Labyrinth-The Saga Continues
Chapter one: History repeats itself
Tobias, or Toby as he was called by those who knew him well, looked down at his sister. After a year of having her, he still didn't see what the big deal was. Alexa looked up at him, smiling and giggling. Toby scowled. Mom and Dad had fussed a great deal over their PRECIOUS baby, their SWEET little girl, before leaving.
The only good thing about the evening was that Sarah, visiting from college, was babysitting. He had always admired this older sister, always felt a bond with her-not like THIS sister. But even Sarah was prone to cooing and fawning over Alexa. Toby was jealous. And it didn't help that he had been looking forward to having a baby brother, either. What fun could you have with a GIRL??? Sarah was different, of course. She was always fun, always interesting. She could tell the most amazing stories, like the one about the Labyrinth. She made up stories that took place in that world-Toby knew she made them up because he had read Labyrinth, and it didn't have half the interesting stuff she told in it.
Toby looked down at Alexa again. He remembered the beginning of the story-of the foolish girl who had given up her brother, then fought to get him back. "If I was her," he whispered to Alexa, "I wouldn't have fought to get the baby back-I'd be glad to be rid of it...of you."
He didn't really hate Alexa-He just wanted things to be the way they used to be, before SHE came along. Before she was the center of his parent's world. That was all he wanted, really. "How I'd love to give YOU up to the Goblin King," he hissed at her. "I could, you know. I just might. If people around here don't start paying more attention to me, that is."
"Toby!" Sarah called upstairs. "I just put Alexa down for bed, don't bother her!"
"That's it!" Toby whispered. "Don't bother the baby, Toby, don't hold the baby, Toby, don't risk harming the PERFECT, PRECIOUS BABY, Toby! I can't take it any more, I just can't! Take this baby from me, Goblin King!" With a ferocious wind the windows flew open and knocked Toby to the ground. After the windstorm was over, Toby cautiously got up and peaked over the crib. Alexa was gone.
Toby barely had time to gather his wits from this shock before Sarah was at the door, out of breath from running up the stairs. "What happened here, Toby?" She looked around, at the disheveled room, before hurrying to the crib and crying out in shock. "Where is she, Tobias?" Toby cowered under her sudden urgency, and mumbled something along the lines of, "I didn't mean...I didn't think..." Sarah did some fast thinking and put two and two together.
"You summoned the goblins, didn't you?" Toby stared at her.
"I didn't think...I didn't think that would actually HAPPEN, I mean..." He faltered at her look.
She glared at him a bit, but then softened. "I know. I hadn't been thinking when it happened to me, either." Toby stared, speechless. Sarah continued, "Well, I guess we'll have to get her back, won't we?" With a breath, she called out confidently, "Jareth, come to me!"
A white owl flew into the room. In the blink of an eye, Jareth was standing there-No smoke or noise, nothing. He was simply there.
"Sarah..." he whispered. "You've gone and made the same mistake again?"
"I've done nothing of the sort. You know that-stop playing these games." He smiled at her confidence.
"So Sarah has finally grown up, has she?" he asked mockingly
"We want our sister back."
"I let you off easy last time, Sarah. It could've been much more difficult. Do not think that I will bestow the same kindness a second time."
"The boy is ten, true, but I will accompany him-the difficulty will be the same this time around."
"Oh, no, Sarah. You will most likely take an easier path this time-A path that the Sarah of nine years ago would have found most easy. But there will be one more obstacle-One that will make the quest MUCH harder, one that, I suspect, you will not be able to overcome."
"You're bluffing...you have no power over me...you have no power over Toby, either." Jareth laughed at this statement.
"You've hit upon your weakness exactly, Sarah. The one obstacle you will not be able to overcome. You see, I had no power over you nine years ago, Sarah-You only believed I did, until the end, that is, when you realized the truth. But an older Sarah, a Sarah who's had nine years to think about what exactly went on in the Underground.... I have the most important power over you, now, Sarah."
"What is that, exactly, Jareth?" He walked slowly around her, circling. He leaned over her shoulder, and whispered into her ear, so that Toby had to strain to hear.
"For nine years, not a day has gone by that you have not thought about me, Sarah. I plague your thoughts, your dreams, your mind. But most importantly...." He circled so that he was in front of her, "I plague you here," he said, pointing towards her heart. Sarah narrowed her eyes at him, and then laughed, the last thing Toby expected her to do.
"You are extraordinarily perceptive, Jareth. But so am I. This power you speak of, this power you say you have over me...I have exactly the same power over you. We cancel each other out, do we not?" It was Jareth's turn to narrow his eyes, before, to Toby's great surprise, Jareth grabbed Sarah and kissed her like Toby had never seen anyone be kissed before. To his even greater surprise, Sarah started kissing him back.
Sarah was the first to pull away. There were tears on her eyes. "This changes nothing, Jareth," she whispered. "You still have my sister, and I still want her back. Once again, we are enemies. And I still have the same power over you, it still cancels your power out." Jareth glared at her, and with a movement of his hands, the setting changed- they were outside the walls of the Labyrinth.
