Foreword: Sorry its been a while since I updated. I had many project
deadlines at university and I still didn't get them all done. But now I've
got a nice long Christmas break, and I have missed writing these. Thanks
reviewer Fireblade K' Chona , its good to know someone is still reading
these, even if that someone is quite obviously insane (I read your bio).
The Old Forest part 1
Frodo and his three companions had left the Shire and were now somewhere in the Old forest. It had been both a tense and boring journey. Firstly they were on tenterhooks after narrowly escaping a Black Rider (by hiding behind a log), they spent every second looking over their shoulders until they reached the cover of the trees. However, when stopped for a pipe weed break Sam had let go of the tenterhooks, meaning the Hobbits had to continue on foot and at a much slower pace. After that it had become rather boring, the only entertainment coming from a "Travel Chess" game that Frodo had brought. In the last two days Frodo had been finding it difficult to sleep and that is where our tale continues.
Frodo couldn't sleep. Not because of the uneven, twig covered land he lay on, nor his friends snoring. He opened his eyes. This deep in the Old Forest it was always dark, the trees knitted malevolently close, weaving a blanket of twisted branches above him. Rubbing his eyes he sat up and looked at his friends sourly. They were well lost in sleep, bundled logs, breathing steadily amongst a few tendrils of moonlight that the matted trees allowed through. Apart from the steady rise-fall of their chests the forest was still.
"La-di-doo-da-ho-hum-laha-la"
He worked his mouth and found it was dry. He was not surprised, for Frodo was now resigned to how thick the air hung, warm, humid and still. This far in, the trees dictated the climate, closing and strangling the air. Sighing, Frodo scrambled amongst his cloaks for his water bottle. On finding it he unstoppered it and drank deeply. Maybe a drink would help him sleep.
"La-di-doo-da-ho-hum-laha-la"
That voice again! Or at least he thought he had heard something. Something just out of his hearing range, nagging, singing, no! What was happening to him? Resolutely He settled into the most comfortable position he could improvise and closed his eyes. He willed himself to sleep, to no avail. Something was keeping him awake. Frodo sat up once more, scrutinising his surroundings. Was it the trees? Quite possible he thought. A few days ago he would never have believed that trees had feelings, but now he knew different. The trees of the Old forest were awake, and he suspected their feelings towards travellers were far from friendly. He had been hit by several falling acorns and a birds nest yesterday. Sam had been tripped by a root and Pippin claimed an oak tree had stolen his wallet. Frodo also suspected the trees could talk to each other as well. For the trees sometimes rustled their leaves as if whispering amongst themselves. However there was never any wind. It made him shiver.
"La-di-doo-da-ho-hum-laha-la"
"What?" Frodo said out loud and then wandered why he had said it. He shook his head. He was just tired, that's what it was, but for some time now he had the feeling that something was trying to talk to him. The trees? He must be imagining it. He hoped he was. Frodo didn't want to talk to trees; his life had gotten strange enough recently, without trees trying to contact him.
"Good. I think you can hear me now", came a smooth sliding voice
Frodo jumped upright. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Calm down"
"Calm down? I'm talking to a damn tree!"
"A tree! Ha! I am no tree! Guess again"
Frodo cast around desperately. His heart thumped in his ears. All around him the trees lay still and as menacing as ever. Blackness filled what little he could see between the trees and all was shadow and night. But something must be watching him. Something must be able to see him, through that dark.
"Where are you!" he shouted
Sam groaned and turned over, still asleep. But the woods remained silent as ever.
"No, not over there", the voice chided silkily, "I'm much closer than you think"
"Where?", Frodo tensed and for a moment considered it might be Merry or Pippin playing a joke on him. He quickly dismissed the idea though. They slept soundly on, underneath the branches of a gnarled willow tree. Besides, no one could make a voice like that. Whatever it was, it wasn't human.
"Very close"
In a moment of cold realisation Frodo looked up. It was above him! In the branches!
