Chapter 3: Bilbo's birthday & farewell party

It was night over the shire…

Fireworks, displayed by Gandalf, livened up the party. The dancing was extravagant. The music was full of melancholy. Frodo's dancing was the most extravagant of the lot.

A fat hobbit, by the name of Samwise Gamgee, keeps looking at a very beautiful girl hobbit, Rosie, and at the same time looks away, blushing. Bilbo greets some many of his hobbit friends and shakes their hands, welcoming them to his party.

Frodo sits beside Sam, "go on, Sam, ask Rosie for a dance", suggested Frodo.

Alas, Sam was still nervous, "…I think I'll just have another ale". He started to get his drink but…

"Oh no, you don't", Frodo said as he grabbed Sam and threw him on to Rosie. "Go on," said Frodo, chuckling. The couple danced to their hearts content. Frodo laughed immensely.

Gandalf ignited another one of his fireworks, and they sprouted in the shape of spears of light. They scraped the entire floor of the shire.

Bilbo sat by a crowd of hobbit children, telling them one of his adventures:

"So, there I was, at the mercy of three, monstrous trolls…

"And they were all arguing amongst themselves about how they were going to cook us…

"Whether it be turned on a spit…

"Or whether they should sit on us one by one and squash us into jelly!"

One of the children gasped at the statement. Continuing the story…

"Well, and they spent so much time arguing about the whithertos and the whyfores that when the sun's first light crept up over the top of the trees…

Poof!

"…It turned them all to stone." The children gasped in surprise of this story.

Gandalf, giving off more of his mischievous laugh, grabbed more fireworks from his wagon. As he did, two hobbits, with intentions to make trouble, crept from behind one of the tents and went toward the wagon.

"Quick," the hobbit said to his fellow troublemaker as he gave his friend a boost into the wagon.

Gandalf set off his fireworks that formed in the shape of butterflies in front of the hobbit children and they cheered very loudly as they tried to catch the butterfly fireworks. "Happy day!" cheered Gandalf.

The two hobbits continued to burgle the fireworks from the wagon. "No, no! The big one, big one!" the hobbit whispered to his friend. The other hobbit grabbed the largest firework he could find like his friend told him to. It was bright red and huge. The leading hobbit looked around to see if anyone was watching. He took one bite of his apple and left.

The hobbit troublemakers took the firework inside one of the tents and light it. But one of them got nervous about it. "Done!" the hobbit said passing the firework to his friend.

"You're supposed to stick it in the ground!" the other hobbit said passing it back.

"It is in the ground!"

"Outside!"

"That was your idea!"

They were so busy passing the firework back and forth, suddenly…

POOF!

The firework launched, taking the tent with it. The firework's ashes, surprising them dirtied both of the troublemakers' faces. Everyone was astonished and cheered at the sight of the fireworks…

The fireworks changed its shape into the form of a fiery dragon. The hobbits turned their expression of amazement into fear as the dragon dived into the crowd. They ran in a fit of mass hysteria…

Frodo feared for his uncle's life, "Bilbo… Bilbo, watch out for the dragon!"

"Dragon, nonsense! There hasn't been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years!!" said Bilbo as Frodo pulled his uncle with him, ducking before the dragon could reach him.

…The dragon made out of fireworks then climbed into the air again and changed shape again and dissolves into the night. Suddenly…

POOF!

The firework bursts into colorful patterns of light. The hobbits cheered once again so did Frodo and Bilbo.

The troublemakers with ashes all over their faces enjoyed their antics with the fireworks.

"That was good!"

"Let's get another one!" the other troublemaker suggested before someone came behind them and yanked their ears…

"Ahh!" screeched the troublemakers.

It was Gandalf who was yanking their ears, "Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. I might've known."

Meriadoc and Peregrin's punishment was to wash the dishes while Gandalf observed the troublemaker hobbits. Then the people wanted a speech from Bilbo, the birthday man.

"Speech!" everyone and Frodo called out. They clapped their hands as Bilbo began his speech.

"My dear Bagginses and Boffins!" said Bilbo as part of the crowd cheered.

"Tooks and Brandybucks!" The crowd cheered again.

"Grubbs!"

YAAH!

"Chubbs!"

YAAH!

"Hornblowers!" The crowd cheered each time when Bilbo announced the families that were at the party.

And they did so again, again, and again… "Bolgers! Bracegirdles! And Proudfoots!"

"Proudfeet!" called out Mr. Proudfoot as the crowd laughed at the remark.

Bilbo sighed and continued his speech, "today is my 111th birthday!"

"Happy Birthday!" the crowd cheered.

"Alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits!"

The crowd cheered once more…

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like. And I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

The crowd went speechless and confused. They didn't know whether to be flattered or to be insulted. Gandalf, however, smiled and giggled at Bilbo's remark.

Bilbo continued in a much less than enthusiastic voice, "I…" he started as he went into his pocket, and pulled out an object. What is concealed in his hand, the crowd doesn't know…

He put his hands behind his back and continued muttering to himself, "…I… have things to do… "

The crowd put on expressionless faces, even Frodo…

"…I've put this off for far too long," Bilbo mutters to himself even more as the crowd continued to be speechless at his behavior, waiting for him to say something…

…Finally he spoke, "…I regret to announce, this is the end…!

"…I'm going now, I bid you all a very fond farewell…"

The crowd was even more speechless at Bilbo's latest remark. He looked at his nephew, Frodo one last time, "…goodbye."

And then…

…Bilbo vanished. The crowd gasped at what they saw. Gandalf was more than shocked to see Bilbo vanish before his eyes…