We must not look at goblin men, We must not buy their fruits. Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry thirsty roots?—Goblin Market, by Christina Rossetti
Sarah was delirious. The hospital doctors were uneasy about her condition. She had tested positive for the Epstein-Barr virus, but the fever was higher and lasting far longer than they would have liked. Complications with mono this severe were uncommon. They were running blood tests to see if there was a secondary infection or preexisting condition. So far, they'd found nothing. She was intravenously receiving acetaminophen to bring down her fever and corticosteroids to reduce swelling in her spleen. She was trembling from cold and kept asking nurses for blankets, but they gently refused her.
At least her father and step mother weren't around anymore. When the doctors had delivered their diagnosis of mono, her step mother had immediately demanded from Sarah where she could have contracted the "kissing sickness." The doctor had firmly informed the irate woman that the virus could be transmitted by a sneeze left on a school desk, and that most high school graduates had overcome the virus at one point or another.
Sarah cracked her parched lips and whispered, "I wish Hoggle and Didymus and Ludo where here."
Instantly, her three friends surrounded the bed, looking concerned.
"You called, fair maiden," said Sir Didymus. "Are you in distress?"
"Sarwah hot," moaned Ludo, one large and rough finger brushing her cheek with infinite tenderness.
"I'm actually freezing," Sarah replied with a shaky smile.
"Are you all right?" Hoggle wanted to know.
"Now that my friends are here, I'll be fine," she assured them. "I just missed you so much."
"Are they treating you well, my Lady?" Sir Didymous demanded.
"The doctors here are wonderful," she said. "They're just not sure what's wrong with me. Take my mind off things. Tell me about the underground," Sarah asked.
The three Labyrinth dwellers exchanged glances.
"All is quiet," Sir Didymus replied.
"No one has been in or out," Hoggle grumbled.
"Maze lonely," growled Ludo. "Sarwah take fun away."
She smiled a little sadly at that. "But I had to save Toby," she rasped. Then she asked a question that, had she not been out of her mind with fever, would never have crossed her lips. "How is he?"
"The king?" Didymus asked, surprised. "He has sequestered himself in his castle, my lady. No one sees him these days."
"I hope...he's not..." she sighed. She felt so tired, even though she was so cold. Her eyes drooped.
"Don't worry about that snake," Hoggle ordered gruffly. "You just get rest and get better." He nodded to his companions.
"Buh-bye, Sarwah," Ludo said as he faded away.
"Rest well, my lady," Didymus said with a bow before he too disappeared.
"If you knew what that wretch did to you, you wouldn't worry about his feathery head none," Hoggle harrumphed. He reached in his pocket and pulled out an all-too-familiar shape. A peach. Shaking his head, his heart aching with shame, he took out a small knife and cut a thin slice for Sarah. He slipped it between her lips, praying she would take it. Sarah was almost unconscious with fatigue and sickness, but she reacted to the sweet, tender fruit and ate it with barely a flutter of her eyes.
Then she sighed, almost happily. Her cheeks flushed and her limbs stopped trembling. Hoggle let out the breath he'd been holding and replaced the peach and knife in his pockets.
"Damn you, Jareth," muttered the dwarf for a second time as he too faded into nothing. "And damn me, too."
When the nurse came back, Sarah's fever had broken. She called the doctor, who inspected Sarah's vitals, relieved that his patient had finally overcome the virus. But it was odd, when he'd inspected her throat for signs that the swelling was going down, did he smell peaches?
Hoggle returned to the royal garden, tears in his eyes. If only Sarah hadn't won the right her freedom, she wouldn't be craving fae food now. If only Jareth hadn't forced Hoggle to give her the first peach, this addiction wouldn't have started in the first place. If only Sarah had never set foot in the labyrinth, she'd be safe. Hoggle took the peach out of his pocket and threw it into the compost heap. She would waste away and die unless he could supply her with fresh fruit every 13 days. Worse, he couldn't get it to her unless she called him.
He desperately wanted to tell someone, so that he wouldn't have to bear this terrible reality by himself. But he was afraid that if Jareth found out he still had a hold on the girl, he would exploit it. Besides, no one else had access to the trees in the royal gardens.
