Arlo Proudfoot was not very happy.
He had been expecting to have a nice relaxing Saturday afternoon, reading poetry in his garden’s warm afternoon sun, enjoying soft freshly baked bread with a nice thick spread of jam for tea time.
Instead, he had been picked as one of five Hobbit delegates for the multi-race debates discussing recent local dragon activity, spent all day in a dour dwarven hall, and during a rushed, nearly forgotten break, had been given slightly stale toast for tea with only a stingy smear of jam.
If only the curious young dragons would bugger off.
This story was inspired by the Carrot Ranch prompt for February 13, 2023: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a smear of jam. Is it across a slice of toast, a white shirt, or something unexpected? The jam could be the focus or detail that ads a twist. Who are the characters with the jam and where are they situated in space and time? Go where the prompt leads!
A hobbit’s life is hard when it interfere’s with second breakfast and tea time!
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One of my (many) favourite quotes from The Hobbit: “We are plain and quiet folk, and I have no use for adventures. Nasty, disturbing, and uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner.”
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Good to read of the hobbits and their activities
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Gotta check in with the hobbits every so often!
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Yes they are a great group of people
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Pulls us right into their fantasy world. Lovely immersive story – nothing beats teatime! 🙂
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Teatime is really not a thing over here in Canada (we simply have lunch at noon and dinner at 6ish), except for specific high tea parties for fun, so many of us really romanticize the idea of it. Which means we do not like it when poor innocent Hobbits have a disappointing teatime, lol 😝
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Tolkien knew his good stuff 😉 ☕🍰
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Also C.S. Lewis. I remember first reading the tea scenes with Mr. Tumnis and with the Beavers, and being totally enchanted, very fondly.
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🏃🏃♀️🐺
‘Do you think we’ll need jam?’
‘Only if the Witch serves toast!’ 🙄
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😝
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Hope they brought with them some Longbottom Leaf from Bree…
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Quite likely did!
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So disappointing when Arlo’s original plans were so lovely! Great take on the prompt, Nicole! 💞 💞 💞
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Thanks, Dawn. He did have a good plan, didn’t he?
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💞
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I love this touch of whimsey with Arlo the Hobbit. Dragon tending is hard work!
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Thanks, Colleen! It was a fun one to write.
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I love fantasy… so it was a lovely read!
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Love this! You’ve made me want to write about the world of Hobbits—such a rich place to visit.
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I’d love to read something that this story inspired!
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I’ll let you know if I manage to write it!
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Please do!
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