Elaina fell for what seemed like forever, screaming all the while.
She was so scared that she didn't even notice that she wasn't falling half
as fast as she should have been.
When she realized she was slowing down, she stopped screaming and let herself come to a complete stop in midair, simply floating with nothing apparent holding her up or pushing her down. She looked around, but everything was still pitch-black.
Suddenly, she thought she could vaguely distinguish shapes moving around her. Indistinct outlines, yet they were there. They were moving all around her, dancing, shifting, spinning. It was making her sick.
But she wasn't sick for long. She soon felt all together light- hearted and carefree. She was floating aloft in a deep darkness with nothing to bother her. She was utterly happy. Somewhere, in the dark depths of her drugged mind, she knew that this wasn't natural but the drunkenness of this ecstasy she was feeling in her head pushed all that away and all she could feel was the bliss that penetrated her brain from some unknown source.
As the shapes became clearer, she saw that they were strange-looking creatures wearing even stranger masks. All kinds of masks of all different shapes and styles. At that thought, she realized with a sudden shock that she was still clutching the iron mask that she had found.....where *had* it come from? She wasn't sure. In fact, she could remember very little about anything. Just vague images and snatches of memory.
Something internal willed her to put the mask to her eyes. She lifted it to her face and the cold metal on her skin sent a shock through her. She closed her eyes and proceeded to tie the two pieces of blue satin ribbon behind her head. She took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. The sight that met them almost made her shriek.
She could see every masked shape clearly now and the darkness had been completely lifted. She could now determine through the intoxicating elation that she was in a brightly lit ballroom. She saw that she, herself, was dressed for the occasion, mask and all. She saw a group of the creatures all standing in a cluster talking about something that seemed to amuse them to a great extent.
She longed to walk in that direction and join in the conversation, but something willed her suddenly to look over to the far corner where something caught her eye. A gorgeous creature with soft golden hair and slightly feminine features, dressed in a deep blue. He was staring at her, as if beckoning her to him, and she couldn't help but wonder if she had seen him somewhere before.
She started in that direction, but a group of creatures crossed her path, blocking him from her view. By the time she had fought her way through them, he was gone.
She looked around, but didn't see him. She closed her eyes and let him guide her. He was willing her in the opposite direction and she spun around. Her eyes caught his again and this time he was moving towards her. She couldn't breathe as he put his arm around her waist and guided her to an empty space on the dance floor.
As he started to lead her in a slow whirl across the floor, she melted in his arms and allowed herself to be conducted across the smooth marble. Faintly, she thought she could hear a song coming out of the creature's mouth, but it was not so much a hearing of the song as much as it was a feeling of the vibrations sending tingles up and down her spine.
She thought she heard a dim chiming in the background, but it got harder to hear as the song got louder-or stronger, rather. She found herself getting lost in the rhythm. As the chiming ceased completely, the creature drew his arm around her waist and pulled her close. He stopped twirling her and tenderly placed his mouth on hers.
Elaina felt a rush of blood to her head and she found herself inside this mysterious creature's mind. She felt as if she was learning his life story yet she could pick up only snatches of information. The name was the most vivid. Jareth. Where had she heard that name before?
Before she could answer her own question, he pulled away gently and took her hands in his. The ballroom melted away and she was standing before a broken-down old castle that looked as if it had been stepped on by one of the giants in the stories Gibbs used to read to her before she could read herself. Besides the castle (and a few scraggly shrubs poking through the hard ground here and there) all that stretched to the north, south, east and west was a bare wasteland. Every few minutes, the soft yet whistling breeze would pick up a bit of loose sand, twirl it around and let it settle in a new spot. The sky above was slate gray and lightning would flash across in blinding streaks at random moments.
The blissful ecstasy that had taken over Elaina's mind in the ballroom was now completely gone, yet the mask was still over her eyes. She took it off, half-hoping to see a different scene when the mask was lifted but wasn't surprised when nothing changed.
She turned to the creature who was standing at her left. She opened her mouth to ask where they were, but before she had uttered a word the creature answered her.
"My castle" he said and pointed to the heap of rubble before them. His voice was deep and smooth. She could hardly concentrate on the words he spoke, she was so lost in the intonation of his voice.
"Why-" she began.
