Frodo woke up suddenly. The room was still dark. Meryl held the candle in one hand and knocked on the door with the other. "Alright! What is it?" said the frightened Frodo.
"You still dare to ask what's the matter!" Meryl shouted. "Time to get up. It was already half-past four, and it was foggy outside. Hurry up! Sam was already preparing breakfast. Even Pippin was up. I was just about to saddle the horse and bring the horse with the luggage over. Remember to wake up that lazy fatty for me! At least he has to get up to send us off!”
Soon after six o'clock, the five Hobbits were ready to go. Little Fatty Borg yawned as he sent them off. They tiptoed out of the house. Meryl led the horse carrying the luggage along the path behind the house and then across a few grasslands. The leaves of the trees glistened because of the morning dew and fog. Even the branches were dripping with water, and the grass was stained with gray dewdrops. The surroundings were completely silent, making the voice in the distance very clear. Wild birds chirped in the forest, and someone in the distance forcefully closed the door.
They went to the stable and pulled out the pony. These were the sturdy horses that Hobbits liked. Although they did not run fast, they were resistant to labor and were suitable for working all day. The group mounted their horses and rode into the fog without looking back. The thick fog seemed to be reluctant to part in front of them, but it couldn't wait to close behind them. After an hour of silence, Gao Li suddenly appeared in front of them. Silver cobwebs hung from the sturdy fence.
"Why do you want us to go over?" Fred said.
"Follow me!" said Meryl.”He turned around and walked left along the high fence. Soon, he came to a place where the fence curved inward along a valley. Not far from the high fence, there was a winding path that extended towards the high fence and slowly tilted down. There were brick walls on both sides of the path that were slowly rising. Halfway through, the brick walls on both sides met on the path. At the bottom was a tunnel that went through a high fence and led to the valley on the other side.
Little Fatty Borg stopped. "Farewell, Frodo!" he said. "I really hope you don't go into the forest. I hope you won't need help before dark. I wish you good luck every day!"
" As long as there is no future worse than the Old Forest ahead, I am considered lucky," said Frodo. "Tell Gandaph to follow the eastern road and hurry up. We should be on the main road soon.”
Finally, they shouted together,"Goodbye!”，He rode down the slope and into the tunnel, disappearing from Freddy's sight.
The tunnel was dark and wet. On the other end was a gate made of thick iron bars. Meryl got off his horse and unlocked the door. When everyone had passed through, he pulled the door open and the lock clicked shut. The voice sounded ominous.
"Look!" said Meryl. "You left the Shire and came to the outside world. This is the edge of the Old Forest."
"Are the legends about Old Lin true?”Pippin asked.
"I don't know what stories you're referring to," replied Meryl. "If you're talking about the ghost stories that Lil 'Fatty's nanny often tells, about goblins and wolves, then you're talking about the ghost stories that Lil' Fatty's nanny often tells. Then my answer is no. At least, I don't believe in these ghost stories. However, this forest was indeed a little strange. To put it this way, everything here seemed to have its own ideas and was more sensitive to changes in the outside world. It was very different from the environment in the Shire. The trees here did not like strangers. They will pay attention to you. Usually, as long as the sky was still bright, they would only look at you. Occasionally, the old trees that were most hostile to animals might deliberately drop their branches, stretch out their roots to trip people, or entangle you with their roots. But I was told that things wouldn't be so simple tonight. I've only been here once or twice at night, and I've never dared to go too far from the fence. It seemed to me that all the trees were whispering to each other, discussing conspiracies and schemes in unintelligible languages. The branches of almost every tree were moving in a ghostly manner even though there was no wind. I heard that these trees really can move and surround strangers. In fact, they had attacked Gao Li a long time ago. They planted their roots next to the fence and pressed on it with the weight of the trunk. Later, in order to protect their home, the Hobbits cut down hundreds of trees and set fire to the old forest to clear the land. They burned a long open space on the east side of the high fence. After that, the trees gave up attacking and became even more unfriendly. The area not far from the fire was still barren.”
"Are trees the only threat here?”Pi asked.
"There's a lot of strange creatures on the other side," said Meryl."At least that's what I was told. However, I have never seen these guys before. I can only be sure that some creatures here can create footprints and trails. As long as one entered this forest at any time, one would be able to find obvious traces. However, these traces and paths seemed to change according to a strange pattern. There used to be a wide road not far from this tunnel, leading to the Bonfire Prairie. Then it would extend in the direction we were going, east, and then north. This is the path I'm looking for."
※※※
The group left the tunnel entrance and rode into the empty valley. On the other side of the valley, there was a not-so-obvious path that led into the forest. The road was about a few hundred yards long, but it disappeared at the edge of the forest. Looking back through the dense branches of the forest, everyone could still vaguely see the position of the high fence. In front of them were all kinds of tree trunks: Some were straight, some were bent, some were twisted, some were slanted, some were thin, some were wide, some were slender, some were smooth, and some were full of tree warts. The only similarity was that all the bark was covered with sticky moss.
