Chapter 1
Ruby tugged hard on her fishing pole, almost losing her balance and falling into the river. The fish at the end of her line was a big one, she could tell. But suddenly the line snapped, and she fell backwards into the thicket of cattails behind her. Smeagol laughed and turned to her.
“Have you been trying to make your own line again, precious?” he asked her, offering her his hand. She took it and allowed herself to be helped up. “You should use mine next time. You know it is stronger.”
Ruby smiled at him. “I know. But it is so thick that even a blind cave fish would see it.” Ruby and Smeagol shared a passion for caves, and they had spent many days together exploring the deep caverns at the mountain’s feet. But Ruby had never let Smeagol go too far into the dark. She was intrigued by the caves, but she still liked the feel of sunshine on her face better than the clammy darkness. That was why they were outside that day, fishing and chatting in the afternoon sun.
“Here, precious,” Smeagol pulled a length of his own sturdy fishing line out of his pocket and gave it to Ruby. She giggled and rigged up her fishing rod again. But she was getting bored of fishing, and she knew Smeagol was too.
“Shall we go exploring, treasure?” she asked. He nodded.
“Yes, precious, we shall.” As they clambered into a gloomy cave, Ruby lost her footing and slipped into a shallow pool of water. She couldn’t see Smeagol, but she felt his warm hand reach down and grasp hers. “Come, precious,” he whispered, “Come see what Smeagol finds.”
Smeagol led Ruby down a dark tunnel. For a moment all was pitch black, but then Ruby began to see a faint light at the end of the passage. Smeagol quickened his pace.
They stopped in front of another pool, this one hardly four feet across, and with a large flat rock in the center, like a miniature island. All around the pool, the walls of the cave glowed with luminous rocks that made the water look shimmery and magical. Without a word, Ruby and Smeagol stepped onto the little island. For several minutes they stood there together, so close, without speaking. Then Ruby whispered, unable to talk loudly, afraid to break the spell of the beautiful cavern.
“It’s… it’s just lovely, my treasure, like magic. Just like magic.”
“Yes, precious. So lovely.”
“It feels like something big and wonderful is about to happen.”
“Yes precious. Yes, maybe it will be big and wonderful. But first Smeagol must ask. Precious… someday… soon… will you marry me?”
Ruby looked up and him and for a minute it all seemed like a dream, with the golden light from the glowing walls in his eyes, and tears just gathering in the corners of them. And then she pulled him close and kissed him, letting the magical wonder of it wash over her, and nearly crying with happiness.
“Of course, treasure, of course I will. Very, very soon.”
“As soon as I find a ring”
“A ring? Why yes, I suppose you do need to give me a ring, don’t you, treasure?”
“A ring. Yes, precious, I do. Don’t worry. As soon as I find a ring we’ll get married, precious. As soon as I find one.”

Chapter 2

It was a beautiful night, one of those that feels as fresh as a fast rising spring. The moon shone nearly as brightly as would the sun, except with a softer and silver light. It made going out onto the lake so much more enjoyable.
“Is this not the freshest air and most crisp water you has ever felt or breathed?”
“Yes, precious. It is beautiful.” Smeagol looked out at the diamond tipped waves that shimmered beneath their small reed boat. Ruby smiled and watched the same waves reflected in his eyes. Smeagol had stopped rowing and was gazing into the water with a misty expression, as though lost in thought. His foot moved closer to Ruby’s though neither of them noticed. Ruby touched his shoulder lightly.
“Do you want to go to the island?” Smeagol looked back at her and picked up his oars, nodding.
Silverknoll Island really was silver that moon-bathed night. It was a small island, but plenty big for two miniature lovers to do whatever pleased them.
Smeagol leapt out of the boat onto the shore and pulled it aground the pale sand. Ruby stepped out and smiled at him. She took his hand, and together they wandered silently around the forested hill that rose in the middle of the island. They were from a race of simple creatures, and they didn’t need the steamy passion that big people wanted for a romance to blossom.
Ruby stopped at the crest of the hill and looked out over the silver water. She had never seen the sea, but this was the closest to her imaginings of it. The moon was full and high in the sky. Ruby felt tired all of a sudden. The forest on Silverknoll was fast asleep. Crickets and frogs serenaded Smeagol and her. Pulling him with her, she sat down and leaned against a tree.
Smeagol sighed and smiled and put his arm around Ruby’s shoulders. Her head nodded, but she jerked it back up and began to hum.
“What are you singing, precious?” asked Smeagol. Ruby shrugged, and only then did she feel the warmth of his arm behind her.
“Nothing. Just I song I made up. Its really not very good.”
“Sing it for me.”
“Treasure, it’s not very good. And it’s really a rather sad song.”
“I want to hear it anyway.”
Ruby sighed but began to sing.
“Cold be heart and hand and bone,
Cold be travelers far from home,
They do not know what lies ahead,
When sun has failed and moon is dead.”
Smeagol smiled, listening to the melody and Ruby’s soft voice, hardly listening to the shadowy words. He leaned on her shoulder and fell asleep.

