Hoggle quickly caught up to Sarah who was rushing down the stone pathway. Neither of them noticed a ball rolling behind them until it rolled past them. Sarah was intrigued and hurried to keep up with it, rounding a corner just as it rolled to a stop in front of a ragged looking man. The man reached down and picked it up, keeping his face hidden from sight. Hoggle breathlessly came around the corner and his face blanched as he saw the man.
"So is this what you thought I sent you to do?" Demanded that oh-so-familiar voice as he threw back his hood. Sarah backed up as she recognized Jareth standing before them. "I...I was trying to trick her, just like you taught me to!" Hoggle fumbled hopelessly in an attempt to appease his king. Jareth simply laughed and turned to Sarah. "And how do you like my little labyrinth?" He asked teasingly.
"It's alright, nothing special." She shrugged him off. Anger danced about his eyes as he cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He challenged, waving a hand. "Why don't we make it more interesting?" A ball appeared in his hand and with a flourish, he tossed it into the air. The air cracked with energy as the ball grew in size and then transformed into metal. As it landed on the ground, she heard the screeching of metal and Hoggle grew even paler. Instantly he grabbed her hand and began pulling her away. "What is it?" She asked as they ran down the narrow hallway. He was saying something but the only thing she could make out above the noise was "cleaners", which she couldn't understand what that had to do with their present situation.
Hoggle stopped unexpectedly, causing her to run into the back of him. Looking to see why they had stopped, she realized that they had hit a dead end. Hoggle began to beat on the wall with his fist, eyes wide in panic. The whirring metallic noise was getting closer and she finally got a glimpse of huge round object rolling towards them. There were all kinds of sharp objects sticking out from it which was what was causing the screeching. Turing back to the wall, Sarah tried to calmly examine it for any way out.
Her heart was racing when Hoggle pointed to a metal grill, grunting under his breath. At first she didn't understand what he was saying but then it clicked in her mind and she grabbed onto the grill. They pulled and pulled, the ball of death getting closer when suddenly it gave way. Hoggle dove into the opening and she quickly clambered in after him. They found themselves in a narrow wooden tunnel which only went on for a short walk before hitting another dead end. Sarah was about to suggest going back when Hoggle pointed out a rickety wooden ladder that ascended up out of sight.
"That's the only way to go." He said, climbing the first rung. "Just don't look down." He clambered up further and Sarah hurried to keep up. The higher they climbed, the darker it got. There were a few times she was tempted to look down but she kept her eyes on Hoggle's shoes. It took quite a while to climb up and her arms were beginning to grow weary when Hoggle paused in front of her. He fumbled with something above him for a moment before opening a small hatch that groaned loudly. He was out of the hatch and reaching down for her hands before too long. They collapsed on the grass that surrounded them and tried to catch their breath.
When her breathing had slowed, Sarah took a moment to take in their surroundings. She was quite shocked to see that they lay in the midst of a beautiful garden with birds chirping all around. She sat up, amazed at how peaceful and perfect it was. "The one place untouched by his wrath." Hoggle murmured without moving. "And before you ask, I don't know why that is." Sarah got up and walked to the hatch which was actually a large urn. Peering in, she saw nothing but darkness and couldn't hear anything either. Still, just to be on the safe side, she tugged the lid back into place.
She turned back to Hoggle who was still sprawled in the grass breathing heavily. "C'mon, we should get going. We still have to find my brother." Sarah said firmly, cocking an eyebrow at him. "How do we get out of the gardens?"
Hoggle remained resolutely where he lay. "I told you before, I have never been this far in." Sarah glared down at him and marched away. "Fine, I'll find my own way out!" She tossed back over her shoulder. Hoggle sighed happily and relaxed. "Finally, peace." He murmured, content with being left alone.
After a moment, his eyes popped open and he scrambled to his feet. "This is what is gonna get you killed, Hoggle, I just know it." He grumbled to himself as he ran down the path. Sarah was only a few paces ahead of him and didn't even turn to look at him. Instead, she simply smiled triumphantly as if she'd know all along that he'd follow after her. This did nothing but irritate Hoggle more and he lagged behind her, grumbling as he walked.
They wandered around the gardens, taking different paths to see if they could find any way out. Pretty soon Sarah was the irritated one and Hoggle was the one smiling. Finally they walked through an archway and saw a strange figure standing in front of them. At first Sarah thought it was a statue but then she realized that it was a very old man. She cautiously approached him, clearing her voice gently before she spoke. "Excuse me, but can you tell us the way out?"
The man continued to whisper to himself but Sarah jumped when his hat responded. "Leave him alone, he's thinking." The hat commanded gruffly. Looking up, she realized that it wasn't really a hat just a bird. Smiling politely, she began again. "Perhaps you can help us?" The bird tackled, flapping it's wings. "Oh, aren't you the funny one? You'd be better off asking him!" Suddenly the old man stirred and looked at her. "Ah, a little girl!" He said in delight. "It's been a long time since I've seen one."
He seemed ready to fall asleep, so she hurried to ask him about the exit. "Do you happen to know the way out?" The man studied her with disinterested eyes. "Often the way forward is the way backwards." He said simply before falling back into his thoughts again. The bird shook his head reproachfully. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb him?"
Sarah and Hoggle quickly exchanged glances before backing away. "Thanks for all the help." She called as the old man resumed his murmuring and the bird nestled down again. They walked back to the archway and a thought occurred to her. "Hoggle, what if he was right? What if we have to go backwards to get out?" She asked, before he could take off in another direction. Hoggle looked warily at her and opened his mouth to protest but she hurriedly continued. "We don't have anything to lose, do we?" His shoulders sagged and he shook his head. Turning, they stepped through the arch and Hoggle's eyes widened as they found themselves in a part of the gardens they hadn't seen yet. Grinning at each other, they took off through and followed the path.