Sarah looked around in wonder. A moment before, she had been on the edge of sleep. Therefore, her adult mind reasoned, this place must be a dream, right?
She took a careful step forward, running her hands along the familiar stone walls. The first corridor of the Labyrinth spread before and behind her, as it had all those years ago. It seemed too real to be a simple dream…she could feel the coolness of the stones beneath her hands, and the debris as it scratched at her skirt.
Her skirt? With that thought, Sarah glanced down at herself. She was wearing the beautiful gown from the masquerade ball. What on earth? Casting another look around, Sarah decided that whether this was reality or a dream, she would never find the answer just standing here.
"Well, come on feet." Even though she was confused, Sarah found herself smiling at the comment that had started her journey twelve years ago. And, like her previous trip through the Labyrinth, Sarah was not sure where to head. She continued walking for several moments before she suddenly remembered the trick of this passage. With a tentative hand, Sarah reached for the wall to her left. When it connected with the cool stone, she sighed in frustration.
Sarah strode forward, always keeping her hand in contact with the wall. Finally, after several more agonizing steps through the debris in her heavy dress, her hand passed through the illusion.
"Yes!" She quickly made her way into the opening, examining both directions. "Now, which way?"
"How about right?"
The young woman froze at the sound of the masculine voice. Slowly, she turned toward the source, but she already knew who was behind her.
"Were you looking for me, Sarah?"
A sharp retort found its way onto her tongue, but was quickly forgotten as she felt the world give way. Everything turned black for a moment, and in the sudden weightlessness, Sarah found herself falling forward into the arms of the Goblin King.
Sarah closed her eyes; in part to help still the dizziness she felt, but mostly to avoid the laughter she knew would be in Jareth's eyes. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard the rich sound wash over her.
"Now, now, Sarah. You know all you had to do was ask."
Anger welled inside of her, and Sarah roughly pushed herself from Jareth's arms. Though part of her wanted to stay locked in that accidental embrace, her anger refused to justify his amusement. She had already freed herself from the Goblin King and had begun to walk away when she finally noticed her surroundings.
Silently cursing herself, Sarah realized what had caused her momentary vertigo. Crystalline walls had replaced the rugged stone, and with a start the young woman recognized where she was.
It was the ballroom.
Memories from her last visit fueled her anger, and Sarah whirled around, demanding to know why she was there.
"My dear Sarah, you should know very well. After all, you are the one who wanted to come here."
"Me? I never said anything-"
"But you thought about it, didn't you? Just before you drifted to sleep, you thought about the Labyrinth, about this ball…about me." While speaking, Jareth had stalked closer to Sarah, until she could feel his breath hot against her cheek.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about." She avoided his eyes, disgusted at the obviousness of her lie.
Jareth lowered his face until Sarah was sure she could hear his quiet breathing. She raised her brown eyes once more, and found that the Goblin King's face was nearly pressed against her own.
"Of course not," he purred, running a gloved hand through Sarah's hair. "You don't miss me at all, do you?" Sarah's heart pounded in her chest as he inched even closer. Her harsh breathing and wide eyes revealed her true feelings even as she shook her head slightly. With her movement, something imperceptible passed through Jareth's eyes, effectively trapping her. Suddenly lost in the moment, she leaned into his body, closing her eyes as Jareth dipped down to cover the remaining space between them.
But at the last second, when Sarah was sure that his lips would connect with hers, he whispered, "What a pity," and Sarah found herself falling into the empty space where the Goblin King had stood seconds before.
***
Sarah jolted awake, and quickly shielded her eyes from the morning sun. As she pulled her hand away, she was surprised to see the tears staining its smooth surface. She wiped them away, not realizing for a moment why they were there.
The thought triggered her subconscious, and the memory of her encounter came flooding back to her. When she remembered what had happened, Sarah was convinced that it had not been a dream, or at least any ordinary one. No, his touch had been too real…
The tears began to flow once more, and Sarah scrubbed them away with the sleeve of her nightgown. She stood, making sure that her eyes were clear before heading off to the bathroom to shower. When she grabbed a clean set of clothing and made her way to the door, she never noticed that the book was no longer on her bureau.