The Gnomes of The Moria
"Sam! Sam!"
Samwise Gamgee turned around just in time to see a hobbit bounding towards him before he was bowled over by the ball of hobbit energy. "What is it Mr. Frodo?" Sam stumbled up to look around, "Is it those Sackville-Baggins again? I'll take them this time."
"Oh Sam, don't be ridiculous!" Frodo said rolling his eyes, "and the Mr. really isn't necessary. Sometimes you act just like an old Took."
"No I don't, I'm younger than you are."
"That is not the point the old gophers digging around in this garden are more lively than you sometimes."
"I believe at the age of 22 a hobbit like yourself should be acting like a real young adult, not running around with kids and fishing when he should be."
Whack
"Hey!" Sam yelled as Frodo hit him upside the head, "What was that for?"
"It was to keep your head from exploding under all of those ballooned old geezer ideas." Frodo looked at Sam's sad face and reconsidered what he was saying. "Sorry Sam." changing to what he had came to Sam to say, "I have something exciting to tell you!"
"Exciting or dangerous?" He eyed Frodo cautiously.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You know exactly what it means. Now tell me is it interesting or dangerous?"
Ignoring the question, "Guess what it is?"
"Ummm.. You found a new mushroom patch."
"Nope,"
"Bilbo got some of that new foreign fish?"
"Sam would you stop thinking with your stomach,"
"I don't know. What?"
"Bilbo has invited some dwarves over for dinner tonight! Isn't that exciting! I've never seen one. They don't come to Buckland. What are they like Sam?"
Sam thought for a moment. He had never seen one either. Dwarves were known to come to Bag End on occasion, but being the shy hobbit that Sam was, he would always hide in the kitchen or the back garden. "Well. I don't rightly know."
Frodo's face sagged a little, but then brightened up. "We can see them together then Sam!"
Sam smiled back and realized that this time he did want to see the dwarves since Frodo was so excited about it. "Gaffer did tell me some though. He said that they were stout men with long beards and queer clothing."
"Wait a minute!" Frodo's face suddenly beamed, "I think I have seen a statue of one before, wait right here." The young hobbit hurried away across the yard."
"Watch the flowers!" Sam called out after Frodo in vain as a patch of petunias were squashed.
*~*~*
"I found 'um!" Frodo proclaimed as he dropped a pile of little wooden statues at Sam's feet.
"Where did you get these?"
"Farmer Maggot,"
"Farmer Maggot! He let you take these!"
"Ummm. sure. He let me take them. Just look at them already!"
Sam leaned over and picked one of the figurines up. It was a little stout man wearing a bright red cap and a green outfit. Its beard was thick and white, but there was no hair sticking out from under the cap. It also had pointy brown shoes and a shovel and one hand with a packet of seeds in the other.
"Their neat!" Sam pronounced after his exam. "They look like little gardeners!" How could he have ever been frightened of such noble people? Now Sam was bouncing up and down like he hadn't for years. "I can show them my new flowers!"
Frodo joined in the bouncing "Maybe will give us some pointy shoes! I've got to go measure my feet to see what size they need"
"I've got to get my flowers ready to show them!" Sam exclaimed
Both of the hobbits ran off in opposite directions.
*~*~*
"Thanks for inviting me to supper Mr. Bilbo," Sam smiled up at Bilbo.
"Don't mention it my lad." Bilbo looked around at all the food, "I needed your help cooking all of this food. It will be enough."
Sam also looked at the entire table of warm, comforting food. "I hope it will be. It will last even if they have hobbit appetites and are hungry.
Bilbo winked at him and answered, "Dwarves always come hungry." Sam glanced down at the little figurine that he had in his pocket to try to imagine it eating the supper. He did not have to imagine long though.
Thump, Thump. A heavy knock echoed down the hall into the kitchen. Sam's heart skipped an excited beat.
"Hurry and set out all the silverware." Bilbo called to Sam and Frodo as he hurried to answer the big round door around the corner.
The young hobbits each grabbed a handful of utensils and started to quickly throw them next to each plate with clatters. From the front door they could here Bilbo's voice become warm and welcome them in. Then there were other voices, deep voices, that responded with thick belly chuckles. Then Sam picked up a little pot that he had brought for the visitors. Then Sam picked up a little pot that he had brought for the visitors.
