a mist. The terrain to the southeast is very steep, and the slopes seem to continue into dense forests; it is really like a coast rising from the sea.They just sat on the slope, overlooking the green forest, and had lunch.After the sun passed the zenith, they could finally see the outline of the hills beyond the edge of the old forest in the east.It cheered them up, and it was good to see anything beyond the borders of the forest; but they would not approach that direction if they had another choice.Tomb Hills is a place more evil than the forest in hobbit lore.It wasn't long before they finally made up their minds to move on.The road that brought them to the knoll reappeared on the north side of the mountain.It didn't take them long, though, before they realized that the road veered to the right, apparently leading to the Wicker Valley: not where they wanted to go.After some discussion, they decided to leave this road and go straight north: for although they couldn't see the Eastern Avenue from the hills, it must be in that direction, and it shouldn't be too far away.Besides, the north side looked drier and more open, and the hillsides seemed a little less wooded; pine and cypress over there had replaced the oak and aspen here, which seemed much more reassuring. At first this decision seemed to be very correct: the speed of everyone's progress was good, and the only problem that was a little worrying was that whenever they saw the position of the sun, there would be a feeling that the road continued to drift eastward.Before long, however, the trees began to close up again.Oddly enough, this is the same spot where the woods start to thin out from afar.Deep ditches began to appear one after another on the road, as if they were traces of being run over by huge wheels, and a lot of thorns grew in these deep ditches.And these deep ditches often mercilessly cut across the road they walked, so that every time the group of people had to lead the horses down in embarrassment, and then climbed out with difficulty.Ponies are very unaccustomed to the trek and the terrain.Whenever they managed to descend into a deep ditch, they were sure to see thick undergrowth and a tangle of wild plants.For some reason, if they go to the left, all the plants get tangled up, making it impossible for them to get through; only when they go to the right, do the plants give way.Often they have to trek a considerable distance in deep ditches before they can find a way to climb to the opposite bank.Every time they climbed out of the deep ditch, the trees in front of them seemed thicker and darker; as long as they went left and uphill, the road in front of them seemed difficult to pass.In the end, they had no choice but to keep walking to the right and downhill according to this inexplicable will.After about an hour or two, they completely lost their sense of direction. They only knew that the group had deviated from the north direction a long time ago.They could only advance to the southeast along a well-arranged road; and this was determined for them by a foreign will.They had no choice but to head towards the center of the forest. Towards evening, they entered another ditch that was steeper and deeper than the previous ditch.Its slope is so steep that no matter whether it is going forward or backward, it is impossible to climb out with the horse and luggage.The only thing they can do is to walk down the deep ditch.The ground began to soften, and some places even smelled like a swamp, and spring water began to emerge from the walls of the ditches on both sides.Soon, there was a stream running through the weeds under everyone's feet.Then, the ground dropped sharply, and the current of the creek became faster and stronger.Only then did everyone realize that they had come to a valley where the sky was covered by trees. After staggering forward for a certain distance, they suddenly stepped out of the narrow space, as if they had stepped out of the gate of a dungeon, and the hobbit finally saw the sunlight again.It was only after they reached the clearing that they discovered that what they had escaped was a steep, almost cliff-like canyon.At the exit of the canyon is a clearing full of weeds, and another equally steep mountain wall can be seen in the distance.The golden sun shines lazily on the open space between the two mountain walls.In the middle of the clearing was a very lazy-looking brown creek lined with old willows.The willow trees shaded the meandering stream from the sun, and many dead willow trees fell in the river, filled with countless fallen willow leaves.The space seemed to be entirely occupied by willow trees; a warm autumn wind blew in the valley, and all the willow leaves fluttered on the branches, the grass rustled, and the branches of the willows creaked. "Ah, at least I finally know where this is now!" Merry said. "We're going in the opposite direction to the plan. This is the Wicker River! Let me check the situation first." He slipped into the weeds under