Hobbit We Three Kings Tilda's Bedtime Story Part 1

I did this the next day, and the day after that, and the day after for a whole week, I collected strawberries along the river. There was so many strawberries growing there that summer that I wasn't ever going to run out.

Until one day, I went up the river and all the strawberry patches were empty. All the strawberries were gone. Just gone. The day before there was little red spots as far as I could see up and down the river, but that day there was nothing. Confused and disappointed I went about my work dropping off the new barrels when I noticed there was a bit of red further into the woods.

Aha, there was strawberries still growing in the woods, whatever had eaten all of the strawberries by the river hadn't touched those ones at all.

But those strawberries were in the woods, only a few feet or so in there but still definitely what would count as entering the woods should I go in after them. After standing there debating this with myself for a few minutes I decided to chance it. Those were after all the best strawberries I'd ever had. It would be worth it, and if I keep the river in sight on my left I wouldn't get lost which was the only reason I was forbidden to enter the woods.

Probably.

Moving from patch to patch I filled my bag with strawberries, my trouser pockets with strawberries, my coat pockets with strawberries and when I ran out of places to put strawberries on my person, I filled myself with the strawberries. I ate more strawberries that afternoon then any person, adult or child ever should.

As I turned to leave the woods I heard a noise behind me. Thinking to myself 'Oh I hope it's a not a bunch of Elves that are mad at me for entering the woods and going to give me a talking to' I turn around and nope it's not Elves but this big spider standing in front.

Seriously the biggest spider I had ever seen, roughly the size of a pug standing before me. I looked at him and he looked at me, and then he said 'Straaawwbeeerrrieess'.

Of course it was the spiders that had eaten all the strawberries along the shore and now he was looking to eat me, as I had all their strawberries.

I took one more look at him and told him 'Ahh you're cute but no begging' and kicked him in the face. He went flying away through the woods and I turned back to walk towards the river.

'Straaawwbeeerrrieess'

I turned back around again and now there's two spiders standing there. So I kicked both of them and went flying away through the woods. A few minutes later as I hear another noise behind me and now there's three spiders there. So I kick two of them and shot the other with an arrow. This time I decide I should probably walk a bit faster to the river, when I hear another noise and turning around a find yup, four spiders. This time I shot all of them and start running towards the river.

As I'm running, I hear more and more noises behind me, the sound of multiple little spider legs running after me, all of the them saying 'Straaawwbeeerrrieess'. I shoot as many as I can, but I run out of arrows before the woods runs out of spiders.

I throw my knife at them, but I only have one knife and the woods definitely has more spiders then I had knives for them.

I keep running for the river, because even if the spiders are brave enough to leave the shadows of the trees they'll never, ever enter the water. Spiders can't swim but I can swim very well, thank you very much. It will be no contest.

Just then front of me this huge shape drops down from the trees in front of me, and I'm thinking 'okay now, that is the biggest spider I've ever seen' but it wasn't a spider at all.

It was an Elf. A red-headed Elf wearing a green hood and a green cloak. She pulled out a bow and started shooting the spiders behind me. Unlike me the Hooded Elf had more arrows then the woods had spiders, and she quickly did away with them.

As we walked back to the river I thanked her for her help with the spiders and she asked me why I had gone into the woods, didn't I know it was filled with spiders? I told her "No, I thought I just wasn't allowed to go in in case I'd be unable to find my way out again."

She said "No, it's because of the spiders."

She then asked me what I was doing in the woods and I told her I was picking strawberries.

"Of course" She said "Spiders love strawberries. Why didn't you just throw the strawberries you had at them? They would have left you alone."

"I can't do that" I exclaimed "the strawberries are inside of me!"

"I mean the ones in your bag and in your pockets" She said, laughing and pointing at my coat, which now featured strawberries juice smooshed through my pockets. Ah yes, of course. I had forgotten about those. 

I said good-bye to the Hooded Elf and thanked her again. When I got back to Lake-Town I had more then enough strawberries to make pies for all of my friends and neighbours.

They were the best pies anyone had had in a long time.