Sarah sat in her room brushing her hair while Ludo watched her
curiously.
"What Sarah doing?" He asked
"I'm brushing my hair."
"Sarah brush hair!"
"That's right Ludo!" Sarah said with a laugh. "Here, let me do
yours" Sarah said as she stood up. She motioned for Ludo to sit and
began to
brush his long shaggy fur. A member of the wild gang appeared and sat
on her
bed.
"Hey lady! What you doin' to his head?" Sarah let out a shout
of
surprise and spun around to find him sitting on her bed.
"I'm brushing his fur."
"What you go doin' a thing like that for? Hey I know! Let's
play
volleyball!" He shouted, pulling off his head, and tossing to another
member
of the wild gang who had just appeared in the other side of the room.
"Keep it down! My dad or stepmother might hear you!" Sarah said
urging them to quiet down. She heard her name called from downstairs,
followed by the sound of footsteps. She opened the door a crack and
stuck
her head out.
"Sarah? What's going on in there?" Her dad asked.
"Nothing" Sarah replied quickly. He pushed the door open and
peered
inside, and Sarah's heart dropped into her stomach.
"Hmm I could have sworn I heard you talking to someone." He
said as
he turned around and headed back downstairs. Confused, Sarah looked in
her
room to find that Ludo and the two wild gang members had disappeared.
Suddenly one of them popped their head out from under the bed.
"Hey lady, is it safe now?"
"My name is SARAH, not lady. And yes it's safe."
"Now where were we?" he shouted, pulling off his head and
tossed it
back over to the other wild gang member who had emerged from his hiding
spot
behind her dresser. They continued to volley his head while Sarah went
back
to brushing Ludo's fur.
"I wonder where Hoggle is, I haven't seen him in a few days."
Sarah
said beginning to get a bit worried. "I wonder if Sir Didymus knows
where he
is." She had barely finished her sentence when she heard barking coming
from
her closet.
"You called my lady?" He said, walking out of the closet.
"Sir Didymus! Do you know where Hoggle is? I haven't seen him
in
almost a week." Sarah said anxiety rising in her voice.
"I'm sorry my lady, but I'm afraid that I have not seen Sir
Hoggle.
But I shall help thee look for him."
"Thank you. Oh I hope he's alright!" Ludo turned around and
spotted
Sir Didymus.
"Brother!" he shouted letting out a grunt as he got to his
feet.
"Why Sir Ludo! How art thou?"
"Ludo happy!"
"I am pleased to hear." Sir Didymus replied, turning back to
face
Sarah. "Now my lady, dost thou have any idea of where Sir Hoggle might
be?"
"He usually stands guard at the door to the labyrinth, but he
usually comes to visit me everyday. I'm very worried about him"
"I shall go seek Sir Hoggle at the entrance to the labyrinth."
"Thank you so much Sir Didymus." Sarah said. She watched as he
walked back into the closet, calling for Ambrocious
"Hoggle gone?" Ludo said, a tinge of sorrow in his voice.
"I don't know Ludo, Sir Didymus promised to look for him for me."
"Brother help Sarah!"
"That's right Ludo. Well I should stop worrying so much. I'm sure he's
fine.
I mean, if it weren't for him I never would have gotten through the
labyrinth at all." Sarah said, her voice trailing off. Sarah heard her
name
called from downstairs once more. She glanced at her clock, and
realized
that she had lost track of time.
"Oh no! It's almost ten o'clock! I have to get ready to go to sleep now
Ludo."
"Sarah sleep?" Ludo asked
"Yes, Sarah has to sleep now. I have school tomorrow. I'll see you when
I
get home." Ludo waved goodbye. Sarah heard a loud crash come from her
closet. She glanced over and saw Sir Didymus tumble out from the
closet. She
turned back around to see if Ludo had been startled but found that he,
and
the wild gang members had already disappeared.
"Sarah! I won't call for you again! Come down here!" Her father called.
"Sir Didymus! Hold one for one moment, I have to say goodnight to my
father
and stepmother."
"For thee, I would wait forever my lady."
"Thank you" Sarah said, quickly running downstairs. Her father called
her
into the living room, his face mingled with confusion and curiosity.
"Sarah, I found this yesterday." He said, holding up a leader back that
jingled when he shook it. "Where did you get this?" He asked, eyeing
her
carefully. Her stepmother was sitting on the couch, staring at her with
an
accusing expression.
"Sarah, did you steal this? We've brought you up much better than
this!" She
shouted.
"Hoggle's jewels!" Sarah gasped under her breath.
"What was that?"
"I said that those are my collection of glass stones, they look like
real
gems, that why I find them so pretty." Sarah retorted quickly, saying
the
first excuse that came to her head.
"How come you never told us about this before?" Her father asked
"I can have something private of my own" Sarah said. She extended her
hand
and her father dropped the sack into her hand.
"Now your father and I are going out for the night, we need you to
watch
Toby."
"Alright" Sarah said. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Sir
Didymus
descending down the stairs. She quickly said goodnight and headed
strait for
the stairs. She quickly snatched Sir Didymus before her father or
stepmother
could see him. Once upstairs she shut and locked her door, and placed
Sir
Didymus down.
"I asked you to wait, you know what could have happened if they saw
you?"
She asked, still clutching Hoggle's jewels in her hands.
