Author: Lindsey Phillips
Title: The Dawnless Day
Type of Work: short story
Source: CMv1 #17

© Copyright 2002 Lindsey Phillips

A troll had captured a hobbit (Faisia the III, direct descendant of Calliope to be exact, and yes a hobbit is an animal) and was laughing over its predicament.

"It will be painful, but don't worry. It's not often I can get my hands on one of you, and I will eat you slowly."

The hobbit laughed bitterly, "You'd better not eat me TOO slowly! It's been several hours since the sun went down, it'll come back up soon."

The troll cackled, "Fool! The sun will never come up! Zingma ate it! Zingma ate it!" he began to chant this and wave Faisia III in the air by her feet. Zingma was the great Roon of New Naynoo. She had often told her victims (before she ate them) that one day she would be hungry enough to consume the sun.

Things were looking really bad for Faisia III. Instead of lighter it was most certainly getting darker, and the great Isams couldn't be seen.

"Your precious sun can't help you, you little mongrel!" the troll (unbeknownst to Faisia his name was Bob) bellowed! And with that he bound her and tossed her aside, "This will be a meal to remember!" And he prepared for a feast, taking his time, and still muttering 'Zingma ate it' while snickering at poor Faisia.

"Zingma couldn't consume something so great or bright," Faisia said. This quote came from Calliope herself. Calliope couldn't be wrong, who came before Zingma, "She will have you eat your words! Make haste, you old brute, if you ever plan to have a meal again!"

And with those words, uttered from the lips of the descendant of Calliope and Coggswaltz, light rose over the hills. It was sunlight! The troll opened his mouth but spoke no more, and became as the earth around him.

Moral: The sun always comes out (except on March 10th of the Shire reckoning in the year 3019 of the 3rd age).