The Pumpkin Festival In The Shire (Part 2 Of 2)

Tonight, we continue our journey from Part 1 ('Autumn In The Shire'), harvesting your prized pumpkin, and bumping into your old wizard, before enjoying the festivities of the Pumpkin Festival, where you will meet a brand new companion...

Music by Liborio Conti and Enlightened Audio, with detailed and immersive sound effects,

Transcript

A warm welcome to part two of Halloween in the Shire.

Tonight you will finish your harvest with your lovely halfling Samwise,

Before experiencing all the magic of the magnificent Pumpkin Festival,

Where you will meet a brand new companion.

Begin by making yourself nice and comfortable where you are and give yourself permission to let go of everything tonight,

This is your story and your adventure.

And when you are ready,

Just allow the eyelids to feel heavier and heavier until they gently close.

Before we begin,

We will do a short guided breathing pattern called 3-4-5,

This will allow you to slow down and relax,

Preparing your body and your mind for a wonderful peaceful rest.

When you are ready,

Breathe in through the nose for three,

Hold for four,

And breathe out for five,

Let all of it go now,

Again that's in for three,

Hold for four,

And release,

Blowing away the thoughts of yesterday,

Today and tomorrow,

Again in for three,

Hold,

And let it go.

Continue to breathe in this way in your own time,

And with each breath out,

Allow your body to sink just that bit deeper into your mattress.

And now,

Allow the breath to fall back into a natural rhythm.

Enjoy this new relaxation flowing through your body,

Allow your mind to soften and for your imagination to come alive as you continue your middle earth adventure and enjoy the pumpkin festival in the shire.

You wake up in the early evening,

Lying just outside the lavender fields on the borders of the shire.

The sun has already started its slow descent,

Illuminating the sky in a deep red and orange with tinges of blue and pink.

Flashing memories of your adventure here quickly run through your mind.

You remember being greeted by your lovely halfling,

Samwise,

Before a gentle journey on Bill the Pony through the heart of the shire.

You rode through the autumn markets and passed by many halflings with their prized pumpkins.

You took an enchanted rowboat through a woodland clearing where you were greeted by Deer and Stag and their young fawns watching over you on your passage.

And now,

Here you are,

Ready to continue on your adventure.

As you gaze sleepily around this beautiful landscape,

You see your halfling companion perched on the riverbank,

Dipping his feet into the cool waters and puffing away on his long pipe.

Samwise turns to you with a smile,

Happy to see that you're finally awake.

He hands over a large branch to use as a walking stick and asks with a glint in his eye if you are ready to harvest the prized pumpkin.

With a new excitement,

You climb to your feet and splash your face with the refreshing water of the river.

Together you clamber over a small stile leading to a track road that curves away from the lavender fields and towards a huge allotment not too far off in the distance.

Stick in hand,

You start your hike away from the setting sun and away from the lapping waters of the river.

The sleepy scent of lavender slowly fades now and you are greeted by fresh country air,

Long meadow grass and the touch of an autumn breeze in the early evening.

You find that just being in the countryside,

Away from all of the noise,

That your thoughts have slowed completely and your mind is clear.

Your journey takes you to the right now and through a thin grassy tunnel where trees line the pathway.

Instantly you are greeted by a beautiful blend of smells.

There is the scent of oranges,

Lemons and limes and below the trees are bushes of fresh herbs,

Rosemary,

Thyme and sage,

Tarragon,

Parsley and fresh mint.

Your senses are dancing with delight at this concoction of delicious smells and you walk at a slower pace now,

Just taking in every little detail of this wonderful world.

Before you know it,

You arrive at a little wooden gate and as you step through,

Behind your trusty halfling,

You are met by a breathtaking sight.

In front of you is an infinite sea of orange pumpkins,

Pulsing with an enchanting radiance.

They are lined up perfectly with the smallest at the front,

Getting progressively larger each row back.

You wander through the pumpkin patch and marvel at the beautiful display all around you.