Around the corner came Bilbo and two male dwarves in thick armor. They did have beards, and they were stout, but besides for that they did not look like Sam and Frodo had pictured them. Instead of gray their thick, braided beards were brown and slightly red. Their shoes were grungy metal and cloth. Both of the Dwarves had large smiles on their round faces.
Bilbo had an equally joyful face as he pronounced, "Frodo, Sam, May I introduce my friends Oin, son of Groin and Balin, son of Fundin of the house of Durin." Indicating each dwarf in turn before saying, "Oin, Balin. May I present my nephew Frodo Baggins and our friend Samwise Gamgee."
Both of the dwarves nodded at the youngsters giving them large toothed grins. Sam attempted to smile back politely, but his shyness grabbed him again and he only got halfway to a smile settling for a distracted, but not unhappy look.
Trying to coax Sam out of his silence Oin asked, "What is that in your hand?"
Sam looked down into his hand. He had almost forgotten about his present to the Dwarves. "Oh yeah," he stammered with his voice cracking slightly. He held the little pot up to Oin. "It's Southern Star that I grew in my garden. I thought you might like to have it in yours so you can grow more and then you can smoke some of it in a pipe."
Oin studied the little plant and rubbed his thick, but gentle fingers along the stems to the spouting leaves, "It's great." He stated to himself more than to Sam.
Uncomfortably Bilbo coughed making then stare at him. "Sam, Dwarves don't have gardens. They live in caves."
"Is that true?" Frodo piped in, "Under the ground? In the dark?"
"Yes, it is under the ground, but it is not dark." Balin explained excitedly, "We have great halls of stone which are lit by the golden flames of lanterns, and then there are the raging hearths which we eat rich foods around and energy and heat flows everywhere."
"Wow," Frodo muttered in amazement as he imagined the scenes in his head.
As the Dwarf talked Bilbo's eyes warmed and he smiled in remembering the warm days in the Dwarves' company. "Your halls are grand. I'm surprised that you have left to travel."
"Not just to travel Bilbo. We are going to reestablish Khazad-dun as the home of the Dwarves. As you know it was the mansions of our ancestors and I intend to reclaim them." Bain told them with increasing enthusiasm.
"And this," Oin added in lifting up the plant Sam had given him, "Will be planted at the gates to spread and welcome Dwarves back to our home."
This time Sam's face turned into a fill grin, not of politeness, but of pride in his little plant, which would be a part of Dwarf history.
"Enough chatter lets eat!" Bilbo announced to them all. All of them sat at the table without any hesitation.
*~*~*
Each of their bellies was full to bursting with food they had eaten. They all were leaned back in their chairs content with their meal except for Frodo and Sam who were sitting on the edge of their seats to hear of the Dwarves' home and adventures. Both of them had not even finished a second helping (which was very strange for growing hobbits).
Oin puffed out his round stomach. "It's a good thing we are not eating like this for the rest of the journey or I would have to buy bigger armor before we reached the gates."
All of them chuckled happily. Which Sam could not figure out how they still had enough room in their bellies to make those full laughs when it was already so full of food.
"So do you ever change clothes during an adventure?" Frodo asked curiously.
"Not usually" Balin answered.
"Do you wear other hats or shoes?"
"No, the helmet it to protect my head, and my shoes protect my feet in the rocky terrain. They are too heavy to care extra." Balin responded reasonably.
"So you don't have any red caps or pointy shoes?"
Both Dwarves gave the hobbit confused glances. "No"
"But I did bring a flute!" Oin called out excitedly.
"I'll get my guitar!" Bilbo scrambled from the table to his room.
The young hobbits followed Oin and Balin next to the hearth as Oin took out his flute. Bilbo returned carrying his small guitar in his hands. Each of them talked like excited schoolgirls back from the summer as they tuned the guitar and tried each other's instruments.
"Lets play that song about the riddles!" Oin announced.
Bilbo and Balin agreed. Bilbo on the flute piped a bright melody as Oin strummed on the guitar. Balin began to sing the words with his baritone voice. Frodo stood up in front and began to dance to the light beat bobbing up and down with his elbows out away from his body. The words told of fooling a creature with riddles. Frodo finished the song with a cartwheel, but did not have enough room and knocked the big Dwarf Balin right over. Sam burst out with giggles and the rest followed him.
