~Favorite Review from Chapter 16:
"The worm? Back at the start. This chapter was thankfully so forthright and horror free.. I made it! ..Don't rush about updating... Take your time... Relax... Toodle-oo." -Guest 2019 ~
Lol, poor Guest 2019. You need a break from all the horror. I completely understand! If I promise a sweet chapter in the future will that make up for all the death and drownings? Knock once for yes, twice for no. :) -S.
Chapter 17 : Don't Go that Way
Hoggle swung his arm back and barely missed the creature. It scooted away on its stomach and whistled.
"Was it somethin' oy said?"
Sarah slid down the stone and stopped before the worm. Her eyes were bright and wide. "You said 'hello'."
"Act'lly, oy said 'ello, but tha's close enough." The little creature nodded, his entire front half moving in the effort.
"Labby Worm." Hoggle said with a huff as he watched Sarah kneel down. Her eyes turned to him to question if it was safe. Hoggle shrugged and turned away.
"Um, hello. I'm Sarah and this is…" Sarah motioned with her arm at the dwarf.
"'Oggle, oy know that. Just 'cause oy live in a 'ole, don't mean oy 'live inna 'ole', know wha' oy mean?" The blue worm laughed at his own words and turned his enormous eyes to Hoggle. "Kill any noyce bugs la'ly?"
Hoggle snuffed and continued to ignore the worm as he touched the walls of the labyrinth, still looking for an opening.
The worm turned back to Sarah and lowered his voice. "Careful with this one, Miss."
Sarah frowned and bit her lip. "And what is your name?"
"Oh, you kin call me Wendle. Or Wendy. Or Wen. Or…"
"Wen, is perfect." Sarah stopped him with a smile. "Actually, maybe you could help me. I'm trying to find a way to the castle. So far, I haven't had much luck. Do you know how to get there?"
The worm tilted his head to the side and smiled slowly. "Coo be, coo be. Come on in and have some tea with me and the misses."
Hoogle turned and looked down at the worm. "How's she suppose ta git in the hole, eejit, with that big ol' human body?"
Wen's smile grew even larger and he moved back slightly. "Oh, now, she'll fit. She'll fit. Come on Sarah." He turned and started singing as he inched away. "Tea 'n cakes. Tea n' cakes. Tha's what Wendy's wifey makes. Tea n' cakes. Tea n' cakes. Stay and taste foo all our sakes. Tea n' cakes."
As his little song ended, the worm leaned to his side and disappeared. Sarah gasped as the worm left her sight. Then the next thing she knew, he was peeking around a corner that hadn't been there before.
"I thought that was part of the wall!" Sarah spoke as she moved forward and slipped her hand around the corner. "An illusion. Interesting!"
Sarah ran her arm down the side before turning back to Hoggle. "Do you see any more of these, Hoggle?"
The dwarf finally looked interested in what was happening across from him. He turned back to the wall and wiggled his fingers back and forth but his long nails simply scrapped the stone.
"Nope." He shrugged and crossed his arms.
Sarah sighed and examined the corner. She counted the stones. "Eighteen rocks on this side. Nine red, nine copper." She looked more closely and tapped a finger to her lip. "The copper has black specks." She mumbled and walked to the other side of the entrance as she counted the stones. While she added the worm began to sing again.
"Tea 'n cakes. Tea 'n cakes. 'Urry now, it's not too late. Tea 'n cakes. Tea 'n cakes. That's what Wendy's wifey makes."
Hoggle licked his lips, making a smacking sound. "Cakes sound good."
Sarah's brow tightened and she pushed her hair back over her shoulder. "Mmhmm…" She agreed absently.
"Alright, then!" The worm exclaimed and began to hum as he led the way. Hoggle moved to join him but stopped instantly when Sarah exclaimed.
"Aha!"
"Human?" He asked. His voice sounded more than a little irritated. Apparently he could already taste those cakes.
