Chapter Three~ The Words of a Worm
Jareth
"Why doesn't she just give up already?" The Goblin King vented as he paced his throne room, scattering goblins with every step. In front of him floated the green orb that held the woman's soul, and also his front row seat to watch her every move. "It would be so much easier for her if she did. Really, is my offer so bad? Is the thought of having a king at your beck and call so repulsive?" His wild eyes turned to the monsters that littered the room. When none of them answered him, he struck his riding crop against the stone wall, startling the goblins into action.
"Of course not!"
"Why would it be repulsive?"
"She doesn't know what she's missing."
"She'd be so lucky to haves Your Majesty."
Jareth rolled his eyes at their poor attempts to stroke his ego. "Oh, shut up." Turning to the window, he stared hard to the edge of the maze, where Acacia was still running. She had been going down that same path for over an hour. Surely she would get tired soon. Why did she fight him so? Every so often, he would hear her cursing him from way out there. It wasn't like Sarah, who swore constantly that 'it wasn't fair', as if there were such a thing. No, it was more like she knew what to expect, and wasn't really all that surprised, yet she was still irritated that she was there in the first place. Currently, she was wondering aloud as to why he thought it was a good idea to take someone's soul, and how the 'fuck' he'd gotten powerful enough to do so.
"Dear, sweet girl. If only you could see." He muttered sadly to himself.
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"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Acacia coughed, sending a puff of dust and glitter into the air. She had been running down the same lane for at least an hour. At the last moment, she had thought she could see a turn up ahead and had sped up to get there. Unfortunately, she had not been paying attention to her feet, and ended up tripping over a root of some downed tree that lay in the path. She had caught most of her weight on her hands instead of her face, but it still hurt like a bitch.
"Ahem, 'ello." Came a soft voice from beside her head. Looking to the right from the ground, she saw a small blue worm with a tiny scarf wrapped around his neck...area, sitting on one of the stones that jutted from the wall.
"Hi," she said, a bit unsure.
"That looked a right nasty fall there, luv." He remarked as she pushed herself up, wincing when she tried to get dirt out of the new cuts on her palms.
"Yeah, it was. Damn it." Acacia sat back against the opposite wall from the worm, trying to look back and forth to figure out which way she should go next. "I don't suppose you know the way through this maze, do you, Mr. Worm?"
"Me? Naw, luv. I'm just a worm. Why don't you come inside and let the Missus take a look at them cuts."
"Thank you, sir. I would love to, but I really need to get going. I'm just trying to find a turn that goes further into the labyrinth. Besides, I think I'm a bit big to fit in your home."
"Ah, true enough, dearie. Well, if you like, there's an opening right there." He waved his fluffy little blue head towards the wall segment beside him. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the seemingly solid wall.
"Nothing is as it seems," she whispered to herself, and tossed a stone at the wall, only to watch it go right through the area that she was seeing and hit another wall behind it.
"Yeah, that's right. You sure you won't let me wife take a look at you? Maybe have a cuppa?"
Acacia smiled down at him. "That's very kind of you. Are you sure she wouldn't mind?"
"Naw, not a' all! You just wait right there, and I'll go and fetch 'er." Mr. Worm inched his way into the opening, which she assumed was supposed to be the door to his home. Acacia sat back and checked her bag for some band-aids. She found them, and some antibiotic ointment. She had just laid them out when the worm came back out, this time with another one, this one wearing a bonnet.
"Well, 'ello there, dearie. Heard you had quite the nasty fall." Said Mrs. Worm, toting a tiny teacup and saucer on her back, offering it to her.
"I did." Acacia showed them her hands, which had yet to stop oozing blood, then gently took the teacup from her. "Thank you. You're the first kind creatures I've come across yet."
"Oh, s'no trouble, luv. Now, you let me see them 'ands of yours." Once her hands were close enough, Mrs. Worm climbed onto her finger and started examining the wounds. Clicking her tongue, she muttered, "Poor thing. Should heal up right quick, once we get them cleaned out a bit." With that, she motioned her head at her husband, who inched onto her other hand. Together, they began picking little bits of dirt and rock from the cuts, their bodies pushing the rest of the filth from her skin. When they were done, they wiggled off and let her bandage them. "There you are, dear. Should be all better now."
"It does feel better. Thank you." Quickly tipping her teacup back, she emptied the droplet of it's contents and handed the cup back, "And thank you very much for the tea. I have to be going now, but I hope you have a lovely day."
"Oh, well ain't you sweet, luv." Gushed the wife. "Oooh, Martin, I don't suppose you could help her any, could you?"
"Wot you on about, woman?" Mr. Worm cocked his head at her.
"Oh, you know! Help her get to the center!"
"I don't know the way. All I know is that the right way is always the wrong way."
"I can work with that!" Acacia put her face closer to them. "Could you tell me which way I shouldn't be going?"
"Oh, that's easy, luv. Don't go that way." He tipped his head towards his right (her left). "Never go that way."
"Thank you, so much. You're very kind. Goodbye." Pushing herself up, Acacia started towards the left turn. In this place, everything was designed to take her the longest way possible. The shortcuts and right ways were the ways she wasn't supposed to go, because it would lead her to the castle faster. Never go the way you should go. "I'm coming for you, Jareth."