Labyrinth 2
The sun was setting; Sarah knew this not because she was actually watching the sun set, but because the rays that were falling on her bed of leaves reflected its rich colors of red, orange, and gold. Enveloped in its light and warmth, Sarah decided that it was not absolutely necessary that she wake up just then; and closed her eyes, hoping that when she woke again her surroundings would remain as pleasant as they now were.
It took only a couple of seconds after she had shut her eyes for reality to register that something was very wrong. Her eyelids flew open as in a newly-panicked state; she raised herself up onto her arms and began scanning her surroundings for any clues as to where she was. As she did so, her eyes caught onto a figure of a man. He was seated on a large grey rock beneath a thinning tree, (whose leaves were likely the source of her bedding) not five feet from where she was lying. As he was sitting in the shade of the tree, it was difficult for her to make out exactly what he looked like; but despite not being able to see him clearly she became mesmerized by his image.
He was sitting at ease on the rock, with one leg hoisted up onto it and the other hanging down. His right hand was resting on his lifted knee, and his left was placed behind him as support. His graceful pose was accentuated by the sunlight, which was gently filtering through the leaves of the tree; be-speckling his form in a resplendent mosaic of colors which shifted every now-and-then in accordance with the breezes that played across the branches. The setting created a whimsical and yet, mysterious air about the man, and she became unable to look away.
When he saw that Sarah was completely focused on him, he grinned and then began his address to her.
"Hello Sarah, awake at last now are we?" he asked in a satirically amiable tone.
"Who-who are you? And how do you know my name?" she replied, still unable to take her eyes off of him.
He chuckled at her response, and getting up from the rock began making his way toward her. As he emerged from beneath the shadows of the tree Sarah was able to get a better view of him. He walked in a sort of smooth strut that caused the tails of his forest-green 19th century overcoat to fan out behind him. It had the same effect on his silvery white hair, which bounced lightly with each step that he took; and she watched in admiration as his hair reflected the colors of the sunset.
He walked until he stood directly beside her, and at such a close distance she was able to observe that his clothes were very taut and tight on his form, revealing a well-muscled body that was pleasing to the eye.
He had been looking ahead as he had walked out from under the tree, but as he stopped beside her, his eyes; one a muddy brown and the other a clear blue turned down to stare into her hazel-green ones. Simply by looking into her eyes he seemed to be capable of gleaning the very essence of her soul; and Sarah could not help but to shiver under his gaze. This seemed to amuse him, and as he turned away from her a smile played across his lips.
"Do you know where you are Sarah?" he asked her in a slightly sardonic tone.
Sarah was startled by this question for she had somehow managed to forget all about how she actually had no idea as to where she was; and being thus reminded of her situation she was quickly snapped out of her dream-like state.
In response she briskly picked herself up off of the ground while wiping away the stray leaves that clung to her clothes; and all the while continued to stare at the man out of a corner of her eye.
"No, I don't know where I am, but you seem to know so please do enlighten me." She said in a slightly irritated tone.
The man did not seem to mind her sassiness however, and in fact made a point of making it known that he enjoyed it with a chuckle before he answered, "you are exactly where you wished to be; you are standing on the outskirts of the Goblin Kingdom." As he said this, Sarah seemed to view her surrounding clearly for the first time.
She was standing on the edge of a hill that overlooked an expansive labyrinth which seemed to shine golden by means of the sun reflecting off of the yellow stones which were the content of its making. In the center of the enormous labyrinth was a grey medieval-looking town made of stone; at the center of which was a tall be-spired castle complete with a moat and drawbridge.
"I-Am I really in the Goblin Kingdom?" She asked in a whisper as she took a step forward, as if that one step were capably the means of transporting her to the center of the Goblin City.
"I'm really here!" she said again, louder, as a large smile spread across her face and she clapped her hands like a little girl who had just gotten exactly what she wanted from Santa Claus.
She then turned to the man standing beside her and as she had done with her surroundings, seemed to view him in a new light. "So then, you must be the Goblin King, Jareth right?" she asked excitedly.
