Impatience.
Author's note: This is, in my opinion, how the "Crack of Doom" scene from the Return of the King movie should have played out. I'm sure I'm not the first person to do this. Lord of the Rings belongs to J.R.R Tolkien and the movies belong to Peter Jackson. I own nothing.
Sam ran through the door of the volcano that brought him right into the heart of Mount Doom. Coughing and gagging from the heat and blinded by the smoke, he desperately called out.
"FRODO!"
He looked around frantically. Suddenly, the smoke cleared and he saw the hunched figure of his friend standing at the edge of the chasm. Frodo turned around and looked at him.
"I'm here, Sam!" He said. Sam could see that his hand was clenched into a fist, holding the ring that hung on a chain around his neck.
"Destroy it!" Sam cried. Frodo pulled the ring out, it still hanging on its chain and held it over the chasm, ready to cast it into the flame. But he hesitated, first staring at chasm than back at the ring. It seemed like such a horrible thing to do, destroy something so precious in such a horrible place. And why should he destroy it? It belonged to him.
It was his! The ring was his!
"Go on! Now! Throw it into the fire!" Sam yelled, so hard that he thought his voice would give out. But Frodo didn't hear him. He continued to stare at the ring. It looked so beautiful. He could hear it whispering to him, calling him, tempting him. Then all of the sudden, he didn't want to give it up.
"It's mine!" He thought to himself.
Sam saw Frodo hesitate. He saw him stare at the ring for a long period of time and with each passing moment, Sam's impatience grew. He knew what Frodo was about to do and he wasn't going to have it.
"Oh no, you don't!" Sam thought. "I didn't trek halfway across Middle Earth and go through one hell after another just to have you trip at the finish line!" He waited another moment to see what would happen, but Frodo didn't move. Finally, Sam's impatience hit its breaking point.
"OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Sam yelled exasperated. Without hesitation, he ran forward, yanked the ring out of Frodo's hand, shoving Frodo to the ground in the process. Frodo, having been pulled violently out of the trance he was in, stared wide-eyed and open mouthed at Sam in disbelief. Sam looked at Frodo with irritation etched on his face.
"Well, somebody has to do it!" Sam said, throwing his arms out in annoyance. Then, before Frodo could say anything, Sam turned and chucked the ring, chain and all, into the lava, not even sparing a second glance. Heaving a sigh of relief, he then turned and proceeded to help Frodo off the ground.
"Sorry about that, Mr. Frodo." Sam said sheepishly. Frodo said nothing, but he smiled which showed Sam that there were no hard feelings. Suddenly, the two of them heard a bloodcurdling yell come from behind them. They turned and saw Gollum standing there, a look of horror on his face and his hand outstretched in the direction of the chasm.
"NO! MY PRECIOUS!" He screamed. Then, like a crazed animal, he ran towards them. They both dodged in opposite directions, expecting him to attack them, but he didn't. Instead, he ran in between them, right to the edge of the chasm and leapt head first into the fire in an attempt to save his precious ring. Neither Frodo nor Sam saw whether Gollum actually caught the ring or not. All they saw was Gollum hit the lava with a smack and disappear under the surface. The two of them then looked at each other in silent, shocked confusion.
"Uh, what just happened?" Sam asked at length.
"I don't really know." Frodo said with a sigh. "But one thing's for sure, we know he's dead."
Sam pursed his lips. "Do me a favor, Mr. Frodo." He said. "Don't be like that." He motioned his head in the direction of where Gollum fell.
"Of course not, Sam." Frodo chuckled. Suddenly, a huge blast of lava shot up from the chasm; a sign that the mountain was about to explode.
"We should run now, Mr. Frodo!" Sam said.
"Yes, we should!" Frodo hastily agreed. Then grabbing onto each other for assurance, they ran as fast as their legs could carry them, just barely escaping the large wave of lava that pursued them.
And, you know the rest of the story.