Gollum is questing! Episode 1/25

The scene opens up with a lone pig standing alone under a vast sky. What is this pig thinking about? The morning sun rises over the trees and baths the land in an orange glow; it will be a wonderful day. The land is vast, and there are only a few rough buildings. We see a tent off in the distance. The land is surrounded by a forest which is quite far away. What is going on here? Oh, there is another pig just coming out of the forest. Gollum is watching all this unfold and wondering what is going on just as surely as you are.

Gollum is questing! Episode 2/25

Arnold has just arrived at the building site, he heard there is a lot of building going on, and he wants to help out.
Gollum walks up to Arnold and introduces themselves. “Hi, I am Gollum. I am here to see what is going on. I imagine you are too. It looks like something big is being planned. I am not sure what use I can be, but I am not doing anything else, and this looks like it might be exciting.”
Arnold shakes a paw with Gollum saying, “I think that is the person we should talk to.” Pointing at a pig coming up to them.

Tony Baloney introduces himself as the head builder in this area and explains the situation. “Here, look at this; these are plans for a house I am working on now. Over there,” Tony waves a paw, pigs are building other houses and over there, Tony sweeps his hand to the other side, that is the spot for the biggest city in all of PnF Land.”
Arnold and Gollum look at each other. “This is going to be huge,” Arnold says.
Tony Baloney nods, smiles and says, “Come along with me, I will show you what we need from the forest, and we can get started, there is a lot that needs building, but first, we need a stable house to live in.”

Gollum is questing! Episode 3/25

Tony Baloney leads the way into the forest. “This is where we gather the branches to make sticks for building the houses. Look, many branches fall on the ground so we can gather them up easily. If you have to chop any down, we have ladders and axes but try to take only a few branches from each tree. Part of the builder's job is ensuring we care for where we get our resources, so caring for the trees is important. I will leave you to gather branches, you can put them in the cart. I will meet you back at the site later.”
Tony Baloney turned and started to walk away. He turned, “Oh, you will find these odd-looking branches with berries on them. They are scattered everywhere in the forest. You can eat them raw, boiled, mashed, strained, drained or cooked into a pie. Each berry has a slightly different taste. No one knows where they come from, but try them and see if you like the taste.”

Gollum is questing! Episode 4/25

The sun is overhead, and the warmth has reached under the trees. Arnold has been working hard all morning, and as he looks at the cart, which is now full of branches, he feels it is time to head back to the site and have lunch. Arnold sampled the berries and found them tasty, a mix of fruit and vegetable flavours, so he gathered as many as he could and put them on top of the branches in the cart.

Gollum is questing! Episode 5/25

Arnold drags the cart back to the building site and sees Tony Baloney sitting at a table. “I filled the cart with branches and some berry twigs. I am so hungry I could eat a whole pie.”
Tony waved over his shoulder, “There is a cookhouse over there, get some food, and when you are done eating, we will chop up the branches and put them over in a pile near where the house is being built. The sticks need to dry, so each day, the routine is to collect branches, chop the branches, set the sticks to dry and then work on the house with the dry sticks.”

Gollum is questing! Episode 6/25

Tony and Arnold arrived at the location where the house was already taking shape. Support sticks were in place, and there were piles of dry sticks waiting to be used.
“See,” said Tony, “Some of the brick workers have already laid down a roadway. Buildings are taking shape all over.”
“Where is Gollum working?” Arnold asked.
“Gollum was put to work in the cookhouse. They have much-needed skills in food preparation and menu planning. You must have seen him when you went in for your lunch.”
“No, there was just a bear serving the food.”
“Gollum had probably gone to get more supplies. It is a long wagon ride to the small town that serves as a depot for picking up food and other supplies for building.”

Gollum is questing! Episode 7/25

The day was finally over. Arnold and Tony had made good progress. All day, all around them, the air had been filled with the sounds of industrious builders. It was a relief to have quiet as the sun set.
After dinner, Arnold, Tony and Gollum sat outside the tent, near a campfire, enjoying the cooler air and some coffee.
Arnold looked at Gollum, “I hear you had to go collect supplies today; how was the travelling?”
Gollum nodded, “Yup, it was a long dusty trip. The orders were waiting at the depot, and I placed another order for more supplies. Say, where did you live before coming here?”
Tony piped up, “I was living alone, far from anyone else. Maybe twice a year, I would go into a small village where I first heard about this plan.”
Arnold looked at Gollum, “That sounds just like what I was doing. I lived with a small circle of friends, but we were having a hard time, there was a problem with a wolf, and then I saw a poster for a new city, so I decided to make my way here and see what it was all about.”

