Chapter 2 : A strange feeling

The morning came and the noise in the next room woke Sarah up. Grudgingly, she got up, changed her clothes and picked up her things. When she was ready, she opened the door between the two rooms. Her father and mother-in-law just finished dressing.

"Ah! Sarah!" she exclaimed seeing her, then whispered so Toby could sleep a bit longer. "Did you talk to Toby?"

"I tried but in vain," said Sarah. "He said nothing and I never saw him react like that."

Irene's shoulders drooped and her father's eyes darkened.

"So his doctor may be right. He's mentally retarded."

Two terrifying words that Sarah had never considered. Her little brother was clever, not simple-minded like ... most goblins. Sarah was suddenly ashamed of her thoughts and angry with herself. Toby had nothing to do with these creatures. And even if he did, he was Sarah's brother. She wouldn't love him less.

"We will take him to see a specialist when we come back to America," sighed Irene. "I hoped that a change of air would do him good but it looks like this unknown hotel had the opposite effect."
"Maybe I could stay for the day," Sarah proposed.

She had other plans for the day but Toby was more important.

"You don't have to. Your father's new client invited us to discover the English countryside. Toby is like you, nature has always calmed him. This trip will be good for him and if not, I promise to keep you informed. Maybe we could make a jump to Oxford tomorrow? We would love to see why you talk so much about this city."

Sarah gave up, too easily perhaps. In any case, she was not sure what she could do for poor Toby in the state she was in. What she needed was to be alone and think for a while, after emptying her head of worry and guilt.

A little ashamed and hesitant despite everything, she picked up her backpack.

"Call me tonight, okay? And even after your return home, if you have news, or even if you just need to talk."

Clumsily, Irene hugged her for a few seconds. Her father then went forward to do the same. When he let go, Sarah felt a hand grip her pants. Toby stared at the curtains behind her while giving her Lancelot with an imperative gesture.

"Toby, I can not take you Lancelot, it's your favourite toy. You do not even know when you'll see him again."

Her little brother handed it to her more vehemently. Overcome, Sarah reopened her bag to put Lancelot in between her books and her clothes from the night before. She tried to kiss Toby but he squirmed to escape her embrace. Sarah had to give up and contented herself with a brief kiss on his forehead. She said goodbye again to her father and mother-in-law for the last time, then left. The door slammed. Sarah hated that sound. It was like something was closing forever.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Sarah went back to Oxford. Discomfort and distress followed her steps. This time it had nothing to do with any presence attached to her. As soon as she got off the train, she went to the library. Even among the precious centenarian volumes, she loved to read, doubt kept her from concentrating. Twenty times she thought of giving up her research to take a train back to London. Guilt alone stopped her. The feeling that everything was her fault was growing in her stomach. She had snatched Toby from the goblin king, but for the first time in a long time, she wondered if she had brought him back intact. The day after her struggle with the labyrinth and its master, Sarah had examined her brother from all angles to be certain that he had not begun to turn into a goblin as the king had threatened. But no, his skin was still pink and his eyes were blue so Sarah was reassured. If not, she would have found a way back into the Underworld, as she had named it, and made Toby's torturer pay for it. That day, she cried, hugging Toby tightly, probably too much, but he did not cry in protest. It was the only time she had allowed herself to cry about this adventure.
If Toby was unwell today, it might be her fault. Yes, Toby may have always been different. There should be thousands of strange children around the world and Sarah was willing to bet that most had never looked up to a different sky than that of the Earth. Sarah could not go back to London any more than she could have stayed at home if she had failed to bring Toby back. She wouldn't dare to meet the eyes of her family without being sure of the truth.

As she struggled to focus on a sentence she had already read ten times, Sarah realized that she could discover the answer here. She was in one of the greatest sources of knowledge about folklore. She could investigate. Looking up at the wall clock, Sarah realized that her epiphany came a little late. The library was soon going to close, and she was wasting her time pitying herself and trying to work on a thesis that had lost all importance in just a day. She should just accept this setback and return the next day to get serious work. Of the thousands of works on folklore, there must have been some that were relevant to Toby's case. And before that, she had her own books that she could consult at home.

