Vengeful Nightmares

Vengeful Nightmares

Chapter 5

"What does he mean by 'I can't come in unless you invite me'? Is he some sort of vampire?" Dinah pressed.

"No, he's a fae." Sarah replied. "I said it right, didn't I?" she asked Hoggle. He nodded, and went on to explain what a fae was.

"They can change their shapes, and they has powers. Some of 'em get jobs as witch familiars, but that's usually just the weak ones. Jareth ain't weak." He shook his head for emphasis. "Not by a long shot. I seen him pulls crystal balls outta thin air; I seen him send 'em flyin' around the room."

"I was inside one of them." Sarah said quietly, remembering the ballroom and her dance with the illusory version of Jareth. It had seemed so real, but with Jareth nothing was as it seemed. Hoggle wore a pained look on his face, remembering the drugged peach he had given her. She had forgiven him for that, but he still hadn't completely forgiven himself.

"What was it like?" Peter asked, his expression serious. It wasn't just curiosity that made him ask; he had to know what effect it had had on Sarah. Had it harmed her?

"It was…strange. That's really all I can tell you. It was like my head was stuffed with cotton. You know those weird mirrors in fun houses? It was sort of like that. When I tried to focus, I couldn't. Only Jareth was in focus, and now I know that it wasn't really him at all; it was just a dream."

"Dream crystals…" Hoggle mumbled, half to himself. Everyone looked at him, and he shifted in his chair and pretended to be fascinated with the tablecloth.

"It makes sense." Sarah agreed, cupping her chin in her palm.

"Yeah, to you two it does." Snorted Peter. He went to refill his coffee cup, and Dinah picked up the book. She tried to read it, but there was nothing to be seen. Sarah noticed that Dinah could turn the pages just as her father had, but when Sarah tried to see them her vision went dark, reminding her of her first fainting spell. No, she would have to reach inside the picture, just like Pennywise had reached out. She doubted she would be permitted to do so, and even if she was, she doubted she would have the courage if given time to think. That was why she had made so many rash decisions in the Labyrinth; she hadn't dared to stop and think.

"I don't understand. Why would he give you a blank book? Is it a diary, or something?" asked Dinah.

"No. At least, I don't think so. I can see the moving picture on the title page, but it seems no one else can. Jareth told me the other pages will be open when I've reached into the picture."

"This Jareth person can't take 'no' for an answer!" Dinah shook her head, incredulous.

"I haven't said 'no' yet," Sarah said quietly, taking a long gulp of orange juice.

"Well, I have!" Dinah slapped the book down on the table, making Sarah and Hoggle jump. "He has no business coming after my family, and you have no business going to him!"

Sarah narrowed her eyes, and seemed to be getting ready to bawl her stepmother out, when Hoggle stood up in his chair and blew a shrill whistle to get their attention. Both looked over at him, looking like cats that had just been doused with ice water. "Now, wait a minute. No needs to be havin' a fight here. Sarah, I agrees with yer stepmom on this one; you shouldn't be goin' to him for any reason. But I also knows what he can do. If he wants her, you can't stop him. There's no point in arguin' anymore." He finished strongly, but suddenly realized that he had their full attention, and their eyes were trained right on him like a policeman's searchlight. He sat down meekly, and began to play with his fork.

Sarah paused with a toast wedge halfway to her mouth when Dinah excused herself from the room, retrieving Toby on the way. She looked first at her father, ashamed, then at Hoggle. The dwarf was still playing with his fork, his cheeks nearly purple with embarrassment. Peter followed his wife, stopping to give Sarah's shoulder a reassuring pat on the way. She lowered her forehead to her palm, and sighed, "Jeez…"

"I shoulda kept my trap shut." Hoggle reproached himself.

"No. I should have. I never think before I talk." Sarah shook her head.

"Yer lucky, you know." Hoggle remarked, looking seriously up at Sarah.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he began slowly, "looks to me like you're Daddy's Li'l Girl. My Pop woulda kicked my arse down the street for even lookin' like I was gonna disagree with 'im."

Sarah oriented her gaze on Hoggle, saw something behind his eyes that gave her some insight as to why he was so distrusting of other people. "He hit you?" she said quietly, her eyes full of disbelief.

Hoggle grunted, "Yes. Yes, he certainly did. Never forget how lucky you are, Sarah. They loves you. Never forget."

Sarah looked after her parents thoughtfully, and said, "I won't, Hoggle."

* * *

Jareth was growing impatient. Why hadn't Sarah used the window he had given her? He paced the length and breadth of his throne room, kicking any goblin who was stupid enough to get in his way. The odor of rancid sweat was thick in the air, but Jareth was used to it by now. Convincing a goblin to bathe was like pulling teeth. After several years of trying, he had finally given up and decided to live with it.

