I'm going to town on my story here. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I really hate rushing stories. Going to slow down with a little background for Samantha. More of her background will be included in future chapters. Enjoy.
The disclaimers are still in chapter one.
Chapter 3:Remembrance
"Oh Josh, you spoiled little brat! Why won't you stop crying! You've been fed, changed and you have your stupid bear that your parents bought you." Samantha flicked back her long dark straight hair in annoyance. She hated having to take care of her baby cousin Josh. Why did her aunt and uncle hate her so? They never took her out to the movies, or the mall to buy clothes. They had severely limited her phone time due to finding a sketchbook full of drawings of unicorns, castles and fairies. If they had found her copy of the Labyrinth, they surely would have locked her in the cellar with no supper.
"You're not a child Samantha. You should be concentrating on your school work, not sketching fictitious characters. You'll never become anything in life." She mimicked her aunt. "They don't even care about me. All they care about is their son Joshua and their stupid jobs." She plopped herself down hard in the window seat crossing her arms over her chest. All her friends had parents that took them out to the mall, or the movies. They could play board games and dress up to play act. What could she do? "We're going out tonight Samantha. We expect you to take good care of Joshua. And remember NO Television and no phone calls." Her uncle had told her. What did they expect her to do? Just stare at the 4 walls of their bedroom as Joshua screamed his head off?! Then a thought dawned on her. If she couldn't watch TV or talk on the phone and had to be in the room with Josh she could act out some scenes from the Labyrinth! "Yes!" She cried with the first happiness she felt all day. She rushed to her bedroom and pulled out her Labyrinth book from under her box spring mattress. Josh watched her with curiosity and stopped his crying for a moment as she sat in the window seat opening her book. "Would you like me to read you a story Josh?" Through teary eyes he watched her as she began to read.
She read the first chapter. The story of a young girl, a maiden forced to baby sit a retched child that wouldn't stop crying. As she read how the girl summoned the King of the Goblins to take the child she realized that Josh had stopped crying. Looking up she didn't see him peering through the bars of the crib. "Josh?" she asked with sudden concern. She slowly walked to the side of the crib and peering in cried out in horror as she realized that he was not in the crib. "Josh! They're going to kill me!" Her aunt and uncle prized Joshua and she had let him out of her sight just long enough for him to disappear. "Josh, where are you?" She gazed around, knowing that a toddler couldn't have gotten far. The room suddenly became cold and a shadow of a figure suddenly bathed her in darkness. * Oh no! They're home! They must have forgotten something! * "Uncle John, I.." But when she turned it was not her uncle who stood before her, but a strange man dressed in a black coat with a cape. His hair was blond and spiky and it swirled around his face in the cold air that flowed in through the open window behind him. "Who.. who are you?" She swallowed the lump in her throat. He looked like pure evil.
"You know very well who I am Samantha." All she could do was stare at him. He had eyes that were two different colors. *Like Laura's Husky * His long black coat was tailored in a style she had never seen before. It reminded her of something out of a medieval movie. He wore tight pants and boots that reached his knees. He was very tall and slender. He gave her the absolute creeps. "Still no idea?" came his voice. He merely looked at the window seat where her copy of the Labyrinth sat.
"You're the Goblin King." she replied; suddenly understanding.
"Very good. I knew you were a bright girl."
"Then that means- you took my cousin Josh!" her voice was suddenly filled with rage and for an instant this surprised him.
"Yes I did. I did as you asked." He glanced again at the book.
'But I was just reading the book aloud. I didn't mean for you to actually take him." She knew deep down inside she wished that he would take Josh away.
"Oh you didn't?" He said sarcastically.
"No I didn't. Now bring him back. My aunt and uncle will be home in a few hours. If Josh isn't here when they come home, they'll ground me."
The Goblin King looked amused. "Well you should have thought about that BEFORE you asked for him to be taken away."
"Please, this was a mistake."
"You know I can't just give him back to you. That would be going against the rules."
She straightened herself, trying to make herself look like a more formidable opponent. "Then take me to the Labyrinth. I will find my way through it and find Josh at your castle."
"Aren't you a brave little thing."
"I'm not little!"
*With such a temper. * He grinned. This girl was so full of herself that she would no doubt fail the Labyrinth. He didn't need to try and bribe her with gifts. This would be too easy. Pulling a crystal sphere from his hand he tossed it onto the ground between them and they both disappeared from the room.