She collected her notes of the day, then deposited the books she had scarcely consulted on the librarian's cart which was passing to remind the latecomers of the closing time. It was a young man she vaguely knew and who did not hide that he was very interested with her. Usually, Sarah pretended she hadn't noticed his advances.

"Good work today?," he asked in the clear hope of bringing the discussion to the topic that interested him.

"Quite good, but I'm falling behind," she lied, with a smile that could pass to sincere. "My teacher requires quick answers for an article he is working on and I'm drowning in my research."

"I can imagine," he grimaced with a look of compassion. "If I can help you..."

"It's very nice," Sarah smiled before frowning as if she suddenly had an idea. "Tell me, do you work tomorrow? If I arrive at eleven o'clock, could you put aside all that there is about changelings and kidnappings in European folklore?"

He winced slightly. Sarah wanted to laugh in his face, amused to see him fight between his attraction toward her and his desire not to double his work.

"It looks light a lot of work if you have no title to give me and I have archiving to do," he ends up saying. "What do I get in exchange?"

"I would be very grateful to you," promised Sarah, with a large smile.

This one looked more sincere than Sarah believed or the librarian was particularly gullible because he blushed and accepted with enthusiasm. Sarah had promised nothing. She had learned never to promise anything. A word bound you far too much. With one last smile, as false as the previous ones, Sarah wished the young man a good evening, picked up her notes and left the library.

Exhausted, she went on the first bus to her neighbourhood and struggled not to fall asleep against the window. After that, she went to her street, eyes fixed on the ground. It took her three try to open the lock and close the door. Finally, she began to climb the stairs when her landlady came out of her living room.

-Miss William, you received a call two or three hours ago. The same number as the last time.
Weariness forgotten, Sarah rushed to the phone, barely taking the time to thank her landlady. The anxiety was nearly unbearable. This time, she was quickly transferred when she gave her parent's room number.

"Sarah, is it you?" asked her stepmother. "It's been two days since we've been trying to call you!"

Even though Irene had raised exaggeration to an art form, she must have been exhausted to make this kind of confusion. Sarah has promised herself to be indulgent. It must be difficult taking care of Toby when Irene was stressed from worry, especially if he had behaved all day as he had the night before.

"I told you I'd come back late today," she reminded her.

"Maybe. I forgot what you told I suppose. You're probably wondering why I call you.

"Not really. How is..."

"Your father and I are in England for two more days," her stepmother interrupted. We are on an unforeseen business trip. A colleague of your father had to withdraw. Your father has replaced him unexpectedly and is about to sign a big deal. The client invited us to visit the English countryside today, it was great. We're in London for two days more days, you have to come tomorrow. We could go shopping together and eat at the hotel. Your father miss you so much!
"What are you talking about? We had this conversation two days ago! Hand me my father."
There was silence, long enough for Sarah to start panicking, then she heard her father pick up the phone.

"Really, Sarah, what made you scream at Irene? I thought you had passed this kind of childishness."

Her father's voice should have been more reassuring to Sarah and the familiar reproaches suddenly seemed unbearable to her.

"I don't have time to lose with her. What is going on? How is Toby?"

"Who?"
Suddenly, Sarah was thrust into her worst nightmare. She recalled the voice of the Goblin King. This was what he had promised her, before she entered the labyrinth and beat him at his own game. If she had abandoned Toby to him, no one would have remembered him. She collapsed along the wall, breathless. It could not be true.

"Do you know who Toby is?" She managed to ask, articulating each syllable.

"The name doesn't ring a bell. One of your friends at home?"

"It doesn't matter. Can you tell me what you did today with Irene?"

Sarah had gone beyond panic and despair. She couldn't even cry or scream her anger. Only one thought kept her sane, the certainty that she was the only one to have an idea of what was going on, the only one who could help Toby. She could not break.

"My client offered to let us discover the country before signing the contract tomorrow. If you had answered yesterday, you could have come with us. I'm sure you would have loved it."

Sarah preferred to ignore the accusation she heard in his voice.

"Where did you go exactly?"

"In Windsor Castle first, then Stonehenge, an old hill named Silbury and a stone circle at Avebury. A busy day, as you can see. My client loves old stones and archaeology."

