Chapter Nine:
I bit my lip nervously. Where was I to go now? All the openings looked identical. I spun looking wildly for a difference or a clue of some sort, but there was nothing at all.
"Damn," I muttered again. I couldn't even see the castle above the maze. Clouds had come in and wrecked my view. "Well," I said not noticing that I was speaking to myself again. "I guess its time to play pick a Random Path Filled With Danger again." Then I chanted to the tune of 'Skunk in the barn yard,' "Goblin in the Barn, Eww, Yuck. Somebody smelled it, Jareth!"
My finger pointed to a path to the left of the direction I had come from. I hopped off the dais and ran towards it and through it. I had lost some time there – I had probably used about three hours up by now, but still I liked a nice time cushion.
As I ran down this pathway the walls grew taller, but they were only as tall as my head or so. There were some twists and turns as well as forking paths down this area but I just pushed onward.
However as I've mentioned, I can't push on for long running. I can walk for awhile without stopping, but running for five minutes is about the end of my abilities.
I slowed to a walk, panting. I felt a little better and less panicked but still, I was wary. Where was the next hurdle? I didn't think distracting Jareth with music would make my path immediately easier. In fact…
"AHHH!" I screamed as a large gray thing leaped onto the path in front of me, and I jumped back.
The gray thing lifted his head and gave a small bark and I shot backwards again. It gave a slight bark again, and I got the impression it was laughing at me.
"Humans," the gray thing muttered darkly. "Scaring you is too easy."
I then came out of my panic enough to realize he had a canine body and yellow eyes. He was a wolf – and that didn't help my nerves one bit.
"Unngggh," I said. Or that was the only sound that was able to leave my mouth.
The wolf shook his shaggy head. "Extremely easy. I suppose you wish to go forward," I could see his teeth – fangs -- then. My thoughts went into overdrive at that point.
My breathing suddenly became harsher. Ahh! Sharp teeth! It was all I could do, not to gasp. Wolf!! I'm gonna die!! I pulled sharply on a lock of my hair – Noo! It's gonna hurt! Ahh! – hoping that it'd calm myself yet it did nothing to steady my rapidly beating heart. Don't eat me! Leave me alone! Ahh!!
It was pretty amazing considering the turmoil in my mind that I was able to get out the next sentence at all. "I do. But I think I'll go now the way I came…" I choked out. Then I backed up very slowly and turned v-e-r-y slowly.
And then I got fungus up my nose. Fungus that had been growing on the wall that definitely hadn't been there five seconds ago.
My hand swung up, swiping at my nose, trying to get the nasty grey-green stuff off of and out of me. After a few seconds of that, and my trying to just snort it out, I wiped my nose on my shoulder sleeve. (Really wasn't the time to dig for a Kleenex). I then moaned in terror. Stuck with a wolf that probably ate little girls like me! Remember little Red Riding Hood…
Wait! Maybe he didn't eat humans! Maybe he was a vegetarian! This was the Labyrinth – nothing was as it seemed!
I turned and asked, "Are you going to eat me?" I winced after. What was with me and the stupid questions today?
"I'm not," said the wolf almost sadly. However, I perked up. I wasn't going to be eaten! "Jareth doesn't like the name he'd get if runners were getting eaten in his Labyrinth. He says he has a standard." Obviously the wolf didn't have much opinion of Jareth's standard. But then his tone lightened, "But I'm allowed to tear you to shreds most likely."
"What?" I shrieked. "How can tearing someone to shreds not be as bad as eating them? What's with you sadistic Labyrinth people? I nearly get my hand bitten off and then I get nearly groped to death and now you're going to tear me apart?"
"Yes," said the wolf solemnly. "What were you expecting -- a waltz in the park?"
Well, not this sort of danger. Sarah had only really been in danger once – and she had just been stupid with Jareth. Why was my journey so much more perilous? Oh right, I didn't have a Goblin King in love with me. That would explain things.
