Chapter 7
The Bog
Hoggle peaked out the door and looked to his left and right. Seeing no guards, he slid out and went down the hallway. He was able to pass by several guards with ease and was just pulling open the huge front doors to the castle when he heard a voice say "And where do you think you're going?"
Hoggle quickly let go and turned around to face Jareth. "Nuthin yer majesty!" Hoggle said. Jareth gave him a canine smile as he crossed his arms. "What business do you have here Hojell?" "It's Hoggle", he corrected, "and I'z was just, ah, visitin' my brother who works in da kitchen." Hoggle held his breath and hoped his lie would work; after all, Jareth could not know that he was going to go help Maggie. Jareth stared at him and said "You have a brother? Huh, well, it doesn't matter. Make sure I don't catch you in here again."
Hoggle bowed as Jareth gave him one more suspicious look and then turned around to leave. Hoggle let out his breath and wiped his forehead. He then pulled open one of the front doors and walked out of the castle. "Now, where might that Maggie be?" he thought as he entered the Goblin City and headed for the labyrinth.
Maggie and Nibgit were still wandering through the vine walls. "I hope we get out of here soon." Maggie said as they rounded yet another turn. "I hope we find Esmeralda! Where are you Esmeralda?" Nibgit called out. Maggie gave a frustrated sighed and kicked the vine wall. "We'll never get out of here!"
Suddenly the vine wall started to move. "What did ya do?" Nibgit said as she and Maggie backed up. A bulge started to pop out of the wall and, right before their eyes, transformed into a woman made out of the vines. "WHO DARES KICK ME?!" the woman yelled with fury in her eyes. On the opposite wall another woman was formed and she pointed at Maggie and Nibgit. "I think it was these two!" she said. Maggie turned to look at the first woman. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" "You didn't mean it?! Oh I saw you dearie." another woman said as she emerged beside the second woman.
Nibgit clung onto Maggie's leg and shook with fear. "Listen I really am sorry! It's just that I…" Maggie said looking at the vine women. "It's just that you kicked me!" the first woman said. "How was I suppose to know you were there?!" Maggie questioned, turning to her. The three women gasped. "You!", the first woman said, "shall pay!" She extended her vine arms and wrapped them around Maggie. Within a second she was yanked away from Nibgit and was absorbed into the vine wall. "Maggie!" Nibgit said as she watched her friend go along with the first woman who also disappeared back into the wall. "I'm a coming Maggie!" the little goblin said as she ran towards the wall.
Out of nowhere a huge blue flower sprung out of the wall and Nibgit ran straight into it. Nibgit fell backwards as yellow pollen was lifted into the air. The other two vine women laughed and went back into the wall. "I….I'm…..Maggie…..hold…..ah…." Nibgit said as she inhaled the pollen, which was a sleeping powder. The goblin fell on her back and quickly fell fast asleep.
"Ow! Ouch!" Maggie said as she was pulled back further and further into the vine wall. The vines and leaves kept hitting her in the face and she was forced to close her eyes. It seemed like the wall was endless until she was let go. Maggie screamed as she fell down a hole and slid out towards a cliff. "Ahh!" Maggie yelled as she grabbed onto a twig sticking out of the ground to stop herself. She was dangling off the edge when the smell hit her. "What on earth?" she said as she looked down and saw a bog that was oozing the most disgusting smells Maggie had ever smelt.
"I got ya." a voice said as Maggie looked up to see a dwarf pulling her up. Hoggle pulled and Maggie climbed safely up. "Thanks. I'm Maggie." Maggie said as they sat back. "I know, I'm Hoggle." the dwarf said as he tried to catch his breath. "How did you know my name?" Maggie said as she got up to dust her pants. "Yer mother told me. She asked me to find ya and help ya." he said as he got up. "My mother? You know her?" Maggie said surprised. "She ran the labyrinth 'erself once and I 'elped her." Hoggle explained as he started to lead Maggie to lower ground.
