The Caves
I lingered there, I do not know for how long.
In my old world, there never seemed enough time in the day, you know? Now I had a surfeit of time, and the best way to spend it.
Invisible. To be invisible, my greatest dream. To be invisible, and all the time in the world to enjoy it-- I grew into something else, some form of super-being. I could see in the dark, move quick as a frog, and think quicker. And best of all, my precious.
You know.
Until one day my precious was lost, slipped off my finger as I strangled a goblin-imp. I loved the squeak of them. Stupid, blind creatures, nothing like me. Like the hamsters we used to keep in my school, long ago. They squeaked too, and the teacher wouldn't let me touch them anymore.
I'll show her. I did show her. I lived many lifetimes! But when my precious was lost I could feel the strength drain from my limbs. My precious, gone! I must have known, in the back of my mind, that the Hobbit took it. I had read of this, long ago, but through the ages my head had grown foggy. No need to dwell on the past, once I found my precious, eh?
The Hobbit came into my cave, he was lost, too, and he wanted to riddle with us. We knew the answers, of course.
I had read them.
But the last one, that confounded me. Lost in the darkness, too much of my memory had been leached away, and I could not answer. Until I remembered what I had read. He had the precious! Bilbo Baggins had it! In his pocket!
We would have rent his flesh, plump Hobbit-meat, and had a good meal, but he put on the precious and was gone. And for many years I was left alone in that cave, and my mind was restless again. Restless, and searching, so after who knows how long I went out into the world, with one yearning only: the precious.
You know.
But I was taken! Taken by Elves, taken whilst I was wandering the borders of their wood. It was because the light was strange to me, that is all. And I did manage to escape, in the end, up a tree and away. Oh, if they could have seen me then, those boys! Teased, they did, when we couldn't climb as high.
I showed them. I showed everyone.
But then I was taken again, by the other side, and it was not pleasant. They tortured us, and they wanted our precious. I had to tell them where precious was. I am sorry, but precious did not want to stay with the stupid Hobbit! No, I would come to get precious.
I escaped from that place, the dark tower. I don't mind the dark, usually, but this was a particularly foul kind. I came to the place of the Elves, and the bright light hurt my eyes.
You knew I was there, didn't you? No one else did, but I knew where they were. I had read about it long ago, and so I followed when they set out.
Oh, I couldn't take precious right away, too many big people with bright eyes and blades guarding it, and the Hobbit that carried it. So I followed at a distance, my breath hissing as I bounded along behind them. I took care never to stir a leaf, and I was always drawn on by the precious, calling to me.
You know.
Disclaimer: Nothing of Tolkien's creation belongs to me
