Chp. 1
Sarah sighed as she stared out her open window. Her friends had left only a couple of hours ago, after the victory party. Glancing at her clock, she was shocked to see it read 3 am. She wasn't even tired. Blaming it on left over adrenaline from the last encounter between her and the Goblin King, she thought of how sad he had looked when she had said her final words. "Almost as if his heart had been broken." She murmured quietly.
She was startled out of her daze when thunder rumbled. Starring up at the brewing storm clouds she felt despair wash over her. "Not another one!" she cried out. Hadn't it been clear half an hour ago? Sticking her head farther out the window, she stuck her tongue out childishly at the sky. The weather had been odd all day. Sarah was brought out of her reverie when a raindrop fell on her tongue.
Pulling her head back into the room in shock she wondered what the heck could cause a raindrop to taste salty like a teardrop. As the wind picked up she went to shut the window. When she turned back around, she saw that a pale feather was lying on her floor. "Must have been blown in," she said aloud. 'It's an owl feather.' She realized upon picking it up. This brought back memories of an owl changing into a man with wild blonde hair, tights, and mismatched eyes. "He's crying." She said to an empty room, remembering again how he had looked heartbroken when she had said those words.
Realization hit her like a wave. She had been the one who had broken his heart. He had offered her the world and she threw it back in his face. Placing a kiss on the feather she laid it on her vanity. She changed into some nightclothes and gave the feather one last look before traveling to the land of Nod. "I'm sorry." She whispered not knowing if he could hear her or not. Turning out the lights she lay down and fell asleep, flying on wings of dreams to hush-a-bye mountain.
Crystals spinning and rolling, floating and turning juggled by a man with mismatched eyes. Sarah stood transfixed. He was starring at her from across the tower room. Soon all the crystals were floating around the room, playing a haunting melody. She was dressed simply in an off-white dress that was similar to her costumes, barefoot with her hair loose.
She padded silently toward him intent on telling him she was sorry. She stopped, leaving about a foot and a half between them. As she opened her mouth to speak, he crossed the gap between them and laid a gloved finger over her lips, signaling her not to speak. "I know." He whispered breathing into her ear, sending shivers down her back. No more was said between them. He took her hand in his and they began to dance.
The music slowly began to end and they stopped. As the sun began to set outside the tower window she woke up.
Slowly she opened her eyes against the bright sunlight. "How long did I sleep?" she murmured. It took her a moment to realize she was starring at something and that that something was a goblin.
"Hi" it said.
"Good Morning. I mean afternoon." She said glancing at the clock. It read 1:13 p.m. Karen definitely wasn't home.
"Lady sleep well?"
"Yes thank you for asking. May I ask what you're doing here in my room?"
" Lady beat King. First he was really mad. He threw seven of us out a window." He explained excitedly. "Then he got a grouchy and mopey. Since he's son fun anymore we figure we go see how lady doin'. Lady say funny things in sleep." It laughed.
"What's your name?"
"Blip." he answered.
"You said we. You mean there are others?"
"Silly Lady. Of course. Sit up and look around."
Sitting up slowly, she looked around. They were everywhere. On her shelves, dresser, anywhere they could fit. Then she did what any other teenage girl would do in her place. She screamed. The got the goblins laughing hysterically. They thought it was one of the funniest things to make a girl scream. And the most important thing to a goblin is fun.
"How did all of you get in here?" she yelled.
"Magick." Blip answered laughing.
Sick of trying to make sense out of the goblins, she grabbed some clothes and went to go take a shower. After that when she went downstairs the goblins followed her.
That's how the next six years of her life went. Goblins following her everywhere. It turns out they had been there all along, just not so many. Goblins run amok on the streets everyday. They always have and always will. They just lost even more brain cells with the invention of television but so did most of the human population. They were everywhere. In school, the mall, even at the college that she now went to. She was thankful no one else could see them besides herself and Toby.
As the anniversary of her defeat of the Labyrinth neared, she prepared herself for what happened every year. It was the only night her friends could come and visit her. They would talk until about 2 am then they would have to leave. Then at 3 am the sky would cry as it had 6 years ago. But this year Sarah was planning something different for when the clouds cried instead of talking to them.
She got up that morning putting on jeans and a T-shirt. Grabbing a cup of coffee, she walked out the door. She had a lot of shopping to do.
Jareth sighed and with a flick of his wrist the crystal carrying the image of the young woman disappeared. Oh how he loathed this day. For some reason no matter how hard he tried he could not get her out of his mind. It was always like this. But today was the worst. Because today would be the last time the Underground would have any contact with her. It was all because of the seven-year rule. Anyone who beat the labyrinth would be granted one wish that would last for seven years after. The only thing that could change this was another wish made by Sarah. Otherwise she wouldn't even see the goblins and her memories of this land would fade. And as King he could not allow that. The labyrinth needed people like her to keep it alive. He needed her to keep him alive. And for her not to remember the labyrinth, the goblins, or him was unthinkable. Of course Sarah didn't know about this seven-year rule. All they could do is hope.
Ok for clarification I did not use As the World Falls Down for the dream sequence. I just used parts of the score for inspiration. I'm a band geek. I think that should explain it.
And no the Labyrinth isn't dying, at least not because of Sarah. It's more like it's dormant. If more people believed in magick and the Labyrinth, it would be a lot better. More lively. R&R