"I think we ought to play a little slower tune this time." Balin suggested as he stumbled back to his feet.
Soon the three were again making music. This time Bilbo was on the guitar, but all of them were singing. Their song told of a lonely mountain that was held by an evil dragon. Sam could smell the fresh mountain air and soaked it in like a hot bath. It was the first time he really thought of a place outside of Shire, outside of Buckland, outside of his world and it gave him a strange feeling of uneasiness and calmness at the same time. He closed his eyes and saw the mountain standing in front of him.
*~*~*
Sam opened his eyes to a quiet room and the hearth burning as only a few embers. He opened his eyes and saw Bilbo picking up dishes from the table. Frodo was sleeping with his head on Sam's foot like it was a pillow.
"Where did they go?" Sam dozily asked Bilbo
"They left a few minutes ago." He calmly replied, "I guess the songs of old Dwarves and a hobbit in foreign places do not keep young minds interested for too long."
"Oh no, not at all! They were beautiful songs! They made me feel like."
"Like the whole world is set out in front of you waiting?" Bilbo finished for him, "Like those distant hill are waiting for you and only you to come and discover them for the first time." He smirked at the young hobbits amazed face. "I remember the affect of those songs many years ago." Bilbo looked out the window in longing.
Now Sam seemed to understand the strange want for adventures that Bilbo had and he in a way envied him for the ability and courage to actually have done it. The sound of Frodo stirring on his foot distracted Sam from Bilbo.
"Are the Dwarves gone?" The young hobbit muttered at Sam.
"Yes, they left." Frodo nodded at this then turned to look at his uncle. "Uncle Bilbo," Frodo softly called.
"Yes, my boy,"
"I don't think I'll ever go on an adventure with a Dwarf like you did," Frodo concluded, "They don't have any pointy shoes."
Bilbo gave a quiet snort, "You're right Frodo, they sure don't. Now go to bed. Good night Sam"
"Sam! Sam!"
Samwise Gamgee turned around just in time to see a hobbit bounding towards him before he was bowled over by the ball of hobbit energy. "What is it Mr. Frodo?" Sam stumbled up to look around, "Is it those Sackville-Baggins again? I'll take them this time."
"Oh Sam, don't be ridiculous!" Frodo said rolling his eyes, "and the Mr. really isn't necessary. Sometimes you act just like an old Took."
"No I don't, I'm younger than you are."
"That is not the point the old gophers digging around in this garden are more lively than you sometimes."
"I believe at the age of 22 a hobbit like yourself should be acting like a real young adult, not running around with kids and fishing when he should be."
Whack
"Hey!" Sam yelled as Frodo hit him upside the head, "What was that for?"
"It was to keep your head from exploding under all of those ballooned old geezer ideas." Frodo looked at Sam's sad face and reconsidered what he was saying. "Sorry Sam." changing to what he had came to Sam to say, "I have something exciting to tell you!"
"Exciting or dangerous?" He eyed Frodo cautiously.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You know exactly what it means. Now tell me is it interesting or dangerous?"
Ignoring the question, "Guess what it is?"
"Ummm.. You found a new mushroom patch."
"Nope,"
"Bilbo got some of that new foreign fish?"
"Sam would you stop thinking with your stomach,"
"I don't know. What?"
"Bilbo has invited some dwarves over for dinner tonight! Isn't that exciting! I've never seen one. They don't come to Buckland. What are they like Sam?"
Sam thought for a moment. He had never seen one either. Dwarves were known to come to Bag End on occasion, but being the shy hobbit that Sam was, he would always hide in the kitchen or the back garden. "Well. I don't rightly know."
Frodo's face sagged a little, but then brightened up. "We can see them together then Sam!"
Sam smiled back and realized that this time he did want to see the dwarves since Frodo was so excited about it. "Gaffer did tell me some though. He said that they were stout men with long beards and queer clothing."
"Wait a minute!" Frodo's face suddenly beamed, "I think I have seen a statue of one before, wait right here." The young hobbit hurried away across the yard."
