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Eleventy-one Years: Too Short a Time   by Dreamflower

 
Chapter 8: Twenty-one

21-22 Halimath, S.R. 1311

Bilbo looked at the gifts his parents had placed before him: a small box and a soft package (both labeled "From Papa and Mama"); another box--this one somewhat larger-- bearing a tag that said "From Gammer Laura"; a flat package from "Grandfather and Grandmother Took; and a somewhat oddly shaped package tied up in much paper and a lot of twine, "From Siggy to Bilbo". The latter three had all arrived by post.  Twenty-one was not an important birthday, not like five or thirteen or twenty or thirty-three when he would come of age. It was not even moderately important like twenty-five when he would be allowed to smoke a pipe or go into the taverns and order half-a-pint by himself, or twenty-eight when he would be allowed to court a lass if he wanted to. It was just an ordinary birthday, and he would receive only a few gifts today, and give out perhaps a few more tomorrow on his birthday. There would be a small dinner party tomorrow: Cousin Fosco and his family, and a few other family members would attend, and Bilbo would give out the presents he had selected.

Bilbo looked at the packages, and then at his parents.  

"Go ahead," laughed his mother. "First breakfast will wait a few moments!"

Bilbo picked up the small box.  He gave it a little shake and it rattled slightly. Carefully he lifted the lid.  "Oh Papa! Oh Mama!" There, nestled in the box was a silver fob, and on the end of the fob was a large shiny brass key.

"It's your own key to Bag End," said Bungo. "You have proven to us this summer that you are ready for such a responsibility."

Bilbo's eyes shone as he looked at the key. He put it back in the box, and reached for the other package. It was soft, and he guessed it might be clothing. Untying the ribbon, he allowed the white muslin in which it was wrapped to fall away.  He held it up.  It was a weskit, in a shiny silvery-blue fabric, richly embroidered with vines and leaves in the many colours of fall: deep wine-reds, coppery oranges, subdued dark golds. The buttons were cunningly leaf-shaped, and of burnished bronze. He gasped and held it high. Never had he possessed such a grown-up article of clothing before.  "Thank you!" he grinned.

Quickly he opened the packages from his grandparents. Laura had sent a nicely carved foot-grooming set, and from his Took grandparents there was a book about the first Took Thain, Isumbras I.  

He picked up the gift from Siggy, and felt of it. It seemed as though there were several items bound up together. It was very lumpy and was wrapped in brown paper and what seemed to be an entire ball of string.

He picked in frustration at one of the many knots, knowing that this way of wrapping up his gift was one of Siggy's jokes. His parents watched for a moment, and then Belladonna giggled. "My nephew has quite a sense of humour," she said. And she pulled her sewing scissors out of her pocket and handed them to Bilbo. He took them with alacrity, and then slipping the point beneath the string, began to snip away.  As the cut ends of the string sprang away, the paper slipped and all the items within came clattering out, some hitting the table, and others bouncing to the floor.  "Fuddlebuckets!" Bilbo swore, as he grabbed one of the hard leather rings before it rolled off the table. His father tightened his lips at the language, but Belladonna gave a slight shake of her head, so he said nothing. One of the heavy metal stakes landed with a clang, barely missing Bungo's foot. "It's a quoits set!" Bilbo exclaimed, grinning. "Now Siggy and I can play them here when he visits!"

First breakfast was porridge laced with honey and filled with dried berries, buttery scones, soft boiled eggs and fragrant tea. The family was just finishing up when there came a knock at the kitchen door.

"Come in!" called Bungo.

The door opened. It was Mag Twofoot. "Begging your pardon, Mr. Bungo," he said, "but we have a birthday present for young Master Bilbo from the family."

"Do come in, then, Mag!" Bungo replied.

Mag was bearing a small basket, and he proffered it to Bilbo, who lifted off the white napkin that covered it. In it was a fragrant seedcake, still warm from the oven. "Blossom baked it, Master Bilbo!"

"Thank you, Mag!" said Bilbo. "Would you like to stay and share some with us?"

Mag blushed and shook his head. "No thank you, Master Bilbo! I've got me work to see to. We just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday on the morrow!" He gave a slight bow of his head in farewell.