Only Meryl looked very happy. "You'd better lead the way," Frodo reminded him. "We can't get separated or lose track of where Gao Li is!”
They rode their horses through the forest, carefully avoiding the crisscrossing roots on the ground. Not a single blade of grass grew on the ground, and the terrain became higher and higher. The trees seemed to grow darker, taller, and denser as they went deeper and deeper into the forest. Other than the sound of water dripping from the leaves, there was no other movement in the entire forest. For the time being, these trees would not whisper or act rashly. However, everyone felt uneasy, as if they were being watched with hostile eyes. This creepy feeling continued to grow. Soon, everyone began to look around suspiciously, as if they were worried that they would be attacked by a mysterious force.
Up until now, there were no traces of a small path, and the trees seemed to be blocking the four people's path. Pippin suddenly couldn't take it anymore and shouted without warning,""Hey! Hey!" he said. "I have no ill intentions at all. Please let me through!”
The others were shocked and stopped in their tracks. The shout was muffled as if it was covered by a heavy curtain. There was no response from the forest, only a sense of wariness.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Meryl. "This is harmful to us."
Frodo began to doubt whether he could find the path this time and whether his decision to enter the Forest of Horrors was correct. Meryl kept looking around, seemingly unsure of where to go. Pippin noticed his expression. " You're really good. It didn't take you long to get us lost," he said. However, Meryl whistled at the same time and pointed ahead.
"Fortunately! Fortunately!" he said. "I feel like these trees are really moving. I think the Bonfire Grassland should be in front of us, but I don't know where the original path has been moved to!”
As they walked towards the grassland, the sky nearby became brighter and brighter. They then walked out of the forest and came to a round, empty grassland. They looked up and were surprised to find that the sky was clear blue. Because they were blocked by the dense vegetation in the forest, they could not even see the disappearance of the fog and the rising sun. However, the sun was not high enough to shine through the surrounding plants into the open space. The leaves around the grassland were dense and concentrated, as if they wanted to block the land without revealing a drop of water. This clearing was almost filled with short weeds and some tall wild plants, including: There were particularly well-developed poison carrots, wood-stemmed parsley, and overgrown fire-streaked weeds, nettles, and thistles in the scattered ashes. This place looked like it had indeed been through a lot of tribulation fire, but compared to the surrounding forest, it had become a beautiful garden that made people feel much more relaxed.
The Hobbits felt much more excited, and they all looked forward to the warm sunlight shining into the clearing. On the other side of the grassland, there was a gap between the iron walls made of old trees. Everyone could clearly see a small path leading into the dense forest. The path wasn't narrow, and there was a rare gap at the top that allowed sunlight to shine in. However, the evil old trees inside sometimes swayed their strange branches to cover this rare gap. Not long after, they followed this path and entered the dense forest again. Although this road was still not smooth, this time they moved much faster and were in a much better mood. Because, in their eyes, the forest had finally retreated and would allow them to pass through without hindrance.
However, after a while, the air in the forest began to stagnate and become hot. The trees on both sides were getting closer and closer, so they could no longer see the scene in the distance. At this moment, they could even more strongly feel the malice of the entire forest pouncing towards them. In the silence, the sound of the pony's hooves on the dead leaves and occasionally blocked by the roots echoed among the hobbits, becoming a torment. Frodo tried to cheer them on by singing, but for some reason his voice became a murmur that only he could hear.
Oh! The traveler who walks in the dark,
Don't despair! The darkness will not keep us apart forever,
The forest is not endless,
At last the sun must shine on the path:
Whether the sun sets or rises,
Sunset or beautiful dawn.
No matter north, south, east, or west, the forest would not last forever…
He couldn't even continue after he finished singing the last two words. The atmosphere around them seemed to have suddenly become heavy, and even speaking felt an inexplicable pressure. Behind them, a huge withered branch fell from a high place and crashed into the ground. The gathered trees seemed to have blocked the path in front of them again.
"They probably don't like the idea that the forest won't last forever," said Meryl. "Let's not sing yet. When we reach the edge of the forest, we'll give it another chorus!”
He said happily. Even if he was worried, he did not show it. The others remained silent. They felt very depressed. Frodo felt a weight upon his heart, and every step he took made him regret his foolishness in provoking the trees. In fact, he was about to stop. If possible, he even suggested that everyone turn back. But at that moment, things took a new turn. The path was no longer winding upwards, and the road became much smoother. The dark trees retreated to both sides, and everyone could see the wide, straight road in front of them. They could even see a green hill some distance away. It was bare and without any trees, which stood out in the forest. The path seemed to lead straight to the hill. Seeing that they could temporarily escape from the oppression of the forest, they gathered their spirits again and hurried on with their lives. The path descended for some distance, then climbed again, and finally brought them to the bottom of the steep hill. The path blended into the grass as soon as it left the woods, and became less obvious. The trees surrounding the hill seemed as eerie as the thick hair surrounding a bald man.
