Trick or Treat
A Halloween One Shot
It was October 31st and a strange chill was in the air. Not the normal cold that forced little super heroes or wizards into their jackets while happily gathering candy, but a chill that shivered in your bones with wind around. Sarah clutched Toby's hand even harder as the feeling ran up her spine again as they past Mrs. Porter's dimmed porch.
Wholly unaware of his sister's unease, Toby Williams skipped gleefully at her side, swinging his bright orange pumpkin bucket back and forth beside him. He was thoroughly acting the part of a dread pirate, red striped shirt and all: brandishing his sword at other children and demanding booty from every kind-hearted adult on the block. Mocking his hard practiced accent, Sarah warned Toby that little pirates who don't say thank you with a smile on Halloween tend to have their eye patches sewn on the next morning.
Toby saw the new development that had been slowly gaining inhabitants all fall just off Bayberry Street. The house fronts glowed with pumpkins and orange lights and children screamed and laughed in the distance. Toby tugged eagerly on Sarah's hand, "Please, Sarah! Please!" he pleaded, pointing. Sarah couldn't help but be curious, and although the chill still fissured at her back, she agreed to please her favorite brother.
Once through the towering gate that enveloped the development, Sarah could see the houses and streets went on far longer in the distance than she ever thought, twisting and vining up the hill side, small bursts of streetlamp light dotting the expanse. It reminded her of something - something just as grand and sinister she couldn't quite place.
Toby began at the first house on South Hunting Street, taking 3 fun-sized candy bars from the bowl left out on the red brick porch. His pillaging continued from house to house for the next hour, making sure to say thank you to every kind-hearted soul to dared to drop in a sweet treat in his bucket.
The children who rushed around him were just as excited and wild as he; dressed as dragons and princesses, hobos and poodle skirt girls. Sarah stood next to other parents at the end of driveways, smiling as the young ones adventured together. But soon, the night grew later and the families dwindled, though the amount of children did not. Sarah allowed Toby one final street just off the West entrance of the development. His bucket was nearly full and the children were starting to decidedly NOT look like children.
It has been years, but the more Sarah looked, the harder she squinted to see the edges, the more she knew most of the creatures running around were goblins. Goblins in children's clothes. Goblins dressed up as children and about just as well behaved. She wrenched Toby to her side after realizing that the three little boys she had taken for brothers in goblin suits were goblins in a school uniform, swimsuit, and chicken costume. They stared back at her unphased at her disgust.
But surely her mind was playing tricks on her. She hadn't seen a real goblin for a good long while. Still, the large round one that rolled past her with an odor she would never forget made her firmly decide Halloween was over. "Toby, we're going."
"One more house!"
"Nope. We're going." As they rounded the final corner, Sarah's hand firmly holding a squirming six year old's, a large black mass appeared in the middle of the street. A silent scream froze Sarah's throat as a warm wind billowed up against her back.
"Ludo!" Toby cheered, running towards the large brown creature as the street lamp flickered back on. Despite herself, Sarah Smiled. She'd forgotten just how large Ludo was, and how sweet his smile could be. It would all be okay. A harmless party the goblins were delighting in.
As Toby showed Ludo his full bucket of candy, Sarah could see this was a regular visit from her old friend. A small silver of wicked jealousy slid into Sarah's heart. He patiently told Ludo to wait just a minute after Ludo's clumsy hand tried to grab at the candy in the bucket.
"Trick or treat," a voice whispered in her ear.
The Goblin King.
Hot dread flushed her cheeks, burning them to a red color that would put the changing leaves to shame.
He stood beside her, his arm just brushing hers. "Don't worry, I'm not here for the boy." All at once the tension in Sarah's body eased. The Goblin King had never lied to her before. Tricked her, danced with her - yes, but no promised something he could not give. "Of course, if you want to wish him away again, I would be happy to oblige." A short laugh escaped her.
Sarah felt his strange eyes roam her face. "Do you like being in the Labyrinth again?"
"What?" She rounded on him, the full force of her disbelief giving her courage. The smile on his face reminded her why she found him incorrigible. Was it possible for him to be even more handsome? even more King-like?
"Sarah, dear, do you know the definition of a Labyrinth?" His words came evenly, assured; he had been planning his speech for a very long time. "In a maze there are dead ends, wrong turns, decisions that must be made - left or right, wrong or right - but in a Labyrinth every way is the right way, every way leads to the center, to the end. To me."
Jareth's arms slid around Sarah's waist, pulling her close to him. His lips touched her own and her heart roared in her chest. Never in her waking life did she think she would taste the Goblin King, did she thing he would return for her. His mouth tasted of honey and spice, and when he bit softly on her bottom lip, she thought she might faint from the tartness of it all. She sunk her fingers through his blonde hair and marveled at the deep groan it elicited from his chest. Sarah Williams could be just as sweet as the Goblin King.
As they gasped for breath, barely parting, fire cascaded through her limbs. When Sarah found him again, it was her tongue that demand. A wild hunger overtook her, intent on devouring the man before her. She found him fighting for control and in giving it to him, lost all sense of time.
They were breathless and dizzy and more hungry than when they began. Sarah rested her head against Jareth's, unsure if she could stand on her own, a smile unable to leave her bruised lips.
Toby's excited laugh pierced her ear and she turned towards him. The young pirate was running up to her, intent that she catch him. He thudded against her chest, proclaiming it was time to go home. "Just a sec -" Sarah began to answer, looking back at where the Goblin King had been, but when she turned, no one was there; a small wisp of glitter swirled into her hair.
A damn, dirty trick or super sweet treat? You tell me!