7. The baby
"I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now!"
It echoed through the sky as Sarah turned her head toward the castle. She began to run. She left the Junkyard and the city gate opened as she got closer to it. "The queen is coming!" She passed the gates and ran through the streets and up through the courtyard. She started to pant and pushed the castle door. She went up the stairs and entered the throne room. Jareth was gone, but a tiny baby boy was on the floor. She dropped the book on her throne and picked up the baby as the goblins giggled with glee. "Not again." The baby started to pull her hair and she didn't notice her book was glowing blue. It started to float and hid behind her throne as she back up. Sarah sat down in her seat and sighed. "Man, we got this going on again." She played with the baby. He was at least 6 months old. He was wearing a blue sleeper.
Jareth appeared a few minutes later yawning. His hand covered his mouth. For some reason he was tired. Must have slept weird, he thought. He peered down at Sarah as she played with the baby. "It seems Carol is very happy to get rid of him and accepted the crystal." He beamed at her. "Her dream was to be a dancer."
"She did?" Sarah asked as she tried to pull her hair away from the baby's tiny fist. The baby cooed and giggled at her.
He came over to her and took the child from her arms. He set the boy down on the floor gently as a goblin came over to play with it, "Little Joey is ours now."
The goblins began to cheer and leap into the air as Sarah's heart sank. "What are you going to do to him?"
Jareth sighed and replied without looking at her. "You very well know what I'm going to do."
Sarah stood up and grabbed the baby. "There are enough goblins here already!" She shouted as she backed away from him. She didn't want this cute baby turned into one of those dumb looking things.
The Goblin King shook his head and took one step forward, "Sarah, don't go soft on me." He was a little upset with her. "It's my duty to do this." He thought about taking the child back, but decided against it. Sarah might wish herself Aboveground, he thought. "We can't keep the child as a human." He placed his hands on his hips. "Cinda would have a hay day if he stays like this any longer." She would be here the moment she knew, he thought.
Slowly Sarah sat down and put her hand down on the seat. She thought she sat down on the book. She jerked back and looked for it, "Where did it go?" He eyes were wide. She remembered putting it on the throne.
Jareth was curious and cocked his head, "What?" He saw that she was searching for something.
She didn't want to put the baby down and said, "The hell with it!" She stood up and gave the baby back to Jareth. She turned back to the chair and looked behind. She found it lying there glowing blue. "I wonder why it was there." She picked it up as its glow died down.
Jareth's eyes widened. He gave the baby to a nearby goblin and pointed to the book. "Where did you get that?"
"In the firey woods." she replied. "It was behind a big root." She lied. She wasn't finished with it yet. She wanted to see if she could do something to help Damia. "I found it and the fireys wanted to play with me."
"I don't recall having this in my Labyrinth." He stared at it for a long time. "I've seen this only once and that a long time ago." He looked at the title. "I think the Demon Queen has one as well." He glanced up at Sarah. "Be very careful with it. If you want help on anything let me know." He turned away and went back to the baby.
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that he might take it away from her and set on fire or something like that. She decided to take it to their chambers, but then she remembered the baby. She turned around and saw Jareth making a crystal. He placed it on the baby's chest and took a step back as he swept his waistcoat's tail to the side. Joey grabbed the crystal and it turned into a bottle. Sarah raised her brow. "Had a change of heart?" she asked.
The baby began to drink the milk or whatever it was and Jareth looked at her. "No." He placed his hands behind his back as the goblins laughed.
Sarah came back in the throne room as the baby began to glow yellow. He dropped the bottle and screamed. It didn't sound human. It was a cross from human and goblin. Sarah has heard a lot of goblin scream in her day. She jerked back and stepped on a goblin's foot. "Sorry." She murmured as the baby lifted in the air. She glanced over to Jareth and he was enjoying this. Jareth haven't done this in a long time. Her brown eyes widened as the baby's legs grew longer and turned gray. Then his arms did the same and the rest of the body. Little Joey was now a baby goblin and he wailed. Sarah's covered her ears as the goblins cheered. She turned away as Jareth peered over to her.
"It is done." He said. "Maybe this one will be commander of the guards." He called after her and laughed. Then he turned back to his minions. "It's been a long time since we had a new recruit."
Sarah made her way to their chambers and slammed the door shut. She threw the book on the bed and sat down with a heavy sigh. "I wish I could call Damia." She said to herself. Then a red phone appeared by her left side. Sarah stared at it and drummed her fingers on her leg. She picked up the receiver and was surprised to hear a dial tone. She pulled the piece of paper out from under her pillow and began to dial. It was ringing.
"Hello?" Damia's voice said.
"Hey, it's Sarah." Sarah replied. She was happy to hear her voice. "How are you?"
