We were just getting ready to sit down to dinner when there came a knock at our door.

I opened the door, and there was Gollum crouch hunched on the mat, his big eyes looking up at me with a pitiful glint, his skinny neck barely supporting his big head bald above his nearly naked body all skin and bones and knees and elbows, his hangy diaper at the junction, all above his bare feet and toes.

He shamble hopped in without asking or answering and headed straight for the kitchen past the dining table already set for him unexpectedly, don’t ask me how we knew he was coming because we didn’t.

He came out of the kitchen with half a fish the tail hanging out his mouth. He had found the can of sardines I had wanted to make into sandwiches. He slurped and the fish tail disappeared.

He sat down at the table, hopping up onto his chair.

My old last year’s portable phone was lying on the table. I had taken it out to throw away because it was already out of date. As he passed me, he stroked my neck with his exploring bony grasping fingers, muttered, “My Preciousss?” as he searched for a ring around my collar. It was a new shirt, there wasn’t one, and he hissed in frustration,

On an impulse, I pulled out my new phone and called the old one which started ringing and I threw it out the window as I was going to do anyway.

Gollum cried, “The Ring!” and followed it.

I could see him in the back yard. He picked up the phone which stopped ringing. He shook it and threw it away in disgust.

He was at the end of the yard at the edge of the wild where the gophers lived in their little tunnels underhill. They popped out their heads, looked him over, and popped back in.

Gollum curled up in the little ravine out back to sleep through the night watching the house and I picked up my new phone, deciding who to call.

New Zealand was too far away.

So I called Animal Control because they come with nets.

They did, and wrangled him up and took him to our car where we said, “We’ll take it from here. We’re going on a Journey to the nearest active volcano, because this is California and has everything.”

We folded Gollum into the trunk where he curled up in the corner and we closed the lid.

The Tall Trees in the yard turned slowly in the wind and watched us battle the traffic.

I had recovered my old phone and we drove to the volcano. It was just getting ready.

The radio was on in the car, playing that old cowboy song, “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” I turned it off.

We got to the volcano which was just starting.

We opened the trunk and drag led Gollum to the edge of the lava flow which was magmanificent.

I called my old phone which started ringing as I threw it in and Gollum jumped in after it yelling “The Ring!” and both disappeared beneath the surface.

We drove back home to finish our dinner after our Journey.

We had been There and Back Again.