Gollum is questing! Episode 8/25

Night had fallen. The stars shone brightly in the sky. Tony began to speak softly. “This will be the greatest city that any pig has ever seen. It is a plan that was years in the making. A place, a home, for all pigs and any pet that needed a home, free from worry about having their homes destroyed or being alone. Imagine tall buildings, parks, and many shops. There will be restaurants, clothing shops, art galleries, food shops, places to relax and read, and areas to play sports.”
The trio looked up into the night sky, their imaginations, along with Tony’s words, painted a picture of a gleaming city, pleasant to live in and full of fun and care for each other.

Gollum is questing! Episode 9/25

Crash, clatter. “What was that,” Tony yelled, waking up from a deep sleep.
The three ran out of the tent and looked on in amazement as a wolf was being chased by a cat wearing a cape and floppy hat.
Tony turned to Gollum and Arnold, “We hired that cat to keep that wolf away from the work site. Once the city is built up, the wolf won’t come around. The city will be too busy and full of life.

Gollum is questing! Episode 10/25

After the excitement of the morning, Gollum brought them all breakfast and then left to continue working in the cookhouse.
Arnold and Tony walked to the site where the house they were working on was situated. Tony looked up at the sky and said, “Looks like rain; let’s get the roof up, and then we can continue working inside.”

Gollum is questing! Episode 11/25

The rain had cleared, and the house was progressing well.
“I installed a window,” Arnold yelled inside the house.
“That’s…oof, ouch, hey!
“What’s going on?” Arnold ran outside to find Tony lying on the ground with a banana peel under Tony’s paw. “Are you alright?” Arnold helped Tony up.
There on the ground was a cheeky-looking banana peel. “Sorry, we came to help, but your arms were full of sticks, and you did not see me.”
Tony did not know what to say to this. He looked around, and sure enough, there were banana peels carry sticks and other materials. “Why are banana peels…you know what, never mind. I wish someone had let us know. I am fine, but it could have been a big accident.
The banana peel walked away, going wherever it was going, with Tony and Arnold looking on.
“That was different. More help means the building will go quicker.” Arnold said.
“I think we can stop for today,” said Tony, rubbing his backside, “Let’s take a walk around and see how the other buildings are coming along.”

Gollum is questing! Episode 12/25

Tony and Arnold were glad for a break and enjoyed walking around and looking at all the activity that was going on. There were so many houses going up, made with different materials. Windows, doors, fences, fireplaces, wagons loaded with building supplies, carts and tables, and chairs were everywhere they looked. The whole area was a hive of bustle and noises. They both could see quite clearly the shape of things to come.
They waved to the other pigs and bananas that were working hard. Arnold even found more berry twigs and picked one up to nibble on as they walked around.

Gollum is questing! Episode 13/25

Tony stopped walking, pointing a paw ahead, “Look, this is New Pork City, being built. We are watching history in the making.”
Arnold put the binoculars—that they had brought along with them—to his eyes. Arnold was lost for words for a few moments, taking in what he was seeing. “This is amazing look how tall some of those buildings are.”
Tony nodded and just stood there feeling proud of all the work the pigs were doing; this really was history in the making, and he was here to contribute.

Gollum is questing! Episode 14/25

Later that evening, as the sun was setting Gollum joined them for some cool drinks and a chat around the campfire. Tony and Arnold explained what they had seen as they walked around the building site and went into great detail about the tall buildings they saw in the city centre.
Gollum remarked that it all seemed too good to be true. How Gollum had to keep pinching themselves to ensure it was not a dream.

Gollum is questing! Episode 15/25

Tony and Arnold worked through the morning, putting in a back wall and a floor.
“I think that is a good day's work,” said Tony. “Why don’t we take off for the rest of the day, maybe do some fishing?”
Arnold thought that sounded like a great idea and hastily made up a sign, gone fishing.

