Hello! Here's what I would have posted had B12, "Review a story with a one-word title", ever been called.
Dreamflower's "Pity" was written for B2MEM 2011, to fulfill a prompt pertaining to kindness or hospitality. In this story, Gandalf is travelling by himself through bitter winter weather when he encounters a trio of hobbits, victims of hunger, illness, and the ferocity of the elements.
What distinguishes this story from so many others is that it is set several hundred years before the events of "The Hobbit" or "The Lord of the Rings", where Gandalf appears to be fairly new in his travels, and has never before encountered any halflings: "He had not actually spoken to any of them, though he thought they were rather curious and interesting little people. It had been in the back of his mind for some little while now to find out more about them. But this was most unexpected-- what were three of them doing out in this sort of weather? And in such sad condition?"
Gandalf has a bit of extra food, firewood and kindling, which he offers to share with the halflings, but he is startled by their own offer to share what little they have. "Their faces were blue with cold, and the one who spoke could scarcely stand. The one who was still sitting gazed up at him, his green eyes huge in the thin and shadowed face, but making an effort to show interest. And they had greeted him kindly and offered to share, even in their dire circumstances. As he gazed down on them he felt humbled and a great swell of Pity filled his heart. " Fed and warm, two of the hobbits fall asleep, and it is left to Gandalf to hold their desperately ill companion, who passes away in his sleep. "He could not read the little one’s thoughts, but he could feel his fëa, as it turned from confusion to joy, and there was a brief instant of gratitude sent his way before it flared and went beyond his ken."
This story could have easily taken a maudlin air, but in Dreamflower's skillful hands, it turns instead to a tale of hope. The surviving two surviving halflings mourn their young companion's death, but also celebrate his goodnaturedness and courage. The story closes with a message of hope, where Gandalf realizes that his fate may be bound further with the courageous halflings: "He was glad of this encounter, and he would accompany them home if they would allow it, and do what he could to succour them and their people. It felt right somehow, almost as though it was a memory of something that had happened already. He knew in his heart that he had found friends, and he could not think their meeting now was Chance."
What I enjoyed the most about this story was the characterizations of both Gandalf and the halflings, their innate courtesy as well as their curiosity, their openness and generosity.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-03-26 03:11 pm (UTC)My b2mem2012 review
Date: 2012-04-08 04:04 pm (UTC)Dreamflower's "Pity" was written for B2MEM 2011, to fulfill a prompt pertaining to kindness or hospitality. In this story, Gandalf is travelling by himself through bitter winter weather when he encounters a trio of hobbits, victims of hunger, illness, and the ferocity of the elements.
What distinguishes this story from so many others is that it is set several hundred years before the events of "The Hobbit" or "The Lord of the Rings", where Gandalf appears to be fairly new in his travels, and has never before encountered any halflings: "He had not actually spoken to any of them, though he thought they were rather curious and interesting little people. It had been in the back of his mind for some little while now to find out more about them. But this was most unexpected-- what were three of them doing out in this sort of weather? And in such sad condition?"
Gandalf has a bit of extra food, firewood and kindling, which he offers to share with the halflings, but he is startled by their own offer to share what little they have. "Their faces were blue with cold, and the one who spoke could scarcely stand. The one who was still sitting gazed up at him, his green eyes huge in the thin and shadowed face, but making an effort to show interest. And they had greeted him kindly and offered to share, even in their dire circumstances. As he gazed down on them he felt humbled and a great swell of Pity filled his heart. " Fed and warm, two of the hobbits fall asleep, and it is left to Gandalf to hold their desperately ill companion, who passes away in his sleep. "He could not read the little one’s thoughts, but he could feel his fëa, as it turned from confusion to joy, and there was a brief instant of gratitude sent his way before it flared and went beyond his ken."
This story could have easily taken a maudlin air, but in Dreamflower's skillful hands, it turns instead to a tale of hope. The surviving two surviving halflings mourn their young companion's death, but also celebrate his goodnaturedness and courage. The story closes with a message of hope, where Gandalf realizes that his fate may be bound further with the courageous halflings: "He was glad of this encounter, and he would accompany them home if they would allow it, and do what he could to succour them and their people. It felt right somehow, almost as though it was a memory of something that had happened already. He knew in his heart that he had found friends, and he could not think their meeting now was Chance."
What I enjoyed the most about this story was the characterizations of both Gandalf and the halflings, their innate courtesy as well as their curiosity, their openness and generosity.