[Child of the 7th Age]

Bingo sat off on his own a considerable distance from the rest of the group watching as his friends merrily put forward ideas for squelching the Big Folk. One lad boasted that he was a sure match for any big bully and would be glad to offer himself as bait. Bingo wondered if he really believed that or just wanted to impress the others. For the first time since the fight with Falco, Sondo looked happy and confident, revelling in the possibility of pulling off a trick that would humiliate the stupid lugs and guarantee his own position as leader. For most of the hobbits, their return to Buckland no longer seemed a dull and hungry trek northward, but part of a real adventure.

Unfortunately, Bingo was not so happy. He did not want to be thought of as a coward, and he liked the idea of finding some food, but he was also worried about what might happen. Since his own mother hailed from Bree, he had had dealings with the Big Folk, unlike the other hobbits in their group. Even as a youngster, Bingo had journeyed to his grandparents and had visited a number of their larger neighbors. He had liked some of these Big Folk and disliked others, really not too different from how he felt about some hobbits he knew. But he would never think of a big person as automatically stupid. Bingo had met a dumb Man or two, but he had also encountered some very clever fellows, both good and bad, whom he would not care to anger.

Influencing his feelings was the stark fact that ruffians had killed his parents. All his parents’ sharp wits and speed hadn’t prevented them from being slain on the road back from Bree to Brandy Hall. And the kind of Big Folk that Sondo was describing sounded just like the bad ‘uns who had accosted his parents on their journey home. Bingo wanted nothing to do with such miserable and threatening fellows. Immediate flight seemed like the better choice. Perhaps they could shrink into the thick bushes and nettles where the Men’s horses would be hard pressed to follow. He wondered what Reggie was thinking, but his brother had been quite small when their parents had been killed. Maybe he saw it differently and was not so afraid.

Bingo knew he should raise his voice and say something to Sondo, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The others would probably laugh and call him a coward. Overwhelmed with his inability to do anything helpful, Bingo restlessly sprang up, tromped further away, and plopped down in frustration on a small protruding boulder. Suddenly, he felt a tiny tapping on his foot. Squatting down and peering between the bushes, he caught a glimpse of two frightened eyes staring out at him. He bent down lower and looked inside. There was Sassy curled up like a badger inside a hedge. Even this close, he could barely see her.

“Sassy, is that you? It’s Bingo. Me….. Not one of the bad ‘uns. Stick your head out and talk. I don’t like this any better than you. My ma and da were killed by ugly folk like these, and I don’t relish fighting them. I don’t mean to cause trouble. I’m sure Sondo is doing his best. But I’m mighty afraid we’re about to make a very big mistake….”