Before the Bagginses entered my life, I was quite the well-respected hobbit. You never caught me doing anything unexpected. Well actually, to be more specific, you never caught me. I was always adventurous and never was used to the simple life in the Shire. But up until I met Bilbo and most of all, Frodo, I at least tried to keep up the appearance of being a good little hobbit-girl.
While I was supposed to be running errands for my mother, you'd most likely find me raiding Farmer Maggot's crop with Merry and Pippin, my two best friends. The more accurate term would be brothers, because even though we weren't technically related, they acted as if they were. All I had was a sister, and she was always on my case because she, unlike Mother, always knew what I was up to and did NOT approve. So, Merry and Pip were more like family to me than my actual one was. If we weren't causing mayhem amongst the mushrooms, we were hanging around in the apple orchard by the road, using fallen branches for swords as we pretended to battle goblins and orcs.
Oh Merry and Pippin, those two made life in the Shire exciting, almost bearable. They were also the ones who introduced me to Bilbo. At the time, Merry, Pippin, and I were only kids, 12 years old at most (and for a hobbit, 12 years is very young indeed, we don't come of age until our 33rd birthday, just to give you a general idea on our aging). Every day we would run over to Bilbo's and he'd tell us the most exciting stories of ogres, trolls, and (my personal favorite) dragons.
Each time we'd go, I'd always say "Hello Bilbo! Tell us of your adventures!"
And each time he'd reply something along the lines of, "Dear me, Ella Chubb! I swear you get more unhobbit-like by the day! What will your mother say?"
"Oh, she doesn't even know I'm here. To the best of her knowledge, I'm at the market. But life's too short to be boring!"
As the years went by, I grew sicker and sicker of the uneventful life in the Shire. My mother and father noticed, I suppose, because every night I would hear them whispering to each other about how I was ruining the family name and turning out just like that 'no good Baggins'. But I didn't care. Things didn't improve for them when Bilbo took Frodo in. For me, though, it was the best thing to happen to me.
I first saw him when the usual suspects and I were in the orchard. Pip was attempting to shimmy up a tree so he could pick a bunch of apples so we could all have a proper elevensies. "There's no need for that, Pip," said Merry, "Plenty of apples have already fallen."
"Yes, but where's the fun in that?" Pippin replied, still trying to pull himself up to the lowest branch which was a good 3 feet above his head.
I rolled my eyes and said, "Leave him. He'll give up soon enough. I'm having some of the apples down here. I'll go collect some." I then went through the rows of trees, picking up dozens of apples and putting them in my satchel. I was just about to head back to my friends when an especially large red one caught my eye. It was dangling from a branch, so heavy it made the wood bend, bringing the apple down to a few feet from the ground. I could probably reach it if I REALLY tried.
I stood on my tip-toes and stretched my arm high above my head towards the fruit. Despite my best efforts, the tips of my fingers barely brushed the bottom of it. Even among hobbits I'm on the shorter side. I was preparing to jump when a hand comes from behind and plucks the apple from the branch. I did jump, but for an entirely different reason.
I spun around and saw it was just another hobbit boy. And why wouldn't it be? We're in the Shire for goodness sakes, where nothing remotely interesting happens like a dangerous stranger coming. The boy was holding out the apple and his big clear blue eyes were looking at me expectantly. I took in his curly brown hair, the norm for hobbits, my own red hair was a mane of wild curls. I'd never seen him before. "Thanks," I said quickly, taking it from him.
He grinned and said, "Any time. I'm Frodo by the way. I just moved in with my Uncle Bilbo."
"I know him!" I said, excited. Bilbo had mentioned his nephew was moving in a few times before, but to be honest, I'd forgotten. "I love your uncle; he's one of the most interesting hobbits around here. And I'm Ella." I held out my hand. He shook it and continued.
"Nice to meet you and it's good to hear my uncle's not a bore. So what are you doing here? I could use the company…" It must be pretty hard coming to a new place full of strangers.
"I'm here with a couple of friends, actually, but you're welcome to come join us," I said, smiling, "In fact, we were just about to have elevensies, if you'd care to join us. That's why I was over here gathering."
"Please!" he said, his happiness obvious.
"Come on then!"
From that moment on, Frodo Baggins became my dearest friend, my partner in crime. I confided in him even more than I did Merry and Pippin. Each day we'd meet up in the orchard and have elevensies like we did that first day. From there we would play and run around the Shire. Sometimes he would bring Sam Gamgee, another friend of his, and through him, mine. The three of us would get into trouble with Merry and Pippin as well.
While all of us were close (Merry, Pip, and I usually tried to have dinner together nightly. Frodo came too.), Frodo and I understood each other the most. Only with him would I share my deepest secrets and yearning to run away from the Shire to go on an adventure. Just what my adventure would be, I had no clue. But I knew it would be important.
"I'd go with you, Ella," He'd say.
"Oh, you're still in love with this place." I'd reply, because it was true. Yes he'd go with me, if I asked. But I wouldn't ask that of him because, at the time, he wouldn't really want to with all his heart like I did. Who'd have known that one day I'd be following him on a quest that would shape the fate of the world?