A Delightful Visit From The Dwarves
Disclaimer Author's Notes and Warnings: See page one.
Bilbo and Frodo walked to Frodo's guest room and retrieved Frodo's ball. Then they walked out into the back yard, and as soon as they were outside again, Frodo ran to Hamfast who was now weeding the carrot patch.
"Hi Mita Hamfas?"
"Hello there, Mr. Frodo lad," Hamfast said to him with a warm smile. "How are you on this fine day?"
"I fine. What ah you doin?"
"I'm weeding the carrot patch," Hamfast answered while he tried to pull a very tough weed out of the ground with both his hands.
"What is weeding?"
Hamfast was unable to pull the very stubborn weed so he pushed a weed puller in the dirt towards the roots to help loosen it.
"It means pulling up plants that hurt flowers, vegetables, and fruits."
He gave it a really strong tug and was finally able to pull the whole weed out.
"Bad weed," Frodo said to it before Hamfast tossed it in a bucket.
Bilbo stood nearby looking amused while Frodo chatted with Hamfast.
"Do you have chiwdwin?" Frodo asked.
"I have two, Hamson, and Halfred."
"Can I pway wit tem?"
"Hamson is visiting the Cotton family, and Halfred is taking his nap right now. Perhaps you can play with them tomorrow."
"I pway wit my baw now Mita Hamfas"
Frodo began to run around on the grass, throwing the ball and catching it (sometimes he missed) while Bilbo was watching him. He nodded to Hamfast while Hamfast continued to pull weeds from the carrot patch.
"Wook, Unca Bibo, a bunny!" Frodo said excitedly while he spotted a brown rabbit eating grass near the apple tree that was at the far right side of the yard.
Before Bilbo was able to say anything, Frodo dropped the ball in his hands and began to run after the rabbit. The rabbit became alert and immediately hopped away.
"I wanna hug bunny, Unca Bibo; he's so cute," said Frodo with a pout on his face.
A second later, Frodo forgot the bunny and began to chase after another monarch butterfly trying to catch it but the butterfly flew high out of his reach.
"I twi to catch buttafwy Unca Bibo," said Frodo.
Another butterfly began to flutter around Frodo and he began to chase after it trying to catch it with his chubby hands but like before the monarch butterfly was always out of his reach. The butterfly flew over some blue bells that were growing near the fence on the left side of the yard. Frodo was trampling the blue bells while he was chasing trying to catch the butterfly. When the butterfly flew far away, Frodo gave up. He sat down and began to play with the dirt and picked up few of the blue bells. Bilbo frowned and his eyes took on a sad look because Frodo was ruining his blue bells. Hamfast, who was closer to the blue bells than Bilbo, walked over to Frodo, picked him up, and carried him out of there. He set him on the grass again and dusted the dirt off his clothes.
Bilbo picked up the ball that laid on the grass forgotten and walked over to Frodo and said, "here you go; just stay out of the gardens.
Frodo happily took his ball and began to play with it again.
"My Halfred also gets into flower gardens and vegetable patches," said Hamfast. "He was in the vegetable patches and flower gardens so much yesterday that My Bell had to bathe him twice."
Frodo was laughing while he was running around and throwing the ball and catching it again. When he missed, he ran after the ball.
When he saw Bilbo he threw the ball to his uncle and said to him, "wets pway catch!"
Bilbo picked up the ball and threw it gently to his nephew.
Bilbo and Frodo had fun playing catch for a few minutes when all the dwarves with the exception of Nori and Ori (they were still straightening up Nori's guest room) went outside and watched them play.
"Bofa, Bifa, Gwoin, pway wit us?" Frodo asked.
The dwarves joined in on the fun, and they played for ten minutes before Frodo dropped the ball again and began to run towards the radish and spinach patches which was at the right side of the yard. When he got there he sat down and began to play with the dirt there. Bilbo ran and picked him up off the radish and spinach patch, and dusted him off. Bilbo then carried him to a spot of dirt where no flowers or vegetables were growing and set him down again. Frodo happily began to dig up the dirt with his tiny hands.
"It looks like you're going to have to bathe him later on," said Hamfast said.
"Yes, it looks like I do," said Bilbo. "But playing in the dirt won't hurt him."
