"Outcast"
Part Two: Discoveries
February 17, 2002
Hello, all my fans! (All two of you.) (Okay, so that was an overstatement. All one of you.) Here is the next part. Tra la la la!
Smeagol reached home swiftly, wearing the ring proudly upon his finger. None of the people in the streets had said anything to him; perhaps they had taken the hint that he had no intention of marrying, at least out of his own free will.
He attempted to sneak up to his room to quietly marvel at his precious treasure, but it was to no avail. His grandmother was walking down the entrance hall and was sure to see Smeagol on the staircase.
But she passed right by.
This surprised Smeagol greatly, for Grandmother always berated him whenever she saw the chance. He especially expected it from her now, after all the protesting he had done about his upcoming marriage to Feaga.
Feaga was a nice enough Stoor-girl, he reflected as he continued to trudge up the stairs. She was also beautiful, and many of the younger boys longed for her. Smeagol didn't really care for a wife, nor for a lady-friend. He did not like being forced into marriage. He wondered what Feaga thought about the whole ordeal. He had talked to her scarcely, and the conversations they had were always short and dull. He supposed that she rather liked Smeagol's inheritance to his family's fortune.
His room was on the top of the stairs. He was convinced that it was the smallest room in the house, but he kept that to himself. He opened the door quietly, not wanting to attract the attention of Grandmother, and shut it slowly. There was no one in his room, not even the maid. He sat on the edge of his bed, pushing his curly hair out of his face. He looked at finger in awe. The ring, his precious, as he had taken to calling it, was so very pretty. It was golden, and it shone with great beauty. Moreover, it was a treasure that was his alone; it wasn't to be shared with neither his nasty, sneaking cousins nor his overbearing grandmother.
He thought of taking the ring off to admire it more closely, but thought against it. He felt as if he would be less important with it off than with it on.
He pressed his hand to his face, eyeing the beautiful gold with a powerful lust. It was beautiful…ravishing...exquisite…it was precious, though it had only been in his possession for a matter of minutes….
The door to his room opened. He immediately hid his hand behind his back, thinking it his Grandmother.
"She'd takess it right away, my preciouss…" he said in soft explanation to the Ring. He felt horrible, hiding It behind his back. But the deed had to be done.
He turned to face the doorframe. His Grandmother was standing there, looking directly at him. Smeagol felt his heart drop into his belly. She had probably seen the Ring…she would take It…he would never see it again…. He had the sudden urge to choke out Grandmother.
Grandmother sighed. "Where is that boy? Honestly, I do not know why I bother with him…he is not worth the trouble.''
Smeagol nearly gasped in surprise. There was Grandmother, standing directly in front of him, looking straight at him…yet nothing! She did not even see him. Had she gone blind?
If she had…it was his chance to get rid of her. He would never have to listen to her again…he would not have to marry…he could fish…eat the tasty fishes…
He slowly raised himself from the bed. Grandmother had not moved. She was muttering to herself about what a horrible boy Smeagol was. Smeagol supposed this was true, but he did not care. He crept toward her, meticulously raising his right arm. He would strangle her, and she wouldn't even see it happen. He and the Precious would have a victory.
But! Fate was not on his side. When his arm was only inches from Grandmother's neck, ready to throttle, she moved.
"I shall find that boy," she said angrily, "and I shall tell him that he has missed the wedding rehearsal. Oh, why do I even bother with him? He shall never live up to his father's expectations, nor his mother's. They would be ashamed to see him in this state!" She turned away from the bed and stalked out of the room. Smeagol let out his breath in a clear hiss as she shut the door.
"Curse the father," Smeagol hissed as he paced the length of the room, "he never stayed with Smeagol, oh no Preciousss!" It angered him when Grandmother talked of his father and mother; the pain was still deep in his heart.
He walked to the looking glass on the opposite side of the room. He wondered what Grandmother would say when she discovered that she had gone blind. Perhaps she had already run into a wall. He snickered at the thought.
He looked into the glass.
He saw nothing.
Not his usual, grimy face and dirty, scummy body, but nothing. He was invisible.
The original thought that came to his mind was disappointment. His Grandmother would not have run into a wall, since he was the one that was invisible. But after that initial thought wore away, he became excited. He would finally be able to sneak to the kitchens at night! He would be able to steal things! He could trip people as they walked past. He could explore caves never before explored. He could run away from the wedding.
________________________________________
The plan occurred to him late that night. He already knew that he would not get married to Feaga. He knew that he would use the Ring to do it. But he did not know how.
He lay in bed, invisible, looking at the ring with the sort of pride that a mother would have of her newborn baby. In a way, after all, it was his baby. It had come to him on his birthday. It had been a rather pleasant birthday. He had gotten away form his relatives most of the day, until he thought that he should make an appearance at dinner. Grandmother became angry with him – she demanded to know where he had been all day. The servants scuffled to make her a batch of tea to calm her nerves.
After tea, they had performed the wedding rehearsal. Smeagol now hated the idea of becoming married more than ever before. There was too much dignity and prettiness about it – and above all, too many flowers. Smeagol hated flowers. They were smelly and they made him sneeze.
His plan was basic. He would hide the Ring in his pocket. When it came to the vows, instead of saying 'I do' he would slip the Ring on his finger and run away from the village forever. It would shock poor Feaga terribly; however, all she wanted was the family fortune.
And perhaps, thought Smeagol to himself with a sneer, Grandmother would die of surprise.
This is very short, but it's not like anyone is hanging on word-by-word. (Insert laughter here.) Well, at least I have a good sense of humor about it all. :)