THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien
...Beorn helps Bilbo and the dwarves make it safely to the edge of Mirkwood Forest. It is there that Gandalf leaves them…with the warning to never leave the path in the forest, and to never touch the enchanted black water...
No sunlight can get through the tangle of treetops to the forest floor, and so the group must walk in pitch blackness. They are not even able to see their hands in front of their faces! All they can see are the glowing eyes of forest creatures looking at them as they pass by.
After successfully crossing the black water without getting wet, Bombur accidentally falls in while attempting to catch a deer. He immediately falls asleep, and it is not until days later that he wakes up – with no memory since being in Bilbo’s house at the journey’s start.
When the group sees the lights of what looks like a possible feast, their desperate hunger makes them go investigate…even though it means leaving the path! When they enter the circle of torch lights where wood elves are feasting, the lights go out. The dwarves not only lose track of each other, but of what direction the path is in! When they finally find each other, they see another circle of lights and head toward it to try again! Again the lights go out! The third time this happens, Bilbo finds himself all alone.
After wandering and dozing, Bilbo comes awake to find one of the forest’s giant spiders busy wrapping him up! Bilbo pulls out his dagger and breaks free. The spider has never seen a dagger, and thinks it must be Bilbo’s “sting.” When Bilbo realizes that he has defended himself all on his own, he names his dagger, “Sting.” Moving on, Bilbo soon comes upon the dwarves. They are all being held captive by the spiders. Putting on his ring of invisibility, Bilbo sings songs to taunt the spiders and lure them away from the dwarves. Circling back, he uses “Sting” to free the dwarves. Before they can escape, the spiders return! Bilbo has no choice but to let the dwarves know about his Ring. With his Ring and Sting, Bilbo succeeds at helping the dwarves escape.
They soon realize that Thorin is missing! (It turns out that Thorin had been taken captive by the Wood Elves back in one of their circles. He is now being held in their dungeon by the Elven King!) As the 12 dwarves and Bilbo continued to search for food and hopefully Thorin, the wood-elves take them by surprise! Bilbo, however, had quickly put on his Ring, and the elves never saw him. With all of the dwarves now held captive by the wood elves, will Bilbo figure out how to save them? What will happen next?
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