He held his aching head in his hands. "Damn, damn, damn..." he moaned. She would hate him for deceiving her again. Once, she could forgive, but twice? Thrice? Every time he brought her some fruit and tricked her into eating it, it would be another betrayal. No one deserved more chances than Hoggle had been given.
Hoggle didn't even want to tell Sarah of her own condition. She might refuse the fruit on principle, thinking it was a trick or like a normal human addiction. Hoggle knew she couldn't overcome her craving for it by abstaining like a junkie might. The first peach had started to change her, and that tiny change had taken root deep in her body and soul. Without the fruit of the Labyrinth to sustain it, it would die and then she would die.
He couldn't let that happen. As heartsick as giving her the fruit made him, he would lose the will to live if his best friend died. Deep down, he was just as selfish as Jareth.
Sarah was feeling ill again. The ominously familiar trembling and sweating were starting. Soon, she'd be too weak to stand. She hated that her body was so fragile. And that she would relapse now, of all times! She was moving today, Bog take it!
She almost ran to her sparsely stocked fridge and grabbed her special super-vitamin-anti-oxidant juice. It was bitter and muddy, but it usually helped her feel better. She just took a swig straight out of the bottle. Almost immediately, she felt the shakes and chills back off. She sighed, hating the aftertaste but grateful that the juice had worked this time.
For the last five years, she'd been in and out of the hospital. She'd been poked, prodded, swabbed, medicated, and examined over and over until she was afraid to visit even the dentist. Not that she had a need to visit the dentist more than twice a year for cleanings. In every other aspect of her life, her health was perfect. Clear skin, regular digestion, no cavities, not even so much as an uncomfortable callous on her foot. But every once in a while, she would get jittery, like she'd had too much coffee, and start sweating and shaking with fever and chills. There had been several times where the doctors were certain she would die of an unknown ailment, and she had called her Labyrinth friends to her to say goodbye, only to wake up the next morning healthy and whole.
Her frequent health troubles had caused her to drop out of drama classes in high school. In a round-about way, it had been a blessing. Unable to act out her dreams, she'd written them down instead. Her father had mentioned her writings to a friend, who mentioned them to another friend, who asked for a copy of the whole manuscript and in return offered a publishing contract. At the age of 16, Sarah had become a published author. At the age of 17, her one-hit-wonder had reached success on an international level. At the age of 18, she received the substantial royalties from her book that her father had put into a trust for her higher education.
She was currently attending university, but doing so online so that any emergencies would have a minimal impact on her GPA. She was pursuing a double major in biology and literature. The literature part was her way of keeping fantasy legitimate in her professional life. Biology was another escape, hopefully to some remote jungle or reef, where she could get away from mundane life and regain that independent feeling she'd had during the thrilling race through the labyrinth. She was still writing, naturally, but nothing seemed quite right yet, despite her editor's insistence that every word she wrote was gold. Sarah always felt like she was cheating a little, since her friends from the Labyrinth regularly visited and inspired her.
Sarah had accepted a summer internship-and-scholarship at a wildlife control station in the Rocky Mountains. She'd probably just be filing paper stuff and shoveling poop stuff, but it would be away from her over-protective parents. Plus, $4000 scholarship for 8 weeks of stuff didn't hurt either. She'd always believed in taking every opportunity and advantage. After all, that was how she'd beaten the Labyrinth.
She would miss her family, especially Toby, of course, but she needed space. It had been like pulling teeth to declare her independence enough to rent a studio apartment 2 blocks from her parents' house. Now her lease was up and a new adventure waited.
Sarah whipped out her black sharpy marker and labeled her last box. Done. With packing at least. Soon her friend Eric would be over with his pickup truck, and they could take most of her stuff to storage. The few moments she had left she wanted to share with friends.
"I wish Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo were here," she said softly, and that quickly her friends appeared from behind boxes.
"Fair maiden!" cried Didymus, whacking one of the boxes with his sword. "Art thou trapped by these flimsy, hollow blocks?"