"Watch the flowers!" Sam called out after Frodo in vain as a patch of petunias were squashed.
*~*~*
"I found 'um!" Frodo proclaimed as he dropped a pile of little wooden statues at Sam's feet.
"Where did you get these?"
"Farmer Maggot,"
"Farmer Maggot! He let you take these!"
"Ummm. sure. He let me take them. Just look at them already!"
Sam leaned over and picked one of the figurines up. It was a little stout man wearing a bright red cap and a green outfit. Its beard was thick and white, but there was no hair sticking out from under the cap. It also had pointy brown shoes and a shovel and one hand with a packet of seeds in the other.
"Their neat!" Sam pronounced after his exam. "They look like little gardeners!" How could he have ever been frightened of such noble people? Now Sam was bouncing up and down like he hadn't for years. "I can show them my new flowers!"
Frodo joined in the bouncing "Maybe will give us some pointy shoes! I've got to go measure my feet to see what size they need"
"I've got to get my flowers ready to show them!" Sam exclaimed
Both of the hobbits ran off in opposite directions.
*~*~*
"Thanks for inviting me to supper Mr. Bilbo," Sam smiled up at Bilbo.
"Don't mention it my lad." Bilbo looked around at all the food, "I needed your help cooking all of this food. It will be enough."
Sam also looked at the entire table of warm, comforting food. "I hope it will be. It will last even if they have hobbit appetites and are hungry.
Bilbo winked at him and answered, "Dwarves always come hungry." Sam glanced down at the little figurine that he had in his pocket to try to imagine it eating the supper. He did not have to imagine long though.
Thump, Thump. A heavy knock echoed down the hall into the kitchen. Sam's heart skipped an excited beat.
"Hurry and set out all the silverware." Bilbo called to Sam and Frodo as he hurried to answer the big round door around the corner.
The young hobbits each grabbed a handful of utensils and started to quickly throw them next to each plate with clatters. From the front door they could here Bilbo's voice become warm and welcome them in. Then there were other voices, deep voices, that responded with thick belly chuckles. Then Sam picked up a little pot that he had brought for the visitors. Then Sam picked up a little pot that he had brought for the visitors.
Around the corner came Bilbo and two male dwarves in thick armor. They did have beards, and they were stout, but besides for that they did not look like Sam and Frodo had pictured them. Instead of gray their thick, braided beards were brown and slightly red. Their shoes were grungy metal and cloth. Both of the Dwarves had large smiles on their round faces.
Bilbo had an equally joyful face as he pronounced, "Frodo, Sam, May I introduce my friends Oin, son of Groin and Balin, son of Fundin of the house of Durin." Indicating each dwarf in turn before saying, "Oin, Balin. May I present my nephew Frodo Baggins and our friend Samwise Gamgee."
Both of the dwarves nodded at the youngsters giving them large toothed grins. Sam attempted to smile back politely, but his shyness grabbed him again and he only got halfway to a smile settling for a distracted, but not unhappy look.
Trying to coax Sam out of his silence Oin asked, "What is that in your hand?"
Sam looked down into his hand. He had almost forgotten about his present to the Dwarves. "Oh yeah," he stammered with his voice cracking slightly. He held the little pot up to Oin. "It's Southern Star that I grew in my garden. I thought you might like to have it in yours so you can grow more and then you can smoke some of it in a pipe."
Oin studied the little plant and rubbed his thick, but gentle fingers along the stems to the spouting leaves, "It's great." He stated to himself more than to Sam.
Uncomfortably Bilbo coughed making then stare at him. "Sam, Dwarves don't have gardens. They live in caves."
"Is that true?" Frodo piped in, "Under the ground? In the dark?"
"Yes, it is under the ground, but it is not dark." Balin explained excitedly, "We have great halls of stone which are lit by the golden flames of lanterns, and then there are the raging hearths which we eat rich foods around and energy and heat flows everywhere."
"Wow," Frodo muttered in amazement as he imagined the scenes in his head.
As the Dwarf talked Bilbo's eyes warmed and he smiled in remembering the warm days in the Dwarves' company. "Your halls are grand. I'm surprised that you have left to travel."