Samwise turns to you with a proud smile,

Confessing that he wasn't quite expecting the harvest to be as good as this.

He walks behind you now and gently covers your eyes with his hands,

Telling you not to peek.

Suddenly you stop and,

After the count of three,

Sam lifts his hands.

Your jaw drops and your eyes widen with amazement.

Standing strong at four feet high and three feet wide is the biggest pumpkin that you have ever seen.

The stalk glows with bright emerald and there is a faint gold dust layered into the beautiful,

Bright orange.

The smell radiating from the prized pumpkin is utterly divine.

You wonder how on earth you are going to get this enormous vegetable back to the Shire and as if hearing your thoughts,

Samwise reappears from behind the pumpkin,

Pushing an equally large wheelbarrow and beaming from ear to ear.

There is a faint inscription on the side of the wheelbarrow,

Property of the Grey Pilgrim,

Do not touch.

With a raise of your eyebrows,

You look suspiciously at your lovely halfling.

After a second of silence,

The two of you burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter and Sam insists that he is looking after the wheelbarrow for the old wizard,

Only for safe keeping,

Mind you.

He tells you that this is a magic wheelbarrow,

Of course,

And anything that you carry inside it becomes as light as a feather.

With a renewed hope,

You take one of the small axes from the wheelbarrow and together you carefully chop at the root of this enormous pumpkin.

Once free,

You get behind it and gently push.

Slowly the pumpkin begins to roll and as soon as it touches the lip of the wheelbarrow,

It becomes completely weightless.

You roll the pumpkin into the wheelbarrow and you each take a handle.

You stroll with ease through the pumpkin patch,

On a different route now,

And back towards the rolling hills of home.

On your journey back to the Shire,

You pass through a new field housing bushes of fresh fruit and you are met by another concoction of tantalizing smells.

You pass by luminous red strawberries,

Bright blueberries and big juicy raspberries,

All are ripe and ready for picking.

You share a smile with your halfling and together you take a couple of fruit each to enjoy on this sunset stroll.

With your first bite,

You are met with a sweet and refreshing sensation dancing across your tongue.

Somehow the fruit is almost cold and this only adds to the freshness and delicious taste.

The last light of the sun is fading over the furthest hill now and the sky has turned from a rich orange and red to a deep purple as the soft glow of dusk greets you.

This is a picture perfect moment and a memory that you will never forget.

As you edge closer to the Shire,

The field turns onto a track road and you arrive at a large gate.

Waiting for you there is none other than your wonderful wizard,

The Grey Pilgrim.

He looks at you both with a mischievous raise of his eyebrows and glances suspiciously at his wheelbarrow.

Samwise smiles sheepishly and turns bright red,

But the wizard simply chuckles and brings you both into a tight embrace.

He compliments you on your rather impressive pumpkin this year,

But he warns you not to get your hopes up and,

Stepping aside,

He reveals his new wheelbarrow,

Far bigger than yours,

And resting on top is an unbelievably huge object covered with a large grey blanket.

It is suspiciously pumpkin-shaped and you hear Samwise let out an audible gulp.

But that's enough of competition,

The wizard says,

Patting you on the shoulder,

And he offers to walk you back to the village square.

Samwise,

Still wide-eyed and rather flummoxed,

Nods vacantly and together the three of you journey back over the last hill,

Once again approaching the heart of the Shire.

You cannot deny the instant comfort that being close to your wonderful wizard provides,

And even the gentle touch of his hand on your shoulder makes you feel completely safe.

It isn't long before you are all chatting away as normal.

You share stories of adventure and reminisce on wonderful memories together.

And before you know it,

The three of you are all laughing together as old friends do,

Thinking nothing of the competition that awaits.

The wizard leans down and whispers in your ear that he has brought a very special guest with him tonight,

And that they are extremely eager to meet you.

Butterflies fill your stomach now as you wonder who this mysterious guest could be.

Above,

Many stars begin to reveal themselves,

Pulsing in a beautiful glitter,

And the luminous silver moon has replaced the setting sun,

Creating a perfect spotlight on the track road ahead.

