Gandalf's Visit to Hobbiton
Disclaimer: See Page One
"Look at them Dodi," Ruby said scornfully to her husband while they were watching at Bilbo and the others enter Bagend.
"Bilbo is not a natural hobbit," Dodi said with equal scorn in his voice and eyes. "He lost his hobbit sense. What hobbit in his right mind would invite a wizard to have lunch with him?"
"He's crazy, and his nephew is just as crazy as him. Lobelia is right when she said that Bagend should go to her family and not that orphan," Ruby said nastily.
Inside the kitchen of Bagend, Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, and Gandalf were sitting at a table eating mushroom soup, fresh bread and butter and drinking grape juice. They were talking to each other and enjoying each other's company. Gandalf took his spoon and scooped some soup and mushrooms on it. He brought it to his mouth and tasted the slightly salted chicken broth, roasted mushroom, and the celery seasoning.
"Mmm, this soup is good," said Gandalf.
"It is," Frodo agreed. "Bilbo makes the best mushroom soup."
Bilbo beamed at the compliment.
"It's good to be back here," Gandalf said after he took a sip of grape juice. "I enjoy your company, and I missed seeing you."
"We enjoy your company too," said Bilbo.
"Where did you go?" Frodo asked, curiously.
"Lots of places, Frodo. One of the places I visited was Gondor. We were celebrating Boromir's birthday. He is the son of the Steward. The party was spectacular. There was dancing and all kinds of games, and there were all kinds of food including roast venison, roast rabbits, and lots of potatoes with butter and herbs."
"Was there cake, Gandalf?" Sam asked.
"There was a large chocolate cake with white frosting and rose trimmings."
"Yum," said Sam who wished he could have some of that cake.
"We'll have desert later on," Frodo said quietly to Sam.
"Boromir also received many kinds of presents," said Gandalf before he took another bite out of his bread.
"But it was his birthday; shouldn't he have given the presents instead?" Sam asked.
"Humans and other races receive presents for their birthdays; it is only us hobbits who give presents, Sam," said Bilbo. He sipped some juice.
"My mama said that giving presents means that we are grateful to Eru, for being alive for another year," said Sam, who ate some more soup.
"That's true," said Bilbo. "But other races are happy when someone close to them has a birthday and want them to enjoy their birthday by giving them presents."
"That's true," said Bilbo. "But other races are happy when someone has a birthday and they want to show it by giving them presents."
"Did he receive lots of toys?" Sam asked.
"Boromir is a teenager," said Gandalf. "He is too old for toys, but he did receive lots of nice presents."
"What did he get?" Frodo asked.
"He received some new shirts, a sword, a chess game board, new shoes, a few paintings, etc."
"How can he wear shoes?" Sam asked. "Won't they hurt his feet?"
"Humans are used to wearing shoes; it protects them," Gandalf answered Sam. "Their feet is a lot smaller than a hobbits and the bottom of their foot are not as tough as yours are."
The three hobbits continued to talk and eat lunch until they were finished. Then they got up and walked out of the kitchen.
Let's go back outside, Sam," said Frodo.
Sam followed Frodo to the parlor and out the door.
"Have fun boys!" Bilbo called after them.
When they got outside, Frodo asked," what game do you want to play now, Sam?"
"How about Cat and Mouse, Mr. Frodo?" said Sam. "It's one of my favorite games; I play this game with my sisters and brothers all the time."
"We'll play Cat and Mouse," said Frodo.
"I'll be the cat first this time," said Sam who began chasing after Frodo and meowing like a cat.
Frodo was running away from Sam on the grass, squeaking like a mouse until Sam caught him.
"I got you," Sam said while he grabbed him around the waste.
"Oh no, you got me," Frodo said pretending to be scared. "I'm going to be eaten by a cat."
Sam pretended to eat Frodo for a few minutes before Frodo said. "It's my turn to be the cat."
Frodo chased after Sam who ran around the potato patch and as soon as he caught him he began to wrestle with him. The hobbit lads were having fun rolling around on the ground getting grass and dirt on their clothes and hair. Frodo was careful not to hurt Sam. After their brief wrestling match, they got up again and brushed the dirt and grass off their clothes.
"Look Mr. Frodo, my Gaffer is really working hard in your garden."
"I see that," said Frodo.
They were watching Hamfast pulling a stubborn weed from the chrysanthemums. He was tugging at it but it refused to budge, so he took his weed puller and used it to pull the weed out of the ground.
They also saw Lobelia with a sour face walking towards them.
"Oh no," Frodo said quietly.
Hamfast looked up from his work when saw Lobelia walking towards him. "Good afternoon, mam," Hamfast said to her politely.