Gollum is questing! Episode 16/25

Tony and Arnold spent a great afternoon fishing. They met a bear fishing along the river, and they chatted about the building that was taking place. The bear was interested in being able to shop in the new city but did not see himself living there. “I like my cozy cave close to the river; it’s over there, at the base of those mountains, and it is quiet. I can’t imagine the city being quiet.”
Tony agreed that the city would be noisy. “A lot of the housing areas are outside the city though. There will be lots of parks and trees, so unless you love the hustle of city life, you can live outside of the city and still be close enough to enjoy what the city has to offer.”
The afternoon was waning as Tony and Arnold packed up their fishing gear, said goodbye to the bear and started back to the building site.

Gollum is questing! Episode 17/25

The two builders had crossed a bridge to get to the fishing spot along the river, and as they crossed it now to continue back to the house they were building, they had a strange feeling, and both stopped walking. You would not think a Troll would be light on their feet, nor would you think they were quiet, but this Troll was. As Tony and Arnold saw the Troll in front of them, they gasped.

Gollum is questing! Episode 18/25

“Now, now, hold on,” growled the Troll, “I did not want to startle you, but I saw you came from the direction of the commotion going on over there, where I hear a city is going up.”
“Tony spoke up, “That’s right, we are building a city, New Pork City. Did you want to come and help us?”
“No, I want you to build me a house. I am getting tired of living under this bridge. It gets damp in the spring and too cold in the winter. I am not getting any younger. So, if you build me a house, I won’t have to stay here and frighten any pet walking over the bridge. I don’t really mean to frighten anyone.”

Gollum is questing! Episode 19/25

Tony looked at Arnold, and Arnold looked at Tony.
“I will run back and pick up what we need, and you can find a place to start building. Oh, I will bring some food and sleeping bags.” Tony looked up at the sky, "I don’t think it will rain again."

Gollum is questing! Episode 20/25

Arnold and the Troll looked around for the perfect place to build a house. They found a nice spot of flat land close to the river and bridge so the Troll would feel at home.
Tony arrived with all the materials and tools they needed, but it was getting late, so they cooked up some fish and made themselves comfortable to sleep until morning.

Gollum is questing! Episode 21/25

With the Troll's help, Tony and Arnold worked steadily on building the house. By late afternoon, the house was almost done. While they worked, the Troll sang special songs, and when they were hungry, the Troll took over cooking up the food, surprising Tony and Arnold with how good a cook the Troll was.
The sun was just about to set when Tony put the finishing touches to the house. “There, how about that for a house.”
The Troll grabbed Tony’s paw and shook it. “Thank you, thank you, this is fantastic. Now I have a place to keep dry and warm. Both of you have been very kind to do this for an old Troll.”
Everyone was feeling terrific, and the two builders stayed the night with plans to head out very early the next morning.

Gollum is questing! Episode 22/25

Before the sun had decided to wake up, Arnold and Tony were already well on their way home. They decided to walk through the forest and collect more branches and berries. They talked about how happy the Troll was to have his own house. They talked about finishing their house and how the city was nearing completion. There was a great deal of excitement everywhere, and rightly so, this had been a grand undertaking.

Gollum is questing! Episode 23/25

When Tony and Arnold arrived at the site, they stopped by the cookhouse and collected Gollum. Setting up a table, Tony told Gollum about their adventure and meeting the Troll. In the background, they could see New Pork City, shining in the early morning sun.
Gollum laid out the food, and as they ate and talked, they could hear the rest of the workers waking up to start the day. It would not be long before, the site was tidied up, tools put away, all the buildings completed, the shops opened, and the city would be teaming with the activity of a different sort.

Gollum is questing! Episode 24/25

The house was complete. It was a fine house, sturdy yet flexible, and easily repaired should the need arise, though no one was anticipating any problems on that score. The city was complete as well and the three planned to take a walk through it as soon as they had cleaned up all the leftover twigs and dust.

Gollum is questing! Episode 25/25

Tony handed Gollum a special egg. “This is for you; thank you for all your help and the delicious meals that kept us going. We are going to have so much fun working and living in New Pork City. It is amazing what can be done when everyone works together.”
Gollum has enjoyed their visit to New Pork City! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also go visit!