"It might have changed something, Sarah. It still might, if you would let it. For the time being though, I still have a power over you. For now, you are in MY world." As silently as he had appeared, so he disappeared. Sarah shook her head, then started moving towards the entrance. Toby was still staring at her in shock-In all her tellings of this story, she had never once let on that she was in love with the Goblin King.
Sarah sighed, and turned around to face Toby.
"Are you coming, or not?"
Chapter one: History repeats itself
Tobias, or Toby as he was called by those who knew him well, looked down at his sister. After a year of having her, he still didn't see what the big deal was. Alexa looked up at him, smiling and giggling. Toby scowled. Mom and Dad had fussed a great deal over their PRECIOUS baby, their SWEET little girl, before leaving.
The only good thing about the evening was that Sarah, visiting from college, was babysitting. He had always admired this older sister, always felt a bond with her-not like THIS sister. But even Sarah was prone to cooing and fawning over Alexa. Toby was jealous. And it didn't help that he had been looking forward to having a baby brother, either. What fun could you have with a GIRL??? Sarah was different, of course. She was always fun, always interesting. She could tell the most amazing stories, like the one about the Labyrinth. She made up stories that took place in that world-Toby knew she made them up because he had read Labyrinth, and it didn't have half the interesting stuff she told in it.
Toby looked down at Alexa again. He remembered the beginning of the story-of the foolish girl who had given up her brother, then fought to get him back. "If I was her," he whispered to Alexa, "I wouldn't have fought to get the baby back-I'd be glad to be rid of it...of you."
He didn't really hate Alexa-He just wanted things to be the way they used to be, before SHE came along. Before she was the center of his parent's world. That was all he wanted, really. "How I'd love to give YOU up to the Goblin King," he hissed at her. "I could, you know. I just might. If people around here don't start paying more attention to me, that is."
"Toby!" Sarah called upstairs. "I just put Alexa down for bed, don't bother her!"
"That's it!" Toby whispered. "Don't bother the baby, Toby, don't hold the baby, Toby, don't risk harming the PERFECT, PRECIOUS BABY, Toby! I can't take it any more, I just can't! Take this baby from me, Goblin King!" With a ferocious wind the windows flew open and knocked Toby to the ground. After the windstorm was over, Toby cautiously got up and peaked over the crib. Alexa was gone.
Toby barely had time to gather his wits from this shock before Sarah was at the door, out of breath from running up the stairs. "What happened here, Toby?" She looked around, at the disheveled room, before hurrying to the crib and crying out in shock. "Where is she, Tobias?" Toby cowered under her sudden urgency, and mumbled something along the lines of, "I didn't mean...I didn't think..." Sarah did some fast thinking and put two and two together.
"You summoned the goblins, didn't you?" Toby stared at her.
"I didn't think...I didn't think that would actually HAPPEN, I mean..." He faltered at her look.
She glared at him a bit, but then softened. "I know. I hadn't been thinking when it happened to me, either." Toby stared, speechless. Sarah continued, "Well, I guess we'll have to get her back, won't we?" With a breath, she called out confidently, "Jareth, come to me!"
A white owl flew into the room. In the blink of an eye, Jareth was standing there-No smoke or noise, nothing. He was simply there.
"Sarah..." he whispered. "You've gone and made the same mistake again?"
"I've done nothing of the sort. You know that-stop playing these games." He smiled at her confidence.
"So Sarah has finally grown up, has she?" he asked mockingly
"We want our sister back."
"I let you off easy last time, Sarah. It could've been much more difficult. Do not think that I will bestow the same kindness a second time."
"The boy is ten, true, but I will accompany him-the difficulty will be the same this time around."
"Oh, no, Sarah. You will most likely take an easier path this time-A path that the Sarah of nine years ago would have found most easy. But there will be one more obstacle-One that will make the quest MUCH harder, one that, I suspect, you will not be able to overcome."
"You're bluffing...you have no power over me...you have no power over Toby, either." Jareth laughed at this statement.
"You've hit upon your weakness exactly, Sarah. The one obstacle you will not be able to overcome. You see, I had no power over you nine years ago, Sarah-You only believed I did, until the end, that is, when you realized the truth. But an older Sarah, a Sarah who's had nine years to think about what exactly went on in the Underground.... I have the most important power over you, now, Sarah."
"What is that, exactly, Jareth?" He walked slowly around her, circling. He leaned over her shoulder, and whispered into her ear, so that Toby had to strain to hear.
"For nine years, not a day has gone by that you have not thought about me, Sarah. I plague your thoughts, your dreams, your mind. But most importantly...." He circled so that he was in front of her, "I plague you here," he said, pointing towards her heart. Sarah narrowed her eyes at him, and then laughed, the last thing Toby expected her to do.
"You are extraordinarily perceptive, Jareth. But so am I. This power you speak of, this power you say you have over me...I have exactly the same power over you. We cancel each other out, do we not?" It was Jareth's turn to narrow his eyes, before, to Toby's great surprise, Jareth grabbed Sarah and kissed her like Toby had never seen anyone be kissed before. To his even greater surprise, Sarah started kissing him back.
Sarah was the first to pull away. There were tears on her eyes. "This changes nothing, Jareth," she whispered. "You still have my sister, and I still want her back. Once again, we are enemies. And I still have the same power