EARTHBOUND | the lord of the rings

04 | CHEERS TO A CELEBRATION

Through the thickets of trees, Mags' eyes widened in awe. One would think that almost five years on the road would barely leave the girl surprised, however this thought could easily be disproven.

Mags gazed at the green hills and golden fields ahead of her. From far away, she recognized this place thrived with life and simplicity. Perhaps it was the little fluffy dots of white that roamed freely on the hills, or the most vibrant flowers that could be spotted from a mile away. Just near those flowers, she could make out colorful, circular forms built into the hills. Doors!

"Wow!" she gasped. "You weren't kidding when you said they live in the ground!"

Gandalf smiled and Mags saw a glint of pure fondness in his eyes. "You'll be quite surprised at how many other things this little town has to offer."

And, he was absolutely right. As Mags hopped off Gandalf's moving cart and ran straight to the nearest marketplace, clusters of little people froze and gawked up at her. Even though Gandalf had educated her about these little folks, she couldn't help but be stupefied at their size. They looked like little children, except their faces looked older, confused, and annoyed. Not at all like the cheery children she's met before.

"Oi!" a little man yelled. "What's one of 'em big folk doin' in Bag End?" They all circled around her, tightening her space, like a snake suffocating its prey. The only real threat these people posed to her, however, were curious inspections of her tunics and an overwhelming amount of questions. Mags couldn't find the words to explain, so she froze there, baffled.

Then, Mags saw actual little children join the ring around her. She gasped at how much smaller they were— just barely reaching past the height of her knees. Oh goodness, she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and put on a friendly smile.

"Hello!" Mags shouted atop the chaos. "I'm a traveler, a friend of Gandalf, the Gray!" She expected a warm welcome from them upon hearing Gandalf's name, especially since he was very well-known in these parts, however, they all looked to each other and determined that they were collectively annoyed and pestered her even more.

"The wizard disturbs our peace, yet again," a little man grumbled.

"And here he is stringin' along a strange girl," another said.

"Tell Gandalf that once the party is over, he should be on his merry way away out of here," a little ill-tempered woman hissed. "We don't want any more funny business in the Shire."

"Um, I'll be sure to tell him that," Mags faltered. "But what fun would a party be without a little bit of magic?"

The crowd dissipated and grumbled under the breaths. Mags tilted her head and scrunched her brow. What just happened?

As the girl walked through the small marketplace, going from one store to another, she was blind to all but those looks of judgment. Heads turned in her direction, whispering about this stranger who had no business of being here.

Her muscles tightened and her face dampened with sweat. She wanted to run far away from this small town, yet she kept walking and held her head up high. "Hobbits and their rudeness," she huffed.

"I apologize on behalf of everyone, miss," a tender voice said. Mags looked over her shoulder to find another hobbit approaching her. He had curly, brown curls and a pleasant smile. "It's not often we have visitors here in the Shire."

Mags returned a smile and sighed. "Forgive my words, I'm just a little overwhelmed." She crouched down and held her hand out. "My name is Magnolia. Mags, if you'd like."