"No, no," Sarah laughed. "I'm just moving. I wanted to spend some quality time with my best friends. I'm taking a job in the mountains, so I don't know how often we'll be able to see each other."
"Why? What do you mean?" blustered Hoggle.
"I'm going to be sharing a tiny cabin with another intern, and I don't know how she'll react to a crotchety dwarf, a knightly fox, and an orange Sasquatch spontaneously appearing our living space every few nights," she explained, her voice affectionate.
"Sass-kwatch?" rumbled Ludo.
"And I got you all gifts so you wouldn't forget me!" Sarah announced. She held up three gift-wrapped boxes.
"Pweh-sants!"
"My lady, you are generous to a fault," Didymus said with a bow.
"Why'd you go and do a thing like that," Hoggle moaned grumpily.
"Ludo, here's yours." She passed him a large, flat box. "Didymus, here you go. And Hoggle, something for your collection. Well, go on. Open them!"
Ludo opened his to reveal a small quilt. Well, it was small compared to his lumbering bulk. "So soft," he growled appreciatively.
"I made it myself out of scraps from my old costumes," she said.
Didymus opened his box and barked with delight. "A medal of honor!"
She blushed at his enthusiasm. It was really just a Celtic knot tie tack that reminded her of the Labyrinth. "I thought it would look nice on your lapel."
"Would you do the honors, my lady?" the knight asked, offering Sarah the box. Sarah obligingly took the ornament and pinned it to his vest over his valiant heart.
"Aren't you going to open yours?" she asked Hoggle.
Hoggle was dismally turning over his box. "You shouldn't have," he grumbled.
"I saw the pocket watch and thought of you. It's kind of old, but it has a vine engraved on the front. I thought it was perfect for a gardener," she said encouragingly.
He just shook his head and turned away.
"Hoggle, what's wrong?" Sarah asked softly. The dwarf hunched his shoulders away from her, refusing to answer. Sarah, bewildered, started to babble. "It's not like we'll never see each other again. I still need you, Hoggle. I'll always need you. You're my friend."
"Some friend," he muttered mournfully. She couldn't know that every word meant to comfort him was like a knife stabbing his heart. He turned back to her and pushed a small wooden box into her hands. "Take this," he ordered sharply. "But promise you won't open it unless you get really sick again."
"What is it?" she wondered.
"It's not pleasant," he promised her. "So don't open it unless you really, really need it."
"Hoggle, you are so sweet," she said and dropped to one knee to give him a hug. The dwarf stiffly returned the gesture, uncomfortable with what he had just done. If she didn't call them back before another two weeks were up, he wouldn't be able to slip peach juice into her health drink. Years ago, when she'd told her friends that she was trying everything to stay healthy, including the bitter extracts of strange fruits and vegetables, Hoggle had seen his opportunity to supply Sarah with the essence of the fae-fruit without her knowing. Now, with her new job and living arrangements, there was no guarantee he'd be able to maintain his deception. So he had done what he could. Inside the peach-wood box was a whole peach, and it would stay magically preserved there until she removed it. Hopefully, if she fell ill and couldn't call them, she could save herself.
A car horn beeped outside.
"That's Eric," Sarah exclaimed. "Thank you so much, all of you, for everything." She hugged Ludo and Sir Didymus. "I'll invite you back as soon as I'm able, I promise." Then her friends quickly said their goodbyes and disappeared behind the packed boxes.
"Knock-knock!" called a suave, tenor voice.
"Come on in!" Sarah called back.
"Woah, you building a fort in here?" Eric asked with a laugh.
"Oh, shut up and help me move already," Sarah replied teasingly.
"Alright," Eric clapped his hands together in anticipation. "What's going to storage? What's going with you? What's breakable? And what's bendable?"
"I'm taking that small pile over there," she gestured to a stack of suitcases. "Everything else goes into storage. And if you see any box that says fragile in big black letters, please don't use it to hackey-sack."
"I said I was sorry about that," he sighed. "One little slip with a crystal ball…"
"You kicked it out the window and it shattered on the front porch," she reminded him. "I still haven't been able to find a replacement." Not that she had looked. Even though the regularly spent time with her friends from the Labyrinth, she did everything physically possible to keep out that one dark figure that still crowded into her dreams.
