The Shire was a peaceful, quiet place located on the Western side of Middle Earth in the land called The Eriador; its inhabitants were very peaceful folk who, above all things, valued a good meal and a warm hearth in their homes. Our story starts one fine morning in the Shire in a hobbit hole, for hobbits live under the earth in warm holes, clean and with pantries filled with good food, with the name of Bag End.

In this hole lived Bilbo Baggins, a very respectable hobbit, and his younger sister Bryony Baggins. The morning that marks the beginning of our story was just like any other. Inside Bag End you could smell bacon being cooked inside the little kitchen while the gentle humming of a hobbit girl filled the house.

This hobbit girl was Bryony Baggins, the second inhabitant of Bag End. She was leaning over the sink cleaning the plates she and her brother had used when eating their first breakfast, and next to her on the stove second breakfast was being cooked. She looked around and grumbled once she realized there weren't enough potatoes for her stew. With a sigh, she exited the kitchen and walked towards the door, hanging her apron on the rack near the door.

As she opened the door she heard her brother calling out for her.

-At the door Bilbo! –She called back while smoothing down her skirts.

-Bryony, where are you going so early? You know you shouldn't leave Bag End without telling me… -Bilbo approached her shaking his finger at her.

-I'm going to the market –she sighed and crossed her arms-, there are not enough potatoes in the pantry and we are running out of a few things.

-Still, you should have told me before leaving the house -. Bilbo huffed and crossed his arms mirroring his sister.

-Oh, stop this nonsense Bilbo Baggins –she laughed and kissed his cheek-. I'm still inside! I promise I won't go gallivanting across the Shire and come straight back home.

Bilbo sighed and stepped out of the hole with Bryony, he leaned against the garden fence and smiled fondly as his sister hopped down the hill towards Hobbiton. That girl surely knew how to keep him on his toes. He took out his pipe and sitting down on the garden bench lighted it and closed his eyes in content as the smoke floated up towards the sky.

Suddenly, he was hit with a cloud of smoke and opened his eyes coughing lightly. Standing in front of him was a Man dressed in grey robes leaning on a cane, watching him with critical eyes. Bilbo leaned the hand that was not holding his pipe on his knee and looked around trying to find something to say, for they don't teach you how to talk to a stranger who stands outside your fence and who could, if he pleased, destroy everything in sight with a single blow of his cane. He finally settled with:

-Good morning –he brought the pipe to his lips and looked sideways at the man.

-What do you mean? –Answered the tall fellow-. Do you wish me a good morning or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on? Hm?

To say that Bilbo Baggins was confused by the questions the Man had presented to him would be an understatement. Bilbo Baggins was in utter puzzlement as to what the Man was referring.

-All of them at once, I suppose –he said with little conviction earning a hard regarding look from the newcomer.

-Hmm –the look the Man was giving Bilbo made him stutter.

-Can I help you? –He asked frowning.

-That remains to be seen –the Man was not glaring anymore, just evaluating Bilbo Baggins-. I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure.

Bilbo looked dumbfounded at the Man standing in front of him wondering if maybe he had it his head on a very hard surface.

-An adventure? –He grimaced and shook his head-. No, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures. –He stood up and walked towards his mail box-. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner. Heh, heh. –Taking the letters out and placing the pipe on his mouth he began shuffling through them, glancing back at the Man and wishing that Bryony would not decide to be back in that moment. Deciding the Man was not going to leave he decided to make his exit-. Oh. Ah. Good morning.

-To think that I should have lived to be "good morninged" by Belladonna Took's son as if I were selling buttons at the door –called the Man as Bilbo climbed the few steps towards the entrance of Bag End. Bilbo turned around and faced the stranger with a frown.

-Beg your pardon?

-You've changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins –the Man shook his head and placed a hand on his hip-. I hope little Bryony had not been affected by you in this way.

-I'm sorry, do I know you? –Bilbo was wary of this man that seemed to know not only him, but his mother and sister too, maybe even his father!

-Well, you know my name, although you don't remember I belong to it. I'm Gandalf. –He said as explanation-. And Gandalf means… me.

-Gandalf? Not Gandalf the wandering Wizard who made such excellent fireworks? –Bilbo finally recognized the Man, for he was no Man, he was Gandalf the Grey, the wandering Wizard and one of the guardians of Middle Earth-. Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve. Heh, heh. Ahem. No idea you were still in business –at this the Grey Wizard frowned and fixed a stern look on the poor hobbit.

-And where else should I be?

-Where else...? –Bilbo started and then cut himself before saying something that could anger Gandalf-. Ahem.

-Well, I'm pleased to find you remember something about me… even if it's only my fireworks –Gandalf grimaced at the thought of such an inconsequential little thing being what brought back memories of him to Bilbo Baggins-. Yes, well, that's decided. It'll be very good for you, and most amusing for me. I shall inform the others.

-Inform the who? What? No. No. No… Wait. –Bilbo turned around and fast as he could climbed the few steps he had left until he stood in front of the door of his hobbit hole; with a determined face he faced the wizard-. We do not want any adventures here, thank you. Not today. Not… I suggest you try Over the Hill or Across the Water. –The look Gandalf was giving him made it clear he wasn't asking for a second opinion, so Bilbo decided to end the conversation-. Good morning-. With that, he entered Bag End and closed the door behind him, latching the lock and making sure it wouldn't budge.

Once he was certain no one could get in he stepped away from the door but then stopped dead on his track when a scratching sound caught his attention. He leaned down and frowned, he then turned around and looked through the little circular window at the side of the door trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that the wizard was doing. A stormy eye appeared in front of him on the other side of the window making the hobbit jump backwards and then scramble through an archway leading towards the little parlor right before the kitchen.

He walked to the next window and leaned against it trying to get another look at the wizard. He jumped when two quick knocks broke the silence inside the hole. Bilbo walked towards the door as quietly as he could; he jumped when another knock was heard. Preparing himself to tell off the wizard he opened the door to find his sister fuming on the other side.

-Why on Middle-earth would you lock the door? –She said stepping in with her arms filled with groceries-. I forgot my basket and had to walk all the way from the market like this -. Bilbo trailed behind her, not before sticking his head out the door and looking for any sign of Gandalf; he closed the door and hurried into the kitchen-. And then I come home and find that even the fence is locked!

-You didn't see anything… uncommon, did you? –Bilbo took a bundle of carrots from Bryony's hands and headed toward the pantry.

-Besides the locked doors? –She said placing a loaf of bread at the table and pretending to think on her answer-. No, nothing uncommon at all. Why?

-Oh, no reason. No reason at all –Bilbo waved his hand in front of her face. Bryony shrugged and then turned around to get a pot from underneath the sink; while his sister filled it with water, Bilbo rushed once more to the window and pressed his face looking both ways. Deciding that there was nothing out of normal out there he turned around and headed towards his study.

-You are one strange hobbit, Bilbo Baggins –Bryony said following her brother-. A very strange one.