Chapter 3: the Doppelgänger
"Is everything set Brahms?" Mendelssohn looked bored.
"Yes, it's all prepared. Our guest is in the back, and we've set up the booth."
"We don't have long to find her, you know. She has to be ready half way through the party."
"Good grief, Walt. I know. However, I'm not cutting corners on the only idea I had that wasn't remastered by the 'creative' team. We wait until the last minute. If we don't find the perfect one, the whole thing will go up in smoke."
"Have it your way." With that, Mendelssohn stalked off fully prepared to pick up the pieces when this plan shattered.
Hundreds of white ball gowns were lined up at the photo set up. A large sign read "Free Picture with the Goblin King for all Sarahs." There were several other costumes in the mix: fairies, goblins, pixies, and what have you. Cahill knew there would be a lot of Sarahs at the ball whether or not the theme was Labyrinth, but he had not expected this kind of turnout. It would take hours to sift through them all. Hours he did not have. "If I'm lucky, she'll show up within the next hour. If not, I can only wait an extra half hour."
Brahms started off for the proofing room to inspect the likelies; but before he made a full turn, he spotted her. She had just walked in the large, gate-like door. The girl was nothing fancy, no big, sugary dress and no wild hair. She just was. A simple poet's top, vest, and plain hair. She was perfect. Cahill catapulted off the balcony and toward the front doors.
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The girl was enjoying herself immensely. From the moment she handed over her ticket, to the second she saw the doors, to this moment and beyond, she was fascinated by the spectacle. There were performers on stage in gauzy costumes, twirling and contorting in time to ethereal music. Moss hung from the ceilings, faux brick walls, and was even lining the stage. Glitter was lightly dusted over every fixture in the room. There were booths with costumed workers hawking their wares, drinks, and victuals. She amusedly wondered if any of the sellers had a peach for sale. The girl looked to her left and saw a huge line of white gowns and big hair. "Good grief! What a bunch of unoriginal...Hahahahaheee! And look at yourself! You were going to do the exact, same thing. Only your extreme penury kept you from looking like a carbon copy. Still, what is going on over there?"
The girl stretched upward on her tiptoes. At five foot one, she could definitely not see over the crowds while standing en pointe. "'Desperate times,' as the say." With that, the girl scrambled up on a chair and then onto an Escher-like stair to nowhere. "What? A photo booth? Ridiculous. There are a billion Jareths around here. No need to wait in line to get a good picture. Hey, you," she bellowed at a particularly good lookalike as she darted down the stairs.
"Oof!" she rubbed her nose and looked up a bit dazedly. "I'm so sorry... I..." The girl stopped short. The man she bumped into was gorgeous. Tall, black hair, hazel eyes. Shoowee! He was even dressed in medieval, courtly attire. Complete with a lute slung across his back! It took all of her strength not to gasp at this Adonis, and there was no way she was able to keep her mind from gasping, chuckling, and turning somersaults simultaneously.
"It's quite all right. It was my fault after all."
His voice! Shoot. She had always been a sucker for a man with smooth sounding vocal folds. "No." Oh, why did that sound suspiciously like a squeak? "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"I propose a truce. Would you like to dance?"
Oh, this is definitely more important than finding a Goblin King.
Before the she could answer, the girl was being lead by a gentle hand onto the floor. The song was slow. "I should be honest with you. I sought you out."
She was baffled by this tidbit and raised questioning eyes to her mysterious partner.
"You couldn't have missed the large line of Sarahs. That isn't just for a free souvenir. The party board is looking for a Sarah lookalike for the main event. We purposefully didn't hire an impersonator. I decided it would be a more personal touch to have a member of the ball be our Sarah."
We? She pondered that for a second before she realized to whom she was talking. "You are the party coordinator, then? Well, finding a party goer is an original idea. Have you found a Sarah yet," she asked tentatively, not daring to believe what he might say next.
"We have."
"Oh, that's good." Her countenance fell a bit.
"Would you like to come try on the costume?" He was guiding her to the edge of the floor.
"You mean ME? I'm astonied!"
"Does that mean you agree?" He's chuckling at my verbiage. She tried not to feel indignant.
"Umm...YES! Who wouldn't?" The girl was practically bouncing with enthusiasm now. Glowing, actually.
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The dressing room was flooded with thousands of kilowatts of light. "Good grief! I'm blind!" When her eyes adjusted to the glare, the girl saw something in the corner she knew couldn't be real. "You must be joking!"
"Surprised?"
"That is not the original." Her skepticism was more than a little palpable.
"Yes, it is. I'll send in wardrobe to help you get ready." Thus departed Cahill, man of her dreams. "He's perfect." Did I say that out loud?
The girl brushed her hand over the gossamer, embroidery, and jewels. The gown was more pearlescent under this light than she would have imagined possible for any fabric. "This can't be real; but if it is, SHUTUP!"
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Dear Readers,
Firstly, I'd like to inform you that I finally met someone named Jareth. It was the highlight of my rather interesting day teaching. With some "What's your favorite movie" probing and "Let me tell you what I watch" commands, I was able to learn that the little, blonde haired, blue-eyed! boy was most certainly named after a king. I asked him for whom he was named and he muttered, "The Goblin King." I almost felt sorry for him, but I couldn't because he has the coolest name EVAH!
I hope this has helped pick up some of the action for you. I have two more chapters completed that need some more editing, so expect something new in a week or so.
Do you like my concept of The Girl?
R&R. Tell me what you think. Feedback is greatly appreciated and needed.
Sincerely,
The Author
