Dema had found lots of lost Mathoms in the last few days. The inn on the hill that smelt of sheep had many shiny items hidden between floorboards and buried in window boxes and flower beds. A rusty old key, a few shiny coins (she had polished these and placed them in the little box beneath the bar). She had also found a wonderful hat pin, again she polished it and reshaped the bent pin and placed it on the bar for it to be found. That was always the best part, when the Mathoms were found. She would often sit in a quiet corner and wait for someone to pick them up, happy in the knowledge that the Mathoms now had a new home.
Out in the fields she had seen a large group of Hobbits gathered round the stage in Hobbiton. They were playing music and reciting poems. Dema had seen the large Hobbit who would often recite his poems in the Green Dragon Inn. She was very glad to see him as she had written a poem herself and sent it to him; it was almost like a Mathom, a Mathom she had created. Hoping that he would recite it to the rest of the Hobbits she hid beside the stage and waited. The Hobbits took their turns and finally it came to the turn of the large poet Hobbit she held her breath and listened, but the Hobbit did not recite the poem. Maybe it had been lost in the post; a Mathom she had created had become a lost Mathom itself? Or maybe it was not good enough?
Dema spent the next few days feeling very sad and stayed away from Hobbits until she came across a field full of laughing dancing Hobbits having a picnic. Dema stayed and waited until the party was over, she knew it was impolite to walk into other folks parties uninvited. After they had packed away Dema moved across and started to look around, after a picnic all sorts of Mathoms get lost in the grass. She found a fork and a roll of sheet music. She also found a small silver necklace caught on a bush on the slope of the hillside. She carefully wrapped each of the items and placed them into her bag.
Dema grinned, three more lost Mathoms to find homes for.
