ShadowCat666: thanks buddy I'll see ya in gym
ladyofthedragons1: of course I am, I wouldnt leave you hanging :)
batteredchild: hey! you stayed with me! I remember you from FMN lol whoohoo. Anyway, thank you very much
CodeSeraph: lol Im glad you think that
jumping-jo: yep it is a poem :)
shatteredheart: THANK YOU! I hope you like this as much as the last one
Juniper87: here you go
Solea: hmm I cant tell you if he is or not
Lady of the labyrinth: lol superstitious is a good thing though. :) and the one you said this sounds like, is it up? Id like to read
atsuibelulah: many thanks ---
Moonjava: lovely to see you again ;) hope you like this one
CanaceErinn: hurry! post more I am eagerly waiting lol. Thank you and ... enjoy!
gettin scared yet? heh hehoooo i coudnt write horror if my life depended on it > behold...my attempt
I close my eyes and count to five
I pray to God he's gone outside
It wasn't until noon the next day that the power returned. She hadn't been surprised when she learned she was the only one on the block to loose it. Damn him.
Today was Saturday. A day of fun and relaxation. For anyone but Sarah.
Today was a day that she knew he had all day to terrorize her, like so many weekends before. The constant feeling of being followed and watched when she left her house had made her decided long ago it was better to stay inside. But that hardly helped. She was a sitting duck as she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind went back to last year…
"Dad!" she yelled as she ran down the stairs. "Dad, Karen, you'll never believe this!" As she gushed to the adults her trip through the labyrinth, she slowed to a stop in the middle. The looks she were getting were surprised and disbelieving.
"Sarah," said her father as he looked her over. "What have you been reading?"
"I wasn't reading anything, I'm telling you this happened!"
"Are you feeling well, Sarah?" her stepmother chimed in. "You look a little pale."
"I'm fine," she said, her face falling. "You don't believe me Daddy?" she asked in a quiet, slow voice.
"I think you've been dreaming, Hun. That's all. There's no labyrinth or prince charm-"
"He was a goblin king!" she said quickly. "And he certainly wasn't who I would call 'prince charming.'"
"He's just a figment of your imagination, Sarah," Karen said impatiently, having spent all the time she would talking about a wild fantasy. "A fantastic creation from one of your outrageous dreams."
Twirling around angrily she made her way slowly upstairs. She heard Karen whisper something about her wild ideas to her father, and she hurried up, storming to her room.
"Jareth is real. They all are," she mumbled into her pillow. An owl landed on the tree branch beside her window. And it started.
Daddy claims imagination
Karen says he's my creation
I close my eyes and count to six
Every night it's just like this
This Saturday night was the same as the many before it. Karen and her father went out and Toby was with another sitter. Her stepmother told her it was because they thought she'd like to get out more, but she knew better. She heard Karen telling her father she thought her wild imagination and ideas would rub off on Toby. Something Karen was deathly afraid of. Another glazy eyed daydreamer in the family.
But she wouldn't be alone tonight. There was no way she'd give him her Saturday night. She grabbed her phone and quickly punched in her best friends' number.
"Terri? Hi, what's up? Really? Same old, same old. Yeah, actually I did want something. I was wondering if you were busy tonight. Either house, I don't care. Alrighty, I'll be over in a bit. Love you too, babe. Ok. Yep. Bye!"
Sarah went up to her room and grabbed her overnight bag. Stuffing pajamas, a change of clothes, and a book she headed to the bathroom. She tossed her toothbrush and makeup in with the rest and headed downstairs for the car.
As she reached the door of her friend's home, she looked nervously over her shoulder. Feeling for the doorbell as she eyed the dark street, she jumped when the door opened.
"Hey Sarah!"
"Hey Terri," she said absently, walking past her friend who's arms were extended, waiting for a hug. With a shrug Terri closed the door and followed Sarah up to her bedroom.
As Terri rounded the corner and entered her room, she saw Sarah at the window, again scanning the street.
"What are you doing?" she asked, sitting down and stretching out on her bed.
"Looking for owls," Sarah said with a quick glance in her direction.
"Right…" nodded Terri, and she picked up a magazine from her bedside table. "You do that, Sar. Yeah, you have fun."
"Yeah…" Sarah answered without a thought. He is driving me crazy. She must think I'm mad, staring out looking for-ah there you are!
She spotted a large snowy owl land on a barren tree across the street. The soft red glow convinced her it was him.
Stepping away from the window, she joined Terri on the bed. Her friend scooted over to give her room and offered a magazine. Sarah politely declined. Instead she pulled out the book she had brought with her.
"Oh my god," moaned Terri as she spotted the cover. "Labyrinth again? How many times have you read that thing?"
"Crazy amounts, you don't want to know."
"I agree," she said turning back to her reading. Together in silence they read.
"Ter, I'm borrowing your shower," Sarah said as she stood and walked away from the television.
"Alright. Put it back where you found it when you're done," she called down the hallway.
"Can do."