The hobbit led his horse up the hill. They looked around from the top of the mountain. It was still bright under the sun, but there was still some mist floating in the distance, so the Hobbits could not see the distant scene. The fog nearby had almost all dispersed, but there were still some scattered thick fog around. To the south of them, there was a sinuous depression in the forest. Thick fog continued to rise from it like white smoke.
" There," said Meryl, pointing in that direction." It's the Willow River. The Willow River flowed down from the mountain and headed southwest, passing through the center of the forest and finally merging with the Liquor River at the end of the fence. We can't go that way! The Willow Valley was said to be the strangest place in the entire forest. According to legend, it was the source of all the strange things.”
The others all looked in the direction Meryl was pointing at, but they could not see anything other than the thick fog and the deep valley. Outside the valley, the southern part of the forest was also hidden in the fog.
The sun had already risen into the sky, making everyone on the mountain feel hot. It was probably eleven o'clock now, but the autumn morning fog had not completely dispersed, preventing them from seeing into the distance. Looking to the west, they could only see the vague image of the high fence, and the strong wine river behind it was completely unrecognizable. The north that they held the greatest hope for was their destination: Dongfang Da Dao was nowhere to be seen. The group seemed to be standing on an isolated island in the sea of trees, and their surroundings became misty.
The terrain in the southeast was very steep, and the hillside seemed to extend into the dense forest. It was really like a shore rising from the sea. They sat on the slope and looked down at the green forest as they ate their lunch. When the sun passed the zenith, they could finally see the outline of the hills outside the edge of the Eastern Old Forest. This made them very excited. It was good to be able to see anything beyond the forest border. However, if they had other choices, they would not go in that direction. In hobbit legends, the tomb was a place more sinister than the forest. Not long after, they finally made up their minds to continue moving forward. The path that had brought them to the hill reappeared on the northern side of the mountain. However, they did not walk for long before they realized that the road had been slanted to the right. It was obvious that it led to the Willow Valley. This was not a place they wanted to go. After some discussion, they decided to leave the road and head north. Although they couldn't see the Eastern Avenue from the hill, it was definitely in that direction. It shouldn't be too far away. In addition, the north side looked dry and more open, and there seemed to be fewer trees on the hillside. The pine and cypress trees over there had replaced the oak and poplar trees here, which seemed to make people feel much more at ease.
At first, this decision seemed to be very correct: Everyone was moving at a good speed. The only thing that worried them was that every time they saw the position of the sun, they would feel that the road was moving eastward. However, not long after, the trees began to close up again. Strangely, this was the same spot where the forest started to become sparse from afar. Deep trenches began to appear on the road, as if they had been run over by huge wheels. There were also a large number of thorns growing in these trenches. These deep trenches would mercilessly cut through the path they took every time, causing the group to have to lead their horses down in a sorry state and climb out with difficulty. The ponies were not used to such trekking and terrain. Every time they finally reached the deep ditch, they would be greeted by dense shrubs and tangled wild plants. For some reason, if they walked to the left, all the plants would tangle together, making it impossible for them to pass. Only when they walked to the right would the plants give way. Often, they had to travel a considerable distance in the deep ditch before they could find a way to climb to the other side. Every time they climbed out of the deep ditch, the trees in front of them seemed to be more lush and darker. As long as he turned left or went up the slope, the road in front of him would be difficult to pass. In the end, they had no choice but to follow this inexplicable will and keep walking to the right and downhill. After about an hour or two, they completely lost their sense of direction. They only knew that they had deviated from the north direction a long time ago. They could only follow a pre-arranged path to the southeast. And this was decided for them by the will of the outside world. They had no choice but to head towards the center of the forest.
When it was almost evening, they walked into a ravine that was steeper and deeper than the previous ravine. The slope was so steep that it was impossible to climb out with the horse and luggage, no matter if they were to advance or retreat. The only thing they could do was to walk down the deep ditch. The ground began to soften, and some places even gave off a stench like a swamp. Spring water began to emerge from the walls of the ditches on both sides. Soon, a small stream that weaved through the weeds appeared under their feet. Then, the terrain dropped rapidly, and the stream became faster and stronger. Only then did everyone realize that they had arrived in a valley that was covered by trees.
After staggering forward for some distance, they suddenly walked out of the narrow space, as if they had walked out of the door of the dungeon. The Hobbits finally saw the sun again. When they walked to the open space, they realized that they had left a steep canyon that was almost like a cliff. At the exit of the canyon was an open space filled with weeds. In the distance, one could see the outline of another equally steep mountain wall. The golden sunlight lazily shone on the empty space between the two mountain walls. In the middle of the clearing was a languid-looking brown stream, flanked by ancient willows. The willow trees blocked the sunlight from the meandering stream. There were also many dead willow trees in the river, filling the river with countless fallen willow leaves. This space seemed to be completely occupied by the willow tree. A warm autumn wind blew through the valley. All the willow leaves fluttered on the branches, the grass rustled, and the branches of the willow trees creaked.
"Ah, at least I finally know where I am now!”said Meryl. "We're going in the opposite direction from our plan. This was the Willow River! Let me go and investigate the situation first."
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。