You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

.

Chapter 10 – Am I sorry? Not really

.

It all started out as a joke. A joke that went horribly, horribly wrong…

.

However the two previous occupants of the room had disappeared.

.

I hadn't realized it before but as the crystal in my hand popped and I came around I discovered that my other hand was clasped tightly over my mouth. I cannot believe he just did that!

"I am sorry if I have neglected you precious. Please let me make it up to you." I swirled around.

"I cannot believe you just did that!" My voice trembled with anger.

"You horrible, horrible man! You had no right to take her!" Each time I shouted at him I took a step closer. My urge to slap him grew as my anger peaked.

"Mmh is it jealousy I detect?" I spluttered my cheeks turning pink.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Suddenly he was much too close.

"Am I being ridiculous? I think not." He smiled his eyes too intense. He sought my gaze and held it.

"Fret not my lovely. I have eyes only for you." I gulped

"I wish you hadn't." I took a couple of steps back to put some space between us. He laughed.

"Be careful what you wish for precious." He blocked the path I wanted to take completely.

"I know what I want." I approached him. His smirk widened. Oh you really think so? I was a couple of feet away from him. Close enough to mentally shutter at the sight of his sharp, bared canine. That was when I raised my arms and gently placed my hands on his chest. He is really tall... and has a nice sculptured chest... NO! Don't think like that. He stood perfectly still perhaps waiting to see what I would do. I raised myself up on my tip-toes to whisper in his ear:

"Now we're even." As I pulled back I had the great satisfaction of seeing the smirk vanishing before I pushed hard and sprinted past him. I ran without daring to look back until I reached the corner. One look over my shoulder had me spluttering with laughter.

Jareth had fallen in a pile of leaves and as I watched he sat up. His eyes shot lightning at me but there were twigs and leaves stuck in his hair and I couldn't stop laughing. That was for throwing me into that Oubliette! He got fully up and I ran.

...

Left turn. Straight ahead. Another left, then right. Run little lamb run, or the wolf will catch you. Using the castle as a beacon I ran as if life depended on it. Which it did... in a way. I was actually making great progress and the castle was beginning to take up more of the view of the sky ahead.

"You can't run from me. I always know where you are." I nearly tripped. His laughter rang in my ears but as I spun around there was no one there. Still the laughter continued. I covered my ears.

"Get out of my head!" I shouted at the sky. It turned darker as storm clouds gathered.

"Careful little one." He sounded playful with an undertone of a genuine warning and the sky rumbled. I didn't like it.

"That was a dangerous move you made back there. I must say I think I have underestimated you. It will not happen again." I ignored him. Sooner or later his patient had to run out and I wouldn't want to be around when it did. Poor goblins. I paused at a crossroad. Wait did I really just think that? The only thing poor about the little monsters were that they were extremely hideous. I wrinkled my nose and turned my mind back to the choice ahead.

The one to the left was a narrow, slightly muddy road which disappeared into a dark forest. The trees stood so near to each other that it was impossible to see what was in there. Not that one then. I mentally decided and turned to the other.

The one to the right was a surprisingly neat and wide road covered with flagstones. I had almost made up my mind to take the first step when:

"I would go right."

"Oh shut up!" another threatening rumble. It was probably going to rain soon. I groaned. Now the right one was definitely out of the question. I turned again and pursed my lip. Left it is then.

...

I had barely made it into the forest before the trees closed in on me. The branches overhead sheltered me from the rain that I could hear had begun to fall but they also prevented any light from reaching the ground and so I walked in twilight. As I went further in, it darkened and I was beginning to have second thoughts.

I am too damn stubborn for my own good. This is ridiculous. I was about to turn around when I saw what looked like a way out. The darkness ahead was more green or grey rather than black as I stepped through the trees. It wasn't the way out though. It was a clearing. The overhanging branches were much higher up and less dense. The light that filtered through was a deep bottle-green colour and as I walked to the centre I noticed that the rustling and twittering sounds of animals had gone. It was so quiet that I could almost hear my own breathing which came out faster than before.

I looked back to where I came from and discovered that I couldn't find the path. I spun around and ran my hand through my hair in distress. Suddenly the forest looked exactly the same. This can't be good. I chose a random opening through the trees and started walking. After what felt like a small eternity in semi darkness I came to a second clearing. As I stepped through the trees I nearly stomped in the ground. I had gone in a circle or something because the clearing looked exactly as the one I'd just left. I picked what I hoped was a different way and ran.

...

Some time and several identical clearings later I'd had enough after I came through what seemed like those same trees yet again I very nearly lost my temper. I made a rather loud frustrated sound and slumped back against a tree.

Now that I was standing still I heard something I had been unable to hear before. Someone was giggling. It came from directly over my head. I turned and squinted to see through the branches and then I saw them. There were small creatures roughly the size of my hand trying, but failing rather badly, to hide behind the leaves which didn't quite cover them. They were giggling madly and pointing at me.

They were a sort of sickly grey-greenish colour which seemed to shift as they moved. My head started throbbing and my eyes prickled from looking at them. I turned and blinked rapidly to make the stinging feeling go away. That's when I noticed it. They were everywhere not just hidden in the trees. The edges of the clearing seemed to simmer and change before my eyes. They seemed to be the ones changing the scenery.

"How am I supposed to get out of this forest if you keep leading me in circles?" I didn't even know if they understood me.

"You're not." The voice came from behind me. I didn't turn.

"You have to stop doing that to people or someday you're going to give one of them a heart attack."

"And gods forbid that one of them will be you." I still refused to turn and pretended to study the creatures.

"Are you not going to turn around?" I almost thought he'd given up bothering me and vanished again. Almost.

"No, I'm still mad at you." He chuckled at that.

"When were you not angry with me?" The man had a point. I turned... and froze. He had changed his clothes again. It was much more informal but did nothing to ruin his appearance more like the other way around. His shirt was cream-coloured and an indecent number of buttons were undone. Over it he wore a black vest which hugged his lower abdomen but was otherwise open. This look of his gave me an indecently good look at his sculptured chest. I felt my cheeks turn pink and averted my eyes... in the wrong direction. He had his usual knee-high riding boots on and dark forest green breeches so tight they didn't leave mush to the imagination. Not that I was thinking along that line. Nope. I mentally slapped myself and met his amused gaze.

"Soo you seem cheerful." His smile widened as he pushed himself away from the tree he had been leaning against and came a few steps closer.

"Cheerful?" Okay I get it not the most brilliant choice of word.

"What I meant was no hard feelings? I mean I did push you..."

"Yes you did."

"...and I know I would've been, well not as calm as you that's for sure." I stopped talking as his laughter drifted towards me low at first but quickly growing in volume. I folded my arms across my chest and cocked my head as I watched him laugh. He is not ugly! Wait! Not thinking that. Not thinking that.

He suddenly looked at me his eyes still glinting with laughter and mischief.

"Oh precious I don't get mad. I get even."

...

Aaand ANOTHER.! ^^

I am currently working on a Christmas-related story that will probably, maybe be posted during December. But I will of course write this at the same time. Might be a bit confusing...

Anyways... You know what to do R&R

And until next time: "Love all, trust a few, do harm to none." – William Shakespeare