The nameless voice laughed, a cold chiming sound that made Frodo clamp his hands tightly across his ears.
"No..not up there either. Look in your pocket"
In his pocket? In any case Frodo had nothing else left to do but follow its instructions. He crept a trembling hand inside and pulled out the only thing he kept in his pocket. Secured by a looping silver chain, Frodo brought forth his Uncle Bilbo's ring.
"Ta dar!"
Frodo felt relief flow through him. He had been imagining some monster. A large wolf creature or some sort that lived amongst the twisted boroughs. He may have been talking to an item a jewellery, so he may in fact be mad but at least he wasn't about to be eaten.
"A ring", he said dumbly
"A ring! I am more than that! I am the one ring, the one that can rule all others. I can also make people invisible."
"The one ring..I didn't know you could speak"
"Well I can.telepathically. Only the one who bears me can hear me"
"Bilbo never mentioned this"
"I never talked to him"
"Why talk to me?"
"Because I'm intrigued. What's your name? Where are you taking me? And are you in any way evil?"
Frodo shrugged to himself. It probably wouldn't hurt to answer a few questions. After all he was stuck with this ring until Bree so it might pay to be nice to it. "My names Frodo Baggins. I'm going to meet a friend in Bree and as to my evilness I'd have to say no, I'm not very evil."
Then Frodo remembered something Gandalf had said, but it wasn't relevant and so it went unmentioned for now.
"I see. Are you interested in evil by any chance? There are many career choices for a minion of the dark one."
"Sorry I'm not interested in minnioning"
"How about being all powerful?"
Frodo thought about this. "Er.well maybe. Can you make me all powerful?"
"....well I can make you invisible. That's nearly the same thing", after a few moments of silence the ring added, "you could spy on girls undressing"
Frodo was tempted, however he now recalled Gandalf's warning that was hinted at in the previous paragraph.
"Never put it on, for the agents of the dark one will be drawn to its presence!"
He had no wish to draw the dark ones agents, not even in watercolours and so Frodo turned down the rings offer. Besides there never seemed to be many females around in Middle Earth. That or he hardly met any himself.
"awww go on.. Put me on"
"No", said Frodo sternly, "what I want to do now is go to sleep!"
Frodo settled into his blankets and shut his eyes hoping that the ring would give up for now and allow him some rest. Unfortunately he was mistaken.
"I demand that you put me on now!"
"or else."
"acknowledge me!"
"I know you're still awake"
"La-di-doo-da-ho-hum-laha-la"
"That was the first line of a very long song in the Black speech of Mordor!"
At this Frodo stirred and realised he must trick the ring if he wanted any sleep tonight. "Sing away...it soothes me"
To this, the ring was quiet while it rested in Frodo's pocket, pondering its options. And to Frodo's relief the ring said no more. He was just drifting into sleep, he could feel himself going, warm and rested when Frodo heard a noise which made him sit up once more.
The trees whispered. Frodo groaned, in his experience this always happened before he got something dropped on his head. However nothing happened. He waited. The silence lengthened, yet he knew in his heart that the trees had been plotting something. Then he heard a low crackling noise as if something large was moving. "What's happening?", he asked himself and cast about him, but the moon had gone behind the clouds and there was no light to see by.
"remember the bit when I said "or else"?
Frodo had a bad feeling about this, "what did you do?"
"Nothing. However I did give a bit of encouragement to that big willow tree"
"You can talk to trees?"
"heh"
Then, as if the moon itself was curious it left the clouds, sending dots of light through the branches. It wasn't much but Frodo could now make out his surroundings, and to his horror Merry and Pippin had disappeared. The willow tree they had lay seemed larger than it had before somehow.
"That's right. The willow ate your friends"
"Damn it!", Frodo swore kicking at the tree. Now Sam was awake. "What is it Mr Frodo?"
"This tree ate Merry and Pippin!"
"and that's not all", said the ring, its voice full of tinkling laughter
Frodo sank onto his knees, eye's scanning the ground, "Nooooooo!"