"My lady, there is urgent news that I must tell to thee. It is of up
most
importance! I would never sever a vow under lesser conditions!" Sir
Didymus
replied in defense of his honor.
"What is it?" She asked, worry once again taking over her. Sir Didymus
held
up a clear crystal ball.
"I saw an owl, purest of white as is the snow. In his claws he held
this" he
replied, holding higher.
"A white owl? But that could only mean . . . but he can't! Not unless I
wished!"
"My lady? What troubles thee? Certainly this can't mean that Jareth has
cometh to see thee?"
"It just may be" Sarah said taking the crystal ball from Sir Didymus.
She
held it up so that it caught the light.
"My lady!" Sir Didymus shouted. Sarah looked over and saw what seemed
to be
Hoggle's silhouette, only in light coming from the reflection of light
off
the crystal ball.
"What can this mean?" Sarah said thinking quickly while Sir Didymus
stared
in awe. "Jareth! He must have Hoggle!" Sarah shouted. He looked down at
Sir
Didymus who was clinging to her every word. "But how can this be? I
thought
I had to wish before he could do something like this." She shouted,
beginning to get rather worried and confused.
"My lady, Sir Hoggle dwells at the entrance to the labyrinth. If he
ventures
forth Jareth has control over thee." Sir Didymus explained hoping to be
a
help to Sarah.
"That's right! I remember now, Hoggle had explained to me that the only
reason he gave me that jinxed peach was because Jareth would have
dipped him
in the bog of eternal stench! Jareth must have kidnapped him!"
"Why would Sir Jareth feel the need to capture our dear Sir Hoggle?"
Sir
Didymus asked with a tilt of his head
"I don't know, but I am going to find out." Sarah said,
clenching
her fists.
"I shall help thee in thy quest! Tis my noble duty!" Sir
Didymus
said, proudly holding his head high. The seriousness of the moment was
broken when one of the wild gang appeared, sitting on her ceiling
holding
his in his hands upright in Sarah's face. She let out a shout and fell
back.
Clutching her chest she darted her eyes back up at him.
"Don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry lady, just thought I'd drop in!" he said, falling from
the
ceiling, twisting his body so that he landed on his feet. Sarah walked
to
her bedroom window and looked outside. She watched as her father and
stepmother pulled out of the driveway and drove off down the street.
"At least that takes care of the parent problem. But how am I
going
to get into the labyrinth?" Sarah asked watching as a light snow began
to
fall on the already thick blanket of snow that covered the ground. "Sir
Didymus" She began "How are you able to go between my room and the
labyrinth, aren't they set in different worlds?"
"Ah my lady, thou art mistaken." He replied
"Oh, how so?"
"Doth entrance to the labyrinth is hidden."
"That can't be though, Hoggle guarded the door at the entrance,
and
it wasn't hidden at all."
"That is where thou art mistaken.
"I don't understand."
"When Sir Jareth showed thee the labyrinth, did thou not notice
how
thee seemed to appear there?"
"Well yes, but I always thought Jareth had done it through his
powers."
"You are wrong my lady, for you see, the entrance is here in
thy
very room! To see it, you must open thy mind. As you learned in the
labyrinth thou shall not taketh things for granted."
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, beginning to get rather
confused.
"To see the entrance to the labyrinth, thou must do what thy
did
while in the labyrinth."
"Don't take things for granted" Sarah said as her voice trailed
off.
She stared at the floor as she thought hard.
"My lady?" Sir Didymus said, tugging on Sarah's shirt.
"Is the entrance to the labyrinth in my closet?" Sarah asked.
"Thou art correct my lady. But that is only one of many ways to
enter the labyrinth from thy very room." Sir Didymus replied. Sarah
walked
over to her closet and eyed it skeptically.
"Don't take things for granted. So this isn't just a closet."
Sarah
said to herself under her breath. She reached and put her hand in and
found
that there seemed to be a liquid wall there now, transparent in
appearance.
She touched it again and watched the subtle rippling effect, which
caused
the otherwise unnoticeable wall of liquid to shimmer with a silver
light.
"Sir Didymus, will you help me find Hoggle?"
"Anything for thee my lady." Sarah turned around to find a
member of
the wild gang hanging from her closet door.
"Hey lady! You finally decided to come to the labyrinth to
party?"
"No, I'm going to search for Hoggle."
"Sounds like fun! We can have a wild time!" He shouted as he
pulled
off his head and started dribbling it across the room as he would a
basketball. He tossed his head into the closet and Sarah watched, as it
appeared to have disappeared. The wild gang member went in after his
head.
"Well here goes nothing" Sarah said, taking a deep breath as
she
started to step into the closet.
"Wait! My lady!" Sarah stopped suddenly and looked at Sir
Didymus
curiously. "Didst thou forget that it is winter? The snow may cause
thee to
freeze! Please my lady, dress accordingly for you are not suited for
the
cold winter in such dressings." Sarah looked down at herself, realizing
that
she had forgotten she was in her pajamas. She changed her outfit,
putting on
her warmest clothes. She glanced down at Sir Didymus who was now
standing by
her side and walked over to her closet. "Art thou ready, my lady?"
Taking a
deep breath Sarah glanced down at him.
"Ready as ever" Sarah said as she stepped through her closet.