O65 - A Decayed House

[altariel.livejournal.com]

B2MeM Challenge: Off the Map's Edge: The Petty Dwarves; Scientific Achievement: Statics
Format: Drabble
Genre: Gen
Rating: G
Warnings: N/A
Characters: Mîm, Húrin
Pairings: N/A
Summary: Bodies at rest.

A Decayed House

Even they no longer recalled why they had been driven forth. Perhaps they had been too clever or too rich. Somehow they had been different. Whatever the reason, it had been enough, and there was no-one left to remember why. They were almost gone now, and their persecutors did not care.

Only old Mîm remained, sitting in the ruins, running tarnished gold through his fingers, murmuring the names of his sons. There Húrin found him and, lifting his sword, with one quick movement sent him from the world. Last of a dead people, Mîm lay at rest.

And Morgoth laughed.

Comments

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

I am not proud of the fact I had to look statics up...

The loss of memory and story is almost as sad as the loss of a whole people. Yes, I bet Morgoth laughed. I'm not sure whether to feel sorrier for Mim or for Húrin.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I had to look it up too. I misread it first as "statistics". Which I would have been up for.

It was pretty grim reading when I refreshed my memory about the Petty Dwarves this morning. The bit when they're hunted by the Sindar is particularly horrible.

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Nobody ever said elves are nice :-(

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Except for the Vanyar, and they're boring.

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Quite.

[engarian.livejournal.com]

Statics? Geez, suddenly I'm really glad I didn't choose that card because I don't think I could have come up with a story for this. Great job!

- Erulisse (one L)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I think I'm probably stretching some of these prompts to the limits of their meanings!

[dwimordene-2011.livejournal.com]

Oh, well done! The image of Mim sitting in the ruins, compulsively saying his sons names against utter oblivion, is absolutely haunting. And the brutally short description of his murder, and the end of the Petty Dwarves, fits the heedlessness of this unmarked genocide. It's amazing to me that more attention isn't given to the total destruction of the Petty Dwarves by the Elves, or their exile by their own houses. I'm so glad you took this up, and what a great way to make the "statics" prompt work for you. (I also read "statistics" last night - oops!)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Very glad this worked for you. Their history makes for bleak reading: I'd completely forgotten that they were driven out by the other Dwarves. This has been a great card to write from - thank you so much!

[blslarner.livejournal.com]

A terrible loss to the world, of a people on the one hand, and of Hurin's honor on the other. As for Morgoth, well, he would laugh, wouldn't he?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

He certainly would - two destructions for the price of one.