✓GLITTER AND GOLD⁰ ━ the hobbit

one.

WARNING : MILD GORE, GRAPHIC SCENES, POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING SCENES

ONE |  FIRE AND FLAME

THE GLASS WAS MURKY, DARK, AS IF SOMEBODY HAD SMEARED ALL OVER IT WITH BLACK PAINT, COVERING IT AND RENDERING IT USELESS. It was not cracked, somehow, despite being dropped countlessly when I had tried to retrieve it from my mother's back room. For what I was about to do, I would need it. 

We had no mirror, nor did anyone in the village. Mirrors were expensive, and vain. Nobody particularly cared what you looked like out here - well, unless you were me. 

I had never considered myself particularly odd-looking, for a human. I was quite similar to the other girls in the village - dark haired, slight, skinny. It was only once you looked closer, that you began to notice the differences. My dark hair - far finer and darker than any humans, an inky sea of ebony that contrasted with my fair skin. My skin was unblemished, far too perfect for what a human's skin should be. My eyes were bright green, unnervingly so. I had never seen them up close, as I were now, but I could understand it. They were so bright, almost like an animal's eyes, rather than human. 

But most of all, my ears were odd. 

It wasn't that I had the ears of an elf. If I had, they would probably have worshiped me, an elf so far east. Most of the other villagers had never even seen an elf. To be an elf would be a great honour, the greatest. 

The problem arose in that I had the ears of something that wasn't elvish, but something that wasn't entirely-human, either. They were slightly pointed, enough to be noticeable, but not enough to enhance my hearing. In other words, useless. 

The glass I was using as a mirror had cracked slightly, a large gash right through the middle of my face, cutting it in half. It was mildly worrying to look at, but it did not bother me. I preferred to not see my face, anyway. 

I grabbed the knife, with my right hand, using the other to hold my ear still, as I sliced through the top of my ear, the slightly pointed edge slicing clean off. There was only a rather gaping hole now, bleeding rather violently, a river of blood pouring out of the gash. My ear erupted in pain, as I gasped, shielding it as if that would sting less, blood coating my hands. I hadn't expected it to hurt this much. I was only cutting off a tiny piece, the most useless part of my body. 

I had to finish now. I could not fail at the last hurdle. I had prepared for so long, stealing a knife, a looking-glass, even bandages to staunch the blood, should I need to. Trembling, my left hand raised to my left ear, cutting off the top. 

The pain doubled, as I clutched my ears now, regretting this. Was getting rid of my worst feature truly worth all this pain? I did not think so. 

I must have screamed, then, though I do not remember screaming, as my mother came rushing through the doorway after hearing the cries. Now, I remember her screaming. 

"What have you done?" She asked, after wiping the blood off my face and ears, bandaging them. Everything was muffled now, as if I was frozen in amber - I moved sluggishly, exhausted, and every sound made me wince. "It will heal, but it will take time."

"I don't want it to heal!" I snapped, and I could have sworn that I saw my mother flinch at my words. It was true. I had gone through all that pain for nothing? It would heal? It couldn't be. It just wasn't fair. 

She looked stern, and I regretted snapping. It was disrespectful. I should never talk to mother like that, she had raised me, and I owed her everything. "Your ears are a gift, Ryn."