Chapter One
The Ring
"Damnit!" And with a small splash, the oars of Summer Thompson's boat fell into the lake, disappearing beneath the mucky green waters. "Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!" Summer had only let go of the oars for two seconds while she attempted to open her picnic basket. Now what was she going to do?
With a sigh, she sat down and closed her eyes. This has been the worst vacation ever, she thought to herself. And she had good reason to. Her 10 day trip to New Zealand was supposed to be relaxing, but from the day she arrived to that moment in the lake, it had turned out to be a complete disaster. First, her wallet was stolen, so she was forced to cancel her credit cards and call home for cash. Then, the reservations at her hotel were unluckily lost and she could only get a room at a crummy, little hole in the wall motel where the heat rarely worked and the shower spewed brown water. If it wasn't for the majesty and beauty of New Zealand's surroundings, she probably would have gone home after forty-eight hours.
Summer opened her eyes and decided to try and find the oars. She suspected the boat rental shop would make her pay an outrageous sum of money for them if they were really gone for good. Summer rolled up the sleeve of her plaid blouse and pulled her straight, brown hair into a ponytail. She placed herself over the side of the boat and stuck her arm in. Relief flooded her as she felt her fingers touch the wooden oar underneath. After all, the lake was only four feet deep.
Summer pulled the first oar into the boat, and then began groping around for the other. This one had floated farther away, however, and she was not having as much luck finding it. Her fingers roamed the slimy ground of the lake, occasionally getting entangled in weeds of some sort. She was just about to move to the other side of the boat when she felt her hand brush a small metal object. The sudden contact surprised her, but she scooped it up right away.
Summer opened her fist to find a golden ring sitting there. It was a rather large ring, but very pleasing to the eye none the less. Summer wondered if it were actually real gold. What a find that would be! Summer admired her find a few moments longer, and then slipped into her front left jean pocket. She dipped her hand back into the chilly water and instantly found the second oar. Pulling that oar too back into her boat, Summer suddenly felt tired and decided that her little boating excursion was a bust.
She paddled back to the boating dock, tied up her boat, and took the oars to the boating hut to check out. The boating hut was tiny and old with chipped white paint and a cracked wooden sign above the window, which read BOAT RENTALS, or at least it would read that if half the letter weren't missing.
"That will be 17.83, miss," the man behind the window told her. He was on old fellow, in his sixties probably, with blue eyes that sparkled behind his wide glasses and long, white hair and beard.
"I saw ya lose your oars out there." Summer looked up from rummaging through her bag. "It was amusing to watch."
Summer gave a half smile. "Yeah, that wasn't one of my better moments. I thought I'd be stuck out there for a while." She gave him a few bills and her gave her back her change. She was just about to leave when she remembered the ring.
"Oh, by the way I found something while I was looking for the oars." Summer pulled the ring out of her pocket and placed it on the counter. "Is it yours?"
The man stared at the ring for what seemed like a good minute, then picked it up and examined it more closely; all the while his mouth was opened slightly in awe.
"My goodness. I have not seen this in years. I believed it to be lost." He turned the ring around a few times then ran his fingers over it.
"This may sound silly, but it reminded me of the ring from Lord of the Rings," Summer commented.
The old man put the ring down and looked at her in amusement. "You are a fan of Lord of the Rings?"
"I read it a while ago, in high school, but I remember liking it. It was just so interesting. And the movies were awesome."
The man held up the ring, looked at for a few moments, deciding something in his head, and held it out to Summer. "Why don't you have it. I think you would like it."
Summer cocked an eyebrow. "Don't you want to keep it? You seem to value it a lot." Summer did not understand his offer.
The man shook his head. "It's helped me as much as it can. Now, it can help you." Um, okay, Summer thought, Whatever that means. Summer took the ring back into her hang, and then put it back into her pocket. There I something kind of creepy about this, she thought, I mean old men just don't give away gold rings. Maybe it's a fake.
And with that, Summer retreated back to her stingy motel room.
Once Summer returned to her room, she was utterly delighted to find the shower no longer spewing brown water. There was clear water for at least five minutes, anyways. Summer soaked under the warmth of the liquid and allowed the day to wash off from her, feeling much more relaxed than she had in the last couple of days. When she was finished showering, she put on her sleeping clothes (black shorts and an old soccer jersey) and began to brush out her hair.
Her mind was thoughtless for a while, and then she found her thoughts bent on the ring she had been given early that day. It was all very mysterious, indeed. The old man seemed so happy to have it back, yet gave it away a mere minute later! Maybe he stole it, Summer thought, Maybe he wanted to frame me instead of get caught for the crime himself!
Summer stopped brushing her hair, went over to the pair of jeans she wore that day, and pulled the ring out from the pocket. Summer turned it in between her fingers slowly. She was suddenly mesmerized by it. She looked at it intently. It was surprisingly warm, and gleamed in the light. Without knowing why she was doing it, Summer slowly slipped the ring on her index finger and admired how it looked. It was too big for her, but she thought the gold went well with her tan skin. She could only stare.
Suddenly, a wave of slumber washed over her, and she found herself struggling to keep her eyes open. Summer retreated back to her bed and quickly got under the covers, but waited a few minutes before taking the ring off.
"What was that rhyme?" She pondered to herself aloud into the darkness of the room. "One for them all...? One Ring to find them all and rule them...?" Then it came to her.
"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
Pleased with herself, Summer turned over and closed her eyes. Summer thought of the darkness and the silence around her.
And then Summer felt no bed beneath her, she was falling, darkness closing in on her, a loud buzz in her ear...