Frodo played with the dirt for five minutes before he began to run around again, chasing butterflies, rabbits, squirrels, cats, and birds, pulling flowers out of the ground and giving them to Bilbo, Hamfast, and the dwarves, running into the flower gardens vegetable patches, berry bushes, and throwing his ball everywhere. Frodo, Hamfast, and the dwarves had to pull him out of the flower gardens and vegetable patches every few minutes. Everybody hoped that Frodo would tire out by tea time, but when tea time came Frodo had just as much energy as he did before.
"It's tea time everybody," said Bilbo.
While Hamfast continued to pull weeds out of the carrot patch the others went inside and had tea with crumpets. Bilbo quickly bathed Frodo and changed his clothes before they joined the dwarves. Frodo was very cooperative this time not like yesterday where he kept trying to get out of the tub and ended up splashing water all over the floor. Twenty minutes later they were back in the parlor doing the same things as before. Bofer was finishing carving a hoof out of a cow with his carving knife.
When he finished he smoothed the sides with a sand paper then he looked at Frodo and said to him, "I made some new toys for you to play with."
Frodo dropped the toy puppy he was playing with and stood up with two open hands and eager anticipation in his eyes. Bofer placed in his hands toy animals which consisted of a toy oliphant, a toy cat, a toy horse, a toy cow, a toy moose, and a toy mouse.
"What do you say, Frodo?" Bilbo prompted him.
"Tank you Bofa."
"You're welcome," Bofer said.
Frodo sat down and began to play with his new toys while making animal sounds.
"What part of the story are you up to now, Bilbo?" Bofer asked Bilbo.
"Meow! Squeak Squeak!" Frodo said while he was making his new toy cat chase after his new toy mouse.
Bilbo looked up from his book and answered Bofer. "I'm up to the part where Beren is trying to steal the simarils from Morgoth."
"I remember when I was a teenager, I used to visit Dis, and played mining and other games with little Fili and Kili," said Ori. "They were very energetic, and their child like personalities always shined through. They were fun little dwarvlings."
"Moo! Moo! Moo!"
"What were your favorite games when you played with them?" Bofer asked.
"My favorite games were…"
"Get down!" Bilbo said to Frodo who was now climbing one of the curtains. The other dwarves watched while Bilbo ran to Frodo and picked him up off the curtains.
"No Frodo, you must not climb on he curtains," Bilbo said sternly while he placed him on the floor near his toys again. Now be a good boy and play with your toys again."
Frodo sat down to where his toys were and began to play with Bouncy.
"Growl! Growl!"
"Did he succeed taking the simarils from Morgoth?" Gloin asked Bilbo who sat down on his chair and picked up his book again.
"I don't know; I haven't gotten to that part yet, but I hope he does."
Ori continued to talk about his fun with Thorin's nephews to Bofer and the others. "My favorite game was the Mining Game, and they were Fili and Kili's favorite too. They used to love to pretend to mine for mithril, gold, and other gems and minerals. We also liked pretending to fight dragons with our toy axes," Ori answered Bofer."
"When did Thorin begin to teach his nephews how to use weapons?" Nori asked his brother."
"I think they were nine or ten years old," Ori answered.
"They were ten," Bofer said.
"Dwalin used to watch him train his nephews, and he did not allow them to train with real weapons until they were 12," said Gloin. "They were very good at using their axes and other weapons especially Kili who always outdid the other dwarvlings in contests. My Gimli was very good at the contests too."
"They were very fine fighters during the battle of the five armies," said Bilbo. "I watched them fight."
"They…" Gloin began
"Frodo no!" Bilbo shouted when Frodo began to run down one of the tunnels with Bouncy in his hand.
Bilbo put his book down and began to chase after Frodo while he was running into another room.
"I glad it's not my guest room again," said Nori.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, they were chasing after Frodo who was creating havoc in Bag end. He climbed furniture and curtains, took pots and pans out of the kitchen and banged them, bounced on beds, took shirts and pants (not underclothes) out of drawers and knick knacks that were on top, dressers and shelves, swung on drapery ropes, spilled ink on papers and made a house out of books he pulled out of the book case in Bilbo's study. He also went into the kitchen and was eating a vanilla cake that he found in one of the bottom cabinets.
