Miss Rosemary's Yule

This is a story about a sweet, elderly hobbit lady, Miss Rosemary.

Even though Miss Rosemary had grown quite old, there was no grumpiness in her. On the contrary: she was very sweet, a motherly character loved by all. She was always helpful; be it babysitting, tailoring, dishwashing... She was loved by all.

But above all, Miss Rosemary was known for her spectacular Yule feasts. Each Yule, she arranged a Yule party for all fellow villagers. She served many different dishes during the feast, but the star of the Yule table was her Yule cake. She never used the same cake recipe twice, but always amended the cake a little, and the result was always stunning.

This year, Miss Rosemary wanted to exceed everyone's expectations. She sat in the Great Smials library for days and went through several cook books, trying to find something special. And then she found it: the recipe for the "Cake of True Happiness".
"Sure it can't get any better!" Miss Rosemary thought and copied the recipe with care. Most of the ingredients were easy to get, but one of them was quite special: the wild mountain berries.
The recipe said: "For the cake, only the frozen, wild berries of the western mountains should be used. These can be found on the mountains to the west, one day hike from the Southfarthing."
Miss Rosemary shrugged. "If it brings happiness to all, it must be worth it!"

She started her preparations well in advance, as usual. But every now and then, someone came to ask for help. A small hobbit lass came to ask for a story, so she told her one. Or two… A mischievous hobbit lad needed to have his hat tip repaired, so she mended it. And so on... So she had to postpone her own chores, as she didn't want to say no to others.

Days passed like this, and Yule was getting near. It was a day before the Yule Eve when she realised that she had forgotten about the berries.
"Oh my, and I still have so many chores to do!" she sighed. "But the cake is paramount, I can't disappoint others!" So she packed her bags and departed for the mountain hike.

The journey to the mountains went pretty well, but she could feel how a chilly wind was starting to blow.
"The winter is near", she concluded. "We might get snow soon."
Using the instructions in the recipe, Miss Rosemary found the berries on the mountain cliffs. They were frozen and dried up, but it didn't matter, they were in perfect condition for the cake. Miss Rosemary smiled and picked up as many as she needed.

But the journey home wasn't an easy one. The snow began to fall heavily. It was already Yule eve, the day when the feast was supposed to take place. But Miss Rosemary was still on her way, fighting through the snowy winter storm. Even an old, wise hobbit can get lost in a storm like that, as did Miss Rosemary. She was standing in the middle of a dark forest and had no idea where she was. She started to feel afraid; it was cold. "I am such a fool," she thought. "It is cold and dark, and I cannot stay here. No one will ever find me here."

Then, Miss Rosemary saw some movement between the trees – a strange figure. When it came closer, she saw that it was a small man, even smaller than a hobbit. He had the pointiest hat and longest beard Miss Rosemary had ever seen.
"Hullo there!" Miss Rosemary said. "I am so glad to meet you, Mister...?"
But the little man didn't say a word, he just stared at Miss Rosemary, with no expression on his face.
Miss Rosemary didn't mind. "I am afraid that I am lost... Would you be so kind and show me the way to Southfarthing, my home?"
The little man stared Miss Rosemary for a while. Then he picked a small bottle from his pocket and took a long sip, which made him hiccup. Then the little man turned and started to walk away. Miss Rosemary watched him walk. The little man stopped and beckoned Miss Rosemary to follow. And she followed.

The little man led her through the forest and fields, determined and without a word. From time to time, he stopped to take a quick sip from its bottle and hiccupped along. Whoever the little man was, he seemed to know the route: finally, Miss Rosemary could see her burrow! When she approached it, she realized how many chores she had undone... And it was time for the feast, and she hadn't even baked the cake.
"Oh well, at least I am not lost anymore," Miss Rosemary thought.
She turned to thank the little man, but he was gone.

But when she reached her burrow, she could see light streaming out the windows, there was voices and music... As she stepped in, everyone started to cheer! The other villagers had arranged a party for her!
"You are always so helpful to us," they said. "That is why we wanted to arrange a Yule feast for you!"
Miss Rosemary blushed. "I am sorry that I couldn't finish my cake this year, the 'Cake of True Happiness!'"
The villagers smiled. "That recipe in the library? It was a part of our plan to get you away from your burrow! We wanted to send you away, so that we could arrange everything and surprise you."
"And what about the little man?" Miss Rosemary asked. "The one who led me home?"
The villagers looked baffled. "What are you talking about?"
Miss Rosemary scratched her head, but then she laughed.
"That must have been my poor sight! Probably just a squirrel I saw..."

The feast was wonderful and lovely. In the morning, Miss Rosemary woke up happy and wanted to take a peek outside. The ground was covered in snow, all was peaceful... Then she saw the empty bottle on her porch. The same bottle the little man had carried... And there were small footprints...

She started to follow the small footprints that led out from her yard. On and on she went, all the way to the village of Bramblebury. The footprints led to a yard, and there, a small garden dwarf stood in the snow. Miss Rosemary was sure that the dwarf was still having a hiccup.
The End.