Chapter 4: Sarah, Phone!
Blushing, she set the small journal aside, she looked at the second book. This one was heavy, hand bound in faded dusty leather. It was very heavy and thick. She sat in her chair as she dusted off the title and gasped. The title of the book read: "THE HISTORY OF THE LABYRITH"
o0o0o0o0o
"Sarah! Phone!" called her father, breaking into Sarah's thoughts as she finished cleaning her room. Two weeks has passed since the Slumber party and Sarah still wasn't speaking to Becka.
Praying hard that Becka had finally given up and this was someone else, Sarah ran down stairs, taking the receiver from her father. He didn't look happy and mouthed, 'Your mother' to her.
"Mom?"
o0o0o0o0o
Jareth sat in the dark of his study, fingering a small black journal. Calling up a crystal, he peered into it. A slight frown crossed his ageless face. Why had he given in to her requests? Why did it matter to him? The journal had opened his eyes to many things. Why had he remade the bargain? He knew why, he just didn't want to admit it.
"Ah Cousin," came a voice breaking into his thoughts. Banishing the bubble, the Goblin King turned to face a Fae looking almost his twin. "Do you always have to keep this place so gloomy?" The intruding Fae wore almost the same identical outfit as Jareth except the Goblin King preferred greys and black whereas this Fae wore silver and blue.
Jareth looked up at his younger cousin. "I like it gloomy. It keeps my goblins out of my hair. For all their tenacity and filthy habits, they are afraid of the dark."
The Fae chuckled as he waved his hand and the room was lit up with several candelabras in full flame, giving the study a warm glow. "There much better." Jareth's study looked like a dusty library from an age long ago with its books and scrolls, dust and cobwebs. The desk and chairs looked well used and faded. "Heavens, Cousin, don't you ever clean this place?"
Putting away the journal, Jareth stood and with a wave of his way, dismissed the light, scowling. "Corindel. I prefer my study the way it is: gloomy. Now what brings you to my domain and disrupting my life?"
Corindel dusted off an easy chair, before plopping into it. He leaned back, putting his knee high boots up on the desk. "Oh come come, Cousin. You need some excitement in your life. Are you still pining for your poor little mortal girl that bested you? She's what 20 now?"
Jareth's mismatched eyes narrowed as he snarled as he slowly circled around behind his cousin's chair, coming around to shove the boots off his desk. "You didn't come to just to torment me. You have a reason, Cousin," he sneered leaning against his desk where the boots were once propped.
"As a matter of fact, I do, Cousin."
o0o0o0o0o
Sarah got off the phone, looking at the piece of paper in her hand. Her mother, Linda Williams, wanted her to come for the summer to a summer stock theatre. It would give both mother and daughter a chance to get to know each other and a chance for Sarah to try her hand at acting.
'Funny. Until two weeks ago. I've would've been thrilled," Sarah thought as she headed for the kitchen and her family. 'Now what do I do? How can I balance this and Him?'
"Well, what did She want?" her father asked as he looked up from his paper. Karen and Toby were finishing up lunch. Sarah grabbed up an apple and sighed, knowing full well who She was.
"Mom wants me to spend the summer with her," she said, munching down on the fruit.
"Doing what, Sarah?" Karen asked as she put the last of the dirty dishes into the dish washer.
Sarah shrugged, "Mom thought I could try my hand at acting and get a feel for the theatre." She looked at the apple in her hand. "I'm not sure acting is what I want to do anymore. She gave me the number for her agent to set things up, that is if I wanted to go." Sarah was a bit worried about a certain Goblin King who two weeks ago had re-entered her life. 'He's not going to like this. I know I'm not crazy about it either.'
"What about your plans with Becka and the gang?" her father asked after exchanging a look with Karen.
Finishing up her apple, Sarah gave them a fake smile and said, "Cancelled. Becka is still in the dog house for that stunt she pulled. I think I'll go take a book to the park and read. I need to think, unless you need me for something?"
"No dear. You have a lot on your mind," Karen said as she finished cleaning up the kitchen.
Sarah found herself leaning against the huge ancient oak tree at the back of the park with the tome that Jareth had lend her. It was interesting in some places and very dull in others. She sighed as she tried to reread a passage and wasn't quite understanding it.
"Well, there is no use for this," she said softly as she looked up into the boughs of the tree trying to collect her thoughts. Making up her mind she said softly, "Jareth. I need you."
She looked down from the bough as Jareth appeared sitting beside her. "Well Sarah? What is it that you need me for?" Today, he wore only his white poet shirt, grey slacks tucked into knee high boots with black gloves.
She told him about her problem understanding the passage she had just read. So the next hour, she questioned him about her homework assignment. He explained the passage that she was having problems with. "So you are telling me that the Labyrinth is alive and it changes with each wisher who enters it?"
"Pretty much," he explained, pinching his nose, closing his eyes, as if collecting his thoughts. "The magic of the Labyrinth is ancient and wild. It fits itself to the Wisher." He paused for a moment, then asked, "Tell me Sarah, when you walked it, did it feel as if It was drawing you into it?"
Sarah thought about her experience and then she nodded. "I had the feeling it was constantly moving, changing," she said softly, not looking at him. "it was frightening and wonderful. If I hadn't had to get to Toby. . ."
He smirked. "Well, I need to get back. Is there anything else?"
Blinking away her thoughts, she sighed. "Uh. Yes, Jareth? My mother called, my real mother. She wants me to come to Summer Stock Theatre with her for the summer. There's nothing for me here except baby sit Toby. I don't feel like hanging around Becka right now. I thought, maybe I should give my mother one last chance before I went to college this fall. What do you think, Jareth? Jareth?" She looked around but the Goblin King was gone. 'Drat the man!' she thought looking around.
"Remember our agreement, Sarah. You want no regrets. If you say no, you will regret it." his voice whispered on the wind.
o0o0o0o0o
Dear Jareth,
Thank you for your help today in the park and for answering my questions about the Labyrinth. I really didn't want to call on you but if I'm to understand it, I guess I needed to. When did you get easy to talk to?
Why are you being nice to me? Please don't tell me it's about the agreement we've made. I don't trust you and you very well know it.
I talked to my mother's agent. It's all set. I just hope I don't regret going. I leave in a week. I'm looking forward to and dreading it at the same time. She and I don't get along much. Will she enjoy having a 18 year old daughter hanging around her?
Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them. Until next time. --GF