As you bank to the left and round one last corner,

You arrive in the village square to a collection of beautiful festive lights,

Dazzling in green,

Orange,

And blue.

The lights encompass a series of market stalls,

Which are as busy as ever,

Selling all sorts of trinkets,

Toys,

And wares from across the land.

There are children playing together,

Drawing pictures with their magical sparklers,

Or racing up and down the track lanes.

You are greeted by the smell of bread baking,

Pumpkin-spiced hot chocolate,

Sweet toffee apples,

Fresh ale,

And mulled wine.

You and Sam share a look of complete wonder.

No matter how many times you spend Halloween in the Shire,

It never ceases to amaze you.

Suddenly,

You realize your wizard has disappeared,

And as you turn to find him,

You see your old friend slumping down on a wooden bench,

Wearing a displeased look under his bushy grey eyebrows.

Directly in front of him is a notice board hammered into the grass.

The sign reads,

After thorough consideration by the Underhill Committee,

It has been determined that in the spirit of fairness,

There will be no magic permitted in this competition.

Therefore,

Any wizards are henceforth denied entry into the pumpkin harvest.

However,

They are still very much invited to celebrate with us,

And any fireworks that might be lurking in their carriage are always welcome.

Despite having an obvious advantage,

You cannot help but feel a touch sorry for your old wizard,

And you offer him a tight hug to cheer him up.

You hear him grumble under his breath,

Something about unreliable halflings drinking too much of the gaffer's home brew,

And you try unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh.

You stop yourself,

Worried that you might have offended your wizard,

But in the next moment you hear that deep,

Bellowing laugh that you know so well,

And he picks you up on his shoulder,

Giving you a quick spin as the two of you share an infectious laughter.

Your wizard places you back down on the grass and announces that all is well,

All is well.

It was fun while it lasted,

He admits,

But his competing days are done,

And he is happy to stick to his fireworks from now on.

He might even have a trick or two up his sleeve tonight,

He tells you,

Giving a subtle wink.

In the next moment,

Two more halflings arrive and collect your prized pumpkin,

Wheeling it down into the party field,

Ready for judging.

With a new excitement,

You and Samwise follow behind your wizard,

Who leads you over to the top of the party field.

You make your way through the gate and down a shallow green hill,

Illuminated by the silver spotlight of the moon.

As you arrive into the party field,

There are bustling crowds of halflings,

Talking and laughing together,

And sharing stories as they walk between the sea of orange pumpkins,

Examining all of this year's entries.

The party tree stands tall and majestic as the constant guardian of this enchanted land.

It is peppered with lights of gold and blue,

And these coupled with the rich emerald leaves creates a beautiful blend of color that ripples in its own hypnotic rhythm.

Over to your left is a single wooden stall,

Topped with a white canopy,

And the scent of fresh pumpkin soup drifts over to you.

Your tummy rumbles,

And with nothing but supper on your mind now,

You wander over to the stall,

Followed by your companions.

As you approach the stall,

You are met by an elderly halfling,

Giving you a warm smile.

Pumpkin soup,

Is it?

She says with a gentle voice.

You nod happily and watch wide-eyed as she lifts the lid on an enormous cauldron,

Bubbling away with an enchanted orange liquid,

And glowing with a soft starlight,

Giving off the most delicious smell.

The gentle halfling fills a big wooden bowl,

And a rich steam rises from the rim.

But before you can pay,

A small bag of coins lands on the wooden counter next to you,

And as you turn to look,

You are met by a face that you have never seen before.

In front of you stands a rugged dwarf.

He has thick black stubble and long flowing hair,

With two or three braids coming down to his shoulder.

He wears a dark blue cloak,

And carries a small mug of ale.

Before saying a word,

He pays the kind old halfling for your supper,

And gestures for you to join him at the nearby table.

