" 'Ello sir," a little boy asked his chipped teeth gleaming "may I interest ya in a newspaper today? Only five cents!" Grimacing, the man he was asking slammed his wooden cane on the dirt and huffed indignantly.
"Street rat." The man muttered taking in the boy's tousle of brown hair and dirt smudges on his cheeks.
The boy smiled wearily at the aristocratic man in his finely tailored suit and white hair neatly trimmed. "Oh what I wouldn't do to be rich…or at least have a place to call me home." Clutching limp newspapers against his sweaty palms he continued to call "Get ya newspaper! Only five cents!"
*Please sir, may I have some more?*
"Only twenty-five cents today! Has your head gone rotten ya sniveling worm!" screamed the master of the factory his round, pig-like face turning dark pink in anger.
"I'm really sorry sir..." the boy whimpered, shuddering in his filthy, threadbare rags as tears silently began to fall.
"Oh I'll make you sorry son! No food tonight off to bed with you!" with his meaty hands raised into a fist, he slammed the boys bruised face and dragged him to the sleeping quarters.
Everything was dark and damp, from the many leaks of the rotten wood ceiling above. The only thing beautiful was the stars shining through the cracks. The boy liked to think it was his mom and dad checking up and waiting to take their little boy home. Holding the thin white sheets to his scrawny chest he looked up at the stars, "Momma I'm ready, take me home." He whispered.
"Is there rot in ye head Trely?" a boy asked his green eyes squinting cruelly as him and the boys raced up the wooden stair case.
"No Chris I just want to go home…"
"This is our home now, unless ya wanna die like ya ma and pa up there." Chris pointed up to the ceiling his freckled face twisted with amusement "I think I've got a new story to tell ya's."
Trely and the dirt-encrusted boys smiled wickedly and huddled together on the wooden floor as Chris began his entrancing story, "Now I hears this from a man on the street with a big black coat and a raggedy hat, I think he had a little too much to drink he had but the story is good so good 'ol Chris listened." he bobbed his bright red hair approvingly as all the little kids clutched their blackened hands in excitement.
"Once there was a boy, workin' just like you and me. One day, nobody would buy his papers so he had to go home to his master with empty pockets, but he couldn't do that without getting a whippin ya see so he decided to steal from a fancy pants man down the street. The man was a strange one he was, with bright hair and different colored eyes, but anyone lookin at him could tell he was stinking wealthy and you could hear his purse clank with coins." A couple of boys began to drool, their eyes glittering moistly at the thought of a heavy purse in their pockets.
"Anyways, so he goes up to the man and while he's just strolling around the shops, snatches the purse right out of the man's pocket. But the man noticed and quickly turned toward the boy and said, "Hello little street rat, today is your lucky day." The boy was scared he was and began begging and pleading not to take him to jail or worse to his master. "My boy," this odd man declared, 'I understand your fear, such a pity, you can stay with me, or even better curse anybody you can't stand."
The boys huddled closer in curiosity as Chris whispered, "Just say I wish the Goblins would take you away right now and all your dreams will come true."
Everyone began to laugh at that absurd notion and Chris lifted his freckled hands in mirth, "That man had too much ale I think, but Trely wanted to go home so let's try it." The boys laughed pushing the beaming Toby down in front of Chris. "I wish the goblins would take Trely away right now."
Everyone laughed, amused as they looked at the ceiling waiting for the goblin king. Satisfied Chris sighed in mock sadness, "Well guess I won't get me wish."
"Why yes boy I think you are," a man swooped in a profusion of glitter, "time to go young Trely."
Trely began to gasp as a leather clad hand grasped his shoulder.
"But you're….!" Chris screamed as the kids stood frozen in horror.
"The Goblin King." The man replied, his pointed teeth glinting in the starlight as him and Trely faded away.
*It's only forever…*
"So that's what happened missus," the blue worm nodded his tuft blue head nodding vigorously. The pink worm batted her lilac eyes incredulously, "What happened next love?" Trely looked amused as he began sipping tea out of his white porcelain cup, "When I woke up I was this! Scared have to death I was being incredibly small and all, but the king was kind. He told me his name was Jareth and he ruled this place. He gave me a home, riches, best of all you." He snuggled close to his wife's soft body and sighed.
"Look love," his wife shouted staring through a tiny window pane, "the stars!"
Trely inched up to the window and stared out dreamily, "Hey mom, hey dad, I'm home…."
Author's Note: Wanted to write background stories for creatures in the Labyrinth for a while now. I'm hoping to make this into a series! J