A week has passed since my last entry and so much has happened since. It all started the very next day. I was woken by a tickling of my nose, which may have been the sunrays promising a warm and pleasant summer day - but it may also have been the most delicious smell of catfish pies. When I came into the kitchen, I couldn't believe my eyes. On every spot you can imagine there was a catfish pie for cooling. The table was full of them, and so were the chairs (except for one, which I immediately used to collapse on), the sideboard, the mantelpiece, the window sills - catfish pie everywhere.
"The dwarves have ordered most of them, they are having guests" Ma explained while taking another one out of the oven. "Could you perhaps bring them over? After you had one yourself, that is. The one on the log holder might be cool enough for eating now. And then, I'd be glad if you could bring some to Bungo. They don't have proper fishing grounds over there in Michel Delving, so he's usually having meals without fish in them, can you imagine? What a terrible thing!" she said, manoeuvring a pie through the iron chains onto the chandelier.
That was the first surprise of the day, and the next waited for me at the dwarves. "Look who's coming!" shouted Ulfar when he saw me, and I had just only put my baskets down when someone grabbed me from behind. I was lifted up and whirled around in the air, and I was just about to practice some of the dwarves' swear words I had learned lately, when I realised who it was. Bjorngrimm! Good old Bjorngrimm had arrived. He put me down gently and I swear I saw a tear in the corner of his eye when he said "My little hobbit lass". That was about the utmost emotional release I ever saw on a dwarf. Towards anything other than ore, that is.
All through the years of my childhood, Bjorngrimm had been a frequent guest in the dwarves' house of Needlehole. He came at least twice a year and since I was an even more frequent visitor (about twice a day) he kind of saw me grow up. Usually he had something for me in his backpack, strangely coloured or weird shaped stones, rare flowers, and even a piece of elvish Lembas once. Now he just acted as if he had not seen me for ages - while we had just parted about a week ago in the Prancing Pony. He was the one I had been travelling with.
Several months ago he had told me he was going to Breeland and beyond, and that he still was looking for another dwarf to do the cooking and to help him with the ore - but they were all off into the opposite direction. So I suggested I could go with him. Food and ore were two things I was quite good with. Ma was not pleased at all, but she let me go when I told her I wanted to find out where Pa had gone and if he was still alive.
It was a great morning, telling Ulfar, Onar, and the others about our adventures, and having a second catfish pie. And Bjorngrimm was happy to hear I was heading for Michel Delving afterwards, because he was going to the Lone Lands. He accompanied me as far as Waymeet before our ways had to part again.
Uncle Bungo was happy about the catfish pies; he said he missed the Needlehole food terribly. But it was a busy day in the auction hall, so I could not talk to him for too long. On my way out I walked right into the next surprise - but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Auntie Iris is waiting for Ma and me with the afternoon tea - and hopefully some of those biscuits.
