“I love writing by the candlelight,” protested Sam as Frodo blew the candle away leaving them in the dark. The hearth was put out here in the kitchen, as it had been quite late: Rosie was asleep in Elanor’s room after telling her story, and Frodo… Frodo was awakened by rustles of paper coming from here and found that there was still a waking soul in the middle of the night, doing something like writing without proper lighting! There were only streaks of light stretching from the fire in the sitting room.

Frodo’s face hardened with edginess. “I know you’ve always enjoyed your writing practices and I appreciate your excitement to write anything… anywhere. There’s something you must heed, though, and that’s your eyes.”

Frodo could not see Sam clearly in this dim-lit room but he could feel Sam’s silent objection against his words. But Frodo did not feel like arguing right now. He sighed dismissively.

“We’ll talk in the morning, all right, Sam, if you want to talk about it. I just – I just don’t understand why you chose to write here with a candle instead of in the sitting room.” Frodo nodded although he was not sure if Sam could see that, and turned to leave the room.

“Frodo--” Sam called but his voice caught in the air. Frodo turned back.

“Yes, Sam?” His impatience was still apparent. “Tomorrow, if that’s fine with you.”

But Frodo could make out the shape of his best companion’s slumped body now, and qualms slowly crept into his heart. “Sam?” His voice was wavering. “Is … there anything wrong?”

There was a sniff and Frodo felt even worse.

“No, Mr. Frodo. It’s those lights – I can’t stand them. I mean… I mean…”

Frodo was fully facing Sam now, grasping the younger hobbit’s upper arms, holding them tight. “What is it, Sam? Just say it.”

“We spent almost a year in a place grown dim by dark clouds, marshes, and dusts of war. I think I got too used to them that I feel unfit to be back to the lights. They’re so bright, Mr. Frodo. They hurt my eyes sometimes.”

Frodo fell into an utter silence and bewilderment. Such a small thing – the contrast of light and dark – that he never thought about before, but could really make someone suffer. And that someone was one of the most important people in his life if not the most important person – Sam. Frodo let go of Sam’s arms and engulfed him in a warm embrace.

They stayed that way for a good moment in silence for Frodo could not find a word to comfort Sam.

But words might not be necessary at all.