m e r r y   &   p i p p i n

LORD OF THE RINGS - (c) Three Foot Six Ltd.

MERRY & PIPPIN

MERRY & PIPPIN managed to effect an escape from the URUK-HAI (hideous creatures - half Orc and half goblin men) when their kidnappers were attacked by a band of horsemen from Rohan. In the confusion of stamping hooves and URUK-HAI blades the two Hobbits made a dash for the cover off the dark forest of Fangorn. Stumbling over the gnarled and twisted roots of the trees, MERRY and PIPPIN have tumbled headlong into a gully.

MERRY lies face down in the decaying forest litter.

PIPPIN
Merry?

PIPPIN shakes his shoulder, then getting no response, rolls him over.

PIPPIN (cont-d)

(anxious)
Merry! What is it? Are you hurt?

MERRY starts to choke, fighting for air. This is too much for PIPPIN, on top of the terror of escaping from the URUK-HAI. He panics and looks around wildly.

PIPPIN (cont-d)
s
(yelling)
Help! He can-t breath. Someone help us!

A hand is suddenly clamped over his mouth. MERRY-S voice sounds in his ear.

MERRY
Shhh!

MERRY spits out something from his mouth.

MERRY
(whisper)
What kind of creature would come to our aid in this place?

PIPPIN glances around at the dark trees nervously.

PIPPIN
(muffled protest)
I thought you we-re (dying) -

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MERRY
(urgent whisper)
Ssshh!!

MERRY releases his hand from PIPPIN-S mouth.

MERRY (cont-d)
I got a mouthful of leaf-mould, was all.

PIPPIN
(loud whisper)
Well I didn-t know, did I?

PIPPIN looks specuatively at the ground.

PIPPIN (cont-d)
What did it taste like?

MERRY
Disgusting.

Undeterred PIPPIN picks up an old leaf and tentatively nibbles at a corner. MERRY swats it out of his hand.

PIPPIN
(plaintively)
I-m starving!

MERRY
This is Fangorn Forest, Pippin. We were warned not to come in here - let alone start eating it.

PIPPIN
Considering we-ve had nothing but foul orc tucker for days, I don-t see what -

A strange creaking noise sounds behind them. MERRY spins round.

MERRY
(nervously) What was that?!

PIPPIN
I don-t know. It came from over there - no wait, from over there.

Suddenly they seem to be surrounded by the long, slow, grinding and creaking sounds.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

PIPPIN
(cont-d) Merry ...? Let-s get out of here!

MERRY
My thoughts exactly. Which way did we come?

PIPPIN
I don-t know - I was following you.

MERRY looks around unsure, the noise is getting louder.

MERRY
(recalling)
There was a path. We were on a path ... then something tripped us. That-s strange, I could have sworn it was this way.

A huge tree now stands where MERRY thought the path was.

PIPPIN
Well it-s not there now.

Both of them look hard for the way out of the gully. Suddenly PIPPIN lifts up his hand as if to warn off a blow.

PIPPIN (cont-d)
Hey! That branch hit me!

MERRY
You walked into it more like -

Out of nowhere a branch swings down hitting MERRY on the head.

MERRY
Ow!

The ground beneath them starts to shake.

PIPPIN
What-s going on?

Both of them look up as the face of TREEBEARD, the Ent, swoops down towards them from a great height.

The two Hobbits look at each other for a beat, then ...

MERRY & PIPPIN
HHHHeellpp!