Upon hearing this last statement, the man's face seemed to lose some of the mirth that it had absorbed as he had watched Sarah's reactions; causing even his voice take on a colder note in his reply.
"I am not the Goblin King, and my name is not Jareth, although on that note I don't really have anything that you could call a name. I suppose Jareth is a suitable enough title, and you may call me by it."
Sarah noticed the change in his attitude and was unsure of how to react to it. She decided that the best thing to do would be not to say anything until she was sure that her next remark wouldn't anger him further. But her awkwardness did not last because as soon as he noticed her discomfort, he planted a smile on his face and adorned an appearance of everything being right and bright with the world.
"So sorry if I startled you, please don't feel as if you should stop asking questions; how else would you expect to be able to understand anything about this world?" His renewed mirth seemed sufficient enough to calm Sarah's nerves, and she replied with a sauciness that she hoped was appropriate for the situation.
"I am quite capable of taking care of myself without your help, and besides, I've read the book; I do believe that I know enough about this place to not need you as my guide."
"Really?" he said taking a step closer to her. "Are you willing to put that statement to the test?" He asked, his mirth now clearly no longer a façade. "Well, you know that there is the labyrinth if you're up to it."
Sarah's face, which had been smiling as she had made her comment, visibly fell at his remark; and she began having some trouble coming up with a proper response. The conflicting thoughts that were crossing her mind were: whether or not she was willing to look like a fool in front of him for having talked so big and then declined his test of courage. Or whether it would be better to just risk the labyrinth and almost certainly run the risk of eventually needing him to escort her out of the maze. She had unwitting placed herself in a no-win situation in which it seemed that no matter her decision, she would end up looking the fool.
In the midst of her contemplations, she did not notice that Jareth had positioned himself directly behind her and had begun to move his hands up her arms in order to cup them around her shoulders. He had also bent his head down so that he was leaning into her ear, as he began speaking in a smooth murmur, accompanied by his hands slowly circling her shoulders, "you're not afraid are you?"
Upon his words Sarah was instantly snapped out of her state of meditative thought, and swinging around so that she was directly face to face with him, she let her pride talk.
"I am not afraid, and to prove it I will take up your challenge and I will succeed without your help!" Her words were strong, but contrary to the courageous words that proceeded out of her mouth, Sarah was feeling more and more insecure with each passing second. However she simply had too much pride to take back her words and admit that was indeed very afraid of what she had just gotten herself into. The phrase "me and my big mouth," would coin very nicely for her situation; and in fact was the phrase that she continued to repeat over and over again in her head as a now ecstatic Jareth picked up her hands and held them solidly in his white-gloved ones.
"Very well, I shall escort you to the entrance and then await your arrival at the gates to the Goblin City." With that he took a step off from the edge of the hill, leading a still stunned Sarah along; and before she was even able to properly comprehend what he was doing, had floated her down before the large wrought-iron gates which were the starting point of the labyrinth.
As they touched down Jareth smoothly stepped out from behind her to stand before her. And in order to ensure that she would pay attention to what he was about to say, he used the crook of his bent index finger to tilt her chin up so that she was looking directly at him.
"I do have to warn you that you shouldn't believe everything you read in that book of yours Sarah, this is the real world, and although I do admit that whoever wrote the book had quite a lot of insight…well, you shouldn't believe everything that you read; or see for that matter."
With that, he stepped away from her and one-handedly opened the gates to the labyrinth, using the other to push Sarah in. She stumbled a few steps before regaining her balance; and then she turned her head back toward the gate and unknowingly revealed a look of worry, which Jareth seemed very happy to see. Hence he swung the gates closed, and with a parting smile, spoke his parting words, "Oh yes, and Sarah, do try not to get lost." Thus with a laugh that could be described as maniacally evil, he disappeared into the air. And Sarah was left alone at the beginning of the labyrinth to smolder over the hypocrisy of Jareth's words, as well as wonder about what she was to do now.