"Wait, she's been here before? How come she's never told me? Is this why she doesn't like magic or mythical stuff?" Hoggle sighed. "She just wanted to protect ya I suppose. This place is dangerous. Take this bog for example." he said as they started to cross the rocks that Ludo had called all those years ago to help Sarah cross when she almost fell in after the bridge collapsed. "What is this place exactly?" Maggie asked as she put a hand to her nose and jumped onto the second rock. "The Bog of Eternal Stench", Hoggle answered as he took a step, "One step in it and you'll smell forever." "I guess that's where it gets it's name?" Maggie said as she jumped again. "Yup", Hoggle said as he jumped safely to the other side, "Come on, yer almost there." Maggie saw that she only had a few more rocks to go. She took another step and slipped.
Wap! went the pointer as it hit the map of the different realms in the Underground. "Now here we have the realm of the sea dwellers." the little professor goblin said as he pushed back his little glasses and pointed to an ocean. The little goblin wore a buttoned long sleeve, brown pants, and a blue bowtie.
Hunter leaned back in his chair and started playing with his eraser. "Now", the professor said, "can you give me an example of a creature that might live there?" Hunter sighed. "I dunno, a Wendigo?" he shrugged. The little professor's face grew red with anger. "No, no, no!" he shouted as he wapped the pointer on Hunter's desk. "A correct answer might have been mermaid. Now pay attention!" the goblin said angrily. Hunter slumped in his chair and continued to play with his eraser as the professor went back to the map.
"Okay, now here we have- Hunter?... Are you listening?!" the goblin said as he turned around to see Hunter fling his eraser at the board. "Yeah, teach?" he said. The goblin's face turned red again and he started pacing while mumbling something about teenagers and paying attention.
Hunter rested his head in one hand and started doodling in his notebook. "When do I get out of here?" he wondered as he looked up at the clock. He suddenly remembered Maggie and conjured a crystal to see how she was doing. He saw the little goblin that Maggie was traveling with asleep on the ground in the vine part of the labyrinth. He turned the crystal and focused it on Maggie. She somehow got to The Bog of Eternal Stench and a dwarf was helping her cross some stones to the other side. "Come on, yer almost there." he heard the dwarf say on the other side as Maggie got ready to take another step. "Ahh!" Maggie shouted as she slipped and started to fall into the bog.
Hunter rubbed the crystal and he could see Maggie poof into thin air as Hoggle stood there with his mouth opened as he watched Maggie disappear. Hunter turned the crystal again and focused it back on the sleepy goblin who was now sitting up and rubbing her tired eyes. The goblin gave a little screech as Maggie suddenly poofed next to her. "How did I….What happened to Hoggle….?" Maggie said as she looked around.
Hunter let out a relived sigh as he waved the crystal away. He saw the professor still pacing and mumbling, and Hunter started doodling again. He looked up at the clock to see that only four minutes had passed. "How is that possible?!" he thought.
Wap! Hunter looked at the little goblin who was standing at the map again. His face was even redder than before and Hunter could have sworn that he saw smoke coming out of his pointy ears. "Yeah, teach?" he said. The little goblin clenched his little fists and shook with rage. "Don't make me repeat myself! I said, oh, just…just…never mind! Your father was so much easier to teach!" the goblin said frustrated. "Well I'm not exactly my father." Hunter said as he tugged on a piece of his black hair and rolled his eyes. The professor gave a frustrated 'ugh' and Hunter started tapping his pencil. The goblin took a deep breath and went up to the board to start writing notes. "Now just copy everything that I write. Let's start this all over again", he said as he started to calm down, "Okay, now this….."
Hunter slumped back and started zoning out. "Why me?" he thought. "I think I rather be running the labyrinth." "Well, you could always check up on our runner." his inner voice said persuasively. "That is true…" Hunter thought. "Besides, it's one of your duties to see how the runners are doing. You could always learn this stuff later." the voice said. "Very true…" Hunter thought as he poofed himself out of the room.
"Did you get all of that so far?" the little gobline said as he turned around to see an empty chair. He gave out a frustrated scream and threw down his pointer.