Disclaimer: not mine, copyright Labyrinth Enterprises (at least, that's what it says on my copy of the movie). Thank you Mr. Jim Henson way up high for creating such loveliness.
Perchance we meet
Don't react, don't panic, don't show, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm!
'But I'll be there for you,
As the world falls down.'
Well, the world was falling down, tumbling head over heels in an unstoppable downward spiral towards a darkness Sarah still remembered from all those years ago. When she looked for the King of the Goblins in the park, in the town. In a dream.
It seemed she had finally found him. Or better put, he her.
The lump in her throat made breathing hard, the haze before her eyes could not be pierced thru- Sarah saw nothing of the world. Hands balled to fist in front of her, unseen by Beetem, her nails digging in the tender flesh of her palms in order not to faint- not to faint.
She shivered but she could not show it. She wanted to scream but she should not make herself heard. How do you tell the ward unit chief of a prisons psychiatric ward he had caught himself a Goblin King? And a murderous one at that? One that played the innocent-
Beetems hand came heavily down on Sarah's shoulder. She stiffened and her head shot up, she wavered and almost lost her balance.
"I said, do you have a light?"
Sarah spun round and the world spun with her. The doctor could barely catch her before setting her down in a chair.
"My dear girl- you are not fainting on me now, now are you?"
Sarah realised she must have gone very pale. She swallowed the lump in her throat- She had to say something, had to tell something- Had to make up some excuse for almost fainting at the sight of some patient in a corner without raising suspicions. Think, think! This is a kind man, a family man- almost a grandfather.. She had to shut him up! No record of this.
Sarah managed a feeble smile. Making an effort to allow it to grow radiant enough to hide a lie.
"No- no thank you- I'll be alright in a minute. Perhaps I should take it a little bit more easy in my condition-" he placed a careful hand on her abdomen and smiled shyly.
"You are not- you are..?"
Beetem smiled a brilliant smile and patted Sarah's shoulder.
"Well, well, well- I'll just get you a glass of water or something. You'll just sit here and take it easy for a minute. And congratulations."
He smiled again and turned to the door, bit his cigar, threw a guilty look at the young woman and pocketed it. Then he was off for her refreshment.
Immediately the fake radiance faded from Sarah's features and she turned towards the one-way mirror again.
His head was bobbing from side to side, slightly cocked with face upturned. As if searching for something. He squinted his eyes, tried to push himself up against the wall, failed and flopped back to the ground.
Behind Sarah, the door opened and closed.
"Hey, lady."
Sarah turned to the male voice, a little higher pitched than one might expect from a man. In the doorframe a young man stood, bronzed skin, dark curly hear and frightened eyes black as coal. His uniform gave him away as being one of the wards orderlies.
"Good morning," Sarah said, but her greeting went unanswered. The man entered the room and stared past Sarah at the patient behind the wall.
"You gonna treat that one, lady. You gone be his headshrinker?"
Sarah pondered the question for a second, than nodded. A challenge. What could the Goblin King's appearance be but a challenge. Probably one she dared not back down from. Not for herself. And there was always Toby to consider. But for the Lord's sake -why- did he have to put up such an elaborate act. And what exactly had he been doing to the disappeared children. Turned them into Goblins, probably.
Pale, tight lipped and furious but with incredible control, Sarah answered.
"Oh yes. I'm gone be this ones headshrinker."
Even if it takes me my life, she thought. That bastard had lost from her last time- so he would now. He should not have picked a fight on -her- terrain.
"You take this then, lady."
Sarah had almost forgotten the young Latino. From his outstretched hand hung a thin golden chain with a tiny crucifix as pendant. The young man obviously was very nervous and clearly wanted Sarah to have the necklace. So she took it.
"Thank you, but why?"
"He, el loco- He's the devil."
Now this was interesting.
"He is?"
"He stronger than five big men together- and he's smaller than me. That's impossible. His ears are like a devils ears. The lights, every time the lights go out at night. But nobody pulls the switch. And there is nothing wrong with the lamps or the plugs. And have you seen the rats? He calls the rats. They came for him!"
The young man was heavily gesturing now and there were tears in his large eyes. Tears of freight. In his mindset, it was incredibly brave of him to part with what he probably saw as the only protection against the evil the patient represented.
"And he kills the little children. Madre de Dios- he kills the little children."
Now the poor man did break down, and Sarah gently gave him her seat.
"Hernando, what are you doing here? I thought I had sent you home, son."
Beetem came back in with a plastic cup of cold water. Sarah's eyes went from the cup in his hand to the sobbing orderly. Beetem shrugged and gave the cup to the boy.
"Now, now. There, there. This has all been a bit much for you, hasn't it-"
Hernando sipped the water gratefully.
"Now you go home now- and I do not want to see you back for at least a day. Get some rest."
Hernando nodded. Stood and threw Sarah a piercing look. Quickly she slipped the chain around her neck. The young man seemed relieved at her gesture and left quickly but with hunched shoulders.
"That poor boy and his superstition- I'm sorry about that."
"Oh," Sarah answered lightly. "I don't know. I really do believe him every word."
"What? Did he tell you about the rats?"
"And the lights."
Beetem grinned, thinking the young woman quipped. While in fact she -did- believe the Latino's every word.
"Glad you are feeling better."
"Don't worry about me, Sir. I'm alright. Right now, I could face the devil himself."
Beetem shrugged, still smiling.
"I'm sorry. All I've got for you is that poor boy behind you."
