It Is Time

Sam listened from the other side of her door as her sister closed her's. She gave a sigh of relief and walked over to her bed. She put the bear on her vanity and opened the book she had in her hand. After an hour of skimming the book she found out the little dwarf's name was Hoggle. So why was the little guy in my dream, she asked herself. Sam started to shiver, not knowing if it was from the nightmare or her open window. Strange, she thought that she had shut it when she went to bed a few hours before.

She walked over to her window and looked outside. The storm had left a cold, damp feeling to the air, but the sky was remarkably clear. Sam shut the window and looked at her clock. She couldn't believe that it was almost 4:00 am. She picked up the book again as she got into bed. She was overwhelmed with feelings of confusion, fear, and a strange sadness. Try as she might, she couldn't shake them. Suddenly, feeling exhausted, she put the book under her pillow and turned out the lights. As she drifted off to sleep she realized that she was cuddling with a very familiar teddy bear.

(Another dream sequence)

"Oh, no, now where am I?" Sam looked around and found herself in a weird sort of hedge maze with a somewhat menacing castle in the distance. Sam turned as she heard what sounded like shuffling feet. What she saw amazed her. She saw a strange old man with some weird hat on his head. "Oh, my god, is that a bird's head?" Sam covered her mouth, realizing she had spoken out loud. The bird man turned in her direction.

"Ah, young girl, we have been waiting for you."

"What do you mean?" Sam started walking slowly toward him, biting her cuticles.

"You are searching, trying to find the right path, are you not?"

"Augh, would you listen to this crap," his bird/hat interrupted.

"Be quiet," the old man replied.

"Ah, nuts."

Sam looked on, confused and as usual, irritated. "Sir, what did you mean? Why am I here?"

"Life is a Labyrinth, full of twists and turns. It is up to you to find the answer yourself. Just remember, the way forward is sometimes the way back."

"Sir, I don't understand."

"Huh, join the club," the hat replied.

Sam saw that the man had dozed off. She sighed in frustration, and started to walk away when the annoying, bird hat said, "Please leave a contribution in the little box."

"Oh, you mean like a tip, well here's a tip, I wouldn't fly south for the winter if I were you."

The bird gaped at the rude girl and said, "Well, I guess you aren't a sucker."

Sam frowned in confusion. As she walked away, she turned around once more. The bird man had disappeared. She turned toward one of the statues in the hedge like park. What she found on the head of the statue was not so surprising, not anymore. She walked toward the beautiful owl, aware of each step she took. She was afraid, and yet, not. She was nearly within a few inches of the intriguing creature. Her hands shook as she stretched out her hand towards it. The owl bobbed its head back, as if he was contemplating every move she made. Her body was in full control, leading her mind captive. Her hand finally reached the soft feathers, stroking the owl's soft, chest. She started to smile and swore she saw a flicker of interest in the owl's mismatched eyes. Just as quickly as it occurred the owl spread his wings and flew away. Leaving Sam alone once again. (end of dream sequence.)

Jareth shot up in bed, sweat pouring down his toned chest. Still breathing heavily he got out of bed and put on his robe. He walked out of his chambers and swiftly down the stairs toward his Library. He entered the large room filled with books on every subject, aboveground and underground. He sat on the red, velvet couch, striving to calm his disturbed state of mind. He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. Without looking up he said, "Hello, Justina."

"Well, my brother, don't let anyone say your slipping up. You have still got it."

Jareth looked up at his sister. Justina could see the lines of worry around his eyes and was about to mention it when Jareth got up and approached a shelf of books. He picked one up and started to thumb through it, not really looking at the words.

"You know," he started, "I used to think these books were a trove of knowledge that could answer any question among your wildest dreams. But, I don't think any of these authors ever met Samantha Williams. The dreams that little girl has are very disturbing. For someone who is supposedly so unimaginative she sure has colorful dreams. My head is still in a daze from when she had me crash into those mirrors."

"Well, it's a good thing you have a hard head," Justina said with a smirk. Jareth glared at her . Justina, doing her best to ignore it, continued. "What happened?"

"Well, I think it began with her talking to Hedgewart." Justina shook her head, he will never get the little man's name right. She listened as Jareth told her the dream from start to finish.

After he had spoken the last word Justina looked just as upset as Jareth felt.

"This girl is more emotionally troubled than I had first thought. She obviously envies her sister and feels like she is in her shadow. Proof of that comes from what she saw in the mirrors. She is hiding from herself and is very afraid of what she might find. Something else is obviously bothering her but it is too early to tell." Justina paused for effect, looking to see if she had Jareth's attention. He looked at her with his usual, unreadable expression. Justina continued, "When the mirrors shattered I think that was her desiring to come to terms with her true self. That is the first step. You need to get her to realize what is bothering her , before she can start healing."

"Thanks sis, I never could have figured that one out on my own," Jareth said, sarcastically.

"You know, you have got a point, after all, you know everything. Maybe you don't need an advisor after all." Justina looked at him, all the while her temper rising steadily.

"Justina I am sorry, it's just that I am on edge. That is not the only dream she had tonight. In the most recent one, she reached out and actually touched me while I was in owl form."

Justina, suddenly forgetting her anger, clapped in excitement. "Do you know what this means, Jareth."

Jareth looked at her with a bored expression. "Yes, I do. It is time." He sighed in exasperation and transported himself to his bedchambers, obviously dismissing his sister.

Justina looked at the spot her brother had been in and said, "Yes, and the journey is just starting." With that, the Goblin King's advisor disappeared into the night.

Author's note: My psychological analyses of Samantha is not a professional opinion but, that of someone who enjoys studying the subject. This story is just for fun and shouldn't be taken too seriously. By the way, I have something important going on this week and probably won't be able to update until next weekend. To any of you faithful readers out there, thanks for your patience.

Ripper101: Your review is greatly appreciated. It was very sweet and yet strait forward all at the same time. I am striving to follow your advise, though I am not sure I understood it correctly. Please let me know if there was any improvement in this area. You also said you had yet to see Jareth. I am slightly confused because I introduced him in chapter three. But, then again, maybe I misunderstood you. Anyway, I am very proud of my work, but I do realize I am a rookie. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks again.