He had challenged her to beat the Labyrinth in 13 hours or her cousin would become a Goblin. This only inspired her even more to beat him. And she had. She had surprised herself with her own tactics. Her aunt and uncle had forced her into becoming a girl scout when she was younger, no doubt so that they didn't have to spend time with her, but what she had learned helped her indefinitely. She was so stubborn that she refused to take anyone's help when it was offered to her. In 10 hours she had made her way to the Goblin City, and by the time it had been 11 hours she had made her way to the Goblin King's castle. Jareth had been totally surprised. How had this girl reached the castle so fast? She had made no friends, had not attempted to turn any of his minions against him. She had done it alone and by herself. Not even the unicorn he had created had distracted her. If anything she had become more determined when he had tried to thwart her efforts. Marching straight into the Escher room she demanded that her cousin be released.
"I've beat your Labyrinth, Jareth, King of the Goblins, now I want my cousin back." He stood before her, a smug look on his face. She had even learned his name within her travels. He had sorely underestimated this girl.
"Give him back so you will be forced to baby sit him every night while your friends go out and have a good time?"
"I've accepted my fate. I saw in the pool what would happen. They're going to forget Josh and treat him just like they treat me when he gets older. He needs me to take care of him." She couldn't get the images from the pool she had found within the labyrinth out of her mind. Josh was new to them and with time, he would be forgotten just as she was. She didn't want anyone else to feel lonely as she had, growing up. Feeling unwanted. Josh wouldn't know how that felt. She would make certain of that.
"Ah yes, the Pool of Dreams. It doesn't always show you what will happen. It's a mere distraction just like all the others."
'I don't care if it was a distraction or not. It's a possibility for the future. I'm not going to let Josh grow up feeling what I felt."
He had most certainly underestimated this child. As he gazed at her, standing tall and refusing to be frightened, he realized that he hadn't had the chance to dance with her in the ballroom. She had refused the peaches he had made fall from the tree on her way through the forest despite the hunger she felt. She also refused any other presents he had left for her along the path to the castle. She was very different from any other who had entered the Labyrinth. She had an iron will that could not be bent easily. Still he would try...
"Samantha, I have a present for you." He told her waving his hands and like magic a crystal sphere appeared in his black gloved palm.
"I'm not interested."
"You're not interested in riding unicorns, living in a castle or taking a quest with fairies?" he arched an eyebrow.
His offer was so tempting. He knew exactly what she dreamed of doing. But dreams had their limits. Would she feel joy knowing Josh was feeling alone and unwanted while she played with creatures of magic and fantasy? He held out the crystal ball to her, beckoning for her to take it from his grasp, to live her dreams. But that determined look had appeared on her face again. She was not interested in his presents. She opened her mouth to speak but he silenced her with a glance.
"Samantha, I have been generous thus far, but I can also be cruel."
"You're not cruel, Jareth, you're misguided and I'm not interested in your generosity." Her tone was not angry but firm. He looked desperate suddenly. She could see the desperation in his mismatched eyes.
"Just fear me, Love me, do as I say and I will be your slave. I can make your dreams come true."
"Nice try, but no." She said shaking her head. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have found my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city. For my will is as strong and my kingdom is as great." He suddenly looked sad and utterly vulnerable and it crushed her, but there was no other way. "You have no power over me." She said in a voice that had lost its strength. The crystal dropped from his hand and with his clothing flowing around him he turned into a white owl, flying away into the night. The castle and the Labyrinth faded from view. She was in her aunt and uncle's bedroom and Joshua was fast asleep in his crib. She could hear the sound of the car pulling into the driveway. Grabbing her Labyrinth book she returned it to it's hiding spot and then returned to their bedroom.
With time the vision she saw in the pool of dreams came true. Her aunt and uncle were not so interested in Josh after all and since she was lonely, taking care of Josh became not a chore but a joy. He became a brother she never had and as she grew older he felt like a son. Every so often as she grew older she often thought of the Goblin King. She regretted having to defeat him at the end. She never knew that she was the only one who ever regretted defeating him. After all she had summoned him and he had lived up to her expectations after all. The look on his face when she had said those last words never left her. As she grew older she began to believe that her trip to the labyrinth had been a dream. Jareth was no doubt her mind's fancy of a man she longed for in her life. For two years after what she believed was a dream, she still thought of him. He had seemed so real and despite his strange appearance she found him handsome. She was 16 and growing more and more aware of boys. A year later she met Mark and her life changed, and Jareth became a forgotten memory.