"Sarah, I'm surprised you finally called." She said. "It's been two months since I saw you and your hunk."
"Two months?" Sarah repeated. "Oh right." She has forgotten time was different in the Underground.
"I'm doing better. Money is tight as always." Damia sighed. "I ran into my parents over at the grocery store last night. They acted like they didn't know me."
Sarah replied, "I'm sorry to hear that. I wished they would treat you better and stuff. They have no right doing this to you. You are carrying their grandchild."
"I know, but they don't care." Then Damia paused. Sarah could hear someone was knocking. "Someone is at my door." She paused again. Then she said excitedly, "I can't believe it. My folks are here. Listen, I got to go."
Sarah smiled, "Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Sarah hung up the phone and it vanished. She was smiling ear to ear. "My powers do pay sometimes." She chimed and then she stared at the spell book. She touched it and it glowed once more. It turned its pages to the last place she was looking at.
"Now, where's that spell?" She was looking for one to put on her parents. She wanted them to believe her in everything she said. As she turned to the next page, the book jumped back away from her. "What?" It closed and hopped all over the bed. Sarah didn't know what to think about this and tried to grab it. Then the book laughed at her. "Come back here!" Sarah shouted as she made a dive for it. She missed and landed on her belly.
"Silly human!" The book said. "Never trust a book by its cover." It leaped again as she made another move.
"No shit, Sherlock." She said as she stood up. "I just want to look for that spell."
"Sweetie, there is no such spell you can place on your parents." It replied. "They made up their minds and moved out of the house." It landed in the floor.
Sarah cocked an eyebrow. "What?"
"Go ask the Goblin King." It hopped around back and forth between the bed and the floor. "He saw the sign." Then it stopped and the glow died down. The book didn't move anymore.
Sarah ran out of the room. She kept on running till she reached the throne room. Jareth was sitting on his throne watching the goblins play with the new baby. "Jareth, did you see a sign in the front yard of the house?"
Jareth frowned and looked at her. "Yes. It was up for sale, but we were too busy at the time that I forgot to mention it."
Sarah fumed, "Why are they selling the house?"
"Maybe to get away from us." Jareth stood up. "We always seem to pop in their house and they wonder why. So they decided to move."
"I got to go talk to Toby." Sarah turned away from him and sighed. She saw Toby's room in her mind.
"Sarah, the cops will be there." Jareth said and tried to grab her, but she was gone. "Damn."
"I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now!"
It echoed through the sky as Sarah turned her head toward the castle. She began to run. She left the Junkyard and the city gate opened as she got closer to it. "The queen is coming!" She passed the gates and ran through the streets and up through the courtyard. She started to pant and pushed the castle door. She went up the stairs and entered the throne room. Jareth was gone, but a tiny baby boy was on the floor. She dropped the book on her throne and picked up the baby as the goblins giggled with glee. "Not again." The baby started to pull her hair and she didn't notice her book was glowing blue. It started to float and hid behind her throne as she back up. Sarah sat down in her seat and sighed. "Man, we got this going on again." She played with the baby. He was at least 6 months old. He was wearing a blue sleeper.
Jareth appeared a few minutes later yawning. His hand covered his mouth. For some reason he was tired. Must have slept weird, he thought. He peered down at Sarah as she played with the baby. "It seems Carol is very happy to get rid of him and accepted the crystal." He beamed at her. "Her dream was to be a dancer."
"She did?" Sarah asked as she tried to pull her hair away from the baby's tiny fist. The baby cooed and giggled at her.
He came over to her and took the child from her arms. He set the boy down on the floor gently as a goblin came over to play with it, "Little Joey is ours now."
The goblins began to cheer and leap into the air as Sarah's heart sank. "What are you going to do to him?"
Jareth sighed and replied without looking at her. "You very well know what I'm going to do."
Sarah stood up and grabbed the baby. "There are enough goblins here already!" She shouted as she backed away from him. She didn't want this cute baby turned into one of those dumb looking things.
The Goblin King shook his head and took one step forward, "Sarah, don't go soft on me." He was a little upset with her. "It's my duty to do this." He thought about taking the child back, but decided against it. Sarah might wish herself Aboveground, he thought. "We can't keep the child as a human." He placed his hands on his hips. "Cinda would have a hay day if he stays like this any longer." She would be here the moment she knew, he thought.
Slowly Sarah sat down and put her hand down on the seat. She thought she sat down on the book. She jerked back and looked for it, "Where did it go?" He eyes were wide. She remembered putting it on the throne.
Jareth was curious and cocked his head, "What?" He saw that she was searching for something.
She didn't want to put the baby down and said, "The hell with it!" She stood up and gave the baby back to Jareth. She turned back to the chair and looked behind. She found it lying there glowing blue. "I wonder why it was there." She picked it up as its glow died down.
