Hobbit Heart

Letters, letters again in our mailbox.. We have come to a point, my wife Amorey and I, that we dread receiving mail. Who will it be from this time? Will it be from one of them nasty people again that try to threaten our happiness?

One day Peppy received a letter from his elven minstrel trainer in Rivendell, the one that healed him in his childhood and who had remained a friend for life. It was this time in his life again, it read, that he was deemed good enough to receive more training. Usually Peppy then went to the most nearby minstrel with a training licence, but this letter urged him to come to the Grand Master of Minstrels himself.

Peppy had learned that for a hobbit it is no use to try and fathom the deeper meanings of elf thought, so he packed for the long journey from Bramblebury to Rivendell.

Peppy walked into the Bird and Baby Inn, eyes gazing straight ahead. Contrary to his habit he did not greet the regular customers but walked straight to the bar. Throwing a handful of silver coins on the wooden surface he said to Carlo Blagrove: "a glass of your strongest, and keep them coming". Carlo shrugged, quickly collected the coins and prepared a mug of Blagrove's Brown which he served to the freckle-faced hobbit. Peppy took a big gulp, slammed the mug down and made a face of disliking. So bitter!