The disclaimers are still in chapter one.
Chapter 3:Remembrance
"Oh Josh, you spoiled little brat! Why won't you stop crying! You've been fed, changed and you have your stupid bear that your parents bought you." Samantha flicked back her long dark straight hair in annoyance. She hated having to take care of her baby cousin Josh. Why did her aunt and uncle hate her so? They never took her out to the movies, or the mall to buy clothes. They had severely limited her phone time due to finding a sketchbook full of drawings of unicorns, castles and fairies. If they had found her copy of the Labyrinth, they surely would have locked her in the cellar with no supper.
"You're not a child Samantha. You should be concentrating on your school work, not sketching fictitious characters. You'll never become anything in life." She mimicked her aunt. "They don't even care about me. All they care about is their son Joshua and their stupid jobs." She plopped herself down hard in the window seat crossing her arms over her chest. All her friends had parents that took them out to the mall, or the movies. They could play board games and dress up to play act. What could she do? "We're going out tonight Samantha. We expect you to take good care of Joshua. And remember NO Television and no phone calls." Her uncle had told her. What did they expect her to do? Just stare at the 4 walls of their bedroom as Joshua screamed his head off?! Then a thought dawned on her. If she couldn't watch TV or talk on the phone and had to be in the room with Josh she could act out some scenes from the Labyrinth! "Yes!" She cried with the first happiness she felt all day. She rushed to her bedroom and pulled out her Labyrinth book from under her box spring mattress. Josh watched her with curiosity and stopped his crying for a moment as she sat in the window seat opening her book. "Would you like me to read you a story Josh?" Through teary eyes he watched her as she began to read.
She read the first chapter. The story of a young girl, a maiden forced to baby sit a retched child that wouldn't stop crying. As she read how the girl summoned the King of the Goblins to take the child she realized that Josh had stopped crying. Looking up she didn't see him peering through the bars of the crib. "Josh?" she asked with sudden concern. She slowly walked to the side of the crib and peering in cried out in horror as she realized that he was not in the crib. "Josh! They're going to kill me!" Her aunt and uncle prized Joshua and she had let him out of her sight just long enough for him to disappear. "Josh, where are you?" She gazed around, knowing that a toddler couldn't have gotten far. The room suddenly became cold and a shadow of a figure suddenly bathed her in darkness. * Oh no! They're home! They must have forgotten something! * "Uncle John, I.." But when she turned it was not her uncle who stood before her, but a strange man dressed in a black coat with a cape. His hair was blond and spiky and it swirled around his face in the cold air that flowed in through the open window behind him. "Who.. who are you?" She swallowed the lump in her throat. He looked like pure evil.
"You know very well who I am Samantha." All she could do was stare at him. He had eyes that were two different colors. *Like Laura's Husky * His long black coat was tailored in a style she had never seen before. It reminded her of something out of a medieval movie. He wore tight pants and boots that reached his knees. He was very tall and slender. He gave her the absolute creeps. "Still no idea?" came his voice. He merely looked at the window seat where her copy of the Labyrinth sat.
"You're the Goblin King." she replied; suddenly understanding.
"Very good. I knew you were a bright girl."
"Then that means- you took my cousin Josh!" her voice was suddenly filled with rage and for an instant this surprised him.
"Yes I did. I did as you asked." He glanced again at the book.
'But I was just reading the book aloud. I didn't mean for you to actually take him." She knew deep down inside she wished that he would take Josh away.
"Oh you didn't?" He said sarcastically.
"No I didn't. Now bring him back. My aunt and uncle will be home in a few hours. If Josh isn't here when they come home, they'll ground me."
The Goblin King looked amused. "Well you should have thought about that BEFORE you asked for him to be taken away."
"Please, this was a mistake."
"You know I can't just give him back to you. That would be going against the rules."
She straightened herself, trying to make herself look like a more formidable opponent. "Then take me to the Labyrinth. I will find my way through it and find Josh at your castle."
"Aren't you a brave little thing."
"I'm not little!"
*With such a temper. * He grinned. This girl was so full of herself that she would no doubt fail the Labyrinth. He didn't need to try and bribe her with gifts. This would be too easy. Pulling a crystal sphere from his hand he tossed it onto the ground between them and they both disappeared from the room.
