365

mar.6.22

Rain pelted the earth with anger and relentlessness. It was bonechilling and unforgiving, falling in waves over The Shire.

A girl, drenched and nearly drowning, staggered along the muddy footpaths and trails; she didn't know where she was. One moment, she thought she was going to sleeping her bed after a depressive episode, and the next, here she was, drowning in this terrible rain. She was dressed in the clothes she wore to bed last night after collapsing in bed: a worn oversized hoodie, sweat pants, and her well used tan leather heeled boots. She was too angry and broken to move after that; she felt used and worthless.

Now, she didn't know where she was, and she didn't know where to go. All she knew, was she wasn't at her apartment, in the miserable city she was forced to call home.

She saw doors embedded in the green hillsides she passed, but they looked vacant. If they weren't vacant, she thought, the owners were probably sleeping.

Up ahead rested a round green door; she saw candlelight from the windows inside. Staggering further, forcing her frozen muscles to move, she limped up to the door; logic, and the surprising will to live, was telling her she needed to get out of the rain, even if only for a moment. Her lungs felt like they were collapsing. She wasn't sure if she was crying, but she felt like crying her frustrations and fears outloud.

She fell to her knees against the door. Trying to form a strong fist, she attempted to knock; she couldn't hear anything over the rain hammering against her skin.

The door opened, and she fell on the floor.

"My word!" exclaimed a voice from inside; she felt a warm blanket around her shoulders, and strong arms help her up and inside. The door closed behind her, and she leaned back against the door. The sound of the rain was distant now. She heard the gentle crackle of a fireplace nearby.

Warm hands held her face, gently moving it from side to side. "You're chilled, damn it; and you're frozen!" Her eyes found a blurry figure kneeling in front of her. He had soft sandy hair, and slightly pointed ears. She squinted at the figure, not believing what her eyes were seeing. "I'll get you some dry clothes, I'll be right back!"

The figure with the pointed ears disappeared then. He moved too quickly to her to keep up. She tried taking in her surroundings: she seemed to be in a house of some sort, with rounded rooms. It felt welcoming. And warm.

Her breathing slowed; aside from freezing, it was easier to breathe. She heard footsteps getting louder, and soon enough, the figure with the pointed ears was kneeling in front of her. He held a folded stack of dry clothes.

"C'mon; up you get." Once she was standing, he guided her to a room down the hall, his arm around her waist; she clung to the heat of his body. "You can dry off, and change into these clothes – they should fit you. I'll be out here, and once you're all dry, I'll make you a warm cup of tea, some food, and you can warm yourself by the fire. Okay? Then maybe, we can talk. But first, change out of those freezing wet clothes." A soft smile appeared on his face, just before he closed the door.

The girl exhaled, and tried changing her clothes and drying off; it took longer than she wanted it to, since her legs didn't want to work. She changed into the clothes given to her: a grey shirt that was loose and black pants. Wrapping her wet clothes in the towel, she opened the door.

As promised, the figure with the pointed ears was there; his arm was around her then. Again, she clung to the warmth and gentleness of him. As he guided her toward what she assumed was a living room – and where the crackle of the fire grew stronger and smelled of sweet birch – he took her soaked clothes from her. He sat her down in front of the fire, and placed a warm cup of tea in her hands.

"It's spiced apple," he said as she watched it carefully; he laid the wet clothes on the stones in front of the fire to dry them. "Now, some food." He disappeared to another room for a mere moment, and came back with a plate of food. "And this is some sweet fruits, vegetables from the garden, a honey cake, and some biscuits." He placed the plate on a stack of books beside her; he grabbed a blanket that had been folded over the back of an arm chair, and draped it over her shoulders, before sitting beside her. He held the plate out to her, and held her mug of tea when she accepted it.

The girl met his eyes; she didn't even know him and he was being so nice to her. She'd never known this feeling before. "Thank you, mister...?"

He smiled. "Baggins. Bilbo Baggins. And you are?"

She smiled back at him. "Lullaby Taylor."

His eyes looked her over. "You're not a hobbit?"

"A what?" she asked slowly.

Bilbo exhaled then. "I believe we have a lot to talk about. But first, warm up, eat, drink. We'll get to the talking after you warm up." He stood up then, placing her tea beside her. "I'm going to see if there's anything else I can bring you. Let me know if you'd like anything else; I won't be far away."