Lost
My heart beat high with excitement as we made our way cautiously down tunnel after tunnel, following after our burglar. Finally we reached the great chamber in which the dragon had resided in for so many years. Gold and silver, mithril and gems covered the floor, armour and fine instruments hung from the walls, and eagerly my eyes ran over the piles of treasure.
Where is it? I asked myself frantically. Surely it is here somewhere! Out loud, I cried, 'Search for the Arkenstone of my father and grandfather! It must be in this chamber!'
My people and the hobbit ran from pile to pile, exclaiming over the precious stones and the coins. I saw Master Baggins bend down more than once to carefully examine a piece of my new wealth.
At last Balin came to stand before me. 'It is not here, Thorin,' he said solemnly. 'We have searched every pile. It is lost.'
I could feel my temper flaming. 'How dare you give up so soon? Have you seen the amount of treasure in this room? It could be anywhere!'
But deep inside my heart, I knew it was not true. The great stone was no longer lying, hidden or exposed, on any of the piles of gold. The Arkenstone was lost.