The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure

Chapter 1 ~ Visitors

It was a beautiful morning in the Shire and Bilbo Baggins was waiting for his niece to arrive at Bag End. He was sitting on his small bench smoking smoke rings when a elderly man clad in gray came around Bag End. "Good morning!" Bilbo said to the man.

"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

"Umm. All of those I guess. May I help you?"

"Yes. I am looking for a burglar," said the man, his gray beard swaying in the breeze, "particularly one for an adventure."

"You won't find any burglars here in Bag End nor any adventurers in the Shire. We hobbits are calm folk, ones who stay in our armchairs near the fireplace with a book and a cup of tea. And us Baggins are considered a calm orderly folk. But may I ask, who are you?" Bilbo asked the old man.

"Why, I am Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey. Surely you've heard of me?"

Bilbo sat there thinking for he had heard the name Gandalf before. "Oh I know who you are, you are the man who comes here to show a display of fireworks. I remember you because you came when I was only 7 years old!"

Gandalf did not look particularly happy in that description of him that he made a small frown. Bilbo was nervous he made this man quite unhappy and the staff that Gandalf was carrying looked like no ordinary walking stick.

"Well at least you remember who I am, but I'm not a mere merrymaker with fireworks at hand. I am Gandalf the Grey, a great wizard, friend of elves, men, dwarves, and hobbits. But we must get back to the reason why I'm here. Will you, Bilbo Baggins, join in our adventure and be our burglar?"

Bilbo was quite confused. "Wait wait wait, wait. Who is this 'we' and whom are you speaking of? Even if I wanted to, I have to take care of my niece for the next coming months, maybe a year, so no!" But just then, he heard talking down the road. It was Rose and her parents coming to drop off Primrose and her things. Bilbo looked at where the sounds were coming from and then looked back to where Gandalf is standing. Where Gandalf was standing. He had just merely disappeared! But Bilbo's encounter with the wizard was forgotten by his niece and her parents. "Bilbo, are you alright? You look so sorely confused." Primula said. She was starting to look pregnant but she still looked like she was struggling to walk. Bilbo went to go the gate for his sister, her husband, and their child. Once he got through the gate, Drogo said, "Thank you so much Bilbo for taking care of our daughter. It is busy being a fisherman, having to go out so much and his wife in labor. Once her belly gets swollen, I'll have to postpone work and have to stay with her when she gives birth. I even have to stay with her and the newborn until she's ready to handle two kids at once while I'm out. Oh yes, I forgot to mention to you that she is now nicknamed Prim." The four hobbits went inside and Bilbo guided them to Primrose's new room. Prim grabbed one of the boxes and took it into the room. "I'm sorry Bilbo but I forgot to mention, since Primrose hasn't seen you in awhile, she'll be shy. But she'll warm up to you." Primula said.

"It's alright. We'll be fine. Probably after the first few meals she'll not want to be in a room without me." Bilbo said, adding the little joke at the end.