Sméagol's Redeption

Chapter 14

While Damian and Sméagol were fishing and bonding, Aini stayed with Bri and Lea.

"They look like they're having fun," said Bri. "Sméagol's really good at fishing."

"Yeah, well, he grew up fishing with his cousin, Déagol," said Aini. "Then, he found the Precious, and that's pretty much all he lived on for a long time was fish... and a few other odds and ends here and there."

"If you don't mind me asking," said Lea, "what is the Precious?"

"Well..." Aini hesitated. "It was a ring."

"A ring?" Bri inquired. "He got addicted to a piece of jewelry?"

"It wasn't just a piece of jewelry, actually. It had some kind of dark magic. It can give you the power of invisibility and longevity, but it also has the most horrible effects on the mind and body. One day, Sméagol and Déagol were fishing, and Déagol found the ring at the bottom of the river. As soon as he fished it out, it took immediate power over both of them."

"So, what happened?" asked Lea.

"They fought over the ring, until Sméagol strangled Déagol to death, taking the ring as his own."

"Oh, my God," Bri said breathlessly. "But, it was the ring that made him do that?"

"Exactly. Sméagol had no control over what it did to him. Eventually, his family kicked him out of their home, and completely turned on him, along with all his friends."

"Did any of them even try to help him?"

"Nope. They just saw him turning, and decided, 'nope, we're done with you.' Never even asked him what was going on, never asked if he was okay. They just completely shunned him."

"Cowards," Lea sighed.

Bri nodded in agreement.

"Yep, and the ring made him really sensitive to light and certain foods and textures, so he had to live in a cave in the Misty Mountain for hundreds of years."

"Wait... hundreds?" Bri asked, confused.

"The ring made him live longer."

"Whoa."

"Somewhere along the way, he developed his second personality, Gollum, who's a lot more blunt and resentful. It's how he channels his anger at the ring ad what he did."

"Why is he called Gollum?" asked Lea.

"Because of the gurgling sounds he makes with his throat. People called him Gollum."

"People are so cruel sometimes," said Bri.

Aini nodded in agreement. "So... because he was so sensitive to light, all he could live off of was cave fish and any other little critters that wandered into his cave. Most of the interactions he had with other people weren't very pleasant. At one point, he was tortured by Sauron, the one who created the ring, and his servants after the ring was lost."

"How did he lose the ring?" asked Bri.

"Bilbo took it when he wandered into the cave, and Sauran wanted to know where it was."

"Why did Sauron create that ring in the first place?" asked Lea.

"World domination. He wanted to take over Middle Earth. That's where Sméagol is from."

"Sauron sounds like a major butthole," said Bri.

"Oh, he is. But, that's why Sméagol can't handle certain foods, because they were the foods that Sauron's servants ate. It's also why he's so sensitive to certain materials. That, along with the ring. It's also why he's so afraid to try new foods, because he doesn't know if he can handle them. So, he sticks with what feels safe for him, and that's raw fish."