Chapter 3
Ruby woke and stretched, and looked up at the fluttering leaves above her. Then she sat up straight and looked around in shock.
The sun was fully risen, so it could not be earlier than seven o’clock. Her family must have been awake for at least an hour now, wondering where she was. She had made sure Smeagol didn’t tell anyone that they were going out on the lake, particularly not his grandmother, but now everyone was bound to find out. Ruby’s peaceful delight disappeared almost instantly. They’d be teased something awful, not to mention their parents reactions.
Ruby looked down at Smeagol. He was still fast asleep beside her. Well, since they were already doomed to at least a week of scolding and a lifetime of jokes, there was no point in depriving him of a few more minutes rest. Ruby got up and washed her face in the cool lake. Her stomach growled, but she hadn’t thought to bring any food, thinking they’d hardly be out more than an hour. She tried to satisfy herself with a handful of the blueberries that were abundant on the island, but they were no substitute for biscuits and sausage and fresh milk.
When Ruby returned to the tree where she and Smeagol had slept, he was stirring and yawning. He opened his eyes, blinked twice, and then gasped.
“We forgot to go home, didn’t we, precious?”
Ruby laughed to see him so flustered.
“Yes, treasure, we forgot.”
“Grandmother will murder me. Just by not giving me breakfast, like she did last time I was in trouble. I think I’m about ready to faint from hunger right now.” As if to emphasize his point, Smeagol’s stomach rumbled loudly. Ruby giggled.
“Want a blueberry?” she plucked a few berries off a nearby bush and tossed them at Smeagol. Much to her amusement, he scrambled after them and ate every single one.
“That’s no breakfast. Let’s go back to town right now.” He got up, brushed off his shirt, and strode down to the beach. Ruby had paused to pick another blueberry when she heard him yell for her.
“Ruby!” he called. “We have a problem here!”
Ruby hurried to the sandy beach where they had tied there boat, and it was not long before she knew what the problem was. The reed boat what gone. And the lake was very big, too big for her to swim across.
“Oh my…” she murmured.
“Someone will come find us by lunchtime,” Smeagol assured her. “Grandmother won’t be able to last much longer without either scolding me or exploding.”
Amid her worry Ruby laughed again, and Smeagol grabbed her hand.
“Come, let’s go see if there’s any more food.”
They ran back to the top of the hill, but there was nothing but blueberries. After fifteen minutes, they were both still very hungry, and very tired of blueberries. Smeagol stomped his little foot and crossed his arms.
“I am not eating one single more blueberry,” he announced. Ruby wished she could say the same, but she was very hungry.
“So what are you going to eat, treasure?” she asked. Smeagol rolled up his sleeves and headed toward the lakeshore again.
“Fishes.”
Ruby watched, perplexed as Smeagol crouched over the clear water and waited, his hands inches from the surface.
“Start a fire,” he whispered. Ruby nodded and tiptoed away from the water. She gathered an armful of dry sticks and twigs, and after several minutes of twisting a thin branch into a flat, dry slab of wood, she had a small fire beginning to crackle. Gently she added larger branches, and by the time it was big enough to cook anything on, Smeagol was returning with a fat fish in his hands and a triumphant grin on his face.
The fish tasted very good to Ruby, even without any seasoning. It was also much more filling than berries, and after a good meal she and Smeagol were both ready to figure out how to get back off the island.