Revised for explanation. Not much of a change, but there in the beginning I added a little something to make it easier to figure out what happened. When you read it, I want you to remember that the creatures always came in the dark, and how Roger and Irene never came home after they called back during dinner.
The next chapter. Number seven, and once again, I hope I did better with grammar. When I wrote this, there was no spell check. When I put it on FF, I use the spell check here to go back through. Yup. Reviews are supper helpful, and awesome. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!
Hoggle is fun to write. I guess his speech might not be that exaggerated, but it's how I imagine it would be written when he talks. I just love Hoggle.
I don't own Labyrinth. No way, no how, it's perfect how it is. Sitting there... just asking for fanfiction...
Hope you like it!
"Sarah?" That's Irene? I blinked, slowly starting to acknowledge the consciousness I'd already had for several minutes. "Sarah?"
"Hm?" I pushed myself up to a sit to look at her. Dad looked over, sitting closely with Toby on the ground by a rather dirty wall. Stone, weeds overgrowing it...
"Do you remember when you were a child, and you came into our room crying about the monsters in your room?"
"Mm hm." I mused, looking around more to try and figure out where we were. It was dark, but not too dark. Sort of damp, and we were definitely underground.
"Well... I'm sorry I made you go back to your room." I finally looked at her, to find her staring at the opposite wall. There were two of those creatures stalking along there, hissing at us, making us unable to move.
I seized up, eyes wide, and trembled. "No..."
"Why don't they attack?" Toby asked, confused.
"I don't know. What are they? Sarah?" Dad looked to me. "Sarah? Are you alright?"
"No." I squeaked, jumping to my feet and backing away until my back hit the wall. It feels like I've spent half my life like this... "Be-because they only want the magic. Leave us alone! Leave me alone!" I cried out. The creatures stopped and hissed, stepping closer. I whimpered.
"Sarah, what are they? What's going on with you?" Dad moved closer. I flinched.
"They're Shadow Reapers." I muttered, not taking my eyes off the creatures. "They feed on magic through humans and other creatures, mostly children because they have a closer bond with magic."
"How do you know this?" Irene questioned.
"Because they've haunted me since before Mom left." I trembled. "Those who believe in magic live closer to it, that's why they want me."
"I don't believe in magic." Irene scoffed. "This is all just ridiculous!"
"That's why they aren't attacking." None of them believe, so they act as a barrier. As long as I stay with them, the creatures shouldn't stalk any closer- I spoke too soon. They were already coming closer.
"Ah, begone with you." A new voice huffed, and the creatures were beat back. A dwarf came in, with large ears and nose. They hissed at him, not afraid, and he huffed in irritation. "Get outta here."
He kicked at them, and they snapped at him, but he decided to just ignore them and walk towards us.
"Who- what are you?" Dad demanded, an arm around Toby.
"Hoggle." The dwarf huffed. "Who're you?"
"Roger, and this is my family. What are we doing here? Why are we here?"
"Beats me." He kicked away one of the creatures when it came too close. "All I's knows is that I'm supposed to be clearin' these oubliettes out, and yer all sitting here with Shader's millen around."
"We're in an oubliette?" Toby spoke up.
"You don't even know what an oubliette is." The dwarf sneered. "What's wrong with her?" he gestured to me. I was still petrified against the wall, staring at the 'Shaders'. Those creatures met my eyes and growled deeper. Their red eyes, they brought back so many memories.
"She's seen those before." Irene explained, suddenly rather attached to me. "Will you help us to get home?"
"I can't get yehs back there; yer in the Labyrinth and I ain't got any magic. Dwarves don't use magic." He scoffed, going over to throw bones and other debris out the door. "But yeh obviously don't belong here. I'll help yeh out."
Labyrinth? Like, in my book? Oh, probably not. That's just a book, after all.
"Oh, thank you, Heggle." Dad looked relieved.
"It's Hoggle!" The dwarf stomped his foot, like that happened a lot. "But yer not going to do any better out there."
"Anything's better than this." Irene insisted, climbing to her feet. "There must be some way to get home."
"Don't say I didn't warn yeh." Hoggle muttered, and started to walk out to the door. He shooed the creatures away to get through. They must not be attacking him because he's got no magic. But... I'm not going anywhere near those things! They nearly killed me a dozen times when I was younger! And now, that man spoke like he didn't care I was older now, they're still after my closeness to magic.
He shut the door, and Dad started to object. But then, Hoggle opened it from the other side, where the henge should be. Nevertheless, it opened right up to reveal a corridor instead of a closet.
"Any way you go out here, eventually yeh'll either end up in another oubliette or the surface." Hoggle instructed. "Good luck." He sounded like he didn't really care.
"Wait- Sarah?" Dad stopped, realizing I hadn't followed. I was shaking uncontrollably, staring at the creatures as they stalked closer now that the others had gone. What do I do?! My mind once again flickered to my friend, but, he was gone. He wouldn't come back, would he? Do I even remember his name right? Was he ever real? Yes, he was. I'm certain.
