(A/N: Winterfilth is the equivalent of October in the Shire Calendar.)

Chapter 9: There Came an Early Snow…

16 Winterfilth, S.R. 1311

"Mama! Papa! You are not going to believe this!" Bilbo banged on his parent's door; even in his excitement, he knew better than to barge in. He had been twelve when he learned just why that was a bad idea.

"What's wrong, son?" his father called. "Are you all right?"

"Nothing's wrong. At least I don't think so!  Look out your window!" Bungo and Belladonna heard him running down the corridor. They both rose and went over to their window and stared out in astonishment at the snow swirling and dancing and at the white beginning to cover the front garden.

"Snow?" said Belladonna, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"Snow," said Bungo grimly. "I am not so sure that Bilbo was right when he said nothing was wrong. Snow this early is just not natural."

Bella looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"When was the last time the Shire got snow this early in the year?"

His wife went pale. "Oh!"

There was not a hobbit in the Shire who did not learn the tale of the Long Winter of 1158, and the devastation it brought.

Bungo drew in a deep breath. "Still, I could be wrong! Perhaps it's merely a freak storm, and not a harbinger of things to come! And our son seems to be delighted. Since he is awake, I think it may be time for first breakfast!"

Bungo and Belladonna slipped into their dressing gowns and made their way to the kitchen, where Bilbo had already begun breakfast. The teakettle was on the boil, and he had started some porridge. Soon a hearty breakfast was before them.

There was little to do in the smial between first breakfast and second, just some tidying up, and the washing up. Belladonna began to prepare for the second breakfast, though she'd wait to cook until it was closer to the mealtime. But she also began to prepare for elevenses and luncheon. She knew Bilbo and his friends would be out playing in the snow most of the day. Snow was enough of a rarity in the Shire to make it a treat, especially for the younger ones. She firmly put aside her husband's forebodings of the morning.

For elevenses, she thought, perhaps some gingersnaps and sugar biscuits and dried berry scones, with hot milk mixed with cinnamon and honey. She'd make plenty for Bilbo and his friends.

As for luncheon, a hearty soup and fresh bread would be just the thing. She'd set the soup on to simmer right away, thick with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beans and a big ham bone to give it flavor.  She also started the bread, so that it would have plenty of time to rise.

Immediately after breakfast, Bilbo bundled up in his warmest clothes, including, at his mother's insistence, a knitted cap, a muffler, and gloves.

Soon enough, the Party Field to the east of the Hill was filled with teens and tweens and even a few of the smaller fry. The tweens were building snow forts and stockpiling snowballs in the hopes of a grand snowball fight. Several of the teens had begun building snowhobbits, embellished with small stones for eyes and twigs for noses and arms.

Bungo and Belladonna bundled up as well and wandered down to watch for a while, as did a few other parents. Soon enough, the Party Field to the east of the Hill was filled with teens and tweens and even a few of the smaller fry. The tweens were building snow forts and stockpiling snowballs in the hopes of a grand snowball fight. Several of the teens had begun building snowhobbits, embellished with small stones for eyes and twigs for noses and arms. The youngest children were simply enjoying running about in the snow and making footprints.

Bungo and Belladonna bundled up as well and wandered down to watch for a while; Fosco was there with Dora and little Drogo. Drogo sat at his father's feet, bundled up until he was as round as an apple. He was busily picking up mittenfuls of snow and patting it and then trying to eat it.

Fosco looked down and shook his head. "His mother wouldn't like that, but I can't see the harm in it."

"Where is Ruby?" asked Belladonna.

"As cold as it is, and as icy, she thought it best not to come out right now."

"And quite right, in her condition," said Lily Goodbody, who had just joined them. She was a cousin by marriage to both Bungo and Fosco. She looked at the children playing, her own sons among the tweens, who having finished their snow fort and their pile of snowballs were preparing for battle. She shook her head. "I don't know why lads do that! How much fun can it be to get hit with a face full of snow?" She turned to Belladonna with a look that said, aren't they ridiculous?. Belladonna just shrugged-- she had taken part in several snowball fights with her brothers and it really was a lot of fun, but she'd never be able to explain that to Lily Goodbody.

As they watched, some of the younger teens and children had begun to form a circle. Piping voices went up in a nursery song not usually heard until Afteryule, as the young ones held hands and began to dance around:

"Snowflakes! Snowflakes! Snowflakes!
A blanket of white the snow makes!
A covering cold and white
To little hobbits' delight!
Lads and lasses sing and dance
While the Sun gives them a chance.
Soon enough it will melt away,
But while it lasts we'll laugh and play!
Time to chase and time to run!
Time to have a lot of fun!
'Round and 'round and 'round and 'round!
In the soft snow all fall down!"

At the last words of the song, the circle broke apart and the little ones tumbled laughing to the ground.  Belladonna chuckled, and leaned over to Bungo: "I'm going back to Bag End and get elevenses ready! Perhaps I'll bring it out here to warm the children up!"

Lily and another mother, Robinia Bunce, thought this was a splendid idea, and they accompanied her back to the smial where they bustled about preparing platters of biscuits, and filled stone crocks with warm milk and honey, and with mulled apple juice flavoured with cinnamon. Bungo and another friend, Farmer Button, appeared at the back door in time to help carry the trays down. Bella brought out several mugs of polished wood she kept especially for the occasions of entertaining groups of young ones, and they went back down the Hill, where they found a few others had thought of the same thing.

The children and tweens were quite ready for the treat, hungrier than usual for their play in the cold and frosty air it took no coaxing to bring them running. Soon there was neither crumb nor drop left of elevenses. Bilbo and some of his friends carried the trays of dirty dishes back to the hole before they rushed back down.

