Sarah turned to the group of eyes behind her. "So, how do we get out of here?"

"A password," Gus volunteered.

Sarah looked back at the large wooden doors that barred her from exiting the castle. A goblin guard dosed drunkenly, head tilted almost into his lap, half sprawled across the floor and half propped up on the entrance.

"A password?" Sarah asked.

Gus nodded. The group of goblins behind him bounced their heads in agreement along with him.

Sarah paused. "Well, what is it?" She prodded with a tinge of irritation.

Gus blinked. "Oh, don't worries, I knows it like the back of my hand." He held out the gnarled hairy appendage and then suddenly frowned at a large mole protruding on the back of it. Gus' eyes widened and he shook his hand, briskly bringing it down to his side without another word.

"Well, lets wake him up and go," Sarah said, motioning to the oblivious guard.

They tapped on his helmet and even yelled in his ear. The goblin guard remained painfully unaware. His snores sometimes reaching volumes louder than Sarah's strained voice.

"I's know," Wiznic crowed proudly. His glasses slipped further down his nose. He cupped his hands before his mouth. "Party in the throne room, ale supplied."

The guard started with a snort. "Ale?" He straightened his posture, then when his eyes narrowed on Sarah and he flew to attention. Now standing, the guard pointed at her and said with an accusing tone, "You're not allowed to leave the castle."

"The King said I could leave if I had an escort. Gus is escorting me," Sarah lied.

The goblin frowned and dropped his hand. "He did?"

"Yeahs, he said it to everyone. I don't know how yous didn't hear hims," Gus said.

"Oh," the guard scratched his head. "Wait," he began and Sarah worried that he wouldn't take the bait. "I's heard his majesty. Sure did, I dids." The goblin said with pride. He banged on his helmet with a fist, "Nothing goes over my head. That's why I's was made castle guard, you see."

Sarah nodded and gave him an encouraging smile.

"But I's still can't lets you pass without the password."

"Oh, I's knows it," Gus began but the guard interrupted him.

"-No, the lady has to say it. That ways I know if she knows it." He turned to Sarah and with a quick wink, he said, "See? Nothing goes over my heads."

Sarah bit her lip hesitantly. "Um. Can I talk to my friend for a moment?" She asked with a polite and wondering smile.

The guard nodded, his helmet slipping a little.

"Gus," Sarah hissed, turning to him.

"Just repeat after me," he whispered back. Then shooed her forward.

"The password is," Gus began.

"The password is…" Sarah repeated to the guard.

"One."

"One."

"Two."

"Two."

"Three."

"Three," Sarah frowned.

"Four."

"Four."

"And five."

"And five," Sarah finished with an unsure tone. Her hands fiddled together in front of her.

"Hmmm," the guard scratched his chin. "Hmmm…" He seemed to be pondering it with a considerable amount of concentration. His nose twitched. "Wrong," He announced.

Sarah swung back towards the goblins behind her. "Gus," she hissed.

Gus shrunk back. "So's maybe I's don't knows the back of my hands so well." He shrugged.

"We're never going to get out of here at this rate," Sarah said.

The Goblin King could enter any moment from the shadows to spoil her plan with a mocking villain-esque catchphrase.

Something like, Well, well, well, what do we have here? - he's done that one before, Sarah reminded herself.

Or, Look what the cat dragged in.

Or, I've been expecting you.

Or even the old, You and I aren't so different, spiel.

"I knows," Wiznic raised his hand, breaking Sarah from her thoughts. "What if yous count down from five instead of counting up?"

Sarah pursed her lips. The Goblin King really needed to set up an education system here.

"Well, couldn't hurt to try." She turned back to the guard. His eyelids drooped and he was once again leaning back on the door. "I've got the password," she said.

He grunted and blinked rapidly so as to focus on the young woman before him. "Yeah, yeah. Gets on with it." He waved.

"It's five, four, three, two, and one."

"That's a terrible password," the goblin growled. "What kind of castle would have a password likes that?"

Sarah felt her cheeks burn.

"So stoopid. The password's five, four, three, two, one. Not five, four, three, two, and one." He shook his head. "Humans… and one." The goblin guard sighed heavily.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Uh... Well, how about five, four, three, two, one?"

"Finally, she gets the rights answer." The guard raised his arms in put-upon exasperation. Then he stepped out of the way. "I will lets you through, but only 'cause I want to get back to sleepin- I mean guarding, and you're distracting me."

The castle doors swept open on their own accord. Groaning loudly. Sarah wondered if there was some automatic button involved or if it was just magic.

"Thank you," she said to the goblin, but a quick glance over showed her that he was once again asleep. His soft snores filling the castle hallway.

They stepped through the door into the Goblin City. A soft breeze enveloped them. She could already smell the Goblin City. Musty, putrid, and a surprising light aroma of pumpkin spice.

"Hows disgusting," Gus grumbled. "They's lighting candles again."

Sarah felt a prickling on the back of her neck and she hoped the Goblin King was still occupied. She wanted to be at least five feet from the castle before he managed to thwart her escape.

"Let's go," she said and didn't dare to look back. The doors swung shut behind them with a loud thud. They could feel the ground beneath their feet vibrate from the force. Gus whistled nervously.

"Where to, Lady?" Wiznic asked.

"To Hoggle's."

The sound of the front door slamming shut jolted the young boy from his sleep. His eyes were heavy and felt like grains of sand had been poured in them. He scrubbed at his face and yawned.

"Sarah?" He heard his father call.

Toby sniffed and pondered on whether to go back to bed or to get up and greet his parents.

"We're back," his mother said with a hint of alarm.

The boy rolled over and decided to go back to sleep. So what if he didn't greet his parents? He saw them every day. The only person in his family that he didn't see too often was his older sister Sarah. Perhaps he should get up to say goodbye to her before she left to go home-

Sarah!

Toby jumped up out of bed.

The images of a small goblin standing over him flashed through his mind. Beady eyes leaning in as the creature whispered words into his ear. Then his older sisters innocent face frozen in shock. The words I wish the goblins will come and take you away hanging in the air around him.

Toby's heart sped up in his chest. He clutched it and fell back onto his bed, blinking as his mind took in several things at once.

One, magic existed.

Two, so did goblins.

Three, his big sister had been kidnapped by said goblins.

He made a startled gurgling noise in the back of his throat.

"Toby?" The door to his bedroom cautiously slid open. His mother stood there with frown lines etched into her face and acrylic nails digging into the wood on the side of his door. She was dressed in usual date-night attire. A silky shirt, hanging bulky earrings and dyed blonde hair twisted up formally.

"Where's Sarah?" She asked.

"I-I…" Toby's face was pinched. What would he tell his parents?

I wanted to thank you all for the reviews, favorites and follows. It's keeping me dedicated to the goofiness of this story. :) Shorter chapter than usual, but it'll get interesting just around the corner.

I don't own the labyrinth, only the crazy ideas that this whimsical movie gives me.

Seriously, I've been jotting down story ideas all week. Even at 3 in the morning.

I can't eat, I can't sleep.

It's taking over my life.

Pls help.