In a Hole in the Ground... by StarSpray  

in a hole in the ground...

“What in the world are you doing out here with your mother’s best frying pan, Pippin-lad?” Sam crossed his arms and tried to look stern. It had been raining for days, and all the children were eager to be out-of-doors again, but this was a bit much.

“There’s a goblin hiding in the taters, Dad!” Pippin hefted the pan, which was much too big for him to carry, let alone wield. He was covered in mud up to his knees, and the pan seemed in danger of suffering a similar fate. “You knocked a few goblins about with one of these, didn’t you? And I couldn’t find a sword.”

Sam took the frying pan before Pippin dropped it either onto his foot or the potatoes, and peered into a small hole in the ground, wet and oozy and with ends of worms sticking out of it, pink and wiggling. He saw movement and then jumped back with a shout, falling into the mud with a squelch as the largest toad he had ever seen came leaping out at them. Pippin shrieked and ducked behind Sam’s back. The toad eyed them grumpily before hopping away toward the Water.