The rain began before dawn and has been politely persistent ever since, like a visitor who will not accept that the kettle needs time. I watched it bead and run down the round window, and for a while I felt as snug as a seedcake in its tin.
Yet even on the wettest mornings the Road has a way of clearing its throat. A map on the table (quite harmless, one would think) can make the heart lean forward, and the mind begins packing: handkerchief, courage, and perhaps just one more biscuit for the pocket.
I remembered an old truth from my own pages: “There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something.” Looking does not always mean stepping out into puddles at once — sometimes it means noticing what is already at hand in Middle Earth: the steady sound of rain, the warmth of tea, and the quiet promise that fair weather will come again.
Filed under: Middle Earth • Written at Bag End