"I've brought you a gift."
Sarah Williams squinted suspiciously at the glittering figure in front of her. Why should a king of goblins come all this way to steal her brother, and then bring her a gift? It was decidedly odd. Still… A present was a present. She might at least sate her curiosity.
"What is it?"
Leather clad fingers offered her a tiny, fragile-looking sphere. The soothing voice spoke again, all sharp accent and seductive words.
"It's a crystal, nothing more. But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams."
He did turn it, and she watched the glimmers in the sparkling glass take form. But just as soon as she began to recognize the shapes and colors, the ball was snatched from under her nose.
Could something so small and delicate really hold every dream she'd ever had?
She found that hard to believe.
She realized the regal man was talking again. She wondered if he simply liked the sound of his own voice.
"...do you want it?"
Faint titters and scuttling could be heard in all corners of her room. At that moment she was sure she felt someone breathing down her neck. She ignored it, and focused on the globe before her. She did want it. She'd never realized how badly she wanted the impossibilities of her childhood. Her fingers twitched to reach for the crystal.
"Then forget the baby."
A gust of air left her lungs, like she'd been punched in the stomach.
So it was the dreams or Toby, then?
She took in the magical man before her. If she accepted the crystal, would she ever see her baby brother's sweet face again? Already, she missed his runny nose and his grabbing hands and his rather malodorous surprises. And even if she refused her dreams, who was to say her brother would be returned to her anyhow? More likely the king would send her on some farfetched journey to prove her strength and cleverness like in all the fairy tales. But to have your dreams right within your grasp…
Sarah looked up at the Labyrinth King.
"Any dream, any one at all? Whatever I wish?"
The ruler bowed low before her in a distinguished manner. "Your wish is my command, my Lady."
She knew what she wanted. Sarah held out her hand expectantly, but hesitated when she saw the wolfish grin that appeared on the king's features. Swallowing bravely and hoping she wouldn't regret this, she reached out farther and plucked the transparent sphere out of his hand.
It was warmer than she had guessed. It pulsed with a slow, comforting heat. She looked back up at the king of the goblins, and spoke carefully.
"What… Are the right words to use?"
The grin deepened, and pointed teeth looked rather as feral as the light in his mismatched eyes. "None of that mumbo jumbo, if you please. Any proper magical request needs only the words 'I wish' to be carried out thoroughly. Then, simply drop the crystal; it will do the rest of the work for you."
Sarah nodded and took a deep breath. Holding the crystal before her, she began to say her right words and make her wish.
"I wish… that Toby was back here safe and sound, where no one could ever steal him or hurt him again, and everything was back to normal." Finished, she released the crystal, hearing the glass shatter at the same moment that she noticed the fury on the king's face.
A light enveloped the room, and she heard a dozen shrieks and bellows as dark shapes scurried to hide. One voice was directed at the king, shrill and demanding.
"Kingy, she allowed to do that?"
After that, everything went black.
When Sarah awoke, she recalled immediately the events of the night. She jumped up, to find that she was in her room instead of her parents' where Toby slept. How had she gotten there? She shrugged it off, and ran to find her brother.
He was there, curled up beneath his blanket. His blond curls were tousled with sleep, and baby drool had begun to soak his sheets. Sarah sighed with relief, and trailed a hand lovingly down his back. His short kidnapping was enough to shock her out of the spoiled drama queen number that had so lately surrounded her, and she felt as though she was a new person. She would be the best sister Toby could ask for, now.
Turning, she walked to the moonlit windowsill and made doubly sure the windows were locked shut and totally inaccessible to goblin kings. But as she looked out, a white something drew her eye. She saw an owl, watching her with what seemed to be nearly rage in its beady eyes. She shivered and returned to her bed, promising to herself to put that little red book away when daylight once again soaked her room.