the sunlight.After a while, he ran back and reported that the land between the mountain wall and the creek was quite firm, and some grass even grew all the way to the river bank. "Also," he said, "there's a track on this side of the river that looks like a footprint. If we go left and follow that track, we should be able to get out of the forest to the east." "Maybe!" said Pippin. "But the premise is that the footprints must go all the way out of the forest and not lead us into the swamp. Who do you think they are and why did they leave the footprints? I don't think it will do us any good. I'm skeptical about the forest and everything in it, and I'm beginning to believe that the legends here have their own origins! Besides, do you know how far east we have to go to get out of the forest?" "I don't know," Merry said. "I've never walked like this before. This time I don't even know how far I walked into the Wicker River, let alone how someone came to this inaccessible place to make footprints. As things stand, I It can only be said that there is no other way out of trouble.” Since they have no choice, they can only regard this footprint as their only hope.Merry led the crowd on the trails he had found.The weeds and reeds here are flourishing, almost all of them are taller than them.However, the trail opened up a path that would not be too strenuous for them to walk.Moreover, this path is very clever to avoid many foul-smelling pools and swamps, which saved the group from the danger of being trapped in the swamp.The trail crossed many valleys and entered the mouth of the Wicker River out of the forest; and whenever they encountered such a barrier that they could not cross on foot, they saw before them a crude bridge of deliberately placed trunks or branches. . Everyone began to feel very dry and hot.All kinds of flies flew around their eyes and ears, and the scorching sun in the afternoon shone mercilessly on their backs.At last they came to a place of shade: many thick gray boughs obscured the sky above the path.As soon as they entered the area, they found it difficult to move.Sleep seemed to flow into their veins from the ground, and descend from the air on their heads and eyes. Frodo felt his jaw drop, and his head kept nodding.Pippin, who was walking in front of him, fell on all fours.Frodo was forced to stop. "It's no use," he heard Merry say. "We won't be able to walk again without rest. We must take a nap. It's so cool under the willows. There are far fewer flies!" Frodo did not like this feeling. "Wake up!" he yelled. "We can't sleep yet. We must get out of the forest first." At this time, the others have completely lost their resistance and cannot understand the importance of persistence.Sam, who was standing beside him, also started to yawn, blinking his sleepy eyes. Frodo himself felt suddenly very drowsy.He felt dizzy for a while, and there was a dead silence all around him.The flies no longer buzz.He could only hear a gentle voice humming in his half-dream and half-awake, as if a soft lullaby was lingering in his ears, all of which seemed to come from the branches above his head.He managed to lift his heavy eyelids, and saw a huge old willow tree above his head.This willow tree is huge and terrifying. The branches are like gray arms with slender fingers, stretching criss-cross towards the sky; babble.Frodo felt so dizzy from the falling leaves against the bright sky that he staggered and lay down on his back in the grass. Merry and Pippin shuffled on, and lay down with their heads against the willow-trunk.The crack on the tree trunk opened silently, allowing the two of them to sleep in its arms.The two raised their heads and watched the gray and yellow leaves shaking in the sun and making beautiful music.Merry and Pippin closed their eyes at the same time, and seemed to hear an indecipherable voice talking about the cool water and deep sleep.Under the shadow of this spell, they no longer persisted, and fell asleep at the foot of the gray old willow tree. Frodo lay on the ground, struggling with waves of drowsiness; at last he struggled to his feet again.He suddenly had a strong desire for the cold stream water. "Wait for me, Sam," he stammered. "I'm going to soak my feet first." Deliriously, he walked to the side of the old tree near the river, and stepped over the tangled roots that protruded into the water like poisonous snakes to drink hungrily.He found a tree root and sat down, put his hot little feet into the cold brown stream, and fell asleep suddenly leaning against the tree trunk. Sam sat down, scratched his head, and yawned desperately.He felt very worried.It was getting late, and this sudden drowsiness was really suspicious. "It's not just the sun and the warm wind that make us sleepy," he muttered. "I don't like this big tree. I think he is very suspicious. This tree seems to be singing a lullaby to us all the time! No way!" He struggled to stand up, and staggered to check on the situation of the pony.He found two horses