"Ok, ok," he raised his hands defensibly. "I solemnly swear I will not play hacky sack with anything labeled fragile. The kitchen pots are still game, though, right?."
Sarah giggled. Eric was so easy to get along with. And cute too. He had sandy brown hair, soulful brown eyes, and a coastal tan. He was always so relaxed and mellow. He had transferred to her high school in junior year from San Diego, broke her crystal during a study group, and had spent the rest of the year as her self-proclaimed indentured servant the rest of the year to make up for it. They'd been best friends ever since. She was really going to miss his near-constant company during her internship.
But it was an adventure she was long overdue for.
They loaded up Eric's truck and drove to the self-storage facility. After stacking all the boxes in her small rental space, they drove back to the apartment and picked up her luggage. She grabbed her last food stuffs from her refrigerator and put them in a grocery bag to nibble on during her trip. Then she dropped her keys in the resident manager's mail box, and they drove to the bus station.
Eric parked his truck and took a deep breath.
"So, I want to give you something. You know, to remember me by," he said a little hesitantly.
"Aw, but I didn't get you anything," Sarah replied gently.
He shook his head. Then he dug into his large carpenter-pants pockets and pulled out a long, slim jewelry box. "Here," he said simply, and passed it over to her.
Sarah cracked the lid and gasped. Inside was a beautiful bracelet of silver set with sparkling white crystals. The centerpiece was an amethyst iris, a flower of courage and friendship. "It's beautiful," she breathed, "But…?"
"I was hoping that after you got back from the Rockies, we could catch a movie or something," he babbled, blushing furiously.
"Sure," she replied. "But we do that anyway. You don't have to give me a present like this for something like that."
"Actually, I was hoping it could be more like a date," he mumbled. "Like, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend."
Sarah was stunned for a moment. In all the years they'd been friends, she'd hardly let herself daydream that Eric might be romantically interested in her. They fought like brother and sister, shared everything, talked openly about anything—in fact the only thing Eric didn't know about was Sarah's trip to the Labyrinth.
"I didn't know…that you felt that way," she said softly.
"If you don't want to, that's fine. I don't want to mess up what we have," Eric quickly backtracked. "I think we make great friends. But I think we might be good at something more…too."
Sarah's smile made her whole face glow with happiness. "Eric, I can't think of anyone else I'd like to go to a movie with—as best friends or as boyfriend-and-girlfriend."
He perked up, hopeful. "Really?
In response, she kissed him full on the lips. It was a bit awkward at first, because she'd never kissed anyone before and he was so surprised. But it quickly softened into a toe-curling, romantic kiss. Not a French kiss, because Sarah had used up all her courage as it was. But very, very enjoyable.
"Really," she whispered against his mouth when they finally broke for air.
"Turn—" Eric croaked, his voice rough from passion. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Turn over the bracelet."
Sarah opened the box and took out the bracelet, She turned it over to see, delicately etched on the back of the flowery centerpiece, If you need me, just call. Her heart melted.
"I wanted you to know, even when you're deep in the mountains, that if you need anything, I'd be just a phone call away. I'd drive up to rescue you, or just bring you a decent cheese burger—anything you need," he said as he drew the bracelet out of the box and deftly secured it around her wrist. He looked a little embarrassed as he hinted at his deeper feelings.
"Eric," Sarah sighed. "You don't have to promise me the stars or anything. When I get back, we'll just enjoy our time together in a different way. Let things grow naturally."
He smiled crookedly. "Guess that's best. You know, it's rather cruel of you to kiss me before you head out into the mountains for two months. I'll miss you even more now."
"Should I have crushed your heart with a flat refusal instead?" she countered. "Because I can still do that you know."
"No, no. That's ok," he laughed.
"Really? I have a whole speech ready to go and I could throw the bracelet in your face too. Maybe even slap you for kissing me," she teased.
"You kissed me," he said defensively. "Let's get that straight."
"You're right. I did." And she kissed him again. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll be just as lonely without you."
"Maybe a little," he admitted. Then he took the initiative and kissed her.