As Sarah turned on the water to heat up, she pulled her hair down from its clip. Looking in the mirror, she saw a tired girl who'd been running from a ghost for far too long. But she felt certain he wouldn't come here. He'd never followed her to another house before, he just waited for her to return home.
With a wide yawn her fingers fumbled for the bottom of her shirt. On the way up her arms froze. She felt a hand on the back of her neck slowly making its way to the front of her throat. Gloved fingers tapped their trail playfully.
She felt its firm grip grasp her soft skin. Just below her jaw the hand's hold began to tighten. Wild thoughts of him strangling her rushed through her mind. The idea didn't seem so horrible…at least she'd be alone. What the hell am I thinking? I'm not dying like this!
Her shock died quickly as she screamed. The grip tightened for a moment as Terri's fast footsteps were heard, then it was gone with the sound of the bathroom door being flung open.
"Sarah!"
"Terri-he-was-here-I-swear-he-was-here," Sarah breathed quickly. Her teary eyes were terrified, and she rubbed a hand softly over her sore throat.
"Your Goblin King?" she asked, slightly annoyed it wasn't something more serious.
Sarah's eyes darted around quickly, almost as if saying his title would bring him back. Terri sighed and began walking to her room, turning her radio on loudly when she reached it.
Sarah turned the water off. She headed for the stairs, plopping heavily on one of the middle ones. She held her head in her hands and stared at the carpet.
He followed me…thought her scared mind, he followed me here. She wondered if, finally, her last night had come and he would stop at nothing to get her on schedule. How long had he waited for this day?
She thought back to the days before this. To a year ago when all she worried about were her test grades, friends and what was happening on her favorite television show. She wanted that simplicity back, and she wanted it back now. She didn't know how much more of this, of him, she could take. She almost wished he would just get it over with.
"If that's really what you want," came a soft voice.
Sarah froze, continuing to look blankly at the floor as her hair prickled with fear. Slowly and cautiously she raised her head to stare in front of her, her eyes seeing only the bottom of the staircase. She looked over her shoulder only to see the first few steps and the dark hallway above her.
She didn't know what to do. She listened intensely, trying to decide where he was. With a jolt she realized Terri was alone and unaware, and she jumped up and with two leaps she was in the hallway. But she wasn't alone.
With only a single step down the hall she saw him and lost control of her body, froozen in place. Standing still and afraid she watched him approach her with a smirk on his lips. Stepping out of the shadows, his light hair glittered in the moonlight from the small skylight.
Hands on hips he moved forward, circling her, followed by her eyes.
"Did you miss me Sarah?" he hissed in an angry whisper. She raised her chin and gave no other sign she was listening. "I know you've dreamt of my Labyrinth. How was it, Sarah?" he asked as he stopped behind her. "The same as you remembered it? The same dizzying walls and forests? Dangers at every turn?" he murmured, breath tickling her ear.
He quickly gripped her neck, turning her head to look into his eyes.
"You're lying to yourself if you believe that. My kingdom is dying because of you. You were never supposed to win, Sarah. No one was. The Labyrinth doesn't see me as a rightful ruler anymore, now that I'm an 'equal' to a pathetic mortal. Let's get this straight, my dear. I am unparalleled in my powers. There is no way in hell you are my equivalent. I do have power over you, much more than you would like to imagine."
Sarah's eyes were wide with terror. Her neck was throbbing with pain and in her position she could barely gasp for air. He spun her around to face him entirely and shequickly took adeep breath. His hands held tightly to her arms.
They each searched the others eyes. Sarah saw hatred as clearly as her reflection, and he saw the fear he was glad he had caused.
"I-I'm sorry Jareth-"
"Don't you dare use my first name."His thumbs dug into her skin."Do not address me so informally You would do well to remember I am your superior."
Sarah's heart pounded. Her eyes darted around and finally rested on Terri's door.
"Terri help!" she cried as she struggled to get out of his grasp. "Terri!"
Jareth gripped her tighter, fingers digging into her.
"Terri he's-" she gasped as his right hand grabbed just under her jaw, throwing her against the wall. She slid down to the floor, where she stayed for only a moment before he took a handful of her shirt.
In her room, Terri thought she heard something fall.
"Terri!" she heard faintly.
Oh not again, she thought with an annoyed sigh, twice in one night she thinks she sees this king.
Shrugging it off, she continued her magazine. She'd go out in a minute or two. Just as soon as she finished this…
"Terri please!" Sarah yelled as Jareth yanked her up again.
"A human can't help you Sarah." She winced as he held her throat forcefully to the wall. She was getting dizzy…she needed to breathe…
Jareth saw her suffering, and a small smirk spread over his lips.
"Now you know how I feel, Sarah. Helpless to save yourself. What will you do?"
With a surprising amount of force for her state, she kicked Jareth. He let go for only a second, but that was all she needed. She fell to the ground and as she began to stand, raced to the door as well.
"Terri please!" she screamed.
Terri won't come to the door
She don't believe me anymore