Hello readers! I revised this chapter because it needed to be better presented. The events are the same but with a little more detail. :)
Enjoy!
Shall we seee how life plays out had Sarah never existed?...
"Anna! Anna come back!" I yelled across the golden grassy field. I panted and gasped as she ran ahead. I never did understand how her tiny legs could get her so far so fast. It was my fault really. I shouldn't have gotten angry with her, she's only seven after all and who's to say there weren't fairies in her garden. Her little imagination could conjure up whatever she liked. But goblins?
Having grown up in England I had a nanny as most children did. She loved to tell stories of her homeland, the old country. Her favorites were the stories of the Fae: Fantastical, immortal creatures who ruled the kingdoms of the magical world. I loved to hear of this graceful race for bedtime stories. But when I was naughty or stayed in the gardens too late she would tell me of the Goblins who would steal me away never to see the sunlight again. "They'll come and take you if I ask them to." She would threaten, "All I have to do is wish you away!" But that was not all, if I strayed into the forest after dark they would come and drag me by my hair deep to the castle and make me marry the king of the Goblins. I used to cower at the thought but my curiosity was peaked as well and more than once she hauled me home before dusk after catching me too near the forest on the grounds. It was on one of these occasions that I discovered my Nanas' stories were not just stories... But even today I questioned whether I had dreamed the whole thing up.
I had told Anna a few of these stories just to help keep her quiet during bedtime hours and to keep her from wandering about at night, especially on the grounds. I did not believe the creatures actually resided here on the southern planation I had come to work on while going to school, but there was something I didn't quite like about the trees, and the way the wind whispered at night. So while Anna ran further toward the trees, I couldn't help but become superstitious while the sun set. Perhaps I would not have been so concerned had I not caught her chanting a goblin chant while she sat with her doll in the garden.
" I wish, I wish , are the words we say,
to call the goblins to come and play.
They'll come and steal your child away,
if you wish after the end of day."
I had caught her arm and covered her mouth. "Anna, you must never, ever, say things like that." I said sternly, a prickle running up my spine. I could almost feel the forest breathing with the creatures she had just called. I had not taught her the chant. In fact I hadn't heard it in years. "Where did you learn that Anna?" I said looking into her fearing brown eyes.
"A little boy taught it to me yesterday. He tried to get me to come into the forest, but I knew you had said not to." She confessed. I inhaled sharply, feeling a sense of foreboding. "Was he a goblin?" She asked in a whisper, grinning.
I looked at her sternly, "Of course not! Now come inside quickly it's getting dark."
Outraged, Anna ripped her arm away from me and ran down the hill, accusing me of not believing the stories I had told. So now I chased her towards the forest, hoping that she was right and that I didn't believe it , at least not enough for it to be more than a mere superstition.
"Anna!" I called, still frustrated that my twenty year old legs could be out run by a seven year old. I struggled with my hair which had come loose from my ponytail. The wadded dirty blonde mess was making my search all the more difficult. I continued to call for her as I carefully stepped into the trees. Each crunching leaf caused me to cringe inwardly. "I'm sorry I yelled Anna! Please come out! I can't lose you sweetheart!" I tiptoed carefully through dry, dying the undergrowth trying not to trip. "You don't understand Anna! Goblins are dangerous creatures! Do you want to be taken away?" I rubbed my arms as a breeze reminded me that I hadn't brought a jacket.
"Tut, Tut, Kara," A male voice echoed behind me, "Surely Goblins are not all that dangerous or you would not be wandering here." The voice held traces of my own accent, but that did nothing to stem the chills that were now running rampant up and down my spine. Turning, carefully composing my face not to show fear, I now looked on a tall lean man. His wispy white-blonde hair was cut jaggedly and stood out from his head in an exotic, yet appealing way. He was dressed in gray britches and black boots with a darker brown vest over his poet's shirt revealing a toned chest and strange crescent shaped amulet. The black cape draped around his shoulders fluttered in the crisp air, its collar stood tall around his long neck. He looked at me with half a smirk pulling at his lips, his mismatched eyes flashing with amusement and power. In his arms he carried an unconscious Anna.
"Anna?" I said reaching for her.
"Ah." He said stepping away from my grasp. "I shant let you have her back my darling." He smirked, "The Goblins have claimed her. She will go with me now." His boots crunched in the leaves as he stepped back.
"No, wait!" I said, stepping closer and halting his retreat. His eyes flashed with fire as he turned and met my eyes once again, causing the words to die in my throat.
"Well?" He asked raising a disapproving eyebrow while I fished for words.
"Who are you?" I managed to whisper.
