It was a rainy October evening in Hobbiton. Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin and I were all gathered in front of the fireplace in the living room of Bag End. We were all sipping at cups of tea and enjoying some biscuits that Frodo had baked not too long ago.

I was sitting beside Merry in a rocking chair, covering myself with a red cotton blanket. My eyes were fixed on the bright orange flames that danced and flickered out of the fireplace. Overtop of me, I heard the sound of raindrops beating down on the roof like a drum. It was quite ominous.

"Looks like we're getting another storm." I said, quietly.

"Aye, Ms. Brianna." replied Sam. "It don't sound too good. It's been the third thunderstorm we've had this month! How am I supposed to do any gardenin'? There's still some weeds in Mr. Frodo's garden that need pulling!"

"It's alright, Sam." Frodo reassured. "I'm sure that you'll be able to get back to your gardening as soon as the storm passes. Maybe tomorrow the weather will be better?"

Sam shook his head in dismay. "I better hope so, Mr. Frodo."

"I hate the rain!" Complained Pippin. "Merry and I were supposed to go to Farmer Maggot's today to get more vegetables!" Pippin set his cup of tea in his lap and reached for a couple of biscuits that were sitting on a wooden tray in front of him. All of a sudden, his cup fell onto the floor with a loud crash, which startled me. It broke into many small shards. The tea had spilled onto the floor, leaving a big brown puddle.

"Oh, Pippin!" Merry grumbled. "Look what you did! You made a mess!"

"I didn't mean, too, Merry!" retorted Pippin. "I was just getting another biscuit! I promise I'll clean it up!"

"You better."

"It's fine, Pippin." Frodo sighed. "I'll take care of it. There should be a broom and some cloths in the kitchen."