Halflings

Chapter Four

~ Chapter Four: Picnics and Fishing ~

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Bilbo had felt extremely sorry for the young girl, living alone in that house. He asked her to live with them, but she assured them that she would be fine on her own. Bilbo and Frodo had left her alone for two weeks, not seeing a trace of her. One day, Bilbo went up to his nephew.

"Frodo my lad, have you heard anything about Esmeralda?"

He sighed sadly. "No, Uncle."

"How about you invite her to lunch or something?"

He gave it some thought. "Alright, a picnic would be nice today. I'll leave a note at her door. I'll invite Merry, Pippin and Sam too."

Bilbo smiled. "I'll start making your lunches then."

"Oh no, Uncle. You don't have to do that, I can do it."

"Nonsense! Just go and invite your friends!"

Frodo smiled, then nodded. He dashed off to his room, then quickly wrote a note. It read,

"Dear Esmeralda, please meet me and our friends at Bilbo's tree for a picnic in two hours. Sincerely, Frodo."

Then, he skipped out the door.

"I'll be back soon, Bilbo!"

Frodo happily walked down the road, first stop was Esmeralda's house. On the way, he saw some beautiful flowers growing. They were in vibrant colors, ranging from pink, to red, to purple, to blue, and to orange. Frodo picked some, to where he had a large bouquet of flowers. He rummaged in his pocket for string, and tied them up. Then, he arrived at her doorstep. He placed the flowers down, and then the note on top. Then, he knocked on the door, and quickly ran across the road, into the bushes. A few moments later, Esmeralda opened the door. Frodo watched as she looked around, then to the ground. She softly picked up the flowers, and smelled them. Then, she read the note. He watched as her lips quickly turned into a smile, before placing the note her pocket. She hugged the flowers to herself, then glanced around one more time before going inside. Frodo's heart was pounding, and his cheeks turned red. He felt so happy that he able to make her smile.He jumped out of the bush, and began to walk to Sam's house. He invited him, and told him that he can bring Rosie along if he'd like. After that, he invited Merry and Pippin.

An hour and a half had passed by the time he got home. Bilbo had a lot of food wrapped up in a large basket, sitting on a folded blanket. Bilbo was sitting at the table, eating his lunch, when Frodo walked in.

"Frodo my lad!" Bilbo acknowledged, with his mouth full.

"Hello, Bilbo." Frodo said. "Everyone's going!"

"That's great!" Bilbo said, before his nephew opened the basket to look inside.

There lay many sandwiches, along with a large canteen of tea, a small watermelon, and a container full of chocolate muffins. There were also cups, plates, napkins, and a knife.

"Bilbo, you didn't have to do all this." Frodo said in awe.

"Oh hush. I just want you all to have a good time."

Frodo smiled, then ran up to him to hug him. "Thank you, Uncle."

Bilbo patted his back, then pulled away. "Now shoo. I'm eating."

Frodo giggled, then grabbed the basket and blanket.

"I'll see you later today!" 

Bilbo nodded, before Frodo walked out the door. He walked for a few minutes, until he reached a giant tree. He unfolded the blanket, and laid it on the ground, underneath the tree branches which were giving shade. After Frodo had placed the basket in the middle, he laid down on the soft blanket. He pulled out a book, and began to read.