Lobelia looked her nose down at him and pointedly ignored him. She continued to walk towards Bagend.
"Good day, Lobelia," Frodo said.
Lobelia gave him a sour look. "Brandybuck," she said nastily before she knocked loudly on Bilbo's door.
"That must be Lobelia," Bilbo sighed getting up from his chair and walked towards the door. "She's the only one I know who knocks on the door like that."
"Open up Bilbo!" Lobelia shouted.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he said with annoyance in his voice.
Bilbo opened the door and Lobelia walked into his house and sat down on the couch without being invited inside.
"Good day Lobelia," Gandalf said politely.
"This couch is lumpy," she complained ignoring Gandalf's greetings. "Don't you ever spend money from all the treasures you got from the dwarves?" she asked.
"This is a very comfortable couch." Gandalf said not understanding Lobelia's complaint.
"I just bought these couches last year," Bilbo said defensively.
"From somebody from Bagshot Row," she sneered.
"Where's my tea?" she demanded.
"Coming right up, Lobelia," Bilbo said with an annoyed sigh. "How many lumps of sugar?"
"Two," she said.
There was quieter knocking on the door. Bilbo walked towards it and opened it up for Hamfast.
"Do you need my help?" Hamfast asked.
"No thank you, Hamfast. We'll be fine," said Bilbo before he quietly closed the door.
Bilbo walked into the kitchen.
"And a slice of cake," Lobelia called after him.
Bilbo went inside and a few minutes later brought out tea and cake for Lobelia.
Lobelia tasted the cake and grimaced.
"You call that cake?" she sneered. "It tastes like cardboard. My clumsy cousin on my mother's side can make better cake than this."
She tasted tea.
"And the tea is even worse. You didn't even put any sugar in it."
Bilbo sighed. He took Lobelia's cup into the kitchen and added another lump of sugar in it. Then he went back inside the parlor and handed the cup to Lobelia and she took another sip of tea.
"Now it is too sweet," she complained.
Bilbo tried to make the visit more pleasant so he tried to have a conversation with her.
"Did Otho and Lotho have a fine morning?" Bilbo asked, awkwardly.
"They would have a better morning and so would I if we woke up here instead of our hole. We've been waiting for years to get this hole, and we would get it too after you die, but you had to go and adopt that Brandybuck orphan," she said angrily.
"Frodo is a good lad, Lobelia; there is no reason for you to be unkind to him."
"There is a good reason considering that he will get what we have been looking forward to having for all these years."
I'm glad that I adopted Frodo, Bilbo thought. He deserves Bagend a lot more than those Sackville Baggins do. He is a lot more pleasant and he has good manners.
Lobelia looked around the parlor and frowned at the couches, chairs, and rug.
"Of course if we did own Bagend, we would make some changes, she said, haughtily. First we would get rid of these hideous lumpy couches and bring in my fancy elegant living room set. Second, we would get a nicer rug, and third we would allow no wizards or dwarves in here only the best hobbits in Hobbiton. No Brandy Bucks or Tooks will be allowed inside either. We will allow Hamfast to come inside, but only to serve us, because he is nothing but a servant."
Bilbo sighed again. Lobelia was really getting on his nerves.
"Lobelia, Gandalf and I would like to talk by ourselves," Bilbo said hoping to get Lobelia to leave Bagend.
Bilbo wanted her to leave because she was making Gandalf and his visit unpleasant. But the annoying and persistent Lobelia refused to move from the couch. She looked at the pictures and map on the wall. One picture was of a lake surrounded by trees, another was a picture of elves.
"What horrible pictures? If I live here I would put up better ones, and that map can go too. Who needs a map of the outside world?"
Bilbo sighed for the third time. He was getting tired of Lobelia's complaining and Gandalf was also beginning to show a bit of impatience by tapping on the chair with his fingers and looking impatiently at her.
"Lobelia, I think your family needs you," Bilbo said, trying again to get rid of her.
"And you let that wizard in, " she continued. "Who with any intelligence even wears a pointy hat? Pointy hats are the stupidest things in fashion, and you have no fashion sense either wearing that brocade, Bilbo. If I were you…"
Bilbo was getting really tired of Lobelia's complaining. He knew it wouldn't be polite to throw her out, but he couldn't stand her unpleasantness for much longer. He was about to tell her to leave when Gandalf pointed his staff at Lobelia and turned her into a squirrel. She chattered at them before she scurried out of the open round window of Bagend and climbed up the chestnut tree.
"Thank you Gandalf," Bilbo said, relieved.
"Your welcome, Bilbo," said Gandalf.
"I can't wait till I see your fireworks tonight. They are spectacular. No one does fireworks as well as you."
To be continued.