Child's Play
By Tari
A massive shout out to the awesome people over at Labyrinth Fan Fic Lovers for the inspiration for this fic. This fic is based on the Freaky Friday Ficlet Fun (#4F) challenge which shows Sarah blowing bubbles into an annoyed Jareth's face. I've decided to change it slightly to show Sarah as a child. A massive thank you to tmwillson3 for her help with the title!
Disclaimer: Labyrinth does not belong to me.
Sarah clapped her hands together with delight, her childish squeals and giggles resonating in the quiet, Autumn stillness that enveloped the little girl in its crisp embrace. Streams of bubbles continued to blossom from the large wand grasped precociously in Sarah's small chubby hands, floating gently on the breeze before popping out of existence, their brief lives fading gently from the world like ghosts on the wind.
Gentle footsteps on the porch drew Sarah's attention away from the bubbles and she smiled happily, her game momentarily forgotten as Sarah reached eager arms out to her father who obligingly scooped his little daughter into his arms. Sarah screeched with delight at being spun in the air before Robert settled himself down on the step, Sarah cradled securely in his loving embrace. "I'm sorry that you've been left out here all alone, sweetheart," he murmured, running a hand through the thick, ebony locks of Sarah's hair. "Mummy and I…" Robert swallowed thickly, the hint of tears threatening to spill as he struggled to maintain a calm façade, "Mummy and I can't seem to agree today."
Sarah half listened to her father, her busy hands tinkering with the mechanisms of her father's watch while her little mind was still thinking about her bubbles. "Have you tried blowing bubbles, daddy?" Sarah asked, her tiny hands reaching for the wand and container and pressing them into her father's hands. "When I'm sad, I like to do something that makes me happy. You should try blowing bubbles."
Robert chuckled quietly, placing a soft kiss in his daughter's hair before taking the bubbles from her eager hands. "I forget how clever you are, sweetheart," he replied, dipping the wand into the frothy substance. "Only five-years-old and already smarter than most grown-ups I know." Robert took a deep breath before pursing his lips and blowing gently through the wand, a genuine laugh escaping his lips as Sarah screeched with childish delight, chubby hands reaching out to grasp at the bubbles, alternating between popping them and attempting to balance them on her delicate little fingers.
"Daddy, look!" Sarah cried triumphantly, excitement coursing through her veins like wildfire as she finally managed to hold a bubble in the palm of her hands, cradling it to her chest like a most treasured possession.
"Well done, sweetheart," Robert praised, taking Sarah's hands in his own. "You know…" he began slowly, making sure that he had the child's full attention before he continued, "If you make a wish upon a bubble, it will come true."
"Daddy!" Sarah laughed, "Haven't you seen Disney? You have to wish upon a star! Everyone knows that."
Robert smiled indulgingly, "The stars aren't out yet, Sarah, so we have to make do. Make a wish, Princess."
Sarah screwed up her eyes, concentrating very hard as she thought about what to wish for. "I wish…" she began, chewing her lip as she struggled to think of a wish. "I wish…" Her bottom lip wobbled and she sniffled, turning to Robert with emerald eyes that were beginning to fill with tears. "Daddy, I don't know what to wish for."
"What do you want most in the world, Sarah?" her father asked gently, swiping away an errant tear with the pad of his thumb.
"I guess," Sarah began slowly, a watery smile forming on her lips as she looked out at the empty garden, "I wish I had a friend."
A cascade of stars wheeled overhead, bathing Sarah in their soft, ethereal glow as they filtered in through the open window. Sarah lay awake in her bed, unable to sleep as she tried to block out the sounds of her parents' argument. Too preoccupied with their butting of heads and clashing of words, Robert and Linda had forgotten to tuck their daughter in and read her a bedtime story once more. Frowning softly, Sarah pushed back the coverlets, biting her lip nervously as she glanced towards her bedroom door before creeping across the room and pulling herself up to sit on the windowsill. Sarah knew in her heart that she could not wish upon a bubble, but she knew that she could wish upon a star. She closed her eyes tightly, whispering softly into the endless night sky.
"Hello, Sarah."
Sarah gasped in delight, turning away from the window to see her new friend better. "You came! I knew you would!" If her new friend seemed a little strange, Sarah knew that it was not polite to tell him so. A tall, slender man stood before her, his feathery blonde hair bleached almost silver by starlight. He had the strangest upswept eyebrows that disappeared into his hair, and he appeared to be wearing a cloak made out of feathers. He gazed intently upon the child, his mis-matched eyes sparkling with curiosity as he contemplated the little girl with the imagination and power to summon him.
"You came!" cried Sarah excitedly, launching herself into the arms of her new friend. "Daddy told me to wish upon a bubble but I knew that it was silly and wouldn't work, so I wished upon a star instead."
"Clever girl," replied her new friend, allowing the curious child to run the soft, downy feathers of his cloak through her fingers. His curiosity piqued, wondering how a seemingly ordinary child could summon the King of the Goblins with such a powerful wish. It had been eons since he had encountered a human who held a tenth of the power that this tiny child held in her little finger. "I brought you a gift," he said, producing a crystal ball in his gloved hand and balancing it on the tips of his fingers.
Sarah gasped, her eyes filled with wonder and awe as her hand reached out to touch the crystal. She giggled with sheer delight as the crystal ball popped at her touch, showering her in glitter before transforming into a container of bubbles. "It's just like magic!" Sarah cried, "Thank you, Mister…"
"Jareth. You may call me Jareth."
"Thank you, Mister Jareth!"
Still holding the giggling child, Jareth grimaced as Sarah eagerly opened the container and blew a stream of glittering pink, blue and golden bubbles into the Goblin King's face. He groaned, knowing that he had made a terrible mistake, but was fulfilling Sarah's wish. "Shall I read you a story, Sarah?" Jareth said, attempting to divert the little girl's attention away from the bubbles.
"Yes, please!" she replied, failing to notice her bubbles magically disappearing into the ether with a flick of Jareth's wrist. Sarah smiled happily as Jareth carried her back to bed and tucked her in beneath the soft blankets to ward off the Autumn chill. Jareth perched on the edge of Sarah's bed, producing another crystal ball which formed into a little red book titled "The Labyrinth."
"What's a Lab-ee-rinth?" asked Sarah, phonetically spelling out the difficult word.
"It's a maze, Sarah," explained Jareth patiently. "My maze. I stay at the Castle Beyond the Goblin City."
Sarah's large eyes shone with wonder and fascination, staring in awe at her new friend. "That is so cool."
Jareth arched an eyebrow, choosing not to respond to the child's unfamiliar language. "Shall we begin, Sarah?"
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child and he wanted everything for himself, and the young girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew was that the Goblin King had fallen in love with the girl and given her certain powers. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she asked the Goblins for help…
The rest of the bedtime story was interrupted by Sarah's soft snores. Jareth smiled fondly at the little girl, curled round a teddy bear and sucking her thumb while she slept. Closing the book with a soft thud, Jareth placed it carefully on her nightstand before conjuring a crystal once more.
"You wished for a friend, Sarah-mine," said Jareth quietly, mindful of the sleeping child. "Unfortunately you are too well-cherished and cared for to become a subject of my Kingdom. However…"
With a flourish, Jareth threw the crystal ball into the air where it popped in a shower of glitter and smoke, before landing on Sarah's bed and transforming into a shaggy English sheepdog puppy.
"Sweet dreams, Sarah."