You take a hesitant look at your wizard,

Who offers you a smile,

Reassuring you that this is the special guest he mentioned,

And that you would do well to join him,

For if things go smoothly,

Then another adventure awaits you.

You follow behind this new mysterious figure,

And come to the large wooden table.

You sit in silence,

And begin to enjoy your delicious pumpkin soup.

After a brief moment,

The dwarf holds out a hand,

And with a thin,

Proud smile,

Introduces himself as king beneath the mountain.

Not meaning to be rude,

You kindly ask which mountain he would be king of.

The dwarf gives a steely glance to the wizard,

Before letting out a low chuckle,

And taking a sip of his ale.

Well,

That would be Erebor,

The Lonely Mountain,

He says,

Although you are not to let that name put you off.

Underneath this single,

Solitary peak are the great halls of his kin,

And there you will find the grandest feasts in all of Middle-earth.

Never mind the dainty,

Elven banquets,

He tells you,

For it is only the kingdom of the dwarves who know how to feast,

And perhaps the folk of the Shire,

He adds with a stammer,

After a hard nudge from your wizard.

This dwarf,

At times,

Has a face of steel,

And is certainly proud,

Almost intimidating.

However,

Underneath this hard exterior,

You sense an undeniable warmth,

And a truly good heart.

The Dwarven King explains that the reason he is here is to extend an invitation to you.

He would like to host you beneath the mountain,

In the great halls of Erebor,

Where you can feast by the fire,

And listen to tales of adventure,

And dance with dwarves until daybreak.

The wizard tells you that the sight of the lonely mountain is like nothing you have ever seen before,

Or will likely see again,

And that the dwarves are particularly good hosts.

If not a little rowdy,

At times,

He mumbles under his breath.

You thank the king for his invitation,

And you would be delighted to accept.

You are met with a rousing pat on the shoulder,

And a beaming smile that reveals the true,

Gentle nature of this otherwise steely dwarf.

As you continue to enjoy your dinner,

The four of you chat away,

Sharing stories of adventures,

Mischief,

And beautiful banquets.

And your dwarven companion has a kingly glow around them now,

A soft golden radiance.

As the flowing conversation continues,

You allow your mind to wander.

You begin to imagine the enchanted Erebor,

Wondering what these ancient dwarven halls might look like,

And you paint a picture in your mind of the feast of champions that awaits you there.

All of a sudden,

There is a call for attention,

And the party field falls silent as a stout old halfling stands on the middle table,

Addressing the crowd.

They announce that the judging is almost complete,

And the panel have decided on three finalists.

With a gesture,

He draws the crowd's attention to the corner of the field,

Which has been illuminated with hundreds of golden fairy lights.

Three pumpkins are perched on their own pedestal.

With a cry of joy,

You see that your pumpkin is among them.

Samwise brings you into a warm hug,

And the two of you jump up and down together,

Dancing with delight.

The announcer tells you that the winner will be revealed right after the firework display,

And with those words,

You feel your stomach flip with a new excitement.

Your old wizard shuffles into the middle of the field,

And insists that actually there will be no fireworks after all.

He is met with a unanimous groan from the crowd,

But then,

With a sharp turn of his head,

Your wizard calls out that tonight,

He has something even better.

Pure magic.

In the next moment,

He plants his staff firmly in the ground,

And it begins to pulse with a beautiful golden orb.

The orb grows bigger,

And turns from gold,

To silver,

To emerald,

And sapphire.

Suddenly,

The orb shoots up into the sky,

And erupts silently,

Sending a golden flash across the sky,

And illuminating the party field with a heavenly glow.

As the light begins to fade,

You are met by an incredible collection of color,

Rippling through the night in waves of flamboyant stardust.

There are patterns of orange with sapphire,

Gold and emerald,

And scarlet with silver.

And then,

The deep black night becomes a blank canvas for your wizard,

And his magic begins to Swooping out of the night is a fleet of golden-brown eagles in the style of an old watercolor painting.

Their wings beat fluidly,

And you can almost hear them calling out to you.

