Chapter Nine- The Tenth Instalment
Saturday night they had a huge bonfire, larger than the night before and all traces of alcohol had been confiscated. Apparently the camp managers didn't like the disturbances caused by inebriated teenagers and they threatened to call the police if such an event occurred again. Jareth had no problems with saying no. His stomach was still a bit sour from the drinks the night before. He sat comfortably on a woolly blanket on the ground next to Sarah. She spoke, telling legends centred around the First Nation cultures. She told of Beaver, the hard worker; Raven, the trickster; Swan, the childish one; and Owl, the wise one.
Jareth smirked into the darkness as she related to him and Hoggle the story of Owl. Perhaps she didn't remember the illusion he came as when she wished Toby away…
One story, however, caught his attention. It was the story of the old woman and the beast from the 'other side'. It was told as a lesson to teach children respect but Jareth was captivated for another reason.
A demon came to the village one day, a village that was incidentally located where the cabins were built. This demon wanted food from the people of the village but winter was coming on and the men had to hunt and the woman had to gather food to prepare for the snowfall. First the warriors tried to chase the demon away but many of them were slain. Then the village shaman tried to charm the demon away but he was too strong and magical. Finally an old woman came before the village chief and pleaded to be allowed to try a thing. This woman was frowned upon because she was not married, nor had she any children. She was no good at sewing or planting or harvesting because in place of the vibrant browns that made up this good people's eyes were a milky blue. She had no sight. The village chief said no and threatened to cast her from the village if she were to interfere. The woman went away in sorrow from the village she knew would be destroyed. She went walking out to her lone house among the trees on the very outskirt of the village. She felt her way, pressing each hand into the bark to the tree to know which direction she should go. At last, she came to her home but the rawhide flap was open and a fire was inside. She stumbled into the tent and came face to face with the demon. This demon smelt beautiful, much like a warm spring breeze. The old woman was certain that he would be just as beautiful if she could but see his face. He spoke in a voice like a soft pleasant brook, 'Mother, you are blind so you know no fear. You can hear my voice and know I mean you no harm. Tell me, what was your plan to dispose of me, mother?' The demon was very polite and the old woman sat down, weary and cold. She answered the demon, 'I was going to ask you to leave. If you said no, I was going to ask you what you wanted with my village.' The demon laughed. 'Your village?' he said, 'your chief threatens to banish you from the village and you still claim that you are part of it. They do not respect you!' The old woman lowered her head in shame and said. 'This I know, but I have no where else to turn, demon.' The demon went away without a word and before she knew it, someone was requesting entrance into her home. The old woman granted the plea. It was the village chief followed by his wife and son. He said, 'Old woman, you have chased away the demon. I grant you the honour of living with my family and becoming the Wise One. Do you accept?' The old woman now Wise One cried tears of joy and that very night she was moved into the chief's tents in a place of honour. Ever after, one woman was chosen and trained by the Wise One to take her place once she passed on to another life.
The stories trilled on but Jareth ceased to listen. He surveyed the teens sitting around the fire instead.
Sarah's watchdogs, the other younger girls who crashed the camping with her, glared and scowled at him while talking-no doubt complaining- to each other. Jareth again didn't mind for they were none of his concern, only mortals who lived a split second in comparison.
Jareth smirked at the two girls, leaning in slightly closer to Sarah. One girl gasped and stood, leaving the area of the camp fire quickly. He laughed quietly to himself and turned his head a bit, meeting Sarah's eyes full on. She rolled them.
"Do you have to be so immature?" she asked.
"Me? Immature? I didn't wish my brother away you know!"
Sarah snorted softly. "Probably only because you don't have a brother." She frowned, "Would that even work?"
Jareth paused, thinking. I have no idea. He looked to Hoggle who was watching with interest. The man/dwarf just shrugged. "That's a good question. I don't know what would happen if I wished one of my sisters away. Though, they are all quite a bit older than me so it wouldn't have been productive." He snickered, "I wonder if I would have turned into a goblin if one of them wished me away."
Sarah hit his shoulder. "I thought you were goblin!"
Jareth shrugged. "I'm half goblin and I'm a royal. That just means I look more like my mother."
Sarah sat back a bit. "You're only half goblin? You're part human?"
Jareth shrugged again. "My mother was originally from here." He turned his body away from her. "Did you know that those goblins you saw at the castle were only children in comparison? That regiment of guards who chased you in the city were only children playing with sticks. If I'd sent the true troops after you, you wouldn't have even made it close. Some of them look like mature humans you could say but many of them are wild and only resemble a human in the very basic sense. It is quite terrifying."
He looked over his shoulder in time to see her blink rapidly. "Those were just children? What kind of children?" she asked shrewdly
Jareth smirked, "The children who were wished away were the goblins in the castle. The ones outside in the city were the children of the soldiers and other merchant goblins."
Her lips rounded into an O and Jareth grinned again. "Have I spiked your interest my lady?"
She couldn't speak, only nod.
Jareth turned away again, satisfied with her questions. He tried to keep the shiver of pleasure from effecting him too much as he felt Sarah sigh and lean closer, resting gently against his back.
The second guard dog stood just as suddenly as the first and fled the campfire.