And then nothing.
The Ring
"Damnit!" And with a small splash, the oars of Summer Thompson's boat fell into the lake, disappearing beneath the mucky green waters. "Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!" Summer had only let go of the oars for two seconds while she attempted to open her picnic basket. Now what was she going to do?
With a sigh, she sat down and closed her eyes. This has been the worst vacation ever, she thought to herself. And she had good reason to. Her 10 day trip to New Zealand was supposed to be relaxing, but from the day she arrived to that moment in the lake, it had turned out to be a complete disaster. First, her wallet was stolen, so she was forced to cancel her credit cards and call home for cash. Then, the reservations at her hotel were unluckily lost and she could only get a room at a crummy, little hole in the wall motel where the heat rarely worked and the shower spewed brown water. If it wasn't for the majesty and beauty of New Zealand's surroundings, she probably would have gone home after forty-eight hours.
Summer opened her eyes and decided to try and find the oars. She suspected the boat rental shop would make her pay an outrageous sum of money for them if they were really gone for good. Summer rolled up the sleeve of her plaid blouse and pulled her straight, brown hair into a ponytail. She placed herself over the side of the boat and stuck her arm in. Relief flooded her as she felt her fingers touch the wooden oar underneath. After all, the lake was only four feet deep.
Summer pulled the first oar into the boat, and then began groping around for the other. This one had floated farther away, however, and she was not having as much luck finding it. Her fingers roamed the slimy ground of the lake, occasionally getting entangled in weeds of some sort. She was just about to move to the other side of the boat when she felt her hand brush a small metal object. The sudden contact surprised her, but she scooped it up right away.
Summer opened her fist to find a golden ring sitting there. It was a rather large ring, but very pleasing to the eye none the less. Summer wondered if it were actually real gold. What a find that would be! Summer admired her find a few moments longer, and then slipped into her front left jean pocket. She dipped her hand back into the chilly water and instantly found the second oar. Pulling that oar too back into her boat, Summer suddenly felt tired and decided that her little boating excursion was a bust.
She paddled back to the boating dock, tied up her boat, and took the oars to the boating hut to check out. The boating hut was tiny and old with chipped white paint and a cracked wooden sign above the window, which read BOAT RENTALS, or at least it would read that if half the letter weren't missing.
"That will be 17.83, miss," the man behind the window told her. He was on old fellow, in his sixties probably, with blue eyes that sparkled behind his wide glasses and long, white hair and beard.
"I saw ya lose your oars out there." Summer looked up from rummaging through her bag. "It was amusing to watch."
Summer gave a half smile. "Yeah, that wasn't one of my better moments. I thought I'd be stuck out there for a while." She gave him a few bills and her gave her back her change. She was just about to leave when she remembered the ring.
"Oh, by the way I found something while I was looking for the oars." Summer pulled the ring out of her pocket and placed it on the counter. "Is it yours?"
The man stared at the ring for what seemed like a good minute, then picked it up and examined it more closely; all the while his mouth was opened slightly in awe.
"My goodness. I have not seen this in years. I believed it to be lost." He turned the ring around a few times then ran his fingers over it.
"This may sound silly, but it reminded me of the ring from Lord of the Rings," Summer commented.
The old man put the ring down and looked at her in amusement. "You are a fan of Lord of the Rings?"
"I read it a while ago, in high school, but I remember liking it. It was just so interesting. And the movies were awesome."
The man held up the ring, looked at for a few moments, deciding something in his head, and held it out to Summer. "Why don't you have it. I think you would like it."
Summer cocked an eyebrow. "Don't you want to keep it? You seem to value it a lot." Summer did not understand his offer.
The man shook his head. "It's helped me as much as it can. Now, it can help you." Um, okay, Summer thought, Whatever that means. Summer took the ring back into her hang, and then put it back into her pocket. There I something kind of creepy about this, she thought, I mean old men just don't give away gold rings. Maybe it's a fake.
And with that, Summer retreated back to her stingy motel room.
Once Summer returned to her room, she was utterly delighted to find the shower no longer spewing brown water. There was clear water for at least five minutes, anyways. Summer soaked under the warmth of the liquid and allowed the day to wash off from her, feeling much more relaxed than she had in the last couple of days. When she was finished showering, she put on her sleeping clothes (black shorts and an old soccer jersey) and began to brush out her hair.
Her mind was thoughtless for a while, and then she found her thoughts bent on the ring she had been given early that day. It was all very mysterious, indeed. The old man seemed so happy to have it back, yet gave it away a mere minute later! Maybe he stole it, Summer thought, Maybe he wanted to frame me instead of get caught for the crime himself!
Summer stopped brushing her hair, went over to the pair of jeans she wore that day, and pulled the ring out from the pocket. Summer turned it in between her fingers slowly. She was suddenly mesmerized by it. She looked at it intently. It was surprisingly warm, and gleamed in the light. Without knowing why she was doing it, Summer slowly slipped the ring on her index finger and admired how it looked. It was too big for her, but she thought the gold went well with her tan skin. She could only stare.
Suddenly, a wave of slumber washed over her, and she found herself struggling to keep her eyes open. Summer retreated back to her bed and quickly got under the covers, but waited a few minutes before taking the ring off.
"What was that rhyme?" She pondered to herself aloud into the darkness of the room. "One for them all...? One Ring to find them all and rule them...?" Then it came to her.
"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
Pleased with herself, Summer turned over and closed her eyes. Summer thought of the darkness and the silence around her.
And then Summer felt no bed beneath her, she was falling, darkness closing in on her, a loud buzz in her ear...
And then nothing.