Title: A Merry Life: Mapping
Author: Anso the Hobbit
Beta: Marigold

Characters: Merry, Bilbo

Timeline: Bag End, SR 1392, so Merry is 10

The rain was pouring down in earnest outside Bag End, but inside the study you were cosy and warm, sitting in Bilbo´s lap to reach the top of his desk.

"See here, Meriadoc," Bilbo´s voice rumbled behind you as he pointed to a line on a map on the table in front of you. "This blue line here is the Brandywine...."

"Why is it blue?" You interrupted, “Because everyone knows that the Brandywine isn’t blue, it is brown”.

"I know that, Merry, but you see, on maps all rivers are marked as blue to tell they are water. Just like the Water down in Hobbiton and Bywater. That is blue."

"Not always. Sometimes it´s grey, or even brown," you persisted. Rivers or streams or ponds and such were only blue in sunshine. Surely Bilbo knew this? "What´s this green line here?" You asked, pointing at a bowed line just above Tuckborough.

"It´s a hill. It´s bent to show that the area is hilly. It´s the Green Hill Country."

That made sense, a green line for a green hill. But..."They are not always green, the hills. In winter they are brown or even white if there´s snow. Will there be snow this year, Bilbo?"

"Oh, Merry," Bilbo said behind you, laughing a little, and you leaned your head back to hear the rumble of the laughter in his chest. Bilbo picked you up, turned you around and sat you face to face with him. "Everything is brown or white in winter. The maps only have different colours to separate different sorts of things from each other. If everything is painted in black or green, then it´s more difficult to see what is a road and what is a river. The colours are all different so that a person doesn’t get lost when taking the map with them on a hike or a camping trip."

"Yes, Cousin Bilbo," you said. You thought for a while, then added, "Can we go camping Cousin Bilbo? You and me and Frodo?”

“Yes, I suppose we could.”

“We`ll even take a map so we won`t get lost?” You suggested hopefully, eager to see a map put to actual use.

“Yes Merry-lad. We`ll do that.”

*****

"Do you remember how I pestered you with all my questions about maps when I was little?" You asked Bilbo one day when you were looking over the maps in Rivendell. "It must have been quite a trial for you."

"You were quite clever already then Merry-lad, and I had no doubt that you would know where to go if given a map and a bit of instruction."

“Thanks to you I received both,” you said and gave your wise and elderly cousin a hug before you both began pouring over the maps again.