"I've discovered how to tell if there is a gap in the wall, like this one. It's not the number of stones or the color, but the shape." She turned to the dwarf. "They all look the same, don't they?" She asked as she stepped back.
Hoggle grumbled as he moved forward. "Yup." He answered blandly.
"They aren't. These are curved at the ends and pointed slightly in. Like eyes, Hoggle." She ran across to the other end and pointed. "Like pairs of eyes."
The longer Hoggle gawked, the more he could see what the girl saw, but he shook his head and laughed. "Crazy human! Bah! See'n whatcha wanna see, like all of your stingy kind. 'Pairs of eyes!' Ha!" Hoggle bent over and started laughing loudly. The sound groaned like metal rusted from disuse and Sarah frowned down at him.
"I think I'm right, Hoggle." Sarah answered and stepped back. She looked further down the way to where the path was blocked by boulders and read the wall. After a moment she spotted another archway of stone eyes. She moved forward and pressed her face close to the rock. Then, just when her lips looked as though they would kiss the wall, she walked through.
Sarah turned with a triumphant jump and clasped her hands. It was her first real victory since she had agreed to the challenge and she couldn't help but smile. One step closer to Toby!
Hoggle groaned. "I still want cake and tea, cake and tea." He sang, off lyric and off tune.
"Come on then, friends! Tea first. Cake secon'. Creepy wall eyes last." The worm encouraged with a teasing smile. His eyes turned to Sarah and she blinked. Her smile faded and she shook her head.
"No, thank you Wen. I truly am in a hurry. Hoggle, you must stay and eat if you wish." She said but shook her head slightly at Hoggle after the worm turned away. A feeling of unease had begun to settle in her chest.
Hoggle didn't speak, he just kicked a stone out of his way and moved to where Sarah stood. "Get on then, Labby Worm. We don't want no cakes."
Sarah sighed and plastered a thankful smile on her face before turning away from Wen and moving to the hidden doorway. Hoggle followed silently behind her.
Wendell felt his tiny heart pound. He slid his body along the rocks and into the entrance to his home. His wife and child lay upon a soft multi-colored thread rug before a sparking twig fire.
"You're home!" Winnie called up in a whisper as she darted her eyes to their tiny worm baby as it slept. "Shhh, don't wake Wally."
"Ello, my love." His words were whispered back. "Come ere, sweetie." He motioned for her to follow him with a twist of his upper body.
His wife frowned and slunk closer to her husband. She could see something in his eyes and bent her head in worry. "What is it, Wendy?" She asked, her voice thick and sweet.
Wendell frowned and shook his head. "There's a human in tha labyrinth. Saw 'er with me own eyes."
His wife gasped and twisted to look at their sleeping child. "No!"
The blue worm nodded and felt his eyes prickle with tears. "We need to leave quickly. S'only a matter o' time before the witch finds out about tha girl, if she don' already know. I did na' see 'er until it were too late, so it will na't a been from me tha she gets tha report. Tha'll be enough for a death sentence." He felt his wife's head against his front and sighed. "Been good here, tho. Been real good. Wish tha lass had followed, coulda en'nid it real quick if she had."
"You asked her to follow you?" His wife drew back in horror. Wendell just nodded and sighed again. His breath ruffled the little puffs of hair on Winnie's head . It tickled his nose and he shook his head.
"We would na'tta been the one's in danger, love." Wendy paused and the sinister glint left his eyes. "Ahh well. Let's be packin'. Na' much time now before they get here." Wendy tapped his wife with his head and kissed her cheek. As he stared into her eyes he thought back to the human. She didn't have a chance. "Na' much time at all."
I do not own Labyrinth.
Hello all! New readers, old reader, sick and tired of waiting for me to flippin' update readers, welcome! Sorry I've been gone so long. Well, here is another chapter. Oh, worm, et tu Wendy? What are your thought about our big eyed friend? Review and I promise a heaping helping of Jareth and Sarah in the next chapter. Yum!
As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, following and/or favoriting. -S.
