Crystal had just returned from a long walk through the forest. She felt free and just happy when she suddenly saw a few hobbits leaving Bag End, all seeming to be very excited and talked to each other. She wondered, especially when she heard the words "adventure", "danger" and "bandits" muttered by some of them.
Adventure? Hobbits? That was the last she expected..."I'm sure this is a silly kind of game" she thought. She'd do anything for having an adventure but she knew that most hobbits were straight against it. Adventures were for the Big Folk or all the other peoples but never a Hobbit's business! Very few ever had seen a Dwarf or even an Elf but she had.
Once she had visited some relatives in Bree with her parents when she was a little child and got lost in the rain outside, unable to find the way to the inn they spent the night in. After a terribly long time of running crying through the darkness she was found by a ranger who took her back to her parents. There she met some dwarves, dark and with long beards, they looked frightening. But the ranger had been very nice... She remembered him clearly, mainly because after she told him about loving adventures he had given her a sword...for him it was just a small dagger, but when she held it it looked more like a sword. She loved it even if she never had an opportunity to use it and probably would never have....
When she was about to pass Bag End Bilbo saw her and called "Hello Crystal, dear! How are you?"
She sighed, she had hoped that Bilbo wouldn't notice her. She didn't want to have anything to do with this silly adventure game or whatever it was they were up to...-a real adventure or no adventure at all- but it was too late.
She went back to hear what he wanted.
"I hope this stupid game won't take too long!, " she thought, yet remained silent. But when Bilbo had finished his explanations about the party and the journey through the Shire her opinion changed completely. Well, collecting presents wasn't the most exciting job ever, but still....better than nothing and much better than a game! She smiled when she agreed to join the company but inside she laughed of joy.
[ January 11, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]
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