Finally, Sarah broke away. "Ok, I'm leaving now. Because missing this bus and loosing this scholarship is not a good way to start this relationship."
Eric nodded. "Alright. Go do whatever you need to do. Call me one in a while, so I know you're ok?" his eyes were pleading. She knew he was genuinely worried about her health. Of all her friends, including her Labyrinth comrades, Eric had visited the most when she was in the hospital, and worked the hardest to keep her spirits up. She realized that it would be a nightmare for him if she got sick somewhere he couldn't reach her.
"You will be duly updated," she promised.
"Then go, before I trap you in my truck forever," he mock-threatened. Sarah gave him one quick peck on the cheek before quickly exiting the cab. She pulled her suitcases out of the truck bed and hurried over to the loading station. She gave her larger suitcase to the driver, who expertly fit it in between the other passengers' suitcases. Then she boarded the bus, but she couldn't resist a look back.
Eric was watching her, his knuckles white with the force of his grip on the steering wheel. She blew him a kiss and then got onto the bus. Her heart ached like it hadn't in years. It stunned her how a friendship had naturally flowed into something more profound, and suddenly she wanted to leap off the bus and into his arms. She shook herself and forced her butt to stay on the bus seat. She had to move forward, and she'd be back with him soon enough. Already her fingers were tracing the iris of her bracelet like it was a good luck talisman.
"Well, well, Hogwart!" a sardonic voice crooned. "You have been wicked, haven't you?"
Hoggle whirled around to face the Goblin King. The blond, leather clad man was casually leaning against a low broken wall that seemed to grow out of the garden as if it were a plant and not a pile of rubble.
"I ain't done nothing," the dwarf squeaked.
"No, you haven't done nothing. You've done something," Jareth leered. "Something against the law of the Underground."
"No such thing as law in the Underground," Hoggle grumbled.
"Come, come, Hedgehog," Jareth waved a hand imperiously.
"It's Hoggle!" Hoggle interjected out of habit.
"You know very well there is a law here," snapped Jareth. "I am that law. And I say you have committed the crime of theft! I should tip you into the Bog of Eternal Stench right now for your treachery."
"Do what you will," Hoggle challenged in a flair of chivalry. "I won't be part of your games no more. I do my job, and that's that."
"Your job is whatever I tell you to do," Jareth replied, his voice venomous syrup. He reached out as quick as a snake and grabbed one of Hoggle's large ears. The dwarf shrieked as he was pulled painfully off balance. "And right now your job is to tell me why you've been smuggling my peaches to the world above."
"I'll do no such thing!" Hoggle cried, his stubby fingers trying to pry open Jareth's grip.
"Oh yes you will," snarled Jareth with a twist of the dwarf's ear.
"Owowow!" screamed Hoggle.
"Tell me!" Jareth commanded. "Who do you give the peaches to? Some exile? Some ugly female wart? Who?"
"I won't do nothin' to hurt her again," Hoggle gritted out between uneven teeth.
Jareth flung the dwarf to the dirt. "Her? What her? There hasn't been a her here in…" Hoggle moaned as he saw the light of mischief flicker behind Jareth's eyes. "You've been giving Sarah fae fruit?"
"She would have died without it!" Hoggle cried in his defense, miserable that his deception had been found out. He sat up and cradled his head in his hands.
"So she still craves the peach," Jareth mused to himself considering. "I should have known. But that a little scab like you would dare to give her the fruit—and on a regular basis I assume."
Hoggle just turned away.
"Yes, I see it now. You come every fortnight brandishing a golden peach, and she happily accepts your present, her next fix. Perhaps she even gives you a kiss," Jareth mocked him.
Hoggle took a shuddering breath but said nothing.
Jareth looked at him with new interest. "Oh, no. Don't tell me—she doesn't even know?" Hoggle shook his head. "My, my, this is a delightful little setup. She doesn't even know!" he laughed delightedly, menacingly. "You will inform me the next time you bring her a gift." With that final royal command, he was gone.
Hoggle just sobbed. This was all going horribly wrong. But then what did he expect? This whole charade had been a disaster in the making.