Though I thought that Jareth was sort of obsessive and a bit of a pedophile and really freaky, I was thinking that having him in love with me so that he could save me from being torn to shreds would be rather nice.
But I'm the bushy haired girl with braces. Like that's about to happen. Now back to saving myself –
"Are you really going to tear me apart?" I asked again, warily.
The wolf shook his head. "Didn't I already say that? Humans – you're all so clueless. Don't you know what I am?"
"A wolf…" I offered, warily. Was this a trick question?
"No," He growled, as if he was tremendously annoyed. I whimpered – I'm such a scaredy cat. "I'm a sphinx."
I told you that I was addicted to Greek mythology, right? Well, I knew what a sphinx was and it definitely wasn't him. My fears suddenly disappeared as I defended the one topic I knew upside-down and inside-out.
"No way!" I declared. "A sphinx is a lioness with the wings of an eagle and the head of a woman. You have the body – the entire body of a wolf. No chance at all."
I never knew wolves had the ability to glare. This one taught me that they could. "A sphinx," He growled menacingly. "Is a creature that guards a path by means of a riddle. That is the definition of a sphinx."
Snort. "What? Is there a rule book on sphinxes or something?" I asked sarcastically. I knew my Greek myths. Obviously he didn't know what he was talking about.
"Of course there is," the wolf said matter-of-factly. "The International Code of the Magnificent Sphinx - there are seven thousand, nine hundred, and eighty eight rules and I've memorized them all…"
"You really don't have much of a life, do you?" I said without thinking. And to think everyone thought I filled my head with nonsense.
He growled again and I jumped. "Just joking!" I squeaked out.
The wolf kept one of his yellow eyes on me for a moment before turning and padding a few feet away and then settling down, facing me again.
"I will give you a riddle," he announced. "And if you can solve it, I shall let you pass. If you are unable to," his eyes gleamed. "I will most likely get permission from Jareth to tear you to shreds."
The urge to vomit came over me. Not that surprising – but can you blame me? Riddles weren't really my forte – and now I could really appreciate that he was a wolf. When he stood his head had been at the level of my waist – I don't know the average height of wolves and all but let me tell you, when the animal is right in front of you, they look huge. There was no chance I could defend myself against his claws, teeth, and size.
Why hadn't I brought pepper spray or a nice doggy bone or something? Why couldn't I have brought this girl who picked on me, Nancy or one of her cronies to distract him? I don't like death or killing at all – but if this wolf had torn them apart I don't think I would have minded. That much.
All right, I would be crying and screaming all over the place but if anyone deserves to be torn to shreds it was those girls.
"And what happens if I don't answer at all?" I asked. There had to be a loop-hole somewhere…
"We'd sit like this for eternity," he said without a second thought. "Or until you die of hunger and then I get to eat you."
Was it just me or was this guy bloodthirsty or what?
"Alright," I said hesitantly. "Let me hear it."
The wolf stood up on his haunches and announced, "I soar without wings, I see without eyes. I've traveled the universe to and fro. I've conquered the world, yet I've never been anywhere but home. What am I?"
"Huh?" I said intelligently. Or rather – unintelligently.
"Humans," muttered the wolf again. "Honestly – a goblin would be better."
"I heard that!" I reprimanded. He just stared. I stared back. He stared more. I stared more.
The wolf blinked.
"Ha! I beat you!" I crowed.
"No you didn't," he said plainly. "You haven't come up with the answer yet. Do you need to hear it again?"
"Sure," I said. I listened more carefully this time. What soars without wings and never leaves home? What sees without eyes? Potato? No, potatoes have eyes. Stupid Elisa! What happened to being brilliant with an A average? Hmm, travels the universe and conquers the world….Napoleon?
"It's not a person, right?" I asked.
"That would be giving you a hint," said the wolf. "That's against rule five hundred and twenty seven."
I rolled my eyes. "Right," I said flippantly. "I'll take that as a no. So much for Napoleon. Maybe it's metaphysical?"
The wolf just stared at me. I wasn't going into that again, so I started to pace.
