It was a peaceful and lovely evening. The weather was perfectly good for having a smoke outside on one's porch. A hobbit was leaning on the wall of his little hole making small circles out of the smoke. He had just learned making them, from the respected Mister Baggins (his third cousin in fact), so they weren't really completely circular yet. Most of the time they actually came out as smoke puffs. But that didn't lower his mood. He – Gruffo Boffin was his name – enjoyed the small breeze on his face that brought the scent of the upcoming summer. Nothing could ruin his evening. Or that's what he thought.
He was just admiring his simple yet lovely garden and the beautiful scene of Hobbiton, when he saw something that did not belong there. For a second Gruffo thought his Old Toby had gone bad or he had mixed it with something completely else, but finally he had to believe his eyes. There was a tall figure – tall for hobbit's standards, men would had thought him short, for he couldn't have been more than five feet tall – walking on the road that passed his house. As the figure came closer, Gruffo could see it was a dwarf and a one with no less than very frightening looks. He was bald and it seemed like he had tattoos in various places on his sturdy body. Warrior, that's what his whole essence was yelling, but it still shocked poor Gruffo when he noticed the scars the dwarf had, especially his ear, someone had ripped a part of it away!
Gruffo knew he was being impolite, but he couldn't help himself. He kept staring the dwarf as he walked past him, but fortunately, he didn't care about the small hobbit sitting on his porch, he didn't give even a glance at young Boffin. Gruffo knew that once in a while there was some weird people visiting Shire, but this was actually the first time for him to see a dwarf with his own eyes. And he couldn't figure out what he was doing there.
It took quite a while for the little hobbit to calm down after the upset and excitement of seeing a dwarf. But finally he did and he started to enjoy himself once again. He had decided to talk about the weird visitor on the next day at the market; someone would have to know why he was so far from Ered Luin, for that must be where he came from.
The first stars started to appear on the sky and Gruffo was thinking about the things he loved: healing herbs he had just planted four days ago, sitting in front of his hearth on the cold nights, having second breakfast on the porch in sunny mornings, that sweet dimple on the certain hobbit girl's freckled cheek (even thinking about her made Gruffo grin widely). He was thinking all the things hobbits could possibly love, when he was faced with yet another stranger. A dwarf it was this time too, but this one didn't look scary at all. This one looked gentle and he had a warm smile upon his face as he approached the halfling and stopped in front of him.
"Good evening master hobbit", he said politely and gave a little bow.
"E-evening", stuttered the hobbit startled by the fact that he was addressed by this stranger.
"Old Toby, I assume?" The dwarf asked and pointed at Gruffo's pipe. "You wouldn't have some to share with and old dwarf, now would you lad? It's been awfully long time since I've last had it."
The dwarf waited patiently as Gruffo processed the request and when he finally realized what he had been asked for, searched his pockets to find his wallet were he kept the pipe-weed and gave part of it to the waiting dwarf. The hobbit watched how the dwarf took his pipe, stuffed some of the Old Toby in and lit it.
"Wh-who may I be speaking to?" Gruffo asked carefully, scared that he might irritate the dwarf. How would he know if his visitor was some kind of an important dwarf?
"Ah, but of course, Balin at your service." There was no annoyance on the dwarf's face. Actually the friendly smile hadn't left his face even for a second.
The dwarf – Balin – was though now looking at Gruffo expectantly. "O, yes, um, Gruffo Boffin… at yours?" He gave the introducing a little unsure of himself, but Balin gave approving nod, which made Gruffo relax, but only for a bit.
Balin asked some common things about hobbits and Shire, whom Gruffo afterwards could not recall. The reason might had been just that he was so nervous of talking to a dwarf, that he wasn't even sure what came out of his mouth, or it could had been the two some ones who arrived soon after Balin had left. Later on Gruffo leaned more on the latter option (for there was more than one thing that was a bit blurry in his memories of that night).
When he saw the next two dwarves walking closer, he gave a sigh; this day was not going to end in the way the start of it had promised. These two were a lot younger than the first two and they had set their eyes on Gruffo. His sigh turned fast to a gulp as he saw the mischievous smiles that rose upon their faces.
"Hello there. Is that your home?" The shorter one asked pointing at Gruffo's little hole.
"Yes, in fact it is", the hobbit answered defensively. He only knew that dwarves lived in mountains and for mountains being big, the halls there must have be enormous. So he thought the dwarf was mocking him and he did not like it.
But the dwarf had no jeer in his voice when he, after studying the hole a while from the window, said: "Looks nice, really cozy. Do all hobbits have this kind of homes?"
