The Road Goes Ever On (Adopted By Frodo Baggins:Book 4)

I Know What It's Like

It was nighttime. The moon cast a dim light over The Dead Marshes. Sam was fast asleep, but Frodo was wide awake. He held the Ring in the palm of his hand and stroked it gently.

"Precious..." he whispered, softly.

Out of the blue, Frodo heard a female voice murmur his name in his head. "Frodo. Frodo. Frodo."

He shut his eyes tightly and saw me staring back at him with sorrowful eyes. I spoke with a small voice. "Frodo? Is that really you?"

"Yes, it's me, darling. It's me."

"Oh, Frodo. I thought I'd never see you again. I thought you were dead."

"I'm not dead. I'm alive."

"Frodo, I don't want to be here! It's so cold and dark!" I panicked.

"Help me! Help me, Frodo!"

Frodo snapped back into reality and opened his eyes. "It was only a dream." He murmured quietly to himself. "Only a dream."

Frodo heard a wispy, ghostlike voice in the distance.

"So bright....so beautiful....Our precious."

Frodo turned around and noticed that Gollum was watching him.

"What did you say?" He asked Gollum, curiously.

"Master should be resting. Master should keep up his strength." Gollum replied. He gazed at Frodo with his wide, lamp-like eyes that shined in the dark.

Frodo moved over and crouched in front of Gollum. "Who are you?" He asked.

"Mustn't ask us. Not its business." Gollum hissed.

"Gandalf told me you were one of the river folk."

"Cold be heart and hand and bone. And called be travelers far from home." Gollum muttered.

"He said your life was a sad story." Said Frodo. "You were not so different from a hobbit once, were you, Sméagol?"

"What did you call me?"

"That was your name, wasn't it? A long time ago."

"My name...Sméagol."

Frodo nodded his head in agreement.

"Master, there is something us asks of you."

"What is it, Sméagol?"

Sméagol's eyes grew large. "Master was talking in his sleep. Master was talking about such strange things. What was Master dreaming about?"

Frodo paused for a brief moment. He gazed up at the sky and then focused back on Sméagol.

"Did you ever have a family, Sméagol?"

"Yes, precious. Yes, we did. We lived with Grandmother."

"What happened to her?"

"We doesn't know, precious."

"Why don't you live with your grandmother anymore, Sméagol?"

"When Sméagol had the precious, our family cursed us. Grandmother didn't love poor Sméagol anymore. Grandmother cursed us. Grandmother banished us. Gollum, Gollum."

Frodo's heart was filled with pity.

"I'm very sorry." Frodo whispered. "I lost someone that I loved as well. Someone very near and dear to my heart. My adoptive daughter."

"What does it mean?" asked Sméagol.

"It means that you take a child in to live with you. A child with no family. I took in a wonderful, young girl and she lived with me. But, I made an awful mistake."

"What did Master do?"

"I told her to leave me."

"Why, precious? Why? Tell poor Sméagol. Tell Sméagol."

"I did it to protect her. I had no other choice. Now, she is far, far away from me. I know what it's like to lose someone you love, Sméagol."
Frodo's blue eyes shimmered like the stars in the night sky. "I know."

A loud screech echoed through the marshes. Frodo and Sam quickly jumped to their feet. A Nazgûl was riding a black winged beast, a Fellbeast, in the gloomy and dark sky.

"A Black Rider! Hide, Mr. Frodo!" warned Sam. He pointed to a giant shadowy figure that was flying in the dark sky.

Frodo and Sam ran as fast as their feet could carry them. Gollum was following them from behind. They hid underneath a small cave and ducked their heads in fear.

The Fellbeast let out another high pitched cry. Frodo felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and he had many horrible and frightening flashbacks of the Black Riders. He clutched the Ring tightly in his hand, fell to the ground, and let out a loud scream.

Sam grabbed a hold of Frodo's hand and he dragged him underneath a bush so that the Black Rider couldn't see him.

"They are calling for It. They are calling for the Precious." hissed Gollum.

Frodo was put into a hypnotic trance and the Rings' power had taken a hold of him.

Sam had noticed that Frodo was about to slip on the Ring. He gripped Frodo's hand tightly. "It's all right." he consoled.

There was no sight nor sound of the Nazgûl. They had all disappeared.

"Hurry Hobbits!" urged Gollum. "The Black Gate is very close!"