-- Well, looks like she's gone and made the same mistakes all over again, eh? Still, I guess you could argue that it's because she doesn't remember it happening before. Oh, this is all so very confusing. The song herein (I can't remember the title, you'll know it when you get there) is by the Turtles. --
Disclaimer: Mr. Worm, Jareth, and all the others are not mine. As a matter of fact, neither is Chremslied, but for comparison's sake we'll say he is. Just like Sam and Fred. Although they maintain I belong to them.
Chapter the EighthSarah paused in her strident march. Glancing over her shoulder she saw that the gates were indeed shut.
Well, it's not like I had the option to turn back anyway.
Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and continued on her way, ignoring the wary looks the lichen cast her. Over dead branches she stepped and promised herself that no matter what she'd come upon she would not be deterred.
Wonder why he got so affronted when I called him a hooligan? Must have thought I was mispronouncing his name or something. I wonder if I could climb over these walls, it would make things go much faster. Eh, nah. I'll break my leg trying to scramble over these things. And what is with all these dead branches when there aren't any trees?
"Imagine me and youI do
I think about you day and night
It's only right…"
"Argh! Why is it called a labyrinth? It's not twisting or turning or anything!" she suddenly burst out.
She stopped and turned around, then looked back forward. In both directions the passage stretched out into the horizon. Something Hoggle said niggled at her mind.
"Wait a minute, maybe I'm just taking it for granted that it does."
She began walking again. Slowly her feet started moving faster.
Might as well run. Besides, I'm barely moving fast enough to stay in the same place, there's no possible way I could move forward at this rate.
Pretty soon she reached her fastest speed and realized why marathon runners never ran terribly fast from the starting line. Her endurance flagged, a stitch started developing in her side.
"Aaaaargggghh!" she roared in frustration.
To further express her aggravation, Sarah kicked the walls from which caused her such irritation. With a huff she flopped to the ground and leaned against the left-hand wall fully prepared to stare morosely across from her while she tried to puzzle out the quandary.
"'Allo," a high, chipper voice sounded to her left.
Looking over, Sarah was startled to find a blue-gray worm with a cherry red scarf 'round his…neck.
"Um, did you just say 'hello'?" she asked with slight disbelief.
"No, I said ''allo', but that's close enough," he shook his head and smiled even more brightly.
"But…you're just…a worm."
"Aye, that's right," he nodded.
Ah-ha.
"Come inside and meet the missus."
In spite of her former frustration, Sarah smiled. "Thanks, but I have a thirteen hour time limit in which to solve this Labyrinth. But there aren't any turns or corners or anything."
He chuckled, "Of course there is. The Labyrinth's full of openings. You just ain't seein' 'em. There's one right across here."
Sarah looked. The mud brown bricks and the tan spindly sticks passing themselves off as plants were all that were there.
"There's no opening, that's just wall," she said, perplexed.
"Sure there is, you just ain't lookin' right. Come on in and have a nice cup of tea."
Sarah stood and approached the wall. She titled her head and closed one eye. Nothing.
"Thank-you, but I'm afraid I don't have time. I'm afraid I don't understand. It's just a wall," she looked at the worm in confusion.
"Ah, you just try walkin' through it. Go on, go," he gestured his head energetically.
Her arms before her to act as buffers, she took a few tentative steps toward the wall. Once she reached the point her eyes told her the wall began, however, she found that there was still room to move forward.
Letting out a small gasp, Sarah continued to move forward until she reached another corridor. Delighted, she walked back out and looked at the wall.
What an incredible optical illusion. "That's so amazing. I never would have figured it out on my own. Thank-you."
The worm blushed a bit. "Awww…go on. Things aren't always what they seem in this place, so, you can't take anything for granted."
That's the second time somebody's told me that.
"Thanks, I'll remember that."
With a wave of her hand Sarah left the worm and turned down the right corridor.
"Eh, hope she solves it within the time frame. Good thing she didn't head done the other way, else she'd've gone straight to that castle. Never would have solved it then."