that had run off the trail just in time to lead them back to the other two.At this moment, he suddenly heard two voices: one was very loud, and the other was very low but very clear.The loud one was the crash of some heavy object falling into the water, and the clear one was the creaking sound of a door closing. He hurried to the bank of the river.Frodo was sitting in the water, and a great root was pressing him down, but he made no resistance.Sam grabbed his coat and dragged him desperately from under the tree roots to the shore.Frodo, who had survived the disaster, woke up almost immediately, vomiting and coughing non-stop. "Sam, you know what," he gasped for breath, "this tree monster threw me into the water! I could feel it! It twisted the roots and it crushed me into the water !" "I suppose you are dreaming, Mr. Frodo," said Sam. "If you want to sleep you shouldn't be sitting in that place." "What about the others?" asked Frodo in a panic. "I don't know what they are dreaming about?" Immediately they went around to the other side of the tree, and Sam knew what the babbling was just hearing.Pippin disappeared.The gap where he had just lay closed closed, swallowing him completely.Meili was trapped in the crack in the tree: another crack clamped his upper body like a pincer, leaving only his two feet exposed. Frodo and Sam banged furiously at first where Pippin had lain, and then tried to pry open the terrible crack that had gnawed at Merry.Both attempts were in vain. "How could this be!" cried Frodo, frantically. "Why are we in this horrible forest? I wish we were still in the valley!" He kicked the tree trunk as hard as he could.A very faint sway was sent from the roots to the branches, and the leaves swayed and murmured, as if mocking the futility of their efforts. "Have we got an ax in our pack, Mr. Frodo?" asked Sam. "I have brought a small hatchet for wood," said Frodo, "but it is of no use against such a tree." "I figured it out!" Sam immediately thought of a new idea when he heard the firewood. "We can light a fire to burn a tree!" "Perhaps," said Frodo doubtfully. "But it's also possible to roast Pippin alive." "At least we can scare or hurt the tree first," Sam said excitedly. "If it dares not to let you go, I will knock it down even if it bites!" He immediately ran back to the horse and brought back two tinder boxes and a hatchet. The two quickly gathered dry grass, leaves and some bark, and gathered a bunch of branches into a pile.They moved all the firewood to the opposite side of the hostages.As soon as Sam struck a spark with the tinderbox, the hay was swallowed by the flames and white smoke began to rise.The flames crackled, and the bark of the old tree began to turn black under the licking of the flames.The whole willow tree began to vibrate, and the leaves seemed to whisper in anger and pain.Suddenly Merry screamed loudly, and from the depths of the trunk came Pippin's muffled growl. "Put the fire out! Put it out!" Merry yelled. "If you don't do it, it will cut me off. That's what it said!" "Who? What?" Frodo hurried to the other side of the trunk. "Extinguish the fire! Extinguish the fire!" pleaded Merry.The willow branches began to shake non-stop.The surrounding trees suddenly began to tremble, as if an angry breeze spread from the center of the old willow tree, causing the entire forest to fall into a rage.Immediately Sam kicked the firewood away and stamped out the flames.Frodo ran along the path subconsciously in a panic, shouting *Help!Help!Help! *Even he himself could not quite hear the cry for help, it was almost completely covered up by the furious wind blown by the willow branches and leaves.He felt hopeless, hopeless. Suddenly he stopped.He thought he heard an echo, but the answer came from behind him, deeper in the forest.He turned around and listened carefully, and soon he was sure it wasn't his ears that were doing the trick: someone was indeed singing again.A deep, joyous voice is singing carefree, but the content of the song is casual nonsense: Ha la!Happy!Jingle bells! Jingle bells!Jump!Follow the willow! Tom Bombardier, happy Tom, Tom Bombardier! * Frodo and Sam stood there in a daze, half in fear, half in anticipation.Suddenly the voice, after murmuring a series of words that meant nothing to them, sang again: Hey!Here comes the joy!Rohaha!Honey wow! The seasonal wind is as gentle as a feather. Flying along the hills, dancing in the sun, Waiting for the cold starlight's substitute in front of the door. O my beauty, daughter of the river woman, As slender as willow branches, as clear as spring water! Old Tom brings you the lotus in full bloom, Running lightly towards home, did you hear his singing? Hey!Here comes the joy!Rohaha!I can't stand the joy, Goldberry, goldberry, happy yellowberry laugh! Poor old willow tree, gather up the roots! Tom is in a hurry to get home.The night catches up with the day! Tom picked lotus flowers and sent them home. Hey!Come on Rohaha!Did you hear his singing? * Frodo and