Sarah had visited Stonehenge, of course, shortly after arriving in England, but had never visited the other sites. The great stone circle had made her too uncomfortable to repeat the experience.
"Have you touched something on these old sites? A stone, an object, anything old, carved or engraved?"
"Why such a question?"

"We had a seminar on it last month," Sarah improvised. "Those are old, abandoned places, and there are sometimes old microbes lying around. It's better not to touch anything."

The legends about humans being trained in another world after touching something magical were very present in Sarah's mind.

"I did not touch anything and Irene either. Do you think we are could have catch something?"
Sarah took pity of her father. She was terrified, but that was not a reason to scare him back.
"Well, it's a sort of popular theory right now, but nothing more. It could explain the cursed reputations of certain sites, the folklore. Some legends also say that it is better not to pronounce certain words and especially not to make promises and wishes in this kind of place. You have made no wish, I hope."

"That's nonsense."

"All the same, better be careful. Legends come from somewhere"

"Irene and I are too rational to make such hollow wishes."

"I imagine that if you were that kind of people, Irene would have wished twenty times that the goblins came to take me."

"Do not joke with this Sarah. You know how important family is to her."

Sarah was only half reassured. She had said the words. It wasn't hard to imagine her step-mother trying to calm Toby and wishing the goblins to take him if he kept behaving like a baby. Irene loved her family, perhaps, but had no patience for childishness. Yes, they could very well have done it and forgotten it. If that was the case, Sarah had no way of discovering it by talking to them.

"I know. I'm tired dad, can I call you back tomorrow? I'll let you know if I can free myself and come see you."

"Good night Sarah. I love you."

Sarah managed to say goodbye before hanging up. Despite her shaky legs, she went get back to her room, mainly because she didn't want to crumble in tears where she could be seen.

Once in safety in her room, she nearly tore her bag in her haste to find Lancelot. She hugged him tightly, wishing she had never agreed to take him back from Toby. Maybe he could have protected her little brother. All this was her fault, it must be. She just had to find out how and why to correct her mistake. She had no right to cry before bringing Toby back.

Without taking her hands off Lancelot, Sarah frantically searched her books for an answer. She was not ready. She didn't know enough. All these books contradicted each other and their authors had no idea of the reality of their subject of study. Sarah had left everything to study and be ready to fight if the Goblin King came to attack Toby again. All this for nothing. Enraged, she threw a book across the room and stopped herself from screaming.

She calmed down eventually and began to think a little more rationally. To submit to her inclinations for drama served nothing. In fact, she was better prepared than ever, even though it was still not enough. Everything she had ever learned could be useful, and her determination would be a better ally than her memory anyway.

And after all, she still had three allies to rely on, her oldest and most dedicated friends. She still did not know why she had not seen them for nearly five years, but she was sure they would respond to her distress and would keep their promise. She would do the same if they needed her.

"Hoggle. Ludo. Sir Didymus. I need you."

Nothing happened. Refusing to panic, Sarah remembered that in her teenage room, she was always facing her mirror when calling them. She ran to the bathroom and repeated her call.

In vain.

So far, Sarah had endured their absence by clinging to the idea that they had to look after her one way or another. If she did not see them anymore, maybe it was because she was an adult. From now on, she doubted it. More and more worried, she returned to her room and opened the window. The bowl of milk she had placed on the edge of it before leaving the day before was still there. However, for the first time since she had taken this habit, the bowl was still full. The milk had begun to curdle. Sarah cried in horror and frantically looked around for traces of her friends on the balconies and nearby roofs. When her eyes came to rest on the stone portal in front of her house, she nearly had a heart attack. The stone owl was gone. Another one, very much alive, had taken its place. This one had white, the feathers on its head and its wings spotted with brown.

"No!"
Without meaning it, Sarah had cried in despair. She had been heard, as the animal spread its wings and flew straight to her. Sarah hastily closed the window to stop it. Her gesture was useless. The window shattered, fragments of glass flying in all directions. Sarah covered her face with her hands to avoid being hurt and felt glass splinters scratching her forearms. When she looked again, the owl had disappeared, replaced by the Goblin King.