No Verge Being Trimmed
June 22, 2023: the first evidence of the small folk I witnessed was just outside Hornillos del Camino. A series of small wooden doors with bricked exteriors along the side of the hill. Tables, benches and unkempt gardens stood unassuming beside the road. The unkempt gardens were the first clue that something terrible was happening. No good hobbit would let the garden go untended. The dry grasses whispered in the wind- an attempt to alert me to the travesty at hand? Alas, I walked past the domiciles without a clue.
At The Sign of Moratinos
June 28, 2023: Moratinos greeted me with more burrows. Brick and stone chimneys protruded from the hillside. Once again there was not a hobbit in site and a plethora of more dry, unkempt grass. Where were the abundant gardens of dark purple zucchini, shining red apples, innocently white daisies, or verdant green vines of peas and other leaves?
And then…a sign! An actually sign! The audacity of the Spaniards. They claim there have never been hobbits. The burrows were in fact ‘bodegas’ and were used in the past for storing wine and vegetables. I can imagine that once there was indeed many wines and vegetables in these cozy burrows. Hobbits are good eaters and drinkers. They even boasted of hosting parties in the homes of the Halflings. If I could be invited to such a party, would I find the elusive, or perhaps enslaved, hobbits of Spain?
Absolutely No Admittance, Except for Parties
June 30, 2023: This is getting ridiculous. The town of Reliegos is positively riddled with hobbit homes. Here they appear to be in better repair. Could this be a sign of more recent hobbit habitation? Or perhaps the people of Reliegos treat their hobbit population with more humanity than those of Moratinos? I saw one with a ‘For Sale’ sign on it, perhaps I could gain entry to look further into this mystery by posing as a buyer?
They appear to be supplying electricity to the hobbits and there is evidence that the chimneys are in current use. I even found one home where the resident has been allowed to hang personal effects on the walls leading to the door. The doors here often appear gated and locked, however. Are the poor creatures locked within?
A Matter of Size
They really cannot hide this any further. Look at the size of these doors! Are you telling me the Spaniards would really build doors so small? I shall be on the lookout in the future. With a little bit of internet searching I discovered some more recently built hobbit homes in the north. It even looks like you can rent them out. I can only hope that there is still a robust population of small folk there, that can help me understand what is happening here.
***Disclaimer***
I do not actually think that Spain is hiding the existence of Halflings. The burrows really are Bodegas and were built hundreds of years ago to act as cellars…or were they…
