Sméagol's Redeption

Chapter 97

Sméagol went for a little stroll to the field nearby. He made his way over to the stump, and sat down, taking in the beauty of nature all around him—the trees, the birds singing, the flowers blooming, the blue evening sky with the sun slowly getting ready to dip behind the clouds, and the fresh air. He thought of everyone back in Middle Earth, everyone he had wronged, everyone who had done him wrong, and said a silent prayer of love and forgiveness for all of them. Bless you all, he thought to himself.

Then, as he stretched out his legs, his foot grazed something hard. He moved his foot out of the way to see something shiny poking out of the ground. He bent over to pick it up, and his face lit up like the sun when he realized what it was. "My... precious!" he cried softly. He held the ring in his hands, and just stared at it. As he was about to place it on his finger again, he suddenly had flashbacks of everything he went through, all because of the evil powers of One Ring. Memories of living alone in a cave for centuries, being tortured by Sauron and his servants, betraying Sam and Frodo, losing his family, and Déagol's death all came flooding back to him.

"Destroy it!" shouted a familiar voice. "Sméagol, destroy it!"

Sméagol opened his eyes, and saw Gollum's spirit standing next to a fire pit that wasn't there before, containing lava from Mount Doom. Then, he thought of Lea, how she taught him about love and acceptance, the music she shared with him, and the joy he felt when he was near her. He thought of how sick she was, how he could lose her any day now, and he remembered how much he loved her. He suddenly broke down sobbing hysterically.

"Sméagol!" Gollum shouted. "Destroy it! Destroy the Precious! Gollum! Gollum!"

Sméagol felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Sméagol, you can make it all stop," said Aini. "All the pain, all the hurt, all the mistakes you made, you can make it all go away. Just throw it into the fire. Remember, you are stronger than the ring. You don't need it."

Sméagol looked at the ring one more time, and suddenly felt very angry. "You made my life miserable," he grumbled. "You hurts me and my family and my friends! I hates it! I hates it! I hates it forever! Good riddenses, you piece of shit!" He threw it into the fire pit, and watched it disintegrate. Then, the fire quickly burned out, and the fire pit disappeared.

As Sméagol realized the ring was gone forever, he broke down sobbing hysterically again, this time, not out of sadness, but out of pure relief.

Aini held him close. "Shhh," she said softly. "It's okay. It's okay, Sméagol. It's all over. Everything's gonna be okay."

"My precious," Gollum said sweetly, "you did it. You destroyed the Precious." He smiled at Sméagol. "Thank you."

"See? I knew you could do it."

Sméagol couldn't speak from crying so hard.

"Now, everything in Middle Earth is okay again," said Aini. "Sauron is gone forever, and all your wrong doing has been undone."

"Undone?" Sméagol inquired.

"Yes, undone."

Sméagol thought as he composed himself. "So... Master's finger—"

Aini smiled. "His finger is okay."

"And... Sam?"

"His friendship with Frodo is stronger and better than ever."

"And... and... Déagol?"

"He's alive."

Sméagol's heart jumped. "Alive?"

"Yes, he's alive... and he's okay. Everything you did, it's all reversed. It hasn't been forgotten. It never will be forgotten, but it will be forgiven. You saved Middle Earth."

Sméagol couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I saved it?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yes, you did. You were very brave. So were you, Gollum."

Gollum shook his head. "I didn't do anything," he said, confused.

"You told Sméagol to destroy the ring. A year ago, you would've told him to take it. That shows how much stronger you are now. You are both stronger than the ring, and I am so proud of you."

Gollum and Sméagol smiled at Aini.

"Now, Sméagol, you have a choice. You can go back to Middle Earth, turn back into a hobbit, and be with your family again. But, this time, when you go fishing with Déagol, he won't find the ring. Or, you can stay here, but you won't change back into a hobbit."