Chapter 3. I wish
Sarah got home soaked to the bone, with a growing dread she approached the front door, for weeks now her family were getting harder and harder for her to handle. Harsher words were spoken and the times at which she was happy were getting fewer and further between. Her worst fears were realised when she saw her Step- Mother at the door, holding down the boundaries she thought bitterly to make sure nothing unwelcome got in. Anger pulsed through her as she stomped up the stairs. "Sarah, You're an hour late" her Step Mother began, "I know, I'm sorry" Sarah butted in "come on Merlin" she made an attempt to get past her up the stairs but found her way blocked by the small perfectly quaffed woman, "not the dog!"
"But it's pouring?!" Sarah retorted in shock, her step mother ignored her,
"Go on, into the garage." Merlin ignored her but looked up at Sarah checking to see what she wanted him to do. Bursting with rage Sarah nearly yelled at him; "go on Merlin, into the garage, go!" before storming past her step mother into the house.
Jareth watched her from one of his crystals he was at his castle now- a rambling ancient building so twisted that even he didn't know all of its secrets. He was in his throne room, currently filled with swarms of goblins, drinking, laughing and generally being goblins. A small smile played onto his lips, this was it, it would happen tonight he could feel it, it was part of the reason he had opened his doors again after so many weeks of keeping to himself. As he sat on the throne one leg casually hanging over the golden arm he could barely hold himself still, his blood was up and there was magic in the air. The storm was still howling around Sarah's small perfectly suburban house and in the underground the atmosphere was mirrored, the air charged with electric nerves. The castle and the Labyrinth knew what was about to happen, it was as if it had been preparing for this moment. All she had to do was say those little words and the boy would be his, then she would be lost in his labyrinth and he could have her, forever.
With the goblins amassed and all hovering expectantly in and around the castle, waiting, Jareth in a fit of unlikely exuberance had expanded a crystal so it rose shimmering above them- Sarah's face at the centre, the picture a little misty but her voice rang through as she cried and yelled at her parents before storming down the stairs to where the child was crying. A knot of anticipation and greed arose in Jareth's stomach as he listened intently while she began to tell a story, "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose Step-Mother always made her stay home with the baby. The baby was a spoiled child he wanted everything for himself, and the young girl was practically his slave. But what no one knew was the Goblin King fell in love with her and gave her certain powers. So one night when baby had been particularly cruel to her, she asked the goblins for help. 'Say you're right words' the goblins said 'and we'll take the baby away to the goblin city and you will be free' But the girl knew the King of the goblins would keep the baby in his castle forever and ever so she suffered in silence, until one night when she was tired from doing housework and hurt by the harsh words of her step mother and she could no longer stand it…" The child screamed even louder and Jareth's heart stopped it was the story of The Labyrinth, a tale always told but never realised, it was happening the girl was writing herself into his story.
The child screamed and the winds howled, Jareth was on the edge of his throne, poised for the words that were on the tip of her tongue, "I can bare it no longer- Goblin King Goblin King, wherever you may be, come take this child of mine far away from me" Frustrated Jareth threw away the crystal, no, she knew better than that, she had read the book the words were there in her mind all she had to do was wish…
Back in the bedroom Sarah, frustrated and angry with Toby, practically flung him down into his cot before storming out of the room. As she went to turn out the light she muttered- "I wish the goblins would come and take you away- right now." Then the lights blew out, the lightening crashed and the wind buffered at the house- she ran back into the room, knowing in her heart that she had said the wrong words, done something terrible.