Redemption

All he could see was a sea of red. For a few moments, he was bewildered; where was he? Who was he? Then a voice called out to him.

"Smeagol! Smeagol!" the voice said, echoing faintly in the cavernous place.

"Smeagol……………….yes, that is my name…………..but what is this place?" he asked, as he glanced around at the glowing lava.

"Our grave, Preciousss." Another, more sinister voice, hissed. Whirling around, Smeagol turned and faced the other figure.

"You…………………….you are what I became! Now I know why Sam never really liked me." Smeagol said, in disgust.

"Sneaky little hobbitses…………betrayed usss. Yes, my Preciousss. Betrayed usss." Gollum whispered, hatefully.

"That may be true, but you always were as shifty as you thought everyone else was." Smeagol said, as he looked down at his hands. To his shock, he saw that a ghostly Ring adorned his right ring finger and that a chain led from it to an identical one on Gollum's right hand. Gollum noticed Smeagol's look of surprise and smiled wickedly.

"Yes, Preciousss. We are linked. Linked forever." Gollum hissed, as he took a step closer to Smeagol. He leaped back when the voice again spoke.

"Smeagol! Come home, Smeagol!" the voice from before said, this time seeming to be closer and clearer than before.

"That voice…………………..I know that voice…………." Smeagol murmured, as he looked away from Gollum and in the direction of the voice.

"No! Don't look at him! Don't look! Preciouss!" Gollum wailed. But Smeagol ignored him and looked anyway. To his amazement, another figure appeared; this one appearing to be a hobbit, as he was!

"Smeagol, m'dear! What are you doing? Where have you been?" the new figure asked, gently.

"Deagol, is that you? But I thought………….." Smeagol trailed off as tears flowed freely down his face.

"Thought what? That you had killed me? You did, m'dear, that you did. But I am at peace. I've been waiting a long time for you to come home, Smeagol." Deagol said, as he approached and stood only a few feet away from Smeagol.

"Why? Why have you waited for me, Deagol?" Smeagol asked, confused as to how Deagol could be so forgiving.

"You saved me, Smeagol. You spared me from the years of misery I would have endured because of that ring. But in the process, you were ensnared by it." Deagol said, with a sad smile.

"You don't hate me for what I did to you?" Smeagol asked, not even daring to hope.

"He does, Preciouss! He does!" Gollum shouted, startling both of them.

"You keep out of this!" Smeagol snapped. Gollum fell silent again and Deagol chuckled.

"You always did have a short temper." Deagol mused, watching as Smeagol tried to take a step closer to him, but was stopped by the Ring on his finger.

"Let it go, m'dear. It's time to let it go." Deagol said, firmly.

"How? How do I let it go? It already has such a strong hold on me." Smeagol replied, helplessly.

"Remove it from your finger and cast it aside. Then you will be able to leave the fire." Deagol said, encouragingly, as he motioned to the flames that surrounded them. Hesitantly, Smeagol turned his gaze from Deagol to the Ring. Even in spirit form the Ring glittered with its own malevolent light.

"I can do this." Smeagol thought, and with a deep breath and a nod, he reached up and grasped the Ring.

"No, Preciouss! No! It will destroy uss! Don't trust the tricksy little hobbit!" Gollum cried as he threw himself onto Smeagol's back and tried to prevent him from taking off his Ring.

"Then who should I trust? Certainly not you! Begone from me!" Smeagol shouted, as he removed both the Ring and Gollum from himself.

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Gollum wailed, before he and his Rings disappeared in a puff of smoke. Smeagol watched in grim satisfaction as his other self disappeared forever. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Deagol standing there, with a smile on his face.

"The nightmare is over?" Smeagol asked, softly.

"Yes. Let's go home, Smeagol m'dear." Deagol replied, as they walked, hand in hand, out of the fire, disappearing when they reached the now moonlit ruins of Sauron's Road. They were free at last and friends once more.

The End