The A-team to the Rescue in the Labyrinth!
Chapter Five – The Two Doors
The A-team and Max arrived at two large wooden doors half way to the castle. It was the only entrance through the Great Goblin Wall separating the Forbidden Forest from the rest of the Labyrinth. The two doors had no handles or door knobs though each had a large gargoyle door knocker at their center. The faces somehow strangely looked like the two critics on the Muppet Show, Statler and Waldorf, only gargoyle style, maybe just a coincidence (maybe not! He He!).
Each knocker had a large circular brass ring attached as big as a car steering wheel to knock on the door with. The one on the left that looked like Statler had its ring through its two large funny looking ears. The one on the right that looked like Waldorf had its ring in its mouth. The two gargoyles were both sound asleep, taking a deep nap, snoring very loudly!
The one on the right woke up, startled from hearing the travelers' footsteps. The one on the left kept on snoring since he couldn't hear well with its brass ring through its ears.
The awakened gargoyle mumbled something unintelligible and Murdock took the ring out of its mouth so it could speak clearly. The gargoyle said with its tenor, eccentric voice, "It's so good to have that ring out of my mouth again!" He stretched out his mouth and lips, breathing in and out freely.
The knocker warned the four travelers; "The Forbidden Forest beyond this door is perilous; enter at your own risk!" What he told them was the truth, Sarah narrowly escaped the forest when she was fifteen.
He mentioned this, however, not just to warn them but had an ulterior motive. The rules were that one had to knock using the knocker for the door to open. The gargoyle didn't want the ring put back in his mouth so they could knock. He wanted them to choose the other door instead and remembered how Sarah tricked him by squeezing his nose so he couldn't breathe, forcing him to open his mouth. That's how she put the ring back! Her plan worked and the knocker wanted to avoid a repeat outcome.
"If you knock on the other door instead", continued the gargoyle, cleverly, "it will open to.., actually, I'm not sure where that one opens to, no one has tried it so far, and things are subject to change in this place, for anything's possible and nothing is what it seems!"
"Then what about your door?" inquired Hannibal, "Can it change too?" To this he replied, "Sure, it's possible! At any rate, won't you be kind and humor an old knocker? Please?"
Max the goblin then gave his recommendation; "I wouldn't go into that Forbidden Forest where the Fire Gang live, not in a million years! We should avoid it at all costs!"
So the rescuers knocked on the door on the left. This immediately awakened the still snoring gargoyle. He said, "Hey, it's very rude to wake an old man from his nap!" The door opened, however, with a creaking sound from its rusty hinges.
As the four walked through, Face apologized to the gargoyle; "Sorry to disturb your nap, it's for a great cause!" To this the knocker replied, "Doesn't anyone ever speak up anymore! Mumble, mumble!" He closed his heavy eyelids, continuing his nap. Murdock commented, "I wonder if they know any good knock, knock jokes!"
The knocker on the right was very happy to finally be rid of that ring in his mouth, hopefully for good or at least for a long time. The A-team hid the brass ring near the door in a bush. The gargoyle wore a big grin on his face from then on, at least until the next traveler arrived. His plan worked!
Meanwhile, in his castle, Jareth the Goblin King was surrounded by his usual royal court of goblin subjects. He watched the A-team's progress through his crystal and said with charismatic overconfidence; "They're no match for my Labyrinth! B.A. will make a fantastic replacement for Humungous; I think I'll call him…Tremendous! Or, Mr. T for short!" (He He)
He commanded the goblins; "Well, laugh!" And all the goblins laughed with a loud uproar and clatter, though it was fake and exaggerated, disguised as real as best they could muster to avoid penalty.
Humungous was the very large mechanical guard at the goblin city gate that used to say very loudly and deeply "Whooooo Goes!" over and over to any strangers. It became scrap metal after its confrontation with and defeat by Sarah and her friends. Max's father was the inventor and operator of Humungous.
The door the A-team and Max went though led directly to a rocky area of the woods on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. They chose the right door after all thanks to the gargoyle's tip and avoided great danger. However, their luck was soon about to change abruptly.
Making their way past the edge of the forest, they saw three curious rocks, each one twice as tall as the one in front of it. The tallest one was almost as tall as Murdock. When you looked at them lined up at a certain angle, combined like a puzzle, it was the exact likeness of Jareth's face!
Just then a crystal orb rolled out from behind one of the rocks. Max knew what that meant, so he hid saying, "Ah-oh! I'm not stayin'!"
The Goblin King appeared before them; "Well, how are you enjoying your excursion in my Labyrinth? Is there anything else I can provide to make it all the more thrilling?"
Murdock started out to say something but Hannibal put his hand out to quiet him. Hannibal knew Murdock would probably say the wrong thing again; something silly Jareth wouldn't appreciate.
Hannibal answered, "Not bad, really, how does it look like we're doing?" Jareth replied, "You could do a bit worse, so I have a plan, something you'll quite enjoy, I expect, a nice change of pace!" "What?" asked Murdock.
"I have sent your friend with the mohawk on an errand to give you more time, that is, if he's successful and obeys all of my rules. You don't have to be in nearly such a hurry; it seems my generosity has gotten the best of me once again. So, here's my plan; I want you to relax and take a nice long vacation in the Bog of Eternal Stench!"