|
The young hobbit looked very nervous and even more confused after Bunny performed her tumble. Then Rudy appeared and started to talk to Bunny. During his speech, the stranger's eyes switched from Bunny to Rudy nervously, and it could be told from his expression that his brain is racking. But if the hobbit had any thought of quietly leaving while they were engaged in talk, it was soon dashed. Rudy turned towards him and spoke.
"Hello, sir." he said addressing the hobbit. "You may call me Rudy, and what should I call you?"
The tweenager's face was once again red as if he just came out of warm bath.
"He-hello," he stammered. He had "My name is Mi-Michael." He blushed even more, his face now resembling a dead ripe tomato. "Michael Smallburrow. It's - it's not that I have been following you, miss... sir... I... only remembered I have to visit my friend who lives here..."
He quickly turned away and quaffed off his cup. This way, Bunny and Rudy could not see his teeth was rattling. And what they definitely could not see was the lone traveler's inner struggle: he did not know what to say, how to act now that he was discovered. Of course he had been following them. But what in the Shire did he think? He did not know clearly himself. He was curious, yes, after he heard, back there on the road... and then... but what now? What to do now? His temptation was to just leave it be, forget the group... talk himself out of it and disappear... if only he could... he knew well that that they won't belive him, sure they won't, sure they won't... and now he was already in it...
And then, there was the opposite urge. But he was not courageous enough to tell them, it didn't even cross his mind. Now he wished he did not lie a moment ago. He had no friend at Budgeford whom he should visit. But any possibility of continuing the discussion was ruined now. They will simply say "Ah, so you are just visiting your friend, sorry then", and go away. Why, why did he lie? He will never see them again. And besides that, he felt guilty of lying. He did not lie often, but in situations like that it happened before he could have enough time to think...
And what should he tell them now? He could no longer pretend to be drinking from an empty cup. Please, he thought, let them say something!
|