I had problems with the uploader so this has been done for a while.
Jareth heard voices, thin and wraithlike voices. He had for some time now. They had started a while ago marking the second stage of the Dragons Bane flu. His physicians had predicted the next stage of hallucinations to begin in just about a week. They had actually advised him to stay in bed and rest. Of course since Jareth had refrained from doing paperwork during most the beginning of his sickness since incinerating important legal documents is usually a bad idea he was far behind it all. Jareth had ignored his physicians and started on some of the more pressing documents, he had work to do and come paperwork and wished away babes he would continue to try to do his duty.
So when the call came Jareth shook his head clear of the voices and went off to the country side. It was a curious babe to say the least. It was a normal babe from the waist up but its legs were fused together and they formed a sort of tail. The flustered parents had called a priest to try and expel evil from the child and the mother who didn't wish her babe to be exorcized (as it was a potentially deadly process) wished her away instead. He had immediately sent the babe to be changed. Not into a goblin but a mermaid. For the mere people on the southern most edge of his kingdom were of the welcoming sort and turning the babe into a goblin might prove lethal as well.
After the babe had been sent to its new home Jareth walked a ways to a ledge above a well worn road. He could here the steady clip clop of a horse and carriage coming in the distance. A moment went by and the coach was turning the corner. Jareth noticed a shaky black outline of something began to manifest itself in the road. It was something he remembered from his childhood. Quickly he jumped in the road to defend the hapless coach only to find that the nightmare was gone and the carriage had swerved to prevent hitting him. He ran, well aware that the hallucinations had begun.