"Now Kara, surely you know the answer to that." He accused, a glimmer of amusement in his tone. My Nana's voice drifted lazily through my thoughts the Goblin King comes to collect all the naughty children who are wished away.
"The Goblin King." I wondered aloud. Then I glanced up to see that he had nearly disappeared into the thickening trees. I scrambled to catch up, galloping through the leaves, my tennis shoes beating against the ground. "NO! You can't take her!" he turned now, glaring down at me as I nearly collided into him.
"I can and I shall." He stated. "She called me to her." He cradled her small form closer to his chest, her green dress and petticoats where still muddied from the garden.
I again found myself locked in his gaze, "Called you to her?" I felt like my lips were not mine. I shook my head looking at the forest floor. "no…..NO." I shook my head, looking up at him. "She can't have called you. She doesn't know your name." If the Goblin King was going to decide to exist then the laws that govern him had to as well.
"True." He sighed brushing his gloved handover Anna's fine ebony hair. Then he leaned in close to my face and whispered, "But what makes you think she has to know my name to call me." He chuckled darkly. "You gave her the tools if I am correct." He announced showing pointed teeth. "' Goblin King, Goblin king' she cried 'I wish you would come and take me from my angry Nana!'" He mocked. "You taught her the words "I wish" didn't you?" He accused stepping around me, a chilly gust following in his wake. "I'm taking her with me now." He said over his shoulder while I still stood, stunned. "To where there are no 'Angry Nana's.'" He taunted, shaking his head at me. "Shame on you for trying to protect her from something you weren't even sure you believed in." His eyes burned with what looked like anger.
I was shocked and upset—this wasn't my fault! He can't take Anna! "NO! Stop!" I called again getting irritated that I had to continue to chase him through the leaf-strewn forest. It was almost like he was mocking my feeble attempt to keep Anna here by simply treading away instead of vanishing as quickly as he had appeared. He turned again to scowl at me. He snapped his fingers and Anna vanished! "No!" I gasped as my hands fell through the air where she should have been.
"Come, come now, Kara!" He flung his arm up, proving the emptiness of his arms. "You and I both know the rules." He crossed his arms. "You cannot undo her wish."
"But she's only seven-" I began.
"Kara," He interrupted with a commanding tone taking my chin in his leather gloved hand. "Forget about Anna." He stroked his thumb along my cheek, "Go back to your school work. Think of how wonderful it will be with no interruptions." He mused, a smirk dancing over his lips.
"No!" I jerked my face from his hand.
"Pity." His eyebrows pulled together. "Then I suppose this won't change your mind either." He drew a perfect crystal ball from thin air. He slid it over his gloved hands and up his arm as though it were magnetic to his body. I watched the movement of it as it danced over his arms and hands. I wanted to touch it, to feel if it was as smooth as it looked. "Do I have your attention?" His smooth voice broke my wondering thoughts.
"Can I-? Wait…No!" I shook my head and crossed my arms. "I'm not trading Anna for a crystal ball."
"HA!" He laughed, "You silly girl this is anything but a crystal ball." He tossed it to me. I caught the fragile thing in my hands. It was warm to the touch. "You see," His whispered, breath tickling down my neck, I shivered and briefly wondered how he'd gotten behind me so fast. "If you turn it in the light, it will show you your heart's desire." His hands snaked around to cup mine. The leather of his gloves was chilled and caused me to shiver. I swallowed as I stared at the forbidden object in my hands. "Do you want it?" He purred suddenly in front of me, he took the ball from my hands and passed it before my eyes. Through it I caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were mismatched, blue in one and green in the other. They were vibrant and colorful. He laughed at me from behind his eyes; there was something else as well. Confusion? Intrigue? Their fierceness caused me to step back.
" Anna." Her name tripped from my lips.
He closed his hand around the small globe, Irritation flashing across his face. "Kara? I asked you a question." He again tossed the crystal to me.
I held it for a moment and then dropped it like a hot coal, "No!" It bounced back into his capable hands, a sly grin replacing his scowl. Again he began to walk away from me.
"Oh no you don't!" I growled stomping after him. "You're not walking away from me again." I stopped right in his path and came nearly nose to nose with this smug creature. "You can't just take her and expect me to get over it without some kind of opposition."
"Yes I can." He shrugged, then leaning down into my face. "What great power do you possess to keep me here?" All the humor left his eyes, "Do not defy me, Kara," he commanded, leaning over me. He stepped away striding to wherever he meant to be.
I didn't even turn to look at his retreating steps when I asked, "Who do you think you are, to somehow have a right to take wished-away children?"
