Sarah was falling quickly when her arm was given a quick jerk and she stopped, hanging midair. She realized that someone had grabbed her by the hand, so she looked up to see who it was. She was startled to see just an arm protruding from the wall. Screaming, she squirmed around trying to get her arm loose. "Well that isn't very nice, now is it?" A pleasant voice broke through the dim light. "Whose there?" Sarah demanded, still trying to get free. Out of nowhere another arm reached out and grabbed her other hand, holding fast as she struggled. "Ouch!" Cried out another voice. "That hurts, you know!"
Suddenly the small crevice came alive as hands came out of the darkness and began groping her, lifting her up. She began kicking and screaming when a more authoritative voice spoke above the others. "Be still, child." It commanded, all the hands freezing in place. "We're only trying to help."
"If you're trying to help, why not ask me where I need to go?" She protested, fighting against the hands as they began to lift her up.
Again they stopped and the voices conferred in whispers before responding to her. "All right, which way do you want to go - up or down?" Asked the leader voice. Sarah glanced up and then down. She wasn't sure what lay either way so she shrugged. "I guess down." The voices began to make sounds of dismay as they passed her down. Just as she was going to ask what the problem was, she found herself falling again but only for a moment. She hit the ground hard, bruising her arms as she did. Sitting up, she felt around in the darkness but could find no opening. She was stuck with no way out.
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Standing on his terrace, Jareth glared at the reflection in the crystal ball. This isn't possible! He was tempted to smash the ball to bits, but where would that get him? Besides, there was a very slim chance that she could get farther than she already had - and she was stuck after all. He rubbed his fingers across his face, deep in thought about what to do with her when his eyes lit up. Of course! Why not send Hoggle to help her out? Then he could really keep an eye on her.
Quickly he spun the ball and Hoggle's wrinkled face appeared. "Hoggle!" Jareth snapped, startling the little man from his nap. "Yes, your Majesty?" He replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"That girl you met at the gate? She's stuck in the oubliette. Get her out and help her through the labyrinth." Jareth commanded, narrowing his eyes. Hoggle started to protest but Jareth threw the ball up and it disappeared from sight. Leaning on the railing, he smiled. Soon, she will have to make the choice - me or her bratty brother.
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Sarah leaned against the stone wall, her back freezing from the cold seeping through her clothes. Her mind kept going over and over what she knew, trying to find way she could get out. She'd already tried calling to the helping hands but they either couldn't hear her or were just flat out ignoring her. A noise in the corner called all her senses to life and she tensed, listening. "It's just me, Hoggle." A gruff voice said as a match was lit, illuminating the form of a small man. Sarah recognized him as the man she'd met at the doorway. "You!" She gasped in disbelief. "You came to help me?" He stood from the bench that was in the corner and walked to face her. "I came to get you out of the labyrinth, that's it." She gazed at him and shook her head, getting to her feet. "No, I'm not leaving until I get Michael back and that's final."
Hoggle studied her for a moment before returning to his seat. "Do you know where you are?" When she shook her head no, he continued. "It's called an oubliette and it's made specifically to put things you want to forget about. The labyrinth is full of them."
She stared at him in amazement. "But why?" He looked at her in bewilderment so she hurried to explain her query. "What I mean is, why is the labyrinth full of them? Why would the Goblin King want so many of them?"
Hoggle eyed her curiously and thought for a moment. Leaning back, he he posed a question. "What do you know about Jareth - or the Goblin King, as you call him?"
"Nothing except this is is his palace and labyrinth and he stole my brother." She replied, shrugging slightly.
"It's a long story, so you'd best get comfortable." Hoggle suggested as Sarah sank back down and curled up her legs, wrapping her arms around them. Once she was as comfortable as she was going to be, she looked expectantly at the little man across the room. Clearing his throat, he began his tale. "It was a very long time ago when Jareth first came here. You see, he had met a very beautiful young girl named Sarah-" here Sarah let out a small gasp and earned a glare from Hoggle. "He was very much in love and being the great sorcerer he is, he imagined a wonderful place for them to spend eternity together. No wanting to waste time, Jareth began building the palace immediately. He knew it would please his love, for they had spent many hours talking about what the future would hold for them."
Sorrow filled his eyes as he paused, searching for the right words. "It didn't take him long to build for his heart was full of love and that was all he needed to fuel him. He returned to fetch her as his bride but was met with shock. He found her gone, married to another and her parents swore that she had changed her mind, they claimed that she refused to leave her family behind so she had married someone who would keep her close to them. He was so angry that he vowed never to return to their world again and returned back here. He poured all of his anger and disappointment into building this labyrinth and corrupted everything that he had built for her."
That's why he looked so sad. Sarah realized, pondering what she'd just heard. "But that doesn't explain the traps in the labyrinth." She said, still puzzling over them. Hoggle shook his head sadly and pointed to the corner. Looking over, Sarah saw a skeleton lying there. "When he left their world, Jareth took his love's baby brother and turned him into his very first goblin soldier. Because of his anger, he put a curse on all the Sarahs of the world, that if they grew weary of their young sibling, he would take them away to become his goblins. But the small bit of goodness that was still in his heart gave them a way out also - if they traveled through the labyrinth and rescued their sibling, they could both go free. Otherwise they died and their sibling stayed with him."
"How long has he been here?" Sarah asked, still starting at the skeleton of a Sarah that came before. Hoggle shrugged, looking away from her. "About a few thousand years." He muttered beneath his breath, bushy eyebrows wrinkling. "A few thousand years?!" She cried in disbelief. "How many Sarahs have come before me?"
He still refused to look at her. "I don't know the exact number, but enough for Jareth to have a large army of goblins." Sarah slumped back against the wall, her heart sinking. She had to get to Michael! "Can you get me to my brother?" She asked. The little man shook his head vehemently. "No, he'll kill me if I do!"
"Please!" She pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. As the tears began to run down her face, Hoggle sighed and hopped up from the bench. "Alright, alright! Quit your blubbering! I'll help you even if it kills me."
"Oh, thank you!" Sarah cried, jumping up and catching him in a hug. He struggled to get away and finally succeed in pushing her off. Straightening his jacket, Hoggle bent down and jerked the bench off the ground. Propping it up against the wall, he twisted the knob that had appeared on the bottom of the bench. "Oops, wrong one!" He murmured, closing the door and twisting the bottom knob. He jerked the door open and Sarah saw light streaming through the doorway. "Oh, you did it!" She said, kissing him on the cheek before rushing out. Hoggle exhaled quickly and reluctantly followed her out. "I just hope you can get through to him like I think you can."