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Chapter 7: Cave of Wonders
Dark red sand flew behind Sarah as she ran towards the entrance to the Goblin City. Suddenly the ground dissapeared out from under her and she felt heself falling. She let out a scream flailing her arms about trying to grab hold of something. As she fell she felt vines encasing her stomach, wrists and ankles, effectively stopping her downward spiral. She stopped screaming and tried to pull her wrists free, grunting with the effort it took, but to no avail, she was stuck there.
In front of her she noticed the vines begining to move. When they were done she could make out letters, and then words, and finally she made out a sentence. It said:
UP OR DOWN?
Sarah stared questioningly at the vines. "Are you asking me which way I'd like to go?"
YES GIRLY GIRL
"Nice. Up please, if you dont mind."
OH BUT WE DO
"Excuse me?" She asked and felt the vines carying her down the shaft. "HEY WAIT! I SAID UP!"
The vines continued to ignore her draging her swiftly down the hole and depositing her on the ground. "I SAID UP! NOT DOWN!" She screamed but the vines were gone. All she could see was a dark opening above her head. She stood up, brushing herself off and looked around. She was in a cave, made of rock and earth, surrounding her on three sides. The fourth side contained a doorway leading out into a dimly lit corridor.
The corridor seemed to be long but there were only two torches lit. Sarah grabbed one of them down and held it in front of her, not wanting to light herself on fire. She began walking, the flame bobbing in front of her. She felt like Indiana Jones, except without the whip, or the cool hat.
Soon she came to a crossroads, there were only two tunnels to choose from. One on her right and one on her left. She checked her watch. Only a half hour left. She chose the left path and continued to walk.
It was dank and mildewy in the passage way, it smelled of mold and dust. Obviously noone had been down here in ages. Thankfully there were no spider webs. The ceiling was a few feet above her head, allowing her to hold the torch up for better light. She heard a scratching noise, like a mouse tapping against the ground as he ran, ahead of her. It grew faint as she walked, there had to be another passageway up ahead.
It was peaceful down in the tunnel, no harsh sunlight, no creatures chasing her. Just her and her thoughts. Jareth. Now there was a thought. Unbidden as it was, it was the first one to pop into her head. She wondered what he was doing. Probably watching her no doubt.
It flattered and bothered her at the same time. She was flattered that he had an interest in her. But bothered that she was distracting him from his duties. Whatever they may be. He was a king after all.
Sarah stepped out of the tunnel into a huge cavern. He light barely reached the top of the ceiling or the far end of the cave. From what she could determine it was gigantic. Stalagtites and Stalagmites grew up from the ground and hung from the celing. She never could quite figure out which was which.
On her left she could hear a sound like rushing water. 'There must be an underwater spring.'
She turned towards the sound and followed it, being careful to watch where she stepped. She didnt fancy falling through another hole in the floor.
As she walked she could see a small beam of light growing brighter in front of her. The sound of water grew louder so she surmised that there had to be some kind of waterfall too. All the walking was starting to hurt her feet, her steps however did not falter and soon she came upon a pool of water. It was flowing smoothly, yet quickly towards a twelve foot wide and four foot high opening in the rock. She could just see the dark reddish blue sky peeking under the rock ceiling.
It was magnificent, a truly calming place. The water was just loud enough to be soothing and not give the viewer a headache. She breathed in the fresh scent and walked towards the edge of the water. It was a few inches down from the ledge she was standing on. Not needing the torch anymore she tossed it into the water and watched it float out the opening.
Time was running short. She would have loved to stay and put her feet in the water. Perhaps when this whole adventure was over, and if Jareth let her stay on her terms. She would be able to visit this place.
There was a path to the right side of the water leading under the low ceiling. She followed the path and ducked under the rock, emerging on the other side to a breathtaking sight. The sun was right at the horizon, its beams turning the normally green valley below her to a dark red color. There was a river, stemming from the base of the waterfall, winding through the valley. There looked to be plants and flowers littering its banks. Outside the Labyrinth the Underground was a very beautiful place.
Sarah surveyed her closer surroundings and found a staircase leading up on her left. It was carved out of the rock, by a very skilled artisan, the stairs were long enough to walk up easily. She began her ascent and hoped to god there was not alot of stairs.
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Jareth paced the length of the roof of his castle. His face was etched in concentration. From here he could view his vast empire. It was mostly taken up by the labyrinth. A fortress in and of itself. It surrounded his castle on all sides. There was only one road that ran straight through it. However only he could summon the Labyrinth to create it.
He was worried about Sarah, the last time he had seen her was in the ballroom. He understood why she had to leave, but the look of confusion on her face after he pulled away from thier kiss was burned into the back of his brain.
He'd had reports from his sentries that she had entered the Desert of Hopes and Dreams, but nothing since. That desert had once been a thriving desert, with animals, and plants. Now it was just sand. Like so many mens minds above ground. As mortal men lose there dreams and hopes, so too does the underground begin to dissapear. Sarah was the only hope for the underground.
A goblin stepped out of a hole in the floor and lumbered over to where Jareth had stopped to gaze out over his lands. The goblin handed Jareth a piece of rolled up parchment and then dissapeared back down the hole. Jareth unrolled the paper and smiled broadly showing his pointed teeth. He dropped the parchment to the ground and headed to the hole the goblin had just entered. It seemed Sarah had found his waterfall. As he dissapeared down the doorway the parchment he had dropped sailed over the roof and floated out towards the labyrinth, twisting and turning in the wind.
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