Sam stood enchanted.The fury died down.The leaves hang limply on the limp branches.Then, to the accompaniment of another song, there appeared on the path before Frodo's eyes a tall old hat, with a broad brim, and a long blue feather in its band.The man in the hat danced and jumped out.Although the two were not sure of the man's race, they at least knew that the man was too tall and too strong for a hobbit.He doesn't appear to be tall enough to join the ranks of the big guys, though, but the sound he makes is no slouch.Wearing a pair of big yellow boots on his thick legs, he rampaged all the way like a big buffalo going to drink water.This man had a brown beard, wore a blue coat, had cheeks as red as apples, and bright blue eyes.There are countless wrinkles squeezed out by a smile on his face, and he is holding a big leaf in his hand, which contains many white lotus flowers. "Help!" Frodo and Sam rushed to him simultaneously. "Wow! Wait! Wait!" The old guy raised a hand to signal, and the two seemed to be stopped by an invisible force. "Boys, where are you going out of breath? What's going on here? Do you know who I am? Excuse me, Tom Bombardier. Tell me what trouble you're in! Tom's on his way! Don't crush it took my lotus!" "My friends have been eaten by the willows," said Frodo, breathlessly. "Mr. Merry is about to be cut in two!" Sam yelled. "What?" Tom Bombardier yelled, jumping to his feet. "Old Man Willow? This is really bad! Don't worry, I'll fix it in no time. I know what tone to play with him. The gray old Willow! If he doesn't obey, I'll beat him to death .I'll sing a gust of wind that'll blow this guy out of all his branches and leaves. Damn old willow!" He carefully placed the lotus on the grass and ran to the tree.He just saw Merry's outstretched feet, and the rest was almost pulled in by the old tree.Tom put his mouth into the slit and began to sing in a low voice.The two onlookers couldn't hear the lyrics clearly, but they noticed that Merry was awakened by the sound, and his little feet began to kick desperately.Tom jumped away and broke a willow branch. "Old Willow, let him out!" he said. "What the hell are you thinking? You shouldn't be waking up. Eat dirt and dig your roots! Drink water! Go to sleep! Bombardier advises you not to be fussy!" He grabbed Merry, Pull him out of the suddenly opened chasm. With a crunch, another fissure opened; Pippin flew through it as if kicked.The rift closed again with a click, and a tremor spread from the roots to the branches, and finally fell into a dead silence. "Thank you!" The hobbits rushed to thank each other. Tom Bombardier laughed. "Haha, little ones!" He looked down at each hobbit's face. "You better come home with me! The table is full of yellow cheese, real honey, white bread and fresh cream. Goldberries are waiting for me when I come home. We will talk later when we eat. Let go Follow me!" As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up the lotus, gestured for everyone to follow, and continued to walk eastward along the path dancing with hands and feet, singing those nonsense tunes in his mouth. The hobbits still couldn't adapt to this sudden change for a while, so they could only run along silently as quickly as possible.But it wasn't fast enough, and Tom was quickly lost before them, and the singing became more and more distant.Suddenly, his voice floated back full of energy! Run, little boy, along the wicker river! Tom was going home first to light a candle. The sun was setting and it would soon be dark to go. When the twilight falls, the door of the house will open, There is a warm yellow light in the window. Don't be afraid of the night anymore!Don't worry about the willow tree getting in the way! Don't be afraid of tree roots and trunks making trouble!Tom is just ahead. Hehe!Happy!We are right ahead! * As soon as the song ended, the hobbits could hear nothing.The sun also happened to be setting at this time.They thought of the lights of thousands of houses along the Liquor River, and the warm atmosphere in the windows of the Bucks' house.Many shadows cover the path, and the branches on both sides seem to stare at them.白色的雾气开始从河上升起，笼罩在两岸的树林间。从他们脚下还升起了许多的雾气，和交错的树根混杂在一起。 很快的，小径就变得十分模糊难辨，一行人也觉得无比的疲倦。他们的腿跟铅一样重，两旁的树丛和杂草间传来各种各样诡异的声音。如果他们抬起头，更可以看见许多多瘤、扭曲的面孔从小径旁低头看著他们，脸上露出狞笑。众人开始觉得这一切都是一个恶梦，他们只是在一个永远无法醒来的恶梦中跋涉。 正当他们想要放弃的时候，突然发现小径的坡度开始慢慢的上升。潺潺的水声传进他们耳中。在黑暗中他们似乎可以看见小河汇聚成了一座瀑布，白色的泡沫搭配著溪水哗啦啦的往下落。就在这里，森林到了尽头，迷雾也不再围绕。一行人走出了森林，踏上了一圈翠绿的草地。河水到了这边变得十分的湍急，似乎笑嘻嘻的迎接他们；而天上的星光照耀在跃动的河水上，让他们看见了新的奇观。 他们脚下的草地又软又整齐，似乎有人经常在整理。背后的森林被修剪的整整齐齐，好似一座篱笆一样。小径现在成了两旁点缀著石头的美丽道路，一路通往一座圆丘的顶端。在更远处是另一座山坡，以及温暖的灯火。小径跟著上上下下，沿著和缓的斜坡通往那灯火。接著，一片黄光从开启的门内流泄而出。那就是汤姆?庞巴迪的家。小丘后面则是一座陡峭的高地，之后则是绵延进东方夜空的古墓岗。 哈比人们和小马都急匆匆的赶向前。他们的疲倦和恐惧彷佛都消失于无形。＊嘿！快乐的来啦！＊这首歌是欢迎他们前来的歌。 Hey!快乐的来啦！亲爱的朋友快点来！ 哈比人！小马儿！我们都喜欢朋友来，宴会开！ 精彩节目快开始！好听歌儿一起唱！ * 接著是另一个清澈、如同春天一样充满活力、包容一切的声音。那声音彷佛是从高山上清晨中流泄而出的泉水，银亮亮的在这夜色中欢迎他们： 歌儿快开始！我俩一起唱 歌颂太阳，星辰，雨水和迷雾，还有多云的天气和月亮， 露水落在羽毛中，光芒照在树叶上， 风儿吹过石南花，清风拂大岗， 荷花漂在水面上，深池旁边杂草长， 老庞巴迪和那河之女儿一起唱！ * 在那歌声中，哈比人全站在金黄的灯光照耀下，动也不动的倾听著。