Sarah turned and stared at the bewildered figure a moment longer.
"Well, He'll have to do than, now won't he?"
Perchance we meet
Don't react, don't panic, don't show, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm!
'But I'll be there for you,
As the world falls down.'
Well, the world was falling down, tumbling head over heels in an unstoppable downward spiral towards a darkness Sarah still remembered from all those years ago. When she looked for the King of the Goblins in the park, in the town. In a dream.
It seemed she had finally found him. Or better put, he her.
The lump in her throat made breathing hard, the haze before her eyes could not be pierced thru- Sarah saw nothing of the world. Hands balled to fist in front of her, unseen by Beetem, her nails digging in the tender flesh of her palms in order not to faint- not to faint.
She shivered but she could not show it. She wanted to scream but she should not make herself heard. How do you tell the ward unit chief of a prisons psychiatric ward he had caught himself a Goblin King? And a murderous one at that? One that played the innocent-
Beetems hand came heavily down on Sarah's shoulder. She stiffened and her head shot up, she wavered and almost lost her balance.
"I said, do you have a light?"
Sarah spun round and the world spun with her. The doctor could barely catch her before setting her down in a chair.
"My dear girl- you are not fainting on me now, now are you?"
Sarah realised she must have gone very pale. She swallowed the lump in her throat- She had to say something, had to tell something- Had to make up some excuse for almost fainting at the sight of some patient in a corner without raising suspicions. Think, think! This is a kind man, a family man- almost a grandfather.. She had to shut him up! No record of this.
Sarah managed a feeble smile. Making an effort to allow it to grow radiant enough to hide a lie.
"No- no thank you- I'll be alright in a minute. Perhaps I should take it a little bit more easy in my condition-" he placed a careful hand on her abdomen and smiled shyly.
"You are not- you are..?"
Beetem smiled a brilliant smile and patted Sarah's shoulder.
"Well, well, well- I'll just get you a glass of water or something. You'll just sit here and take it easy for a minute. And congratulations."
He smiled again and turned to the door, bit his cigar, threw a guilty look at the young woman and pocketed it. Then he was off for her refreshment.
Immediately the fake radiance faded from Sarah's features and she turned towards the one-way mirror again.
His head was bobbing from side to side, slightly cocked with face upturned. As if searching for something. He squinted his eyes, tried to push himself up against the wall, failed and flopped back to the ground.
Behind Sarah, the door opened and closed.
"Hey, lady."
Sarah turned to the male voice, a little higher pitched than one might expect from a man. In the doorframe a young man stood, bronzed skin, dark curly hear and frightened eyes black as coal. His uniform gave him away as being one of the wards orderlies.
"Good morning," Sarah said, but her greeting went unanswered. The man entered the room and stared past Sarah at the patient behind the wall.
"You gonna treat that one, lady. You gone be his headshrinker?"
Sarah pondered the question for a second, than nodded. A challenge. What could the Goblin King's appearance be but a challenge. Probably one she dared not back down from. Not for herself. And there was always Toby to consider. But for the Lord's sake -why- did he have to put up such an elaborate act. And what exactly had he been doing to the disappeared children. Turned them into Goblins, probably.
Pale, tight lipped and furious but with incredible control, Sarah answered.
"Oh yes. I'm gone be this ones headshrinker."
Even if it takes me my life, she thought. That bastard had lost from her last time- so he would now. He should not have picked a fight on -her- terrain.
"You take this then, lady."
Sarah had almost forgotten the young Latino. From his outstretched hand hung a thin golden chain with a tiny crucifix as pendant. The young man obviously was very nervous and clearly wanted Sarah to have the necklace. So she took it.
"Thank you, but why?"
"He, el loco- He's the devil."
Now this was interesting.
"He is?"
"He stronger than five big men together- and he's smaller than me. That's impossible. His ears are like a devils ears. The lights, every time the lights go out at night. But nobody pulls the switch. And there is nothing wrong with the lamps or the plugs. And have you seen the rats? He calls the rats. They came for him!"
The young man was heavily gesturing now and there were tears in his large eyes. Tears of freight. In his mindset, it was incredibly brave of him to part with what he probably saw as the only protection against the evil the patient represented.
"And he kills the little children. Madre de Dios- he kills the little children."
Now the poor man did break down, and Sarah gently gave him her seat.
"Hernando, what are you doing here? I thought I had sent you home, son."
Beetem came back in with a plastic cup of cold water. Sarah's eyes went from the cup in his hand to the sobbing orderly. Beetem shrugged and gave the cup to the boy.
"Now, now. There, there. This has all been a bit much for you, hasn't it-"
Hernando sipped the water gratefully.
"Now you go home now- and I do not want to see you back for at least a day. Get some rest."
Hernando nodded. Stood and threw Sarah a piercing look. Quickly she slipped the chain around her neck. The young man seemed relieved at her gesture and left quickly but with hunched shoulders.
"That poor boy and his superstition- I'm sorry about that."
"Oh," Sarah answered lightly. "I don't know. I really do believe him every word."
"What? Did he tell you about the rats?"
"And the lights."
Beetem grinned, thinking the young woman quipped. While in fact she -did- believe the Latino's every word.
"Glad you are feeling better."
"Don't worry about me, Sir. I'm alright. Right now, I could face the devil himself."
Beetem shrugged, still smiling.
"I'm sorry. All I've got for you is that poor boy behind you."
Sarah turned and stared at the bewildered figure a moment longer.
"Well, He'll have to do than, now won't he?"