Gruffo was a bit abashed to get more questions about his kin. The dwarves really were some curious folk. He told the blond dwarf that there was a lot of different kind of holes where hobbits lived and that not all of them actually inhabited a hole, some lived in wooden, rocky or brick houses. Even in Hobbiton. And that launched the next question and Gruffo had to tell about different places in Shire, try to show in which direction exactly they were and what kind of folk lived in which part.
"I think those Brandybucks sound like fun people." Gruffo almost jumped out of his skin. He had completely forgot the other dwarf, for the blond one was asking all these questions and the dark one had actually disappeared from his sight a whole while ago.
The halfling gathered himself before answering. "Well, that's only because you don't know them master dwarf. They are very weird, if I may say. Some of them even swim! Can you imagine that? Stays in water that is not in the bathtub!" Even the thought of it made Gruffo shiver. The two dwarves shared a certain look.
"As you say master hobbit. But now we really should continue our journey, ain't that right, Fíli?"
"Aye, very right, brother. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. Perhaps we shall see once more", Fíli said bowing to the hobbit with his brother. Gruffo really hoped that he wouldn't see any dwarves in a long while. Four of them in one evening were more than enough. "Now we have to head to Mister Baggins."
The dwarves were already leaving when the meaning of the sentence hit Gruffo. He quickly grabbed Fíli's arm. "Baggins? Do you mean Bilbo Baggins? What do you want from him? Wait, were those others heading to Bag End too?"
"Did you hear that brother? It seems we're not the first ones after all."
"I sure did Kíli. Though I really thought we would be."
"Excuse me!" Gruffo shrieked waking the dwarves' attention.
"His going to be our burglar", Kíli answered smiling widely, like it explained everything.
"B-Burglar?" Gruffo was stunned. Bilbo Baggins as a burglar? He couldn't see that to happen. Bilbo was honest, respected and a very ordinary hobbit. Gruffo was sure Bilbo had never stolen anything in his whole life! He would have told all this to the dwarf brothers, but they had vanished – apparently continued their journey – as Gruffo was busy being speechless.
Gruffo picked his pipe from the bench where he had left it while trying to show the Shire to Fíli and went back to stand on the road next to his hole and watch at Bag End's direction. He took a long aspirate from his pipe, kept it inside and finally exhaled. For some reason it didn't taste as it should had, it tasted… stale. But Gruffo couldn't have cared less. He heard a bird singing and it was the most beautiful song he had ever heard! He closed his eyes and imagined what the song was telling about; the merry things came to his mind. As he opened his eyes, he saw a pack of tall people coming his way and there was a giant with them! He stared the group in awe, his mouth open.
The group stopped in front of Gruffo. There were so many of them and they all had beards! "How fascinating!" He accidently said out loud.
"Yes, it is. Why on earth is there a hobbit standing in the middle of the road like he owned it all by himself?" Gruffo's eyes widened as he saw the dwarf talking. He had so complicatedly braided hair that the hobbit was confused where it started and which was the end.
"Now, now, Dori. Remember that we are in Shire now and hobbits are inhabitants here", the giant scolded the grumpy dwarf. Suddenly Gruffo knew he had seen this giant before and not long ago!
"Gandalf!" He yelled in joy.
The old wizard looked at him deeming. "Yes, and you are young Gruffo Boffin, son of Uffo Boffin and Sapphira Brockhouse, if I'm not completely wrong." Gruffo gave a wide smile, he had been recognized. "How are your parents?"
"They're fine, fine! But come, listen to this song! Have you ever heard anything so magnificent and glorious?" Gruffo closed his eyes again to enjoy the song and he expected everyone else to do the same. He wasn't extremely impressed by the fact that they didn't respect the most enchanting song ever, but actually dared to whisper behind his back!
"Does he mean the caw of that crow?" He heard a confused voice.
"He doesn't seem to be very sane. I hope our burglar isn't the same way as he is, Gandalf."
"If he finds that enjoyable, then we are not to judge him Bofur, and that does not make him insane Glóin", Gandalf said strictly.
The halfling was most offended by the manners of dwarves. He decided not to take notice on them anymore, for they did not deserve it. So he just kept standing there his eyes tightly shut though he could feel the stares of them on his back.
"I think… we should maybe leave him be?" Came a quiet proposal.
"That, Ori my boy, is a very good suggestion. We shall continue our way. It was good meeting you Mister Boffin; I hope you will stay well."
"Ah, yes, you too Gandalf, you too, very well indeed." Gruffo turned to face the old man but was careful not to look at the dwarves. Though he had no other option but to wave back at them as they all said farewells to him, he had been taught some manners after all.
Once again he was alone in front of his home. He took another aspirate from his pipe and then the third and the fourth and more he took them the better he felt. It was such a lovely night! Everything was beautiful, everything was perfect! Though the one last dwarf that was to come across his path, did not think the same.