Chapter Five
Jamie flung open his front door, and barged into his home, dropping his keys, then his jacket on the floor. Breathing heavily, he knelt on the floor in front of the statue of Jareth, holding the little red book in front of him. The fire in the fireplace had died down, giving the room an eerie red glow. It was still warm, almost hot, in the room, so Jamie unbuttoned his shirt and let it hang open. He pressed the book to his heart for a moment, and then opened the book slowly and began paging through it. It was a storybook, about a young slave girl forced to care for a spoiled rich child. Taken by her beauty, the Goblin King had bestowed powers upon her, powers that would grant her any wish. She had wished the child away, just as Sarah had, but had won him back in the end in a confrontation with the Goblin King. Jamie ate every word of the story with relish. Then he started reading over certain passages. He came to the incantation. Taking a deep breath, and holding the book in the air, he began to read aloud.
"Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be....", he paused. He had no child to wish away, nothing to offer the Goblin King. Jamie flung the book across the room in frustration sat on the floor with his chin on his knees. What was he to do now? What could he give that was of any kind of value to a Goblin King? He sat back and tried to think logically. He had to find something that was of no value to him, but would be of great value to a Goblin King. Something he had no use for, but that Jareth would find great use for. Something he cared nothing for, but something that Jareth wanted, no needed, more than anything. What? What? Suddenly, it came to him. He half smiled, wondering why it hadn't hit him sooner. He stood, and faced the statue. In his excitement, he left off the flowery words and said the first thing that came into his mind.
"I wish the goblins would come and take Sarah's child away, right now."
Nothing happened. Not a thing. Jamie looked at the statue closely. He tried again.
"I wish the goblins would come and take Sarah's child away, right now!"
"I heard you the first time." Jamie jumped. The statue seemed to morph, then separate, and then in its place stood Jareth, King of the Goblins. Jareth stretched his arms and straightened his jacket neatly. He was wearing his favorite outfit, the black leather jacket, gray shirt, and black pants. Jamie had sculpted well. Now Jareth laughed at the sight of Jamie, standing with his mouth open, unable to speak.
"What? Not what you were expecting?", he asked. Jamie found his voice.
"No, it's just that...you're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King."
"You should know. You sculpted that wonderful likeness of me, very well done, I might add.", and Jareth gestured towards the sculpture on its pedestal from which he had descended. Jamie looked back and forth from sculpture to King and back again. Then he stood in front of Jareth and bowed slightly, then straightened.
"It is an honor, and a pleasure, my lord." Jareth smiled graciously.
"It's good to know that chivalry isn't dead." Jamie smiled. Jareth walked in a circle around the room, noticing the paintings, the sculptures, and the books. His face held no expression as he picked up a copy of "The Goblin's Labyrinth". He paged through it quietly. Jamie made no noise. Jareth turned and faced him, still holding the book.
"So. You wish to go to the Labyrinth and all that lies Underground?"
"Yes. I have always wanted to." Jamie answered with conviction.
"Sarah was once certain she wanted that too. How do I know you won't change your mind?"
"I'm different. Sarah was a fool to give it all up." Jamie said proudly.
"And yet you still love her, even though she is a fool?", Jareth asked slyly. Jamie blushed.
"I love what she used to be, and what I know she could still be." Jareth threw the book across the room in anger. He came over and grabbed Jamie's shirt in his fist.
"Beware, boy.", he spat. "I once thought as you did. Beware. All she had ever brought me was defeat, destruction, and despair. Forget her. Come. Look to the Labyrinth, you have paid your price."
"My price?" Jareth let go of his shirt. He sighed impatiently.
"Yes, your price. I needed a child, you provided one."
"You took Sarah's child from her, then? Good. She doesn't need children." Jareth smirked.
"In a manner of speaking. In a manner of speaking." Jareth smiled broadly then, and clapped an arm around Jamie's shoulders.
"Come then. Look there." He gestured at a tapestry that hung on the wall, silk woven that featured a breathtaking portrait of the Labyrinth. As he did, the fabric shimmered and waved, and became three-dimensional. The Underground spread before them. Jamie smiled and took a step closer, then stopped. He turned on Jareth angrily.
"What's going on here? Where's the Labyrinth? All the creatures? Everything here is dead!", he yelled, gesturing at the tapestry. For it was.
The Underground spread across the countryside for leagues in every direction, but all that remained of the Labyrinth were walls that had holes in them, were falling down, or in piles of stones. Jamie looked closer and recognized things, or thought he did, from Sarah's descriptions. What must have been the Bog of Eternal Stench had dried up. The Hedge Maze was brown and dried and crumbling. The Forest had burnt to the ground, and the Junk pile was truly junk, an unrecognizable pile of trash and hodge-podge. The Castle in the Center of the Labyrinth was gone. All that remained was a tower, rising tall against the dying sunlight. There was no noise at all, no signs of life. Jareth sneered at Jamie.
"Idiot. What did you think happened when Sarah defeated me? The Labyrinth was no longer a mystery, had lost its very purpose. How could it survive after that?" Jamie was angry.
"You lied to me."
"I did no such thing. You wanted to see the Labyrinth, there it is."
"But I didn't know it was dying, or dead, or whatever it is!"
"Ah, but is it really?" Jareth gestured at the Labyrinth, and at the same time, a ripple of color seemed to sweep over the Labyrinth quickly. Jamie felt a breath of fresh air pass by his face, and he smiled.
"What did you do?", he asked Jareth.
"My power is returning. Your wish has begun to restore it." Jareth flexed his fingers contentedly.
"Why didn't it work right away? What's the hold up?" Jamie asked in confusion.
"Because, young fool, babies take nine months to be born." Jareth smiled wickedly.
