Sneakyone.gollums-precious.1.var -

Frodo didn’t know what “point var” meant. But he felt it in the Ring’s weight. A version number. A countdown. And somewhere in the dark, Gollum was laughing without sound.

But Gollum only grinned—a row of yellow, broken teeth. “No. No, we’s not leaving. We’s been following. We saw you put it on at the Ferry. We saw the wraiths stop.” He rocked back and forth, wrapping his thin arms around his knees. “Master is very clever. But Gollum is cleverer. Gollum is the SneakyOne .” SneakyOne.Gollums-precious.1.var

Frodo should have said no. He knew it. Every instinct from the Shire screamed trickery . But the Ring whispered otherwise. Use him. He’s broken. You can control the broken. Frodo didn’t know what “point var” meant

“We had it once, precious. Yes. It was our birthday present. All our own. My… precious .” His voice cracked into a raw, grieving whisper. “But then It left. It jumped away. And we’s been cold ever since.” A countdown

“No,” Frodo whispered, more to himself than to Gollum. “I’m not like you.”

“It burns us, doesn’t it, precious?” Gollum hissed, staring not at Frodo’s face, but at his clenched fist. “Yes. It whispers. Always whispering.”

Then, as suddenly as a snuffed candle, Gollum’s demeanor changed. He cowered, whimpering. “But we can help. Yes, precious. Show you the secret way into the Black Land. Past the gates. Past the Eye. Gollum knows paths that were old when Sauron was a mewling spirit.”