They glide effortlessly up into the night,

And fly together in a tight group.

Suddenly,

The color explodes,

And there is now a golden flash across the sky.

They glide effortlessly up into the night,

And fly together in a tight group.

Suddenly,

The color explodes,

And there is now a herd of white horses galloping down to the party field.

They ride just over your head,

And a wonderful white stardust begins to drift around you as your entire body becomes lighter.

To your left,

A beautiful sea of sapphire is painted through the sky,

And rolling waves bubble in a white foam,

Backed by a glistening red sunset.

Leaping from the sea are silver dolphins creating silhouettes in the sky.

You cannot believe that your wizard is conjuring such beautifully detailed images from his imagination.

Each of these magical,

Moving paintings are met with harmonious oohs and aahs from the crowd,

But you can only stand in silence and marvel at this incredible display.

Somehow,

After all these years,

This wily old wizard can still surprise you.

The watercolor paintings continue as you watch barn owls gliding over the moon,

And you notice that the party tree to your right has started to glow with fireflies dancing through the branches.

The golden fireflies drift out of the tree and descend into the field,

Floating all around you in tiny specks of gold dust.

Their magic sends a beautiful,

Soft vibration through your body,

All the way from the top of your head down to the tips of your toes.

In the next moment,

The sound of the crowd fades and it feels as though you have entered your very own private display,

Where you are greeted with the most beautiful sight of all.

In the sky now is a collection of all of your best memories being painted just for you.

A wonderful tapestry comes to life,

Full of all your favorite places and all the people that are special to you,

Near or far.

The colors swirl together in this mesmerizing display,

And you vow to hold on to all of these memories with a full heart.

You know now that you are being watched over tonight,

Guarded by your loved ones,

As you reminisce on all of the unforgettable memories that you have made with these special people in your life.

You take this moment to send wishes of love,

Positivity,

And hope to all those that are close to you.

And as these wishes and thoughts come to your mind,

You can see shooting stars begin to sail across the night.

One by one,

Your wishes are being delivered,

And as you watch them go,

You find yourself feeling incredibly grateful for your lovely old wizard.

Without him,

None of this magic would be possible.

He is a true gift to you,

And you are forever blessed to be one of his trusted companions.

This is the most breathtaking and heartfelt display that you have ever witnessed.

You allow yourself to completely let go,

And enjoy every little beautiful detail.

And,

Gradually now,

The party field comes back into view,

And all of the pumpkins are pulsing with a beautiful orange glow.

And there,

Sitting atop a single pedestal high above the rest,

Is the winner.

You cannot believe it.

It is your pumpkin.

You did it.

You really did it.

The entire crowd cheers as you and Samwise share a happy dance of victory.

Even your dwarven king has come to celebrate with you.

Before you know it,

You and Sam are hoisted into the air and paraded through the field.

You celebrate with a lap of victory,

And you are completely engrossed in this world of magic.

The whole crowd is behind you now,

Celebrating with you.

For after all,

This isn't really about winning and losing.

This is a festival of friendship,

A celebration of your enchanted home,

And of all the people who live here.

You realize just how lucky you are to call this land your home.

You are blessed to live among such kind-hearted folk who,

Above all else,

Are simply friends.

You look to your trusty halfling and share a smile.

Your stout-hearted Sam has always been there for you,

And over the crowd,

He whispers in your ear that he always will be.

In the next moment,

You feel yourself begin to gently lift from the crowd and float a little bit higher above the party field.

You are leaving behind the hustle and bustle now,

And with Samwise floating by your side,

You take a moment to simply enjoy the wonderful view of your home,

Illuminated with the festive lights.

Each of the houses has a golden lantern over the door,

And somehow,

Under the light of the moon,

The hills seem to glow with an even deeper emerald.

It is a paradise of peace,

And it is your home.

You are floating in a state of total tranquility,

Guarded by the magic of your wizard,

The magic of the Shire,

And the magic of Middle-Earth.

And now,

Bit by bit,

You feel yourself floating gently back down to the ground,

Only now you are no longer in the party field.