Jareth's eyes widened. He gave the baby to a nearby goblin and pointed to the book. "Where did you get that?"
"In the firey woods." she replied. "It was behind a big root." She lied. She wasn't finished with it yet. She wanted to see if she could do something to help Damia. "I found it and the fireys wanted to play with me."
"I don't recall having this in my Labyrinth." He stared at it for a long time. "I've seen this only once and that a long time ago." He looked at the title. "I think the Demon Queen has one as well." He glanced up at Sarah. "Be very careful with it. If you want help on anything let me know." He turned away and went back to the baby.
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that he might take it away from her and set on fire or something like that. She decided to take it to their chambers, but then she remembered the baby. She turned around and saw Jareth making a crystal. He placed it on the baby's chest and took a step back as he swept his waistcoat's tail to the side. Joey grabbed the crystal and it turned into a bottle. Sarah raised her brow. "Had a change of heart?" she asked.
The baby began to drink the milk or whatever it was and Jareth looked at her. "No." He placed his hands behind his back as the goblins laughed.
Sarah came back in the throne room as the baby began to glow yellow. He dropped the bottle and screamed. It didn't sound human. It was a cross from human and goblin. Sarah has heard a lot of goblin scream in her day. She jerked back and stepped on a goblin's foot. "Sorry." She murmured as the baby lifted in the air. She glanced over to Jareth and he was enjoying this. Jareth haven't done this in a long time. Her brown eyes widened as the baby's legs grew longer and turned gray. Then his arms did the same and the rest of the body. Little Joey was now a baby goblin and he wailed. Sarah's covered her ears as the goblins cheered. She turned away as Jareth peered over to her.
"It is done." He said. "Maybe this one will be commander of the guards." He called after her and laughed. Then he turned back to his minions. "It's been a long time since we had a new recruit."
Sarah made her way to their chambers and slammed the door shut. She threw the book on the bed and sat down with a heavy sigh. "I wish I could call Damia." She said to herself. Then a red phone appeared by her left side. Sarah stared at it and drummed her fingers on her leg. She picked up the receiver and was surprised to hear a dial tone. She pulled the piece of paper out from under her pillow and began to dial. It was ringing.
"Hello?" Damia's voice said.
"Hey, it's Sarah." Sarah replied. She was happy to hear her voice. "How are you?"
"Sarah, I'm surprised you finally called." She said. "It's been two months since I saw you and your hunk."
"Two months?" Sarah repeated. "Oh right." She has forgotten time was different in the Underground.
"I'm doing better. Money is tight as always." Damia sighed. "I ran into my parents over at the grocery store last night. They acted like they didn't know me."
Sarah replied, "I'm sorry to hear that. I wished they would treat you better and stuff. They have no right doing this to you. You are carrying their grandchild."
"I know, but they don't care." Then Damia paused. Sarah could hear someone was knocking. "Someone is at my door." She paused again. Then she said excitedly, "I can't believe it. My folks are here. Listen, I got to go."
Sarah smiled, "Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Sarah hung up the phone and it vanished. She was smiling ear to ear. "My powers do pay sometimes." She chimed and then she stared at the spell book. She touched it and it glowed once more. It turned its pages to the last place she was looking at.
"Now, where's that spell?" She was looking for one to put on her parents. She wanted them to believe her in everything she said. As she turned to the next page, the book jumped back away from her. "What?" It closed and hopped all over the bed. Sarah didn't know what to think about this and tried to grab it. Then the book laughed at her. "Come back here!" Sarah shouted as she made a dive for it. She missed and landed on her belly.
"Silly human!" The book said. "Never trust a book by its cover." It leaped again as she made another move.
"No shit, Sherlock." She said as she stood up. "I just want to look for that spell."
"Sweetie, there is no such spell you can place on your parents." It replied. "They made up their minds and moved out of the house." It landed in the floor.
Sarah cocked an eyebrow. "What?"
"Go ask the Goblin King." It hopped around back and forth between the bed and the floor. "He saw the sign." Then it stopped and the glow died down. The book didn't move anymore.
Sarah ran out of the room. She kept on running till she reached the throne room. Jareth was sitting on his throne watching the goblins play with the new baby. "Jareth, did you see a sign in the front yard of the house?"
Jareth frowned and looked at her. "Yes. It was up for sale, but we were too busy at the time that I forgot to mention it."
Sarah fumed, "Why are they selling the house?"
"Maybe to get away from us." Jareth stood up. "We always seem to pop in their house and they wonder why. So they decided to move."
"I got to go talk to Toby." Sarah turned away from him and sighed. She saw Toby's room in her mind.
"Sarah, the cops will be there." Jareth said and tried to grab her, but she was gone. "Damn."