First Taste

When first I drafted this fic it came in at 179 words, and I was so pleased with it it was very hard to trim it down enough to call it a true drabble, and some sweet (IMHO) details ended up in the trash bin. So, sort of for an exercise, I also pumped up the original version to be a double drabble. I thought the contrast might be interesting.


Merry had been all about Brandyhall that afternoon, and still couldn’t find it – that smell!

It was pie. Of that he was sure, but where? He would’ve thought he knew the inside of every cupboard and pantry in the place … there was only one thing for it.

He stepped out into high summer sun and took himself on a tour of the smail, peeping into each open window and sniffing at every chimney.

It was around the back the smell got stronger, until at last he spied it, just waiting for him.

And pie it was, top just curling brown and center all soft and golden, cooling on the sill of a guest kitchen, rarely used.

But Merry spared it not one thought, pulled out his pocket knife and plunged it right on in, carving himself a slice.

Cherry ...! But as he began to roll his tongue abount the warm sticky sweetness, his bliss was disturbed by a steady ‘Tsk, Tsk Tsk.’

Merry opened his eyes, and there was Miss Estella Bolger, come to help his cousin with the new baby, now standing arms akimbo and foot tap-tap-tapping disapprovingly.

Merry swallowed, and sighed.

He was well and truly caught, now.