Live Journal Feed“Whoa, steady now . .” Frodo Baggins could be heard saying as he was helping to push the poles supporting a large banner upright. Once the banner was fully upright he let go of the pole and stood back. He smiled and looked at it while others clapped with delight. It read: Happy 111th Birthday Bilbo!
Frodo had a feeling that tonight was going to be unforgettable. Little did he know that a certain hobbit-lass felt the same way.
That night half the Shire was crowded in the large field below the hill in which Bag-End sat. Music and laughter echoed from the hills and Gandalf, the great and kindly wizard, known among some of the less good-natured Hobbits as the “disturber of the peace.” Gandalf came with his wonderful fireworks which Bilbo and the rest of the Shire so loved.
Frodo watched with great amusment as Gandalf set off a small rocket that held the shape of butterflies when it exploded and flew among the children.
Suddenly Merry and Pippin came up beside Frodo.
“Hello, Frodo,” Merry said.
“Hello Merry! Glad you and Pippin could make it!” Exclaimed Frodo with a wide grin.
“Oh, we brought somethin’ for the party besides us after all, Frodo!” Pippin said. Then he handed his cousin a bag. Frodo opened it and saw that it was full of mushrooms.
“Courtesy of Farmer Maggot,” Pippin said with a grin.
“Yes,” put forth Merry, “we risked life and limb to get those mushrooms for you.”
“But, Merry,” Frodo replied, “you and Pippin steal from Farmer Maggot’s crop once every week.”
“Yes,” said Pippin, “but not mushrooms.”
“Why is that?”
“Because a whole crop of them grows within a few feet of Maggot’s dog houses.”
Merry then nudged Pippin and when he got his attention he nodded his head in the direction of Gandalf’s stash of fireworks.
“Well,” Pippin said, “see you later, Frodo!” Then scuttled off with Merry toward the tent near Gandalf’s cart. Frodo chuckled and shook his head.
Frodo emptied the mushrooms into a vacant bowl to put on the buffet table and joined the throng of dancers
Soon he spotted Sam glancing, for the thousandth time, over his shoulder at Rosie Cotton who was dancing nearby.
Frodo grinned and ambled over to his friend who had just turned his head back. He plopped in the chair next to him.
“Go on, Sam,” he said, “ask Rosie for a dance.”
Sam sighed. “I think I’ll just have another ale.”
“Oh, no you don’t! Go on!” Frodo laughed then pushed Sam towards Rosie as she danced by. Immedietly Rosie put her hand on Sam’s shoulder and took up his hand. Sam happily went along.
Frodo laughed with delight as he watched Sam and Rosie dance.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Frodo spotted a certain figure. He turned and felt his jaw drop. It was Peony.
She was dressed in a rose colored gown overlayed with a lighter, almost translucent material of the same color, to give it more of a fluttery quality. Part of her hair was pulled back and the rest was left loose to tumble down her slightly bared shoulders. She also had made a chain of small pink flowers and pinned them to the crown of her head.
Frodo stood there, staring at her as if in a trance. Peony turned her head and her brown eyes locked with Frodo’s intense blue one’s. Peony gulped with nervousness as Frodo slowly made his way over to her.
“Hello, Miss Turnbuckle.”
“Hello, Mr. Baggins.”
“Y-You may call me Frodo,” he had stumbled over his words because Peony had such a beautiful smile, which she graced him with at his greeting.
“Very well . . Frodo, you may call me Peony, then.”
Silence reigned after that. Frodo looked nervously about as his mind raced to think of something else to say. When he thought of something he turned to her with his mouth open to speak and was startled to find that she was just about to say something as well. Peony stopped and waited for him speak and Frodo waited for her.
“You were about to say something?” She prompted, as she nervously fidgeted with her gown.
Frodo took a deep breath then asked, “would you care to dance?”
Peony’s entire face lit up, causing Frodo’s breath to catch. “I would love to!”
Frodo extended his hand to Peony and led her into the dance circle.
The two hobbits danced until their feet declared that they had had enough. But, even then they were ignored. For a lovely tune of a slower tempo arose from the musicians and Frodo and Peony were not about to pass up, at least, just one more dance.
Frodo led Peony to dancing in a small circle, in a way like the waltz.
“Frodo . .” Peony began but could not continue because Frodo was looking at her in such a way that her tongue became immobile. His glance was so warm and his blue eyes were so intensly blue that Peony thought she could drown in them.
“Yes?” Frodo asked, expectantly.
“I . .”
Suddenly Frodo was overcome by the powerful inclination to kiss her. He leaned down and Peony closed her eyes. But moments before their lips could touch a loud bang was heard. Startled Peony wrapped her arms around Frodo, in reflex from the sudden outburst. The two saw a light go up and to the entire party’s horror it became a fearsome red dragon.
“Bilbo!” Frodo suddenly shouted and, grabbing Peony’s hand, raced to his uncle’s side. “Bilbo! Look out for the dragon!”
“Dragon! Nonsense! There hasn’t been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years . .”
As the fiery being swept over them Frodo pushed his uncle down to the ground and out of it’s way.
The entire party was relieved to discover that it was only a fireworks rocket when it exploded high above their heads in shimmering glory.
In the end it was that that rocket was being set for the end of the party and it’s early igniting was due to the mischievous acts of Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took.
After all had calmed down and the food was finished and cleared away, courtesy of Merry and Pippin who had the responsibilty of washing dishing now as penalty, under the watchful eye of Gandalf, the hobbits called for a speech from their beloved Bilbo.
Frodo sat by a table with Peony sitting next to him and waited for Bilbo to speak.
Bilbo stood up on a barrel under the great tree and began.
“My dear Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles and Proudfoots.” “Proudfeet!” Yelled out the elder member of that clan. Bilbo waved him off and the crowd laughed as he repeated: “Proudfoots. “Today is my one hundredth and eleventh birthday!” All the hobbits shouted merrily, happy birthday and raised their glasses to him. “Alas,” he continued, “eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”
The hobbits sat there for a moment trying figure out if that was a compliment or not.
Suddenly Frodo saw Bilbo shakily reached into his pocket and pull something out which he then hid behind his back. “I, uh, I h-have things to do.” He then announced, Frodo thought he heard him whisper, “I’ve put this off for far too long.” Bilbo then addressed the crowd once more. “I regret to announce this is the end. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell.” Bilbo then made eye contact with Frodo, whose face was full of concern and confusion. “Goodbye,” he whispered.
Then, quick as a flash, he disappeared. Amid the sounds of the astonished guests, Frodo heard Gandalf get up.
“Frodo, what happened?” Peony asked.
“I don’t know.” Was all Frodo could say.
~*~
*REVIEW, PLEASE AND I’LL LOVE YOU FOREVER!!! But only if you’re a guy, preferably between 18-22, and are really cute. I like long moonlit walks on the beach . . . just kiddin’!