He had challenged her to beat the Labyrinth in 13 hours or her cousin would become a Goblin. This only inspired her even more to beat him. And she had. She had surprised herself with her own tactics. Her aunt and uncle had forced her into becoming a girl scout when she was younger, no doubt so that they didn't have to spend time with her, but what she had learned helped her indefinitely. She was so stubborn that she refused to take anyone's help when it was offered to her. In 10 hours she had made her way to the Goblin City, and by the time it had been 11 hours she had made her way to the Goblin King's castle. Jareth had been totally surprised. How had this girl reached the castle so fast? She had made no friends, had not attempted to turn any of his minions against him. She had done it alone and by herself. Not even the unicorn he had created had distracted her. If anything she had become more determined when he had tried to thwart her efforts. Marching straight into the Escher room she demanded that her cousin be released.
"I've beat your Labyrinth, Jareth, King of the Goblins, now I want my cousin back." He stood before her, a smug look on his face. She had even learned his name within her travels. He had sorely underestimated this girl.
"Give him back so you will be forced to baby sit him every night while your friends go out and have a good time?"
"I've accepted my fate. I saw in the pool what would happen. They're going to forget Josh and treat him just like they treat me when he gets older. He needs me to take care of him." She couldn't get the images from the pool she had found within the labyrinth out of her mind. Josh was new to them and with time, he would be forgotten just as she was. She didn't want anyone else to feel lonely as she had, growing up. Feeling unwanted. Josh wouldn't know how that felt. She would make certain of that.
"Ah yes, the Pool of Dreams. It doesn't always show you what will happen. It's a mere distraction just like all the others."
'I don't care if it was a distraction or not. It's a possibility for the future. I'm not going to let Josh grow up feeling what I felt."
He had most certainly underestimated this child. As he gazed at her, standing tall and refusing to be frightened, he realized that he hadn't had the chance to dance with her in the ballroom. She had refused the peaches he had made fall from the tree on her way through the forest despite the hunger she felt. She also refused any other presents he had left for her along the path to the castle. She was very different from any other who had entered the Labyrinth. She had an iron will that could not be bent easily. Still he would try...
"Samantha, I have a present for you." He told her waving his hands and like magic a crystal sphere appeared in his black gloved palm.
"I'm not interested."
"You're not interested in riding unicorns, living in a castle or taking a quest with fairies?" he arched an eyebrow.
His offer was so tempting. He knew exactly what she dreamed of doing. But dreams had their limits. Would she feel joy knowing Josh was feeling alone and unwanted while she played with creatures of magic and fantasy? He held out the crystal ball to her, beckoning for her to take it from his grasp, to live her dreams. But that determined look had appeared on her face again. She was not interested in his presents. She opened her mouth to speak but he silenced her with a glance.
"Samantha, I have been generous thus far, but I can also be cruel."
"You're not cruel, Jareth, you're misguided and I'm not interested in your generosity." Her tone was not angry but firm. He looked desperate suddenly. She could see the desperation in his mismatched eyes.
"Just fear me, Love me, do as I say and I will be your slave. I can make your dreams come true."
"Nice try, but no." She said shaking her head. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have found my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city. For my will is as strong and my kingdom is as great." He suddenly looked sad and utterly vulnerable and it crushed her, but there was no other way. "You have no power over me." She said in a voice that had lost its strength. The crystal dropped from his hand and with his clothing flowing around him he turned into a white owl, flying away into the night. The castle and the Labyrinth faded from view. She was in her aunt and uncle's bedroom and Joshua was fast asleep in his crib. She could hear the sound of the car pulling into the driveway. Grabbing her Labyrinth book she returned it to it's hiding spot and then returned to their bedroom.
With time the vision she saw in the pool of dreams came true. Her aunt and uncle were not so interested in Josh after all and since she was lonely, taking care of Josh became not a chore but a joy. He became a brother she never had and as she grew older he felt like a son. Every so often as she grew older she often thought of the Goblin King. She regretted having to defeat him at the end. She never knew that she was the only one who ever regretted defeating him. After all she had summoned him and he had lived up to her expectations after all. The look on his face when she had said those last words never left her. As she grew older she began to believe that her trip to the labyrinth had been a dream. Jareth was no doubt her mind's fancy of a man she longed for in her life. For two years after what she believed was a dream, she still thought of him. He had seemed so real and despite his strange appearance she found him handsome. She was 16 and growing more and more aware of boys. A year later she met Mark and her life changed, and Jareth became a forgotten memory.