Jamie flung open his front door, and barged into his home, dropping his keys, then his jacket on the floor. Breathing heavily, he knelt on the floor in front of the statue of Jareth, holding the little red book in front of him. The fire in the fireplace had died down, giving the room an eerie red glow. It was still warm, almost hot, in the room, so Jamie unbuttoned his shirt and let it hang open. He pressed the book to his heart for a moment, and then opened the book slowly and began paging through it. It was a storybook, about a young slave girl forced to care for a spoiled rich child. Taken by her beauty, the Goblin King had bestowed powers upon her, powers that would grant her any wish. She had wished the child away, just as Sarah had, but had won him back in the end in a confrontation with the Goblin King. Jamie ate every word of the story with relish. Then he started reading over certain passages. He came to the incantation. Taking a deep breath, and holding the book in the air, he began to read aloud.
"Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be....", he paused. He had no child to wish away, nothing to offer the Goblin King. Jamie flung the book across the room in frustration sat on the floor with his chin on his knees. What was he to do now? What could he give that was of any kind of value to a Goblin King? He sat back and tried to think logically. He had to find something that was of no value to him, but would be of great value to a Goblin King. Something he had no use for, but that Jareth would find great use for. Something he cared nothing for, but something that Jareth wanted, no needed, more than anything. What? What? Suddenly, it came to him. He half smiled, wondering why it hadn't hit him sooner. He stood, and faced the statue. In his excitement, he left off the flowery words and said the first thing that came into his mind.
"I wish the goblins would come and take Sarah's child away, right now."
Nothing happened. Not a thing. Jamie looked at the statue closely. He tried again.
"I wish the goblins would come and take Sarah's child away, right now!"
"I heard you the first time." Jamie jumped. The statue seemed to morph, then separate, and then in its place stood Jareth, King of the Goblins. Jareth stretched his arms and straightened his jacket neatly. He was wearing his favorite outfit, the black leather jacket, gray shirt, and black pants. Jamie had sculpted well. Now Jareth laughed at the sight of Jamie, standing with his mouth open, unable to speak.
"What? Not what you were expecting?", he asked. Jamie found his voice.
"No, it's just that...you're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King."
"You should know. You sculpted that wonderful likeness of me, very well done, I might add.", and Jareth gestured towards the sculpture on its pedestal from which he had descended. Jamie looked back and forth from sculpture to King and back again. Then he stood in front of Jareth and bowed slightly, then straightened.
"It is an honor, and a pleasure, my lord." Jareth smiled graciously.
"It's good to know that chivalry isn't dead." Jamie smiled. Jareth walked in a circle around the room, noticing the paintings, the sculptures, and the books. His face held no expression as he picked up a copy of "The Goblin's Labyrinth". He paged through it quietly. Jamie made no noise. Jareth turned and faced him, still holding the book.
"So. You wish to go to the Labyrinth and all that lies Underground?"
"Yes. I have always wanted to." Jamie answered with conviction.
"Sarah was once certain she wanted that too. How do I know you won't change your mind?"
"I'm different. Sarah was a fool to give it all up." Jamie said proudly.
"And yet you still love her, even though she is a fool?", Jareth asked slyly. Jamie blushed.
"I love what she used to be, and what I know she could still be." Jareth threw the book across the room in anger. He came over and grabbed Jamie's shirt in his fist.
"Beware, boy.", he spat. "I once thought as you did. Beware. All she had ever brought me was defeat, destruction, and despair. Forget her. Come. Look to the Labyrinth, you have paid your price."
"My price?" Jareth let go of his shirt. He sighed impatiently.
"Yes, your price. I needed a child, you provided one."
"You took Sarah's child from her, then? Good. She doesn't need children." Jareth smirked.
"In a manner of speaking. In a manner of speaking." Jareth smiled broadly then, and clapped an arm around Jamie's shoulders.
"Come then. Look there." He gestured at a tapestry that hung on the wall, silk woven that featured a breathtaking portrait of the Labyrinth. As he did, the fabric shimmered and waved, and became three-dimensional. The Underground spread before them. Jamie smiled and took a step closer, then stopped. He turned on Jareth angrily.
"What's going on here? Where's the Labyrinth? All the creatures? Everything here is dead!", he yelled, gesturing at the tapestry. For it was.
The Underground spread across the countryside for leagues in every direction, but all that remained of the Labyrinth were walls that had holes in them, were falling down, or in piles of stones. Jamie looked closer and recognized things, or thought he did, from Sarah's descriptions. What must have been the Bog of Eternal Stench had dried up. The Hedge Maze was brown and dried and crumbling. The Forest had burnt to the ground, and the Junk pile was truly junk, an unrecognizable pile of trash and hodge-podge. The Castle in the Center of the Labyrinth was gone. All that remained was a tower, rising tall against the dying sunlight. There was no noise at all, no signs of life. Jareth sneered at Jamie.
"Idiot. What did you think happened when Sarah defeated me? The Labyrinth was no longer a mystery, had lost its very purpose. How could it survive after that?" Jamie was angry.
"You lied to me."
"I did no such thing. You wanted to see the Labyrinth, there it is."
"But I didn't know it was dying, or dead, or whatever it is!"
"Ah, but is it really?" Jareth gestured at the Labyrinth, and at the same time, a ripple of color seemed to sweep over the Labyrinth quickly. Jamie felt a breath of fresh air pass by his face, and he smiled.
"What did you do?", he asked Jareth.
"My power is returning. Your wish has begun to restore it." Jareth flexed his fingers contentedly.
"Why didn't it work right away? What's the hold up?" Jamie asked in confusion.
"Because, young fool, babies take nine months to be born." Jareth smiled wickedly.