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“But in all of their arguing, the sun rose and turned them all to stone!”
Lottie gasped in wonder. She’d heard murmurs about Mr. Bilbo Baggins and his miraculous escape from a horde of trolls, but hearing the Hobbit himself tell the story was a new experience entirely.
She always loved Bilbo’s stories. He told her a new one every week when her mother was out grocery shopping, which was a much more interesting way for Lottie to pass her time than to hear her mother chatter endlessly with friends and acquaintances as she selected the vegetables, meats, and herbs that would be used for cooking that week.
“Lottie!”
She paused, wondering if she should respond to her mother’s call, but decided not to. “What happened next?” she asked, hoping that Bilbo hadn’t heard her mother.
“Well,” Bilbo said, “then we crossed the Misty Mountains and fell in with some trolls, but you’ve heard that bit before. How about I tell you about Beorn?”
“Beorn?” Lottie said curiously as she once again ignored her mother’s call. “Who’s that?”
“He’s a skin-changer—a great, tall man who can take the form of a bear,” Bilbo said. “We stayed with him for only a short while, but queer folk dwell in those lands.”
“I want to hear all about them!” Lottie said, leaning forward eagerly.
Bilbo opened his mouth, about to begin, but was cut off by the gasp of a Hobbit woman. “There you are!” she said as she looked down at Lottie.
Lottie looked up at her mother, trying to look as innocent as possible. “Hello,” she said, grinning toothily.
Her mother was having none of it. “Charlotte Lavina Littlefoot!” she exclaimed. “Didn’t you hear me calling?”
Lottie looked up at her mother guiltily. “I wanted to hear the rest of Mr. Bilbo’s story,” she said.
Her mother sighed. “Then in that case, you ask instead of ignoring me. But we haven’t got any more time today—if we don’t hurry home, we’ll miss afternoon tea.”
“Okay,” Lottie said somewhat dejectedly. She was sad to leave without hearing about Beorn, but she did love afternoon tea.
“Thank you for watching her,” she said to Bilbo. “I know she’d much rather be listening to your stories than being dragged from shop to shop as I choose meats and vegetables.”
“Always a pleasure,” Bilbo said before turning his attention to Lottie. “I’ll tell you about Beorn next time, all right?”
“Yes!” Lottie said excitedly as her mother began to shepherd her away. “Goodbye, Mr. Bilbo, and thank you!”
She continued to wave to Bilbo until she could see him no longer, after which she began retelling the story of the trolls to her mother, who listened patiently as she led her imaginative daughter home.