The world was not as she imagined from before. There was no desolate landscape and no intimidating labyrinth to be seen. She was standing in a brightly lit, summery meadow. Soft heather brushed against her knees beneath her long skirt. The air was sweet and fragrant. A small bridge stretched over a duck pond only a few yards away.
Coming over the bridge Sarah saw a miniature old woman with her back in a hump. The creature was muttering to herself. Sarah went to walk closer and suddenly recognised the old woman as none other than Agnes, a trash-heap goblin who had tried to make her forget about her brother and instead remember only herself. Of course Agnes was looking better these days. Instead of garbage pilled to the sky, she carried bushels of heather, poppies and milkweed on her back. The goblin ignored Sarah as she walked by. Sarah didn't see anyone else around and had to ask someone if they knew where she was.
"Excuse me?" she called after the bobbing flower stack. "Can you tell me where I am?"
"Hmm? What?" came the muttering. Slowly the tower of blooms turned to face Sarah. "Oh? You again, is it? Hmm?" The old goblin squinted her wrinkled face. "What did you say? What is that, now?"
"I asked you if you could tell me where I am."
"This is a field, dearie, you like the flowers don't you?" The goblin pulled a poppy from her load and held it out to Sarah. "Here have a pretty poppy, put it in your hair."
Sarah obliged her and tucked the stem behind her right ear. "Thank you. I can see that this is a field, but what country is this? Is there a Castle or a labyrinth anywhere?"
"Hmm? What? Castle?" The wrinkled face wrinkled more. Then Agnes looked like she'd had an epiphany. "Oh the castle in the labyrinth?"
"Yes," Sarah said excitedly. Finally she was getting somewhere. "Do you know how I can get there?"
"Well no. It's no good, that." Sarah's face fell. "The whole thing is gone. Disappeared just like that," Agnes explained snapping her bony fingers. "Don't need a castle when nobodies playing king, do you?" Agnes turned around and began to walk her path again.
"What do you mean? Where is the king?" Sarah asked chasing after the goblin. "Why was I brought wherever I am if not to see the king?"
"How should I know, dearie?" Agnes stopped abruptly nearly causing Sarah to fall over her. "There's been no king for ages. Goblins do as goblins like. Never needed a king."
Agnes moved on and Sarah stayed still. Either this old goblin was confused or Sarah was in big trouble. What did this mean, no goblin king? And if there wasn't a labyrinth, what had happened to it? And where was Toby?
Sarah let out a groan of frustration. Maybe the labyrinth was now just an open plain of riddles and misdirection. Seeing as there were no answers here, Sarah decided to follow Agnes to wherever she was going.
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