"yep"
"my travel chess.."
To be continued...
Next week: Tom Bombadil
The Old Forest part 1
Frodo and his three companions had left the Shire and were now somewhere in the Old forest. It had been both a tense and boring journey. Firstly they were on tenterhooks after narrowly escaping a Black Rider (by hiding behind a log), they spent every second looking over their shoulders until they reached the cover of the trees. However, when stopped for a pipe weed break Sam had let go of the tenterhooks, meaning the Hobbits had to continue on foot and at a much slower pace. After that it had become rather boring, the only entertainment coming from a "Travel Chess" game that Frodo had brought. In the last two days Frodo had been finding it difficult to sleep and that is where our tale continues.
Frodo couldn't sleep. Not because of the uneven, twig covered land he lay on, nor his friends snoring. He opened his eyes. This deep in the Old Forest it was always dark, the trees knitted malevolently close, weaving a blanket of twisted branches above him. Rubbing his eyes he sat up and looked at his friends sourly. They were well lost in sleep, bundled logs, breathing steadily amongst a few tendrils of moonlight that the matted trees allowed through. Apart from the steady rise-fall of their chests the forest was still.
"La-di-doo-da-ho-hum-laha-la"
He worked his mouth and found it was dry. He was not surprised, for Frodo was now resigned to how thick the air hung, warm, humid and still. This far in, the trees dictated the climate, closing and strangling the air. Sighing, Frodo scrambled amongst his cloaks for his water bottle. On finding it he unstoppered it and drank deeply. Maybe a drink would help him sleep.
"La-di-doo-da-ho-hum-laha-la"
That voice again! Or at least he thought he had heard something. Something just out of his hearing range, nagging, singing, no! What was happening to him? Resolutely He settled into the most comfortable position he could improvise and closed his eyes. He willed himself to sleep, to no avail. Something was keeping him awake. Frodo sat up once more, scrutinising his surroundings. Was it the trees? Quite possible he thought. A few days ago he would never have believed that trees had feelings, but now he knew different. The trees of the Old forest were awake, and he suspected their feelings towards travellers were far from friendly. He had been hit by several falling acorns and a birds nest yesterday. Sam had been tripped by a root and Pippin claimed an oak tree had stolen his wallet. Frodo also suspected the trees could talk to each other as well. For the trees sometimes rustled their leaves as if whispering amongst themselves. However there was never any wind. It made him shiver.
"La-di-doo-da-ho-hum-laha-la"
"What?" Frodo said out loud and then wandered why he had said it. He shook his head. He was just tired, that's what it was, but for some time now he had the feeling that something was trying to talk to him. The trees? He must be imagining it. He hoped he was. Frodo didn't want to talk to trees; his life had gotten strange enough recently, without trees trying to contact him.
"Good. I think you can hear me now", came a smooth sliding voice
Frodo jumped upright. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Calm down"
"Calm down? I'm talking to a damn tree!"
"A tree! Ha! I am no tree! Guess again"
Frodo cast around desperately. His heart thumped in his ears. All around him the trees lay still and as menacing as ever. Blackness filled what little he could see between the trees and all was shadow and night. But something must be watching him. Something must be able to see him, through that dark.
"Where are you!" he shouted
Sam groaned and turned over, still asleep. But the woods remained silent as ever.
"No, not over there", the voice chided silkily, "I'm much closer than you think"
"Where?", Frodo tensed and for a moment considered it might be Merry or Pippin playing a joke on him. He quickly dismissed the idea though. They slept soundly on, underneath the branches of a gnarled willow tree. Besides, no one could make a voice like that. Whatever it was, it wasn't human.
"Very close"
In a moment of cold realisation Frodo looked up. It was above him! In the branches!
The nameless voice laughed, a cold chiming sound that made Frodo clamp his hands tightly across his ears.