Once, a fae from a neighboring province had come for a short business visit, and had complained that the stench was intolerable. "Why don't you just force them? Just toss them in a tub and give them a towel?" he had asked Jareth, while at the same time holding a perfumed handkerchief over his nose.

"My lord is very welcome to try it." Jareth had politely responded, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"All right, I will!" was the nobleman's angry reply. Ten minutes later, Jareth had found him sopping-wet and soapy, bound and gagged, with a bar of soap clenched immovably in his teeth behind the gag. Ten seconds later, the oh-so-noble Goblin King, the great and formidable Jareth, had collapsed on the tiled floor in convulsions of tearful laughter. Needless to say, the visiting noble was not amused. The language that had poured out of that man's mouth after he had been freed had half-tempted Jareth to make use of that soap. He had not, though. He had made several deeply formal and shallowly sincere apologies, and had sent the disgruntled nobleman on his 'merry' way.

That had been great fun, but nobody ever again suggested to a goblin that he needed to take the dreaded B-word.

Jareth produced a crystal, and looked in on Sarah. She was still sitting at the breakfast table, apparently having a heart-to-heart with Hoggle. No sound. The fae cocked his head to one side and studiously watched them, trying unsuccessfully to read their lips. The crystal was blurry; this wasn't right. At that moment, the expression 'crystal clear' was an oxymoron. The image winked out, leaving a brief dot of light in the middle before going black. Jareth shook the crystal like a medicine bottle, and the picture came back again, this time a bit clearer.

"Ah, good." Jareth breathed. He could hear them now. Before he knew what they were talking about, Sarah's father came back.

"Is she crying?" Sarah asked anxiously, a little shamefaced.

Peter nodded tiredly, plunking himself into his seat.

"Why can't I learn to keep quiet?" Sarah berated herself. Hoggle looked up at her, but couldn't seem to find his voice. He looked back down again. Peter didn't say anything.

Jareth felt that he had waited long enough. "All right, you three. This is the last time I will do this; are you coming, or do I have to pull you in?"

Mr. Williams stood up, reaching for his pen knife, much to Jareth's amusement. "She's not going anywhere. So, you just back off, and go play in your little maze with those goblins of yours. We don't want you interfering in our lives."

Hoggle gaped at him in horror, his face the color of cottage cheese.

Jareth's pale face reddened. "You dare to threaten me?"

"Yeah, I dare." Peter told him with more conviction than he felt.

"What a pity…"

Sarah bit her lip; she'd heard those words before. Jareth was getting angry. "Daddy, no!"

"I've had enough of this. Either you grant your daughter your feeble permission, or I will kill her. Do you understand me? I—will—kill—her." He warned, carefully enunciating each word.

Running footsteps; Dinah appeared in the kitchen doorway with Toby, out of breath and very white. She had heard everything. "No!" she cried tearfully, "No, don't hurt my daughter! Please!"

Sarah stared; Dinah had never called her 'daughter'. It was always 'Sarah', or 'stepdaughter'. She had said daughter. She threw one arm around Sarah, sobbing softly into the girl's hair. Her husband hovered over her, his complexion even whiter than Hoggle's; Hoggle's face was naturally dark anyway. Toby wailed. Peter dropped the knife with a clatter, wrapping his arms protectively about his family. Hoggle held onto Sarah for dear life. Merlin put his ears back, bared his teeth, and began snapping menacingly at the air, which was something that Sarah had never thought she would see him do. The dog snarled viciously, showing every one of his yellowing teeth; spittle sprayed with every bark.

"If she goes, I go with her." Peter informed Jareth.

"No, not you. Just Sarah and Hoggle. Step away from them now." He told them. Mr. Williams set his jaw stubbornly, until he saw his pen knife rising from the floor. Every knife in the kitchen came out from it's respective hiding place, each one trained at the huddled group. Peter pulled Dinah away, though he had a difficult time doing it, and the knives dropped to the floor. Merlin backed into a corner, hunched over and still baring his teeth.

Sarah reached for the book. If Hoggle hadn't already visited the facilities, he would definitely have wet his pants. Sarah opened to the title page, gripped Hoggle's hand firmly, and touched the picture. And that was it; they were gone.

Dinah crumpled to the floor, rocking the screaming Toby in her lap, and sobbing hysterically. Peter knelt down beside her and rubbed her back, and he wasn't surprised to find his own cheeks wet. What had he just done?

The book remained on the table, if either of them had just thought to look. It was open to the title page, and the picture, now frozen, would have been visible to them. Sarah stood in the Goblin King's throne room, a small blue book clasped in her left hand, and Hoggle's own hand clasped in her right.

It was some time before they actually did look.

* * *

The first thing Sarah saw were Jareth's shiny, black boots. Her eyes traveled upwards, meeting knee, belt buckle, torso, and finally…

Their eyes met. Jareth smiled, held his arms open wide, as if to encompass the whole world. "Welcome, dear Sarah. Welcome, once again, to my home!"