"-Is it a stack of debris?" He laughed. His laugh was even more beautiful than his voice. "Well, you see, it wasn't always this way. This place used to be beautiful. But, unfortunately, the other realm's armies attacked this castle one too many times. With every blow, I got weaker. After a while, I had barely enough power to get you here, much less rebuild.
She looked at him. She couldn't help it. After a few moments she said, "Why *did* you bring me here?"
He thought for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to word his answer. He pointed to the castle again. "I need your help. I no longer have the power to rebuild. You, on the other hand, have a greater power ever to be imagined."
Elaina laughed through her nose, despite her efforts, but couldn't bring herself to say anything.
Jareth merely looked at her with a stoic expression on his beautiful face. She took a breath and looked him in the eye.
When she didn't say anything further, Jareth smirked and said, "Ah...so she does not yet know...."
Elaina raised an eyebrow. "What, exactly, do I not yet know?"
He seemed amused, but said nothing. Elaina was annoyed, but tried not to let it show. "I said-"
"I heard you." Elaina could tell how badly he wanted to laugh. She stared at him for what seemed like a year, before he finally gestured to his former dwelling. "Concentrate on the rubble. Envision it all coming together, making one body."
She raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but decided to play along. She turned to the heap, closed her eyes and envisioned it all molding into one huge mass. She opened her eyes, let out a short, shrill scream and clamped her hand over her mouth. Where there had once been a pile of ruins was now a part of a quite lovely castle.
She glanced over at Jareth, who had discarded his emotionless manner for the moment and had a huge grin on his face. He felt her looking at him and turned to her. Then, without warning, he clasped her around the waist and twirled her around, laughing a full, vigorous laugh. He set her down, his hand on the small of her back, and kissed her passionately. She was utterly surprised, but laughed nonetheless.
He looked at her and smiled wider. "Go on then," he said, motioning to the wreckage that still surrounded the piece she had already assembled, "try again."
She was tired from the excessive use of energy, but seeing how happy he was, she turned back towards the castle and did it again. When she opened her eyes, it was almost complete. She didn't give herself time to feel the strain. She closed her eyes once again and focused all her power towards the castle.
When she once again lifted her eyelids, the completed castle was the last thing she saw before she collapsed from exhaustion.
When she realized she was slowing down, she stopped screaming and let herself come to a complete stop in midair, simply floating with nothing apparent holding her up or pushing her down. She looked around, but everything was still pitch-black.
Suddenly, she thought she could vaguely distinguish shapes moving around her. Indistinct outlines, yet they were there. They were moving all around her, dancing, shifting, spinning. It was making her sick.
But she wasn't sick for long. She soon felt all together light- hearted and carefree. She was floating aloft in a deep darkness with nothing to bother her. She was utterly happy. Somewhere, in the dark depths of her drugged mind, she knew that this wasn't natural but the drunkenness of this ecstasy she was feeling in her head pushed all that away and all she could feel was the bliss that penetrated her brain from some unknown source.
As the shapes became clearer, she saw that they were strange-looking creatures wearing even stranger masks. All kinds of masks of all different shapes and styles. At that thought, she realized with a sudden shock that she was still clutching the iron mask that she had found.....where *had* it come from? She wasn't sure. In fact, she could remember very little about anything. Just vague images and snatches of memory.
Something internal willed her to put the mask to her eyes. She lifted it to her face and the cold metal on her skin sent a shock through her. She closed her eyes and proceeded to tie the two pieces of blue satin ribbon behind her head. She took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. The sight that met them almost made her shriek.
She could see every masked shape clearly now and the darkness had been completely lifted. She could now determine through the intoxicating elation that she was in a brightly lit ballroom. She saw that she, herself, was dressed for the occasion, mask and all. She saw a group of the creatures all standing in a cluster talking about something that seemed to amuse them to a great extent.
She longed to walk in that direction and join in the conversation, but something willed her suddenly to look over to the far corner where something caught her eye. A gorgeous creature with soft golden hair and slightly feminine features, dressed in a deep blue. He was staring at her, as if beckoning her to him, and she couldn't help but wonder if she had seen him somewhere before.
She started in that direction, but a group of creatures crossed her path, blocking him from her view. By the time she had fought her way through them, he was gone.
