Jareth stood over the hospital looking down at the painfully thin girl lying in it. He sighed knowing that she was a true believer and dying. The once proud golden glow that surrounded her as a reminder of her life had tarnished into a faint brassy shimmer. She tossed and turned in a vacant medicine induced sleep not knowing the royal visitor she had.
The only light in the room was the faint dim blue light on her laptop which she used in a last halfassed attempt to drag herself back into the outside world. Jareth knew sadly that this would probably be the last time she would leave the hospital for the joy and comfort of her own bed. The monster known as cancer had claimed another young life as it's own/And sadly no amount of Underground magic would change that fact.
Again she turned with a faint whimper of pain. It was the pain inside of you that no medicine would ever touch, the pain of so many things undone wishes of a life that would never happen. No amount of positive thinking would ever stop the inevitable marching of the cells of death.
Jareth watched his heart going out to the girl. She had done so many good things for the world. She had spread the word. the dream place. The star where you waited for the people to be born into your next life. It would hold you safe and be happy all you had to do was believe. That was enough.
Her faced starved for moonlight and something fought to make her lungs work. She would not die, not yet anyway, not while the fight still lingered in her. Jareth knew this girl to be a true believer. One of those rare breed that when they found each other where like kindred sprits, fighting, playing, laughing, in a great love and respect. They where a lot alike this believers and they had been believers in past lives and they would most likely be no matter what happened. And in this short life they she had found such a group and they brought her great joy.
Jareth stepped to the stark white coverlet and tucked it around her. He removed a single glove and brushed the hair from her face, sending her happy dreams that would allow her to rest. He kissed her forehead and vanished leaving her in a world where she could live and find happiness, her dreams. The last gift he could give her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Kim, The Manipulative Little Monster