Author's Note: Laby and all it's characters belong to the respective owners. I only claim my own insanity.
"I can't take this!"
The girl slammed the phone down on its cradle, irritated at her parents' refusal to return from their date to calm their only son down. Once again, she had been left with the baby, expected to change diapers and murmur baby-talk to the eighteen-month-old. Her parents had gone out to a business dinner, and she had to cancel her date. How unfair! How mean! It didn't matter that it was an important dinner. Her parents were cruel, cruel people!
The baby ended up with her for the night. He giggled when she told him to knock it off. He screamed, he kicked. He gurgled up his milk and, worst of all, made his diaper stink on more than one occasion. She could hear him audibly from the next room, despite the CD blaring out loud music.
The girl shuffled through the contents of her messy room, picking up clothes and throwing them over her shoulder. And then, at last, it was in her hands. The battered-up tape had hidden itself beneath her bed, next to a sock and several sour slices of swiss cheese.
Quickly winding to her favorite scene, the girl stopped and listened, just so she would remember the words. Then, with a nod, turned off the TV and stood up.
The magic words.
"I wish the goblins would come take away the baby, right now!"
There was a silent pause. The CD revolving in the player, she could see, had stopped turning. The lights dimmed momentarily. She sucked in her breath, waiting for the inevitable rush of wind as the window would open, a crash of thunder would unfurl, lightning would fill the room, and Jareth, the King of Goblins, would take Johnny and her away to his magic kingdom where she would be his queen and she'd never have to babysit again….
An overhead voice suddenly projected, a plain, dismal voice: "You have reached the residence of His Majesty, Jareth, King of the Goblins. We are not able to take your baby at the moment, so please leave your name, address, phone number, name of child, and complaint after the beep………"