"Get out of there, Girlie!" Hoggle shouted, and my flight or fight instincts kicked in. I ran forward, imagining my bed just outside the door, and the light switch just behind me on the wall. Closing my eyes, I ran forward desperately.
A pain shot through my arm as one of them slashed.
"Sarah!" Toby cried out, but I made it, falling down and scooting away desperately. Hoggle slammed the door before they could follow me.
"Yeh got plenty of belief, Girlie." He stared at me in surprise. "They sure want you bad."
"What does that mean?" Dad crouched by me, helping me up. I was still shaking, raising a hand to cover my arm. In the back of my mind, I remembered holding my arm in the same way long ago, with a greater injury.
"Yeh've been touched by the Fae." Hoggle pointed at me. I stared back, trembling once more.
Is that why they've always haunted me? Because most children believe in magic, and they don't haunt all of them.
He shrugged indifferently when I didn't say anything. "This is where we part. I'm going to clean out more oubliettes, yeh'll want to get to the surface."
"Thank you, Hogwart." Irene tried to sound thankful and kind.
"It's Hoggle!" The dwarf growled, glaring at her. "Humans..."
"Th- thanks." I uttered.
"And the Girlie talks!" He laughed. "Good luck out there, but yeh better watch out. The King's in a bad mood."
It took nearly an hour of hunting through the tunnels before we found a trap door leading up into a strange stone court yard. The place had a chill in the air, even though the sun was warm. It looked deserted, and very creepy.
"Ah!" Toby jumped, then blushed. There was a spider crawling along the wall we'd just climbed up. A boulder rolled back into place to cover the trap door, and it looked like it had never been there.
"It's just a spider." Dad pat his shoulder, and looked around. "There's probably plenty out here."
"Oh..." Toby looked unsure. I reached out to take his hand, and he smiled up at me. Obviously I'd been terrified too- so he knew I understood. "So what now?"
"I don't know, Toby." Irene was unsure. "Maybe... someone can help us? Sarah, you know these sort of things. How do we get home?"
I shook my head. Just because I love magic and stories doesn't mean I know which ones are real and which ones aren't. Who's to say any of those books got it right?
"Let's just look for someone else at all." I suggested. Because there was certainly no one around now.
"Why are we even here?" Toby whined, shooting nervous looks at all the walls and the cobwebs between the stones.
Words have power, dear Sarah.
"Because you made a wish." I answered with certainty.
We wandered that stone maze for even longer than the underground tunnels before finding a way out. Then another long while before we met another living soul. This other person, however, was not quite as ecstatic to see us.
"Humans!" the small creature with a spiky helmet too large for it's head exclaimed. It had a tall staff, and poked it at us.
"Hey!" Toby objected, jumping back. "Watch it!"
"Humans shouldn't be here! Selfish, filthy creatures." He glared at us. Irene raised her eyebrows.
"Excuse me?" And, well, I did know exactly where she was coming from; she was a neat freak while the insulter had mud smeared into his tunic and a rather large hole in one shoe.
"Begone!"
"We'd love to, thanks. We're just trying to figure out how." Dad stepped in, trying to talk rationally.
"Gone!" More voices joined, and suddenly there was a swarm of humanoid creatures with long staffs and large, spiky helmets. "Gone!"
"Sarah, what is this?" Irene questioned, putting a hand on my shoulder as we all backed up. They weren't very threatening, until they poked you with one of their staffs.
"Ah... I'm not sure." I admitted. "A swarm of... I don't know."
"What did we do to you?" Irene spoke up, trying to push the swarm back.
"Humans aren't welcome here." One stated, slamming his staff in the dirt.
"So go home!"
"That's what we want." Toby whined. "How do we get home?"
"Only one way!" Another kicked, "And he's not going to help you." There was a hint of evilness in his tone at the last part.
"Who?" Irene pursued.
"Why not?" I questioned.
"Kingy hates humans." The first one we'd spoken to, whom I identified by the hole in his shoe, sneered. "Turns them into chickens!"
"Drops them into the Bog of Eternal Stench!"
"Makes them crazy in the Junk Scape."
"Lock them in an oubliette!"
"A place to put people, to forget about them."
They all laughed as if it was hilarious. Irene looked frightened, and I was nervous. Well, it isn't uncommon for 'mythical' creatures to dislike humans as a species. At least, not in the books I read. It's actually a fairly common theme, which surely means there's some truth behind it. Right?
"Is there any other way home?" I asked.
They burst out laughing again, and one wacked another upside the helmet with his stick.
"Wants to get home! Wants to get home!"
"You'll never get home!"
"Run now, or Kingy catch you."
A full out brawl was emerging, and we decided to high-tail it out of there as quickly as possible.
Who is this scary 'Kingy' they keep speaking of? Oh, I'm quite sure you can figure it out. I mean, if you're reading this, I'm pretty sure you know enough about Labyrinth to guess. Nevertheless, I'll try not to give anything away.
R&R, love the reviews!