"No..not up there either. Look in your pocket"
In his pocket? In any case Frodo had nothing else left to do but follow its instructions. He crept a trembling hand inside and pulled out the only thing he kept in his pocket. Secured by a looping silver chain, Frodo brought forth his Uncle Bilbo's ring.
"Ta dar!"
Frodo felt relief flow through him. He had been imagining some monster. A large wolf creature or some sort that lived amongst the twisted boroughs. He may have been talking to an item a jewellery, so he may in fact be mad but at least he wasn't about to be eaten.
"A ring", he said dumbly
"A ring! I am more than that! I am the one ring, the one that can rule all others. I can also make people invisible."
"The one ring..I didn't know you could speak"
"Well I can.telepathically. Only the one who bears me can hear me"
"Bilbo never mentioned this"
"I never talked to him"
"Why talk to me?"
"Because I'm intrigued. What's your name? Where are you taking me? And are you in any way evil?"
Frodo shrugged to himself. It probably wouldn't hurt to answer a few questions. After all he was stuck with this ring until Bree so it might pay to be nice to it. "My names Frodo Baggins. I'm going to meet a friend in Bree and as to my evilness I'd have to say no, I'm not very evil."
Then Frodo remembered something Gandalf had said, but it wasn't relevant and so it went unmentioned for now.
"I see. Are you interested in evil by any chance? There are many career choices for a minion of the dark one."
"Sorry I'm not interested in minnioning"
"How about being all powerful?"
Frodo thought about this. "Er.well maybe. Can you make me all powerful?"
"....well I can make you invisible. That's nearly the same thing", after a few moments of silence the ring added, "you could spy on girls undressing"
Frodo was tempted, however he now recalled Gandalf's warning that was hinted at in the previous paragraph.
"Never put it on, for the agents of the dark one will be drawn to its presence!"
He had no wish to draw the dark ones agents, not even in watercolours and so Frodo turned down the rings offer. Besides there never seemed to be many females around in Middle Earth. That or he hardly met any himself.
"awww go on.. Put me on"
"No", said Frodo sternly, "what I want to do now is go to sleep!"
Frodo settled into his blankets and shut his eyes hoping that the ring would give up for now and allow him some rest. Unfortunately he was mistaken.
"I demand that you put me on now!"
"or else."
"acknowledge me!"
"I know you're still awake"
"La-di-doo-da-ho-hum-laha-la"
"That was the first line of a very long song in the Black speech of Mordor!"
At this Frodo stirred and realised he must trick the ring if he wanted any sleep tonight. "Sing away...it soothes me"
To this, the ring was quiet while it rested in Frodo's pocket, pondering its options. And to Frodo's relief the ring said no more. He was just drifting into sleep, he could feel himself going, warm and rested when Frodo heard a noise which made him sit up once more.
The trees whispered. Frodo groaned, in his experience this always happened before he got something dropped on his head. However nothing happened. He waited. The silence lengthened, yet he knew in his heart that the trees had been plotting something. Then he heard a low crackling noise as if something large was moving. "What's happening?", he asked himself and cast about him, but the moon had gone behind the clouds and there was no light to see by.
"remember the bit when I said "or else"?
Frodo had a bad feeling about this, "what did you do?"
"Nothing. However I did give a bit of encouragement to that big willow tree"
"You can talk to trees?"
"heh"
Then, as if the moon itself was curious it left the clouds, sending dots of light through the branches. It wasn't much but Frodo could now make out his surroundings, and to his horror Merry and Pippin had disappeared. The willow tree they had lay seemed larger than it had before somehow.
"That's right. The willow ate your friends"
"Damn it!", Frodo swore kicking at the tree. Now Sam was awake. "What is it Mr Frodo?"
"This tree ate Merry and Pippin!"
"and that's not all", said the ring, its voice full of tinkling laughter
Frodo sank onto his knees, eye's scanning the ground, "Nooooooo!"
"yep"
"my travel chess.."
To be continued...
Next week: Tom Bombadil