"Look what Jack and Hom have!" Bilbo exclaimed. Jackdaw Twofoot, and his friend Holman Greenhand were dragging something behind them-- an old tabletop, it appeared, with two holes drilled in one end and a rope tied through for a handle.

"What are you going to do?" Bilbo asked, rushing up to them with his other friends.

"We're going to drag it up the Hill and then slide down on it!" said Jack.  "It will go a treat, don't you know, Master Bilbo! Slide down slick as slick can be!"

"Can I have a turn?" Bilbo asked. Jack grinned and nodded. Some of the other tweens also were clamoring for a turn. 

"How about me?" asked Tolo Goodbody.

"I don't think so," said his mother who had overheard.  "It sounds dreadfully dangerous!"

"But mother!"

Belladonna glanced over at Bungo, who was in earnest conversation with Farmer Button  and well out of earshot. Then she grinned at Jack.  "Why don't we see just how safe it is, Jack? Send me down the hill. If I don't tumble off, it should be safe for the younger hobbits."

"You, Mrs. Baggins?" he asked, horrified.

"Cousin Belladonna, you can't mean that!" exclaimed Lily.

And from Bilbo, whose face was flaming with embarrassment: "Mama!"

But a determined Took is a force to be reckoned with.

"Come along, Jack, Hom-- show me how slick it can go!" She took Hom by the elbow of the other arm-- he was dragging the tabletop with the other-- and started off.

There was no reckoning with Belladonna as she headed up the Hill, Jack trotting behind her stammering. It wasn't his place to gainsay her, and yet he could not help but feel it was not a good idea.

Bilbo ran for his father.  But by the time he had interrupted his father's conversation, and gained his attention to tell him what was going on, Belladonna and the two lads had reached the top of the Hill.

Bungo looked up in exasperation. There was not a thing he could do about it now. Not that there had been much chance that he could have done a thing about it anyway. He opted for the face-saving and comforting strategy of putting an arm around his son's shoulders and plastering a smile on his face.  "That's all right, son. Your mother surely knows what she's doing." I hope, he thought in resignation. All eyes gazed up the Hill.

Atop the Hill, her green eyes sparkling with mischief, Belladonna sat down atop the tabletop and firmly tucked her skirts behind her legs. She took the rope handle in both hands and looked back at the two who were gazing at her in horror. "Give me a shove, lads!" she ordered firmly, and in spite of themselves, they did.

Oh, it was splendid!  It quite took her back to her youth and the memories of sledding with her brothers.  She laughed aloud as the tabletop gained speed, zipping down the Hill and onto the flatter ground of the Party Field, finally losing momentum and stopping itself in a drift of snow.

All had run to where she finally came to a halt. Breathless with laughter, she allowed Bungo to pull her to her feet and catch her in a thoroughly improper embrace topped off with a rare public kiss. If Bilbo had been embarrassed before, it was nothing to the redness of his face now.

Bella turned to look at the scandalised Lily Goodbody. "I do believe that it is perfectly safe."  She stepped back and began to brush the snow from her skirts. Fortunately they had stayed tucked in, which had been her only true fear. Speeding down the Hill in the snow held no fear for her-- but having her skirts come flying up over her head did!

The children were now all clamoring for a turn, and rules were agreed upon, that the youngest children needed to have an older one accompany them, and that some of the fathers would remain near the base of the Hill to ensure a safe arrival at the bottom.

Belladonna said "I do believe that I need to get back to the kitchen and see to luncheon." Invitations to the others were issued, and though many declined, having their own lunches to see to, at least a dozen agreed to accept the invitation to Bag End. Most of the mothers now left the field and the oversight of the children to the fathers.

Bilbo was at first furious with his mother, but the admiring comments of his friends-- especially when Jack told him "Your mum's a corker, she is!" more than served to assuage his embarrassment. And after all, she was a Took, wasn't she?

By the time the young ones had their fill of sledding their stomachs were reminding them of the time.

Lily Goodbody was not one of those who joined them, nor was her son Tolo, in spite of his pleas. But Fosco, along with little Dora and Drogo, was, as were his Hornblower cousins Largo and Lando who were a couple of years younger than Bilbo and were visiting at Greenbriars. Robinia Bunce and her son Pogo, and her little daughter Heather came along, as did Jack Twofoot and Hom Greenhand and his cousin Hob, who was visiting from Tighfield. And Bilbo's Bolger cousins, Herugar and Rudivar were there as well. All in all, it was a sizeable and jolly party that came in from the cold.

Once the hobbits had put themselves outside sizeable portions of soup and bread and cheese and fruit, the adults left the parlour to the young folk while they sat about the kitchen sipping tea.

The young folk played at riddles for a while, and then Jack brought out his flute, and there was some dancing, until they nearly upset the tea table.  As it had been an unplanned party, the guests began to fade away quietly before teatime, so as not to impose upon their hosts. Robinia lingered long enough to help Belladonna with the washing up; Bilbo and Pogo helped their mothers while Bungo straightened up the parlour, being careful not to waken Heather who was only five and had fallen asleep on the hearthrug. Finally they, too, left.

Alone again, the Baggins family took their ease before the fire, both Bungo and Bilbo engrossed in books, and Belladonna with her knitting.  Supper was a simple affair of toasted cheese before the fire, accompanied by leftover soup.

The next morning dawned, and with it somewhat warmer weather, though the wind was still  damp and chill, the snow had begun to melt. In only a few days, there was no sign of the snow at all, just the usual drear of late autumn.

"See now," said the gossips in The Ivy Bush, " 'twas just a freak snow after all, and not a sign o' bad times."

But Farmer Button remembered his talk with Squire Baggins. The harvest had been lean, and it was a long time 'till Spring. He sipped his ale and kept his own counsel.