"Soars without wings – sees without eyes. What in Hades does that? What soars? Birds – but they have wings. Planes? No, they have wings as well….I wouldn't call them really wings though – they don't flap exactly. In my mind…."
"My mind!" I cried. The wolf just stared.
"Is that your final answer?"
"No," I said suspiciously. "We're not playing Who Wants to be a Millionaire, right?"
The wolf stared again. I realized he tended to do that when he didn't know what to say.
"Now let me think," I said. "Mind soars? That doesn't sound right – but I know I'm close. My brain doesn't soar." Then it clicked and I could practically feel the light bulb over my head. "It's your imagination! It does everything in the riddle! It's your imagination!"
"Final answer?" He growled.
"Yes," I said beaming. "It's your imagination; I know that's the answer! Am I right?"
He let out a piteous howl. "How could you figure it out?" He howled. "I've asked that riddle thousands of times and no one has gotten it correct. None! How could you?"
"Well, I did," I said proudly. "Can I go now? I've got places to be."
That gleam of his, hit his eyes again. His howling stopped. "Yes, yes, go on ahead." He stood and padded to the side of the corridor. It seemed almost too easy. However I ignored the gut feeling that was screaming and walked past him. Before going on though, I turned.
The wolf was facing me now and I felt like I should say something. "Well, it was a good riddle." I offered. "I almost didn't get it. But I've got to get going now and all. I'm sorry and all – I hope you don't tear yourself to shreds like the one in the myth did. Though you were going to kill me and all, I don't exactly want you to go and commit suicide. You know? It's sort of pointless and wrong and…"
"Would you just get going already?" he bellowed suddenly.
I jumped backwards. "Right!" I said, backing up slowly. "I'm going. Nice meeting you and all, but I'm going nooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"
The ground was simply gone and I tumbled backwards. Screaming, I slid down a slide of sorts that went side to side and spun wildly. It might have been fun if it hadn't been entirely in the dark and I had no idea where my landing was going to be. It went on and on for an indefinite period of time before I tumbled off of the slide and face first to the ground.
My hands protected me from the worst of the fall but they couldn't hold me up for long and I collapsed onto the very hard ground.
"Ow," I moaned. "I'm going to look like a Smurf by the time I get out of here; I'll be so covered in bruises." I sat up, wincing and looked around. Or, tried to.
The place was so dark I couldn't even see the hair in front of my face. I stood and stretched my hands in front of me and felt nothing. I walked carefully over to where I was shot from and tried to feel the slide I had come down. It wasn't there though.
I muttered several choice swear words that wouldn't be proper in a T rated fic. Hadn't I gotten the riddle right? This must be an oubliette but why….
"An oubliette was a place for forgetting," I whispered weakly. I smacked myself, literally. I spoke in a stronger voice to myself. "Toughen up! There's nothing scary – it's just the dark and someone will come and pull you out eventually."
But that had happened in Sarah's journey – I hadn't met Hoggle, I had met the rock formation and I doubted she would rescue me. Our trips were different because-because-because….
"An oubliette is a place for forgetting," I repeated. "I'm forgetting something – I must be. Maybe it's a place not just to forget people but for people to forget things." I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. Why was I cold all of a sudden? "Okay, I need a plan to get out of here." The obvious thing would be to feel around for an exit of some sort. But honestly, I was too scared to do anything but stand there and talk to myself. "Attention. I need to get someone's attention -- how am I going to do that?" I looked up but could still see nothing but darkness. It hit me again how surrounding it was. The darkness was surrounding me, engulfing me. I was swimming in it – no, I was drowning. Oh Zeus….
I whimpered. "Don't panic…don't panic…don't panic…oh, crap I'm panicking…."
A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews! I love to hear from you guys! And an extra special thank-you to Bramblefox, who filled out my fiftieth review. Thanks!
Also a big thanks to my beta Sennethe. Zeus knows, how bad these chapters would be if they were posted without her going through them!
Now if you'd send me some more of those lovely reviews...
Posted: 5-24-08