I should have locked the bottom cabinets. Bilbo thought. He was glad there was nothing dangerous in those cabinets.
By evening the dwarves and Bilbo were exhausted and the house looked as if it were struck by a tornado. Frodo was beginning to yawn.
Bilbo carried the finally exhausted toddler to his room. Frodo fell asleep on his way down there and tucked him in bed. He gave him a kiss on his forehead and walked out again and joined the dwarves.
Bilbo, Bofer, Bifer, Gloin, Nori, and Ori were relaxing on couches in the parlor while the fire from the fire place was warming up the room and making it cozy. They were glad that Frodo finally used up his energy and fell asleep because they were all worn out from having to chase after the mischievous toddler.
"I've never seen a child with so much energy before," said Nori who slumped on the couch. "And he is very fast; I could hardly keep up with him."
"A rabbit would have a hard time keeping up with him," said Ori. "I've never seen a child with so much energy before. He must have the energy of a dozen hobbits."
"More like ten dozen," Bilbo said.
"And I thought my Gimli was energetic," Gloin said who looked relieved that Frodo was finally sleeping.
"Your Gimli wasn't that bad, and neither were Fili and Kili; and I used to think no one was as energetic or mischievous as they were when they were toddlers," said Bofer.
Bifer agreed with Bofer by nodding his head.
"They do grow out of that," said Gloin.
"I'm glad of that," said Bilbo. "I can't see myself chasing after a tweenage Frodo all day long; I'll be thoroughly warned out before then."
"I wonder how his parents are able to handle him," Nori said with curiosity in his voice.
"Drogo and Primula can handle him a lot better than I can. They are used to taking care of him, and he doesn't wear them out nearly as much as he wears me out," Bilbo answered. "But as to how they do it; I have no idea."
"He'll grow out of that stage of getting into everything once toddler hood has ended but he still would need to be kept an eye on and to learn," said Nori.
"And he will need to be guided even during his tween years," Gimli added.
"The between years," said Nori.
"There was a time when Gimli was 14 and he wanted to go orc hunting, and I told him that he was too young to do that. He got upset and went anyway. It took us a few days to find him, and he nearly got killed by the orcs he was hunting."
"I can't wait for the spring fair tomorrow," Bilbo said. "There are going to be so many fun things to do down there like wheel barrel races, hay rides, wood chopping and pie baking contests. Not to mention different kinds of vegetables and fruits the farmers are going to sell. Why don't you come with us to the spring festival tomorrow?"
"Yes, I would like to come," said Ori, Nori, and Bofer at the same time Bifer nodded his head.
"I would like to come," said Gloin. "It sounds like a lot fun, and there will probably be lots of food to eat down there. We went to a dwarf fair last year and…"
At that moment Frodo walked into the room His half opened eyes had tears in them. He immediately climbed onto Bilbo's lap and his tears began to pour out of his eyes like waterfalls. Bilbo didn't say anything for a few seconds but wrapped his arms around Frodo letting him soak his shirt with his tears while he sobbed. Bilbo rubbed his back trying to calm him down.
Finally what seemed like an hour, though it was really less than a minute Frodo lifted his head out of his cousin's shoulder and said with a tearful voice, "I was awone in my woom wit monters, and they was chasing me. I twied to get out of my woom, but it was so big that I got wost and I couldn't find my way out. I called fo mommy and daddy, but they did not come. I was all awone and scawed."
Bilbo and the dwarves looked at him with sympathetic expressions on their faces.
Bilbo began to stroke Frodo's hair as way of comforting him, and said in a soothing tone. "It is only a nightmare, Frodo; the monsters can't hurt you."
"And you are not alone; you are safe with us," Gloin added.
"Whese my mommy and daddy? I miss my mommy and daddy," Frodo said sadly.
"Your mommy and daddy will be back the day after tomorrow.
"I want them now!"
"It's alright," Nori said trying to help Bilbo comfort his little nephew. "Your mommy and daddy will be back soon."
"I want them now," Frodo repeated while he began to cry again.
Bilbo began to talk about the fair with Frodo to help him get his mind off his parents.
