Hurdling down. Right before the seething heat that would consume his
flesh and let free his soul to fly away, washed clean of the past,
memories. Memories and emotions, flooding like a river. The creature
called Gollum began crying as he fell, all his memories.
He was still the same child he had been when he had gotten the Ring. This was all just a nightmare. It must be. Soon, he would wake, and Grandma would give him some tea, and hug him until he wasn't scared any longer. And then he and his favorite cousin Deagol would go to the baker's to get muffins to eat. But it wasn't a dream. It wasn't, and he could not wake-the only awakening was eternal sleep.
"Deagol! Cousin! Will you take me to the river?" the small hobbits voice piped up.
"Sure!" said his older cousin, picking up the younger hobbit in a bear hug. "But only if you give me some of your presents!"
"But-"
"Don't worry, I'm just joking!" said Deagol, hugging his little cousin. The sun was bright outside, and little Smeagol was busy looking at a flower. "Deagol, how can something as pretty as a flower come from something so small and ugly as a seed?"
"I don't know, cousin! But how can the lovely, innocent rose, sting with its thorns?" Deagol replied, laughing.
"What do you mean? I don't understand!" Smeagol asked as they approached the river.
"Hopefully, you will never know." Said Deagol, "But here. I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes and hold out your hands. No peeking!"
"Okay! They're closed. Really this time." Something small was set in his hands. "Can I open my eyes?"
"Yes." Deagol said. "My parents also gave you some money for when you grow older, but this is something that you can use now."
Smeagol opened his eyes to see in front of him a small package of seeds. "Seeds! Will they grow into flowers? Real flowers?"
"I should hope so!" Deagol replied, receiving a hug from his younger cousin.
"Let's go home now, so we can plant them!" he said gleefully.
"Not yet, cousin. Let's fish first, is that okay with you?"
"Okay. I guess."
The small hobbit sat on his knees in the cool mud by the river, looking at the pretty flowers. He toyed with them, sometimes taking them out and looking at their roots.
Deagol suddenly started at something he saw. "Hold on, cousin, I think I see that charm of Emma's that she lost while swimming in the river." He said, pointing at the gleaming object. He dove in, and came out again holding up a pretty ring.
And something happened. Smeagol, little innocent child, was suddenly under a spell of darkness. "Give us that, Deagol, my love." He said, in a voice not his own.
"Why?" said Deagol, somewhat frightened. This was not the innocent child he had come to the river with.
"Because it's my birthday, my love, and I wants it." Little Smeagol was gone wholly now. He was swallowed up by Gollum.
"I don't care," said Deagol, "I have given you a present already, more than I could afford. I found this, and I'm going to keep it."
"Oh, are you indeed, my love," said Gollum, and then, with strength not his own, he grabbed Deagol by the neck, and Deagol, taken by surprise could not fight back, this Gollum. "Cousin...." he murmured, right before his body fell limp.
"Deagol? Deagol, wake up! Grandma is going to be angry at us if we come home late! Deagol!" and then Smeagol was gone, until this point.
Smeagol lived again, if only for a moment's time. The young hobbit child began crying for everything he had lost. Why did he deserve this? The innocent child, he was. He thought of everyone he had killed, and was sure this was only a bad dream. //This is a dream. It must be. Deagol will come, and we will go play, and plant the pretty seeds. Why is their blood on my hands? This isn't my body! Where is my home? Why can I not wake? What has happened to me?// . "Deagol! Deagol! We have to go home- " and his soul left him.
He was still the same child he had been when he had gotten the Ring. This was all just a nightmare. It must be. Soon, he would wake, and Grandma would give him some tea, and hug him until he wasn't scared any longer. And then he and his favorite cousin Deagol would go to the baker's to get muffins to eat. But it wasn't a dream. It wasn't, and he could not wake-the only awakening was eternal sleep.
"Deagol! Cousin! Will you take me to the river?" the small hobbits voice piped up.
"Sure!" said his older cousin, picking up the younger hobbit in a bear hug. "But only if you give me some of your presents!"
"But-"
"Don't worry, I'm just joking!" said Deagol, hugging his little cousin. The sun was bright outside, and little Smeagol was busy looking at a flower. "Deagol, how can something as pretty as a flower come from something so small and ugly as a seed?"
"I don't know, cousin! But how can the lovely, innocent rose, sting with its thorns?" Deagol replied, laughing.
"What do you mean? I don't understand!" Smeagol asked as they approached the river.
"Hopefully, you will never know." Said Deagol, "But here. I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes and hold out your hands. No peeking!"
"Okay! They're closed. Really this time." Something small was set in his hands. "Can I open my eyes?"
"Yes." Deagol said. "My parents also gave you some money for when you grow older, but this is something that you can use now."
Smeagol opened his eyes to see in front of him a small package of seeds. "Seeds! Will they grow into flowers? Real flowers?"
"I should hope so!" Deagol replied, receiving a hug from his younger cousin.
"Let's go home now, so we can plant them!" he said gleefully.
"Not yet, cousin. Let's fish first, is that okay with you?"
"Okay. I guess."
The small hobbit sat on his knees in the cool mud by the river, looking at the pretty flowers. He toyed with them, sometimes taking them out and looking at their roots.
Deagol suddenly started at something he saw. "Hold on, cousin, I think I see that charm of Emma's that she lost while swimming in the river." He said, pointing at the gleaming object. He dove in, and came out again holding up a pretty ring.
And something happened. Smeagol, little innocent child, was suddenly under a spell of darkness. "Give us that, Deagol, my love." He said, in a voice not his own.
"Why?" said Deagol, somewhat frightened. This was not the innocent child he had come to the river with.
"Because it's my birthday, my love, and I wants it." Little Smeagol was gone wholly now. He was swallowed up by Gollum.
"I don't care," said Deagol, "I have given you a present already, more than I could afford. I found this, and I'm going to keep it."
"Oh, are you indeed, my love," said Gollum, and then, with strength not his own, he grabbed Deagol by the neck, and Deagol, taken by surprise could not fight back, this Gollum. "Cousin...." he murmured, right before his body fell limp.
"Deagol? Deagol, wake up! Grandma is going to be angry at us if we come home late! Deagol!" and then Smeagol was gone, until this point.
Smeagol lived again, if only for a moment's time. The young hobbit child began crying for everything he had lost. Why did he deserve this? The innocent child, he was. He thought of everyone he had killed, and was sure this was only a bad dream. //This is a dream. It must be. Deagol will come, and we will go play, and plant the pretty seeds. Why is their blood on my hands? This isn't my body! Where is my home? Why can I not wake? What has happened to me?// . "Deagol! Deagol! We have to go home- " and his soul left him.