She looked around, but didn't see him. She closed her eyes and let him guide her. He was willing her in the opposite direction and she spun around. Her eyes caught his again and this time he was moving towards her. She couldn't breathe as he put his arm around her waist and guided her to an empty space on the dance floor.
As he started to lead her in a slow whirl across the floor, she melted in his arms and allowed herself to be conducted across the smooth marble. Faintly, she thought she could hear a song coming out of the creature's mouth, but it was not so much a hearing of the song as much as it was a feeling of the vibrations sending tingles up and down her spine.
She thought she heard a dim chiming in the background, but it got harder to hear as the song got louder-or stronger, rather. She found herself getting lost in the rhythm. As the chiming ceased completely, the creature drew his arm around her waist and pulled her close. He stopped twirling her and tenderly placed his mouth on hers.
Elaina felt a rush of blood to her head and she found herself inside this mysterious creature's mind. She felt as if she was learning his life story yet she could pick up only snatches of information. The name was the most vivid. Jareth. Where had she heard that name before?
Before she could answer her own question, he pulled away gently and took her hands in his. The ballroom melted away and she was standing before a broken-down old castle that looked as if it had been stepped on by one of the giants in the stories Gibbs used to read to her before she could read herself. Besides the castle (and a few scraggly shrubs poking through the hard ground here and there) all that stretched to the north, south, east and west was a bare wasteland. Every few minutes, the soft yet whistling breeze would pick up a bit of loose sand, twirl it around and let it settle in a new spot. The sky above was slate gray and lightning would flash across in blinding streaks at random moments.
The blissful ecstasy that had taken over Elaina's mind in the ballroom was now completely gone, yet the mask was still over her eyes. She took it off, half-hoping to see a different scene when the mask was lifted but wasn't surprised when nothing changed.
She turned to the creature who was standing at her left. She opened her mouth to ask where they were, but before she had uttered a word the creature answered her.
"My castle" he said and pointed to the heap of rubble before them. His voice was deep and smooth. She could hardly concentrate on the words he spoke, she was so lost in the intonation of his voice.
"Why-" she began.
"-Is it a stack of debris?" He laughed. His laugh was even more beautiful than his voice. "Well, you see, it wasn't always this way. This place used to be beautiful. But, unfortunately, the other realm's armies attacked this castle one too many times. With every blow, I got weaker. After a while, I had barely enough power to get you here, much less rebuild.
She looked at him. She couldn't help it. After a few moments she said, "Why *did* you bring me here?"
He thought for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to word his answer. He pointed to the castle again. "I need your help. I no longer have the power to rebuild. You, on the other hand, have a greater power ever to be imagined."
Elaina laughed through her nose, despite her efforts, but couldn't bring herself to say anything.
Jareth merely looked at her with a stoic expression on his beautiful face. She took a breath and looked him in the eye.
When she didn't say anything further, Jareth smirked and said, "Ah...so she does not yet know...."
Elaina raised an eyebrow. "What, exactly, do I not yet know?"
He seemed amused, but said nothing. Elaina was annoyed, but tried not to let it show. "I said-"
"I heard you." Elaina could tell how badly he wanted to laugh. She stared at him for what seemed like a year, before he finally gestured to his former dwelling. "Concentrate on the rubble. Envision it all coming together, making one body."
She raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but decided to play along. She turned to the heap, closed her eyes and envisioned it all molding into one huge mass. She opened her eyes, let out a short, shrill scream and clamped her hand over her mouth. Where there had once been a pile of ruins was now a part of a quite lovely castle.
She glanced over at Jareth, who had discarded his emotionless manner for the moment and had a huge grin on his face. He felt her looking at him and turned to her. Then, without warning, he clasped her around the waist and twirled her around, laughing a full, vigorous laugh. He set her down, his hand on the small of her back, and kissed her passionately. She was utterly surprised, but laughed nonetheless.
He looked at her and smiled wider. "Go on then," he said, motioning to the wreckage that still surrounded the piece she had already assembled, "try again."
She was tired from the excessive use of energy, but seeing how happy he was, she turned back towards the castle and did it again. When she opened her eyes, it was almost complete. She didn't give herself time to feel the strain. She closed her eyes once again and focused all her power towards the castle.
When she once again lifted her eyelids, the completed castle was the last thing she saw before she collapsed from exhaustion.