A Shadow of the Fast (Lane)
Frodo was studying the race map when there was a sudden commotion next door. Cautiously, he crept into the hallway, only to find it empty. Suddenly, a tall, cloaked figure jumped out at him. Frodo leapt halfway out of his skin.
“Is it secret? Is it safe?” the figure hissed.
“Gandalf! What on earth are you doing frightening me like that. It’s totally out of character,” admonished Frodo, once he had recovered his composure. “And what are you talking about?”
“The Ring …!”
“Bilbo’s Ring? I assume that he took it with him.”
“No. he didn’t. With a little … er … encouragement, I was able to persuade him to leave it behind.”
“Gandalf! You threatened to uncloak, didn’t you.”
At this, the old Wizard cast his eyes to the floor, somewhat abashed. Then he looked up and over to the mantlepiece. Frodo’s eyes followed his gaze and there, behind the carriage clock, he spotted an envelope addressed to him. Quickly, he grabbed it and tore it open.
“Bilbo’s Ring! But why has he left it for me?”
“It is a Ring of great power, Frodo. Indeed, if my suspicions are correct, it is the One Ring itself.”
And with this, Gandalf took the Ring and threw it into the fire blazing in the hearth. Recovering it with a pair of tongs, he dropped it into Frodo’s hands.
“It’s cold!”
“Look at the inscription, Frodo.”
“There’s nothing there … wait a minute. Some writing is appearing. But I cannot read it.”
“The inscription is in the Black Speech. In the Common Tongue it reads as follows:
One Ring to fuel them all
One Ring to prime them
One Ring to spin them all
And in the chamber fire them.
It is as I feared, Frodo. This is the One Ring of Zoom, forged by Sauron in the fiery engine room of Mount Zoom. Through it, one may harness the power of the other great Rings of Power. The three Elven Rings of Power-Assisted Steering. The Seven Rings of Fuel Injection. And the Nine Rings of Traction Control. It also comes with complimentary Sat Nav, a handy Cloaking Device system and a one year limited warranty.”
“So this is the Ring that Sauron spoke of in his speech?”
“Indeed it is, Frodo. He wants it. With it, he would have limitless engine power and none could prevent his ultimate victory in this race. He must not have it.”
“But Sauron already knows that we have the Ring. He plans on following us in Mount Zoom. What shall we do?”
“You must stay ahead of him at all costs. And you must harness its power to win the race yourself. Otherwise, I shall be undone. Those Dwarven debt collectors are not known for their pleasantries.”
“Well, we should leave immediately. But Mount Zoom is going to be hot on our tail.”
“Hmm, perhaps I could create a slight diversion to give you a head start. A mild uncloaking episode may suffice …”
Meanwhile, unseen by all, a small, wizened figure sporting great racing-goggles over his goggle-eyes and ill-fitting mechanics’ overalls surreptitiously slipped over the fence of Bag-Endless-Fuel and silently concealed himself in its bushy bodywork.