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Gollum's Story

Chapter Two: The Lies Begin

"What am I going to tell my parents? His parents?" I thought. "My best friend lies at the bottom of the River, dead, and I did it! Well, I definitely can't tell them the truth, though I've never lied to them before. I can't tell them about the Ring, the Precious, they would make me find whoever had lost it and return it to them. No, I am better off making up a story."

I sat down on a smooth, gray stone overlooking Deagol's watery grave. I couldn't think of anything. Then a thought popped into my head, "What if we told them that he drowned, yes, drowned, like many of our kind do each year." That thought was definitely going to work, although I would have to make up more events to make it seem true. This thought firmly embedded in my mind, I set off for home.

It was nearing noon when I started off for home. I suddenly became aware that I was hungry. "Let's stop for a bite to eat, yes Precious, and then make our way home," I thought. I listened to the River and realized that there were plenty of fish for the taking. I reached in and grabbed a fish. I was so ravenous that I ate it raw. Mama would have scolded me, had she been there, but I didn't care. The sun was unusually hot, her golden light making the Precious sparkle and shine upon my hand.

I strolled along leisurely, dreading having to face my parents and the Stewerns. What would they think of me now? "Push those thoughts from your mind, it doesn't matter; you've got the Precious," said a voice inside my head. It was mine, and yet not mine. I pushed it out of my mind and followed his instructions.

I arrived at home just before dusk. I pushed open the doors to our kitchen, trying not to be seen or heard by my mother. She was busy preparing dinner, so I turned to leave. "Smeagol, is that you?" she asked in her singsong voice.

"Yes, Mama," I responded.

"Well, come out from behind the door; I can't see you."

She couldn't see me? But I was right there. I suddenly realized that the Precious was still on my finger. I quickly slipped it off.

"Oh, there you are. I was getting ever so worried. Where's Deagol?"

"Mama, I have something I need to tell you, Papa, and the Stewerns. It's about Deagol."

Mama looked as though her world had just ended. "I'll go get your father. You go get Damen and Lily Stewern. I'll be right back," she commanded in a strained tone, as though she were struggling against tears.

When they were all gathered in our small living area, I cleared my throat and stood up. "Well, about Deagol. You see, we were swimming and splashing in the River. He dove under an outcropping of rock and a long weed caught onto him, though he didn't notice." The more detailed I got, the easier the lies came. "He kept swimming through that same area, getting the weed more and more tangled until he couldn't come up for air. He splashed and spluttered, but I couldn't help him. There was fear in his eyes. Then, they closed, and there was no more sight of the brown. By that time, I needed to come up for air. I tried to untangle the body, but it wouldn't be freed. I marked the spot with a small stick, so that if you wanted to see the spot you could," I stopped.

Lily Stewern opened her mouth, as if to talk, but all that came out was a low moaning, "Deagol, my baby, my love, my baby." This created a wave of guilt. Why had I killed him? He was my best friend! "The Precious is more important then friendssssss," stated the voice. "Go away!" I thought, "I'm getting rid of the Precious tonight." "You don't have the strength, no preciosssss," the voice responded. And suddenly, I realized that I couldn't, no matter what. The Precious was a part of me. Whether I liked it or not.

A/N: That's it! How do you like it? Please review. Oh, and if you'd like a small part (A friend of Smeagol's, a friend of the parents, whatever) just review with how you would be related to the story, your name, approximate age and height, hair and eye color. I have room for several characters; I just need to know if you're interested. Thanks!