"We are going to have lots of fun at the fair tomorrow," Bilbo said to Frodo. "There are going to be lots of fun things to see and do like puppet shows, children's races, hay rides, and pony rides, and you will get to visit animals."
"Wi teah be kittens to pway wit?" Frodo asked already forgetting about his nightmare and troubles. "I wove pwaying wit kittens."
"Yes, there will be as well as sheep, rabbits, and other animals."
*Yawn* "I can't wait *yawn* till I pay wit tem *yawn and the *yawn* wab-bits."
"Bilbo and the dwarves sang a lullaby for Frodo until Frodo closed his eyes and fell asleep again.
Bilbo picked up the sleeping Frodo in his arms and walked quietly back to the child's room and tucked him in bed again. He walked out of the room and returned to the parlor.
Early next morning the sun was pouring its rays through the round window in the kitchen where Bilbo was getting first breakfast ready. He cracked a bunch of eggs and poured them in to a greased frying pan making sure that there were no egg shells in there. He took an egg beater and mixed the egg whites and yolk. When he was finished he lit the coals underneath the stove to cook the eggs. He carefully placed some strips of bacon in a pan next to the one with the eggs in it and lit the coals underneath it too. While the eggs and bacon were cooking, he took some cheese and bread out of a cabinet and began to slice them; he was slicing them for about five minutes until he decided that it was time to check on the eggs and bacon. He saw that the eggs were hardening, but they were still runny towards the left and the back of the pan, and the bacons were sizzling, but they were still a little raw; so he went back to slicing the cheese and the bread. A few minutes later he checked on the eggs and bacon again. This time the eggs were ready, but the bacon still needed to be cooked because they didn't shrink or turned crisp yet. He put out the fire underneath the eggs to prevent the eggs from burning. He opened up the cabinet underneath the stove and placed another pan on the stove. He rubbed some butter on the pan to grease the pan and to make the toast taste buttery. He turned the stove on underneath it and began to place slices of bread in the pan.
In one of the bedrooms Gloin was dreaming that he and Thorin were talking with each other while mining for Mithril. The dream seemed real, yet not real.
"I'm so happy that you are alive again, Thorin. I miss you so much."
"I…" Thorin started to say, when the smell of eggs and bacon wafted through the air and pervaded his dreams.
"Is your sister cooking eggs and bacon this morning?" Gloin asked.
Thorin said nothing just continued to dig the mithril out of the rock with his pickaxe.
At that moment the smell of eggs and bacon became strong enough to wake Gloin up slowly. When he first woke up he was too groggy to be aware of anything for but when he became more awake a few seconds later he was aware that he was in a guest bedroom in Bag end. He also remembered that Thorin died years ago. His face expressed the sadness he felt in his heart for a moment, but when he smelled breakfast again he forgot about his sadness and began to feel hungry. He put on his robe and entered a tunnel.
He walked a few feet when he saw two doors open and Nori and Ori stepping out of their rooms too. The three dwarves began to walk to the kitchen together.
"I smell bacon and eggs," said Nori.
"I smell that too," said Ori. "And I can't wait to eat it."
"Whoever is making breakfast must be doing a good job of it because it smells delicious," said Gloin.
The scent of eggs and bacon became stronger as they continued to walk through the tunnel.
When they entered the kitchen they saw Bilbo standing in front of the stove watching the bacon and bread cook, and Bifer was sitting at the table eating toast and cheese that were on his plate, and drinking his fruit juice. Bilbo put a kettle of water on and lit the coal underneath the stove.
"Good morning, Nori, Ori, and Gloin," Bilbo said to them.
"Good morning Bilbo," they answered back. "Good morning Bifer."
Bifer gestured good morning back to them.
"Why don't you sit down; breakfast is ready." Bilbo said to them.
The three dwarves sat the table in front of the plates, silverware, cups, and glasses. In the middle of a table were three plates; one of them had lots of buttery toasts, another was filled with sliced cheese and the third had fried eggs on it. There was also a pitcher of fruit juice on the table.
A few seconds later, the bacon shrank and became crispy enough to be ready and the rest of the bread was toasted. He put out the fire underneath the bread and the bacon. He took the bacon and put them on the plate and placed them next to the eggs, and he put the rest of the toast on the plate where the other toasts were.