"Not just to travel Bilbo. We are going to reestablish Khazad-dun as the home of the Dwarves. As you know it was the mansions of our ancestors and I intend to reclaim them." Bain told them with increasing enthusiasm.
"And this," Oin added in lifting up the plant Sam had given him, "Will be planted at the gates to spread and welcome Dwarves back to our home."
This time Sam's face turned into a fill grin, not of politeness, but of pride in his little plant, which would be a part of Dwarf history.
"Enough chatter lets eat!" Bilbo announced to them all. All of them sat at the table without any hesitation.
*~*~*
Each of their bellies was full to bursting with food they had eaten. They all were leaned back in their chairs content with their meal except for Frodo and Sam who were sitting on the edge of their seats to hear of the Dwarves' home and adventures. Both of them had not even finished a second helping (which was very strange for growing hobbits).
Oin puffed out his round stomach. "It's a good thing we are not eating like this for the rest of the journey or I would have to buy bigger armor before we reached the gates."
All of them chuckled happily. Which Sam could not figure out how they still had enough room in their bellies to make those full laughs when it was already so full of food.
"So do you ever change clothes during an adventure?" Frodo asked curiously.
"Not usually" Balin answered.
"Do you wear other hats or shoes?"
"No, the helmet it to protect my head, and my shoes protect my feet in the rocky terrain. They are too heavy to care extra." Balin responded reasonably.
"So you don't have any red caps or pointy shoes?"
Both Dwarves gave the hobbit confused glances. "No"
"But I did bring a flute!" Oin called out excitedly.
"I'll get my guitar!" Bilbo scrambled from the table to his room.
The young hobbits followed Oin and Balin next to the hearth as Oin took out his flute. Bilbo returned carrying his small guitar in his hands. Each of them talked like excited schoolgirls back from the summer as they tuned the guitar and tried each other's instruments.
"Lets play that song about the riddles!" Oin announced.
Bilbo and Balin agreed. Bilbo on the flute piped a bright melody as Oin strummed on the guitar. Balin began to sing the words with his baritone voice. Frodo stood up in front and began to dance to the light beat bobbing up and down with his elbows out away from his body. The words told of fooling a creature with riddles. Frodo finished the song with a cartwheel, but did not have enough room and knocked the big Dwarf Balin right over. Sam burst out with giggles and the rest followed him.
"I think we ought to play a little slower tune this time." Balin suggested as he stumbled back to his feet.
Soon the three were again making music. This time Bilbo was on the guitar, but all of them were singing. Their song told of a lonely mountain that was held by an evil dragon. Sam could smell the fresh mountain air and soaked it in like a hot bath. It was the first time he really thought of a place outside of Shire, outside of Buckland, outside of his world and it gave him a strange feeling of uneasiness and calmness at the same time. He closed his eyes and saw the mountain standing in front of him.
*~*~*
Sam opened his eyes to a quiet room and the hearth burning as only a few embers. He opened his eyes and saw Bilbo picking up dishes from the table. Frodo was sleeping with his head on Sam's foot like it was a pillow.
"Where did they go?" Sam dozily asked Bilbo
"They left a few minutes ago." He calmly replied, "I guess the songs of old Dwarves and a hobbit in foreign places do not keep young minds interested for too long."
"Oh no, not at all! They were beautiful songs! They made me feel like."
"Like the whole world is set out in front of you waiting?" Bilbo finished for him, "Like those distant hill are waiting for you and only you to come and discover them for the first time." He smirked at the young hobbits amazed face. "I remember the affect of those songs many years ago." Bilbo looked out the window in longing.
Now Sam seemed to understand the strange want for adventures that Bilbo had and he in a way envied him for the ability and courage to actually have done it. The sound of Frodo stirring on his foot distracted Sam from Bilbo.
"Are the Dwarves gone?" The young hobbit muttered at Sam.
"Yes, they left." Frodo nodded at this then turned to look at his uncle. "Uncle Bilbo," Frodo softly called.
"Yes, my boy,"
"I don't think I'll ever go on an adventure with a Dwarf like you did," Frodo concluded, "They don't have any pointy shoes."
Bilbo gave a quiet snort, "You're right Frodo, they sure don't. Now go to bed. Good night Sam"