Bilbo gazed at the seedcake happily, and then said to his parents, "Will you share it with me while it's still warm?"

Of course there was only one answer to that!  They left about half of it to have with their elevenses later, and then Bilbo took his gifts to his room.

He was admiring himself in the mirror, resplendent in his new waistcoat with the silver fob hanging from his pocket, when he heard a knocking upon the door.  He could tell that his mother had answered, and wondered who the visitor was.

"Bilbo!" Belladonna called. "You have a guest."

He found his little cousin Dora standing in the front hall with his mother. Dora had something in her hands-- it was a book! He could see a blue cover, but her hands were over the title.

"Happy Birthday, Cousin Bilbo," she said solemnly.  Bilbo thought Dora a funny child. She was so serious most of the time.  "Mommy and Poppy and Drogo and me got this for you. Mommy said I could bring it up the Hill to you all by myself."  She held it out to him, and he took it from her carefully. He looked at the title: Mushrooms of the Shire and Buckland by by Roderic Brandybuck.

"Why, thank you!" Bilbo exclaimed. "This is a splendid book!"

"It has pictures," said Dora, "of all the mushrooms-- even the Bad Ones!"

"Won't you join us for second breakfast, dear?" asked Belladonna, as Bilbo flipped through some of the pages of the new book.

"Mommy said I could if you invited me," she answered. "It wouldn't be proper if you did not invite me."

Bella's lips twitched in a smile, but she suppressed it. "Well, I have invited you, and it is nearly ready.  Bilbo?"  Bilbo was engrossed in the book. "Bilbo! Second breakfast is ready!"

"Oh!" He closed the book.  Then he looked at himself. "Perhaps I should take off my new waistcoat! I don't wish to spoil it before tomorrow!"

Belladonna laughed.  "Of course! You run and change. Dora and Papa and I will wait upon you in the kitchen."

After second breakfast, Bilbo persuaded Dora to come out in the front garden with him, and they played with his new quoits set, until she had to leave, for she had promised her mother to be home in time for elevenses.  It was as well, because the morning that had begun so promisingly had dissolved into rain and grey drizzle shortly afterwards.

Bungo had excused Bilbo from his lessons for both this day and the next, so his mother suggested he use the free time to write thank you letters for his gifts. He did so, and then spent most of the afternoon and evening, save for mealtimes, absorbed in his new books.

_______________________

Bilbo's birthday dawned grey and overcast, but without any feeling of rain in the air. He rose early, excited as he always was on his birthday. He heard his parents bustling in the kitchen making first breakfast-- was that Papa's griddlecakes he smelled? And sausages. He quickly put on his dressing gown and and hurried to the kitchen.

The morning passed in a blur of activity. Belladonna sent Bilbo and Bungo off to see to the gifts Bilbo was giving. He'd made a selection of a number of items from the family mathom rooms, and he and his father would see to wrapping and tagging them as Belladonna saw to the cleaning of the smial and the preparations for the meal.  She had engaged Blossom and Posey Twofoot to assist her in the cleaning and cooking, and to serve at table during luncheon and tea while the guests were there. There were short breaks for second breakfast and elevenses.

After elevenses, Bilbo was sent off to take a bath and get dressed for the party. The guests would be arriving shortly before luncheon.  He scrubbed till he was red, and then dressed in his nicest suit of clothes. The new weskit with the silver fob figured prominently, and he could not help but preen just a little as he looked at his reflection in his mirror. He carefully brushed the brown curls on both head and toes, and then went out to the front hall. His father was there, stacking the presents Bilbo planned to give
out on the table that stood next to the front door.

"Hullo, Papa! Do I look all right?"

"You look splendid, son!"

