Rain lashed the sides of the train as it shuddered and squeaked its way along the tracks towards the city, a splash of silver amongst the bruise black of the sky.
On board, most of the passengers remained oblivious to the weather as they scrolled through their news feeds or bobbed their heads along to Broods, and the train guards gossiping quietly in a corner ignored it completely.
No one paid any attention to the rather odd looking character that got on at Pukerua Bay and stumbled about in the middle of the carriage, but if they had they might have looked quickly away anyhow as it appeared to be arguing with itself over whether to take the window or aisle seat.
Eventually the figure, (which was wearing a floral nightgown), managed to sit precariously on both. It swayed slightly drunkenly with each twist of the train, emitting a strange clucking sound at regular intervals.
Under the nightgown, Slime and Snails were not having the best of days. That morning in the Underground, it had seemed a brilliant idea to visit the Wiseman at the center of the Labyrinth to figure out how to cheer up their King, who had given up entirely on bogging and started to wear track pants on Sundays.
Luckily, (or perhaps unluckily), the Wiseman's hat was in a particularly jovial mood, having recently got engaged to a lovely taxidermied goose named Brenda. It reminded them that the last time the king had worn his tightest pants was when a tiny toddler and his sister were trapped in the Labyrinth, and suggested they track them down.
The hat had even given them "Sarah's" address along with an plastic bracelet that they could slip on to take them Aboveground, which Slime had done as soon as the hat started waxing lyrical about the quality of Brenda's glassy eyes. The goblins had arrived at Sarah's house in no time at all, and both had performed the necessary celebratory dance on her porch (mostly jumping) as they congratulated themselves on finding her so fast.
Slime, (who was a little braver than Snails), had knocked three times on the door, expecting 'Sarah' to open it. Instead, they were met by an extremely nearsighted old lady, (slightly reminiscent of their friend the worm), who had invited them back inside and explained over the course of a few whisky's that the Williams family had moved...
to New Zealand.