1. The Finding of the Ring
[A worm wriggles in someone's hand. A smiling face looks on.]
[Two Riverfolk sit in a small boat, fishing. One of the fishing poles jerks down.]
Déagol: "Sméagol! I've got one! I've got a fish, Sméag!"
Sméagol: "Go on! Go on, pull it up!"
[The fish pulls Déagol out of the boat and into the water. Sméagol looks down but only sees Déagol's hat, floating in the river.]
Sméagol: "Déagol?"
[Déagol is pulled through the water by the fish.]
[Déagol loses grip on the pole as the fish escapes. He sees a ring and scoops it out of the riverbed.]
[Déagol returns to land. He pauses, then looks at the ring in his hand.]
[Sméagol approaches.]
Sméagol: "Déagol! Déagol!"
[They both stare raptly at the ring.]
Sméagol: "Give us that, Déagol, my love."
[Déagol closes his hand over the ring.]
Déagol: "Why?"
Sméagol: "Because it's my birthday, and I wants it."
Ring: "Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul!"
[They fight, playfully at first, but then with vigor.]
[Sméagol kills Déagol by strangling him. While holding him down, Sméagol appears momentarily disturbed with what he is doing.]
[Sméagol takes the Ring and smiles.]
Sméagol: "My Precious!"
[Sméagol puts on the ring and disappears.]
[Sméagol is shown, later at night, looking quite ragged.]
Gollum (voiceover): "They cursed us. Murderer, murderer they called us. They cursed us and drove us away!"
Sméagol: "Gollum! Gollum! Gollum!"
Gollum (voiceover): "And we wept, Precious. We wept to be so alone. (Fish, and we only wish, so juicy sweet.) And we forgot the taste of bread, the sound of trees, the softness of the wind."
[Sméagol, now transformed into Gollum, craws into a mountain cave.]
Gollum (voiceover): "We even forgot our own name. My Precious."
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