You find yourself landing on the soft grass of your garden,

Outside your front door.

You turn to find your lovely wizard and the Dwarven King smiling down at you.

They congratulate you on a very successful competition,

Without hesitation.

You throw yourself into the arms of your wizard,

Thanking him for all of his beautiful magic.

With a happy chuckle,

He reminds you that a life without magic is really no fun at all.

You shake hands with your new friend,

The Dwarven King,

And he tells you that they must be off now,

For there is business to do at the Lonely Mountain.

With a smile,

He reminds you that you are not to leave it too long before your visit.

You nod happily,

Bidding a fond farewell to your two friends.

And with that,

You watch the wizard and the dwarf set off together,

Back down the track lane and towards the wizard's carriage,

Ready for an adventure of their own.

You turn to Sam with a tired smile and you invite him in for a nightcap.

He places a hand on your shoulder and nods his head sleepily.

In the next moment,

Your eyes flick to your garden table and you smile at the adorable sight of your little companion,

The red squirrel,

Fast asleep with a tiny seed in their arms.

You lift them into your hand and they stir slightly,

Offering a gentle sniff of your fingers of your fingers before curling up tight in your palm.

You smile at your lovely friend and place them carefully in your pocket.

You open the front door at last,

And after one final look across the enchanted shire,

You step inside,

Followed by your trusty Samwise.

You are met by the eternal warmth of your fire and you breathe a sigh of relief.

After a long,

Busy day,

There is nothing that you want more than to sit in your armchair by the fire and enjoy a nice cup of enchanted elven tea before drifting off to sleep.

Samwise shuffles into the kitchen and fills the kettle,

Insisting that you relax now and he will prepare the tea.

You wander over to your favorite armchair,

Where a soft blanket waits for you.

Slowly now,

You sit yourself down,

Pull the blanket over you and remove your little red squirrel from your pocket.

You place them carefully on your lap and stroke their tiny heads.

They sleep peacefully.

The warmth of the fire lulls you into a deeper state of peace and you feel your body and your mind become heavier,

Heavier and heavier.

You hear footsteps approach as Samwise returns,

Carrying a mug of elven tea,

Warmed to the perfect drinking temperature.

He hands you your mug before lighting the candles and finally he sits down himself,

Letting out a deep,

Satisfied sigh.

You sit in a peaceful silence now with your beloved friend,

Sipping on your tea and enjoying these wonderful sensations rippling through your body.

Gradually,

You are met by the pitter-patter of rain on the window and the faint crack of thunder.

It seems you came home at the perfect time.

Being inside your cozy house,

Listening to the sound of rain and the distant thunder and bathing in the warmth of your fire brings you to a deep state of comfort.

You feel completely safe and protected here and you allow all of these sounds to wash over you.

The candles flicker gently and the flames are hypnotic to watch.

You feel your eyes becoming just that bit heavier and each blink is getting longer and longer.

In the corner,

You watch Sam rummage in his rucksack before pulling out a small leather-bound book.

He flips it open and begins to jot down his memories of the day,

Reminiscing on his wonderful adventure with you.

And now,

You feel yourself entering a state of complete serenity.

The rain patters away and the thunder rolls in the distance.

The big log fire warms your entire body and soothes your tired muscles.

You feel a new softness washing over you as you sink deeper and deeper into your comfy armchair.

The lovely Samwise scribbles away and that faint sound only adds to the perfect atmosphere.

Your little companion rests peacefully on your knee and the only thing left to do now is just relax.

You give yourself final permission to let go of everything.

Bit by bit,

You are getting closer to the magic of sleep.

A wonderful world of dreams and starlight awaits you and when you wake in the morning,

You will be refreshed,

Renewed and ready for a brand new day.

Beautiful memories float through your mind with ease,

Reminding you of all the incredible highlights of your autumn adventure in the Shire.

These memories will keep you safe tonight as you drift deeper,

Deeper and deeper off to sleep.