"Help yourselves to the food," Bilbo told them.
It wasn't necessary for Bilbo to tell them that, because Gloin was already eating his second piece of cheese while Nori was eating one of the toasts, and Ori and Bifer helped themselves to some eggs.
Steam was pouring out of the kettle on the stove and a few seconds later, Bilbo put out the fire underneath it.
"Help yourselves to some tea too," Bilbo said while he brought a cup that was filled with tea bags from one of the top cupboards and placed them on the table. "I have to go wake up frodo so that he will have a good first breakfast before we head out to the fair."
Bilbo began to walk towards the door, but he only took two steps when the door burst open with Frodo running inside followed by Bofer who was panting from chasing after him.
"It looks like it's not necessary for you to wake him up," Gloin said to Bilbo with amusement in his voice.
"You are right," Bilbo agreed.
"Good morning Bofer, Frodo," said Bilbo.
Bofer nodded his head in response.
"I wan eggs," Frodo shouted excitedly while he jumped up and down. "It smet so good, an I wan cheese too."
"Calm down Frodo," Bilbo said while he picked up the excited toddler and placed him on a chair.
Bilbo placed a cup in front of Frodo and poured some fruit juice in it; then he placed two eggs, two bacon, and a slice of toast with cheese on a plate and put the plate in front of the toddler.
As soon as the food and drink were in front of him he began to drink the juice fast, but Bilbo took the cup out of the toddler's hands and said to him, "drink slowly."
He handed the cup back to Frodo, and Frodo began to drink the juice slowly. After he drank some of his juice, he began to eat his breakfast like an animal. He grabbed some eggs and stuffed them into his mouth and tore a piece of toast and was about to eat it when Bilbo, who looked horrified at Frodo's atrocious table manners, said to him, "don't eat like that Frodo. Use your fork."
"But the dwaves ah eating that way," Frodo said.
Bilbo noticed that his nephew was copying the dwarves who were also eating breakfast like wild animals.
"Please," he said with annoyance in his voice to the dwarves. "We need to set an example for Frodo. I want him to learn to eat properly."
The dwarves did not understand why it was necessary to eat properly, but they complied with Bilbo's wishes.
"I had a dream last night," said Gloin. "I dreamed that Thorin Oakenshield was still alive, and that we were mining mithril together. We were talking and laughing with each other until the smell of eggs and bacon woke me up." He put a spoonful of sugar to sweeten the tea before he took a sip.
"I miss Thorin," said Ori, just before he ate another piece of bacon. "He was a good leader. He helped us find villages that accepted us, and he made sure that none of the men took advantage of us."
"I miss him too," said Bilbo. "He was a good friend." Bilbo's mind went to the time when they were traveling to Erebor. He remembered the conversations he had with Thorin in Lake Town about Hobbiton, and the time he freed him from the Mirkwood dungeons. He was glad that Thorin finally accepted him. Bilbo helped himself to some eggs.
"Who is Towin?" Frodo asked curiously. He took another bite out of his toast and cheese.
"He was our leader," said Bofer.
"And he would have been our king too, if he hadn't died," said Gloin who took another bite out his eggs and drank some more of his tea.
"Died?" Frodo asked not understanding the word.
"I don't think he understands what that means," Bilbo said to the dwarves hoping that they would drop the subject. He didn't want this table discussion to become depressing.
"Do you like the toys I made for you yesterday, Frodo?" Bofer asked changing the subject. He also did not want to talk about Thorin's death during first breakfast.
"I wike the toys vewy much. Make mo toys for Frodo?" Frodo asked before he drank some of his juice.
"Ori who was sitting next to him ruffled his head."
"I used to make toy animals for Fili and Kili when they were little dwarvlings too, and they loved to play with them. Fili especially liked to play with his toy leopard.
"Can I pway wit Fiwi and Kiwi?" he asked.
"Fili and Kili grew up a long time ago, and they are not here anymore," said Bofer, who ate another piece of his bacon.
The hobbits and the dwarves continued to eat first breakfast while talking to each other until breakfast was finished.
A few hours later, Bilbo, Frodo, and the dwarves arrived at the spring fair which was held at the other side of Hobbiton in front of the lake.
To Be Continued