Just then there was the first knock upon the door. Cousin Fosco and his family were the first to arrive. They greeted their guests, and then Bilbo handed out the gifts, starting with little Drogo, to whom he gave a leather ball that had once been his own as a faunt.  For Dora there was a puzzle his Uncle Bingo had made for him when he was the same age as she was-- it had little tiles that slid about in a framework; when they were all properly lined up they formed a picture of a basket of kittens. Cousin Ruby received some balls of yellow and green wool yarn, perfect for knitting up baby things. (Belladonna had simply smiled and told Bilbo "yes" when he found them in the mathom room. She had bought them in anticipation of giving her son the brothers and sisters who never came, and she now knew never would.)  Finally he handed Cousin Fosco the gift he had chosen for him. It was a special jar meant for holding pipeweed and keeping it fresh. Cousin Fosco was quite pleased with it, and was effusive in his thanks, making Bilbo blush red as sunrise.

Soon Aunt Belba and Uncle Rudigar arrived with Bilbo's cousin Herugar, who was only a couple of years younger than Bilbo. Herugar was also Cousin Ruby's nephew.  Aunt Linda ( who had wed a Proudfoot) was there with her little son Odo.  Uncle Bodo had not come, as he had business in Michel Delving.

Bilbo dutifully passed out the gifts to his guests.  These were all who came for luncheon, though there would be a few more guests for tea.  Luncheon would be in the dining room; tea, if the weather held, would be in the front garden.

Luncheon was a fine repast, consisting of most of Bilbo's favorite foods. The cake was to be served at tea when the rest of the guests had come, but there was a brambleberry trifle instead for afters.

Afterwards, Bilbo and Herugar went out to play with the quoits, and with the large kickball Bilbo had given Herry as his gift. The youngest cousins were put down for naps, and the fathers went out to smoke and to watch the lads play, all the while talking in low worried tones about the poor harvest.

As the other guests began to arrive near teatime, Bilbo once more handed out gifts. Cousin Polo arrived with his wife and little ones. He was Chop's uncle, and he bore a package and a letter.  "Since I'm too late to give you Chop's gift, I'll give it to your parents for now; but I don't think that the rule applies to letters." Of course the gift should have come before noon; Bilbo was curious, but understanding.  Polo handed the letter to Bilbo, who was torn between his duties as a host, and his wish to go off and read it. Reluctantly, Bilbo put the letter in his pocket.

Shortly afterwards some of his Goodbody relatives began to arrive, and now there were enough guests near his age to make a good game of kick-the-ball possible.  The young ones divided up into teams, Bilbo at the head of one and Herry of the other one, and the vigorous game began, and lasted until the tweens were distracted by the meal preparations.

Tea was an even more lavish spread than luncheon had been: biscuits of every variety, fairy cakes, little sandwiches cut into fanciful shapes, stuffed eggs, stuffed mushrooms-- and finally a large cake, filled with dried fruits and nuts and topped with marzipan.

After tea, the party began to wind down, and the guests to leave.

As Posey and Blossom began to carry the dishes back into the smial and Mag and Jack appeared to take away the tables-- there was no leftover food to speak of-- Bilbo started to help.

Bungo put his hand on his son's shoulder.  "That's not necessary, son. You are tired out.  Why don't you take a little time for yourself, and get some rest before supper?"

Bilbo looked up gratefully at his father and nodded.  "Thank you, Papa."

He went to his room and took off his jacket and his fine new waistcoat and hung them over the back of his chair.  Remembering the letter, he took it out and lay down upon his bed.

18 Halimath, S.R. 1311

Dear Bilbo,

Sorry I couldn't come to your birthday party, cousin!  Farming's a lot harder work than I thought it would be, though it can be fun in its own way.  Fortunately I have some good help in the Goldworthy family.  But the weather's been all wrong this summer, and my first harvest does not look to be too bountiful.

Oh well. I don't wish to be gloomy, but to wish you happy returns of the day and all that. I hope you enjoy your gift; it came to me originally through Uncle Isengar.

Write soon and tell me what you've been up to!

Fond regards and such,
Your cousin,
Chop

Bilbo smiled at his cousin's letter. It sounded so like him. He wondered what Chop had sent him, and drifted off into an exhausted slumber.

Bungo tapped on the door. "Bilbo? Supper is ready."

There was no answer.  Bungo opened it and looked in.  His son was sprawled up his bed, still dressed, and sound asleep.  For once, thought the fond father, perhaps sleep was more needed than food...





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