[Regin Hardhammer]

Regin briskly toted an oak bucket filled with water he drew from the well. The cool water made a sloshing sound brushing up against the brim so that trickles streaked down the side as he walked. Suddenly, Regin heard the commanding voice of a young hobbit girl. Quite startled, the dwarf looked up and saw two young haflings lowering a rope ladder from a window.

“ I will be there right away,” yelled Regin. The dwarf dropped his pail on the ground, spilling the water, and rushed to grab the edge of the rope ladder and steady it.

As Regin steadied the rickety rope ladder, the two girls quickly descended one trailing the other. Regin bellowed out as the two hobbits climbed down, “ You two be careful. Wouldn’t want the fragile hobbit lasses to get hurt. Careful now.” They were a whole foot shorter than he was and looked to be a bit thin and spindly by dwarf standards.

A few feet before the middle of the ladder, a frayed rope snapped and the girls tumbled down. Regin caught them both as the ladder fell to the ground. He admonished them halfheartedly, “ Now I told you two to be careful, but does anybody listen to Regin? Oh it wasn’t your fault anyway, that was a decrepit ladder, and it was bound to break any day. Things always break when you most need them, so I suppose now would be the most logical time.”

Regin set the two hobbits down gently onto the ground. The inn burned as people tried to extinguish the fire with the pails of water from the bucket brigades. All he had wanted was a pint of ale; was that too much to ask? Boy, I must have come at a really bad time, just my luck. Plus, some of the folk in the neighborhood were having a hard time finding the Inn, which seemed to him a very strange thing since they were all oldtimers around here.

Regin asked dryly, “ So tell me does this sort of fire thing happen often, or am I just lucky. Are you two all right? Good, I’m glad. You should check your rope ladder before you have to use it for an emergency. Who knows what might have happened if I had not been there to catch you.? I must fight the fire now. Goodbye young hobbits.”

Regin picked up a bucket and started walking towards the well, which was lined with members of the brigade refilling their buckets. Then he remembered something he wanted to ask. Halfway towards the well he set down his empty bucket and turned back towards the two young hobbit girls who were still standing next to the window.

He went over to them and asked, “ By the way, do you know of another little hobbit lass, about as tall as you? I saw her in the kitchen when the fire started; she was making breakfast. I judged from the bunt eggs and charred bacon that she wasn’t too good a cook. She looked like she had never cooked before in her life. I am almost sure that she was the one who started the fire. All this mess over such a little hobbit. It is truly amazing. You don’t know whom I am talking about, do you. Is she a friend of yours?”