GOBLINKINGxGNIKNILBOG
Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, the perfect end to an excellent weekend. Jareth was lying on the top bunk, looking out the window, watching the sun rise and snores provided an ascending musical symphony. They had until one that afternoon until they had to pack up and head back to town and school. He shifted enough to bring his feet over the edge and gently slid off the bunk. Hoggle was asleep in the other top while Kyle and Derek were passed out on the bottom. The symphony, surprisingly enough, came from the bottom two boys and not the dwarf-in-hiding above.
Jareth just grinned to himself and grabbed up his bag, heading out to the bathroom to get cleaned up. There wasn't anyone in sight but it didn't bother Jareth, he just sauntered over to the bathrooms and took a quick, cold shower- this wasn't by choice. It seemed that certain times of the day, the hot water was turned off. He dropped his bag off after he dressed and washed and went for a walk down to the main cabin. This was maybe a kilometre and a half out of the way so the students didn't make the trek very often. Jareth went once yesterday to get some snacks from the store. This is where he headed now.
The chime range as he pushed open the door and a long white haired grandmother came into the room. Her skin was dark and leather looking and she had the strangest feather bead ornaments tangled in her braids. She smiled with gums.
"Welcome friend." She said in a strangely musical voice. Jareth could feel a slight residual power coming from it but it was a familiar enough feeling that he shrugged it away.
"Where are Ted and Fran Burns? I thought they manned the store during the off season." Jareth asked. He had met the couple yesterday and took a liking to them. They also managed the camp year 'round. This was the first time he had seen this old woman here.
She smiled her gummy smile. "They are no good here at this time. For you, I am needed, son of Kendrick Goblin King."
Jareth shook his head, convinced that he didn't hear her correctly. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"
The woman shook a knarled finger in his face. "Jareth, your hearing be good and you know it. Hear the truths I speak to you."
Jareth shook his head again, this time in denial. "No, it's not true."
The woman, the Wise One from the story told last night, grinned. "There are many things that are deemed true and not false, son of Kendrick. You are the son of a demon."
"A demon? I'm the son of a goblin! Are you saying that the demon in Sarah's story was a goblin?" Jareth felt a thread of indignation when his kind was called a demon.
"The true meaning was lost ages ago for 'goblin' and 'demon' are the same in my tongue. Yes, it was one of your kind who came to me in my tent centuries ago."
Jareth felt the urge to kneel. "Grandmother, I- I am honoured. Why do you choose to come to me and not the others?"
"Son of Kendrick, Jareth son of Emogen, you stray from your path. Go back before it's too late."
She started to fade, now transparent like the ghost she was. Jareth held out a hand to stop her. "Grandmother! Wise One! What do you mean?"
"Jareth, son of –."
"Jareth you son of a bitc- get up!" Jareth sat up suddenly, hitting his head on the wall and rolling off the bunk at the same time. Luckily, this time he landed on something soft. Kyle.
"Ahhh, you idiot! Get off me!"
Jareth rolled off the yelling teen. "What were you thinking? Pulling me off the bed like that?"
A hand fell on his shoulder and Jareth whirled around coming to face Hoggle. "You were thrashing and moaning in your sleep," he said quietly. "You were speaking of Kendrick and Emogen, the king and queen in some fables." Hoggle's eyes grew hard with warning. "We had to wake you anyway. It's time to pack up and go."
Jareth frowned. "What? Already? But it's only…" He looked for a clock.
"Ten after one," Kyle stated as he stood, dusting himself off and flexing his arms. "You could say thank you."
"Thank you," Hoggle said and pushed Jareth from the room grabbing up the bag and flinging it at the blond boy. When they got outside, Hoggle spat in disgust, "Talk about giving away trade secrets! Go clean yourself up and let's be on our way. You have twenty minutes before the truck's to leave." He went back inside, muttering.
Jareth looked after him in confusion before shrugging and going back to the bathroom for the second time that day, or so it felt. He took out his change of clothes and stripped from his nightclothes. Putting hit jeans on and zipping up, Jareth fixed the pockets, pushing the liner down to where it should rest. His hand met something and he pulled it out holding a beaded feather with a leather thong attached… perfect for braiding into hair.
GOBLINKINGxGNIKNILBOG
Karen set the table for Sunday lunch. She made some spaghetti for Robert, Toby and her as the other two wouldn't be home until later that day. Robert ate quietly as Karen tried to feed her young son bits of cut up noodle. At twenty months old, Toby was surprisingly picky about his food. He wouldn't eat it if the least bit of steam was rising off his plate nor if a bit of noodle was not covered with sauce. Karen, however, was paying him the bare minimum of attention. Her mind was a million miles away.
Robert noticed her distraction. "Karen, are you alright?"
She nodded. "Yes Robert I'm fine." She gave another spoon full to Toby.
"Is there anything else you need to know?" He had set down his fork and set his attention on his wife.
Karen just shook her head.
"Please, darling… there won't be many other opportunities to talk alone…"
She finally looked at him. "I'm just stewing over some things, that's all." She smiled then, a bit sultry. "There is always Thursday nights in which we can talk…"
Robert burst out laughing. "My dear, I don't remember the last time you looked forward to our night this much. Your appetite leaves me wondering if we should bump it up to two nights a week."
Karen fluttered her eyelashes. "I wouldn't mind. Sarah is quite old enough to babysit that much…"
Robert laughed again when Toby suddenly decided that he didn't want any more spaghetti and tossed his plate on the ground.
Just a quick disclaimer: The story of the wise woman is one I made up off the top of my head. I won't claim ownership, however, because it was inspired by many different folktales from a handful of different cultures.