His steps ceased. I turn to look at him. He stood very still, he had frozen mid step. His fists clench slowly, it felt like he was closing his fists around a knot in my chest. I gasped quietly. The forest seemed to grow visibly darker and colder. The leaves blew in eerie circles as harsh gusts of wind erupted from nowhere. My hair tangled into my face and blinded me as the wind wreaked havoc with it. I opened my eyes as he silently stepped towards me. I had an incredible urge to run, get away, at least put some space between me and the creature now approaching. I tried to lift my feet and found I was paralyzed, completely frozen, whether by my own fear or some other force, I was unable to move. He was closer now, carefully taking his time. I dared not look in his eyes, yet I found that I could look nowhere else as he drew nearer. His stormy eyes flamed with some untold emotion. He came so close I could feel his breath on my face as I stood rooted to the spot. His lips were pressed into a hard line as his eyes narrowed. The air cooled rapidly and I began to shiver. He leaned down into my stricken face, never blinking. "Where do you think nightmares come from, Kara?" He whispered menacingly. He straightened up looking at me down his long nose. I felt my rapid breathing freeze in my chest as a thick black snake slithered from around his neck. His eyes never left mine; even as it coiled around his arm.
It stretched itself across the gap between us and wound itself around my shoulders tasting my arm. I gasped and shivered as it continued to wind its way around my body. Clenching my fists I fought not to hyperventilate. I closed my eyes against the sensation of slithering scales. The Goblin King again took my face in his hand gripping my chin, I opened my eyes. His gaze had turned to ice, "As for your question," He hissed. I cringed, closing my eyes again. "It is the law of the underground and as King it is my right a duty, nothing more." His voice chilled me to the core.
Silence reined. The snake continued to wind itself carefully around my shoulders. He seemed to be waiting for something.
I opened my eyes slowly to see him staring at me with a still chilly gaze.
I gulped and struggled with the tears gathering in my eyes. "Please." I choked as the snake slithered around my neck tasting as it went. "You must give me Anna." The tears spilled as I clenched my fists while the snake licked my ear.
He looked at me for a long moment a puzzled line between his eyebrows. I don't know what he saw but when he glanced away from my eyes the stormy darkness began to fade a little. He shifted, releasing my face and casually picked a feather from his cloak. He asked, "What are you willing to sacrifice for her return since you will be going against her wishes?"
"What?" I asked whispering, very conscious of the snake slowly wrapping itself around my throat.
"If you feel she has been so wronged being taken from here, then you must win her from me." He stated, casually pulling the snake from me and tossing it into the forest, never breaking eye contact. I put my hands to my neck and swallowed.
"What is your game then?" I asked wiping away stray tears.
He glared down at me. "A game? Is that what you take me for? An entertainer?"
"NO!" I gasped still shaken. " But…. It's only a game to you isn't it? " I said strength returning to my voice. "Why should I treat it any different?"
His scowl slowly morphed into a smirking mask, "Yes, why should you? It's not as though there will be any danger involved." He mocked waving his hand as if whisking away a pesky bug," Not that it isn't going to cost something, in the end."
"Care to explain?" I asked crossing my arms against the cold.
Tiredly he took my shoulders and turned me to face what was once the forest. "Anna is there in my castle just beyond the labyrinth." He said pointing to the hazy horizon beyond the stone walled maze which now stretched before me. It stretched to the horizon in all directions. The only vegetation was the few strangled vines growing out of the chinks in the walls. "You only have the six hours until midnight in which to reach Anna before her wish becomes impossible to retrieve. That feat alone is nearly impossible with only the time limit, not to mention the obstacles and the labyrinth itself." He came to stand next to me shifting his weight to one leg and casually leaning against a stone wall which happened to be there. "Ah, also, you and Anna will both be trapped in my realm forever should you fail. I understand if you'd like to turn back now and forget all about her."
I looked at the sarcastic creature, "No thank you." I said turning again to look out at the landscape before me.
The goblin King sighed pushing off the wall, "I don't understand why you care for the girl so. She's been nothing but trouble for you." He moved to my other side giving me a curious gaze," I thought you'd rejoice when she wished herself away."
I felt my eyebrows pull together at his words. "You thought I'd be glad that she might never see her mother again or play in the sunlight?" I asked looking at the strange creature before me. He didn't look much older than I. He looked familiar somehow and I couldn't quite pin point why. I turned away setting my shoulders. "I have to at least try."
I felt his gaze linger on my face for a moment, "Pity," He murmured I looked in time to watch his face slip into a smirk. "I had hoped you'd take the bait and leave well enough alone." He touched my chin "It's really too bad." Then he vanished without even a pop or shower of sparkles. The only evidence that I had that he had even been there was the fading warmth of where he had touched me.