5. Rumours and fires

-No, no, no!
Gromac jumped up from his bed and turned to the side, dropped on the floor and hid against the bed trembling, after a while he relaxed and got up, got onto the bed and covered himself with his blanket. He was haunted by what he had seen that night and he could do nothing for it, except for confronting his fear. Somehow... He decided that he had to and made up his mind that he would, that very night, and fell asleep again. When he woke it was early afternoon, he didn't care though, if he doesn't do it he'll never sleep again, he knew it. Along the path he walked and reached his toolshed, caerfully he examined his tools and tput on his belt, he hanged his hammer from it and took the shovel with the widest and heaviest blade he had. In a piece of cloth he wrapped some meat, bread and cheese and hanged it on the left side of his belt, next to his waterskin, then he walked outside and started swinging the shovel as if hitting his imaginary foes.
The evening found him near Budgeford, waiting for the sun to go down and once it did he walked hurriedly to the forest, he had no lights with him, only his shovel and his hammer as he started to walk up and down the path waiting. He had heard the rumours about the Hobbits being abducted in Oatbarton, so he waited for the Thunderlights to come again, this time for him, as he was expecting all these days...
But nothing came, he started to doze off while walking and two or three times he bumped on rocks, or tripped and when the sun came out he looked up, covering his eyes with his shovel and disappointed he made his way back to Stock. Upon his return he saw everyone in distress, panicked, walking up and down and talking loudly. No one paid attention to him, tired and with swollen eyes Gromac, wearing his casual clothes with a shovel in hand and a hammer on his side, he dragged his feet to the nearest stall with fruits and grabbed an apple. The farmer who owned it didn't seem to care about it, he was talking to another Hobbit, eyes open wide as he listened terrified.
-It was a great fire in the furthest part of Buckland, whoever did it knew what to set fire on, they still don't know how it started. It burned around six houses and three Hobbits and two Men burnt alive. I was by the pier, preparing the Buckleberry Ferry for the next morning when I saw the fire light up the village, I was too far to hear anything but I could see them running and trying to put out the fire.
-They say that they saw someone run towards the Old Forest...
-Others say they saw those Thunderlights this poor fellow saw somewhere on the hills, I don't know, what I know is that I won't get out of my house at night again. Not after dinner.
They both looked at Gromac and then at each other before the labourer of the Buckleberry Ferry left, the farmer forced a polite smile towards Gromac who now was terrified and confused and then went to chat with others. Gromac went to his home and whipped.
-It's all my fault, I brought this evil here... If I didn't hide that night and confront those lights nothing would have happened... Nothing!
Sleep came sweetly and Gromac closed his eyes and slept peacefully through that hard day, when he got up he decided to go to the Golden Perch for some pie amd to learn what happened. It turned out that all the surrounded area was on the watch for the perpetrators. The Bounders doubled their patrols and the Men of Bree had done the same after that fire, they were afraid and it was showing... But still, it was only rumours about lights and thunders, only the fire was real and it could have been anyone or just an accident...