The A-team to the Rescue in the Labyrinth!

Chapter Two - The Goblin King

The A-team visited Ed their barber again that evening and instead of watching football they read the tale of the Labyrinth, taking turns reading it out loud. When it was B.A.'s turn to read, he refused. "This is crazy!" he said, folding his arms again in disbelief, astounded at the foolish waste of time he knew it would be. He thought it was quite ridiculous to sit around reading fairytale fluff to find clues. "Although stories from the Underground are interesting, how is this going to help us find Sarah?" questioned Face.

Then Murdock suggested, jokingly, lifting up his magic wand, "Why don't we just say to B.A.; 'I wish the goblins would come and take you away, right now! – that's not so hard is it!'" B.A. stood up with his muscular arms reaching out threatening to squeeze Murdock's neck and shouted, "You foo…"

All of the sudden, B.A. disappeared into thin air! Murdock said, "Oh! I didn't mean it! I was only joking! I guess the wand works much better than I thought!" and he stood there looking at the end of the wand and shook it slightly. Then pointing at it with the other hand and shaking his finger at it he said: "Bad wand! You should only work when I'm serious!"

Face then interrupted, "Quiet, I hear something!" There was a little giggle from behind a curtain in the room. One of the little goblins from the Underground thought Murdock was very funny and couldn't help but laugh right then.

Then the room became dark and there was a knock at the front door. Ed was standing in the corner of the room a bit in shock and pale about what just happened to his friend B.A. but still went over to the window to see who was at the door. "There's a man outside with weird hair wearing a cape, tights, and English riding boots!" he exclaimed.

Hannibal assessed the situation; "I guess there really is a Goblin King after all and we have summoned him from the Underground," "And he took B.A.!" Face exclaimed! "Exactly." replied Hannibal. Murdock peaked out of the window to see if it was true.

Jareth, The Goblin King, knocked one more time, louder. Ed said, "I'm not getting that!" Then Hannibal said, "Murdock, since you started this, you get it!"

Murdock carefully opened the door; "Are you the Goblin King?" he asked, "'come 'a tapping, rapping at my chamber door; only this and nothing more?"

"You're quite an articulate fellow!" Jareth announced (the initial scowl eased from his face), then warned; "Though implying I'm a raven will result in less generosity from me than I'm accustomed to grant people like you who wish friends, relatives, or even baby brothers away!" Jareth was obviously annoyed at the person at the door wearing a cape like some kind of pseudo-magician and quoting lines of poetry.

"Well, I see this introduction's off to a great start!" chimed in Face, in his typical sarcastic overture.

Jareth looked austerely and calculatingly at each of the four men in the living room and in half a second decided Hannibal was in charge. He looked directly at Hannibal and said, "If you want to see your friend with the jewelry and mohawk again, you must solve the Labyrinth. I'm not feeling very generous now, so I'll give you three hours to solve it or your friend will be turned into a goblin and guard my castle forever!"

The A-team saw walls of the Labyrinth appear before them. The maze was set on a hillside so they could get an idea of the huge conundrum it was: stone walls, hedges, and forest areas for miles with the castle in the center.

Jareth began to fade away and disappear. As he faded, they heard his voice echoing; "It's further than you think! Time is short!"

He didn't have much pity on them.

The trio stood there by an old wishing well fountain just outside the Labyrinth walls. Murdock said, "I have an idea! I'll try to use my magic wand to get the three of us instantly to the castle!" He lifted up his wand and said; "Take us to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth, right now!" but the wand didn't seem to work in the Underground and Face commented, "That would be just too easy, wouldn't it?" "Maybe I just need to find the right words!" Murdock answered, "if at first you don't succeed, try and try again!'" He tried twenty or more times using different phrases. None of them worked and he gave up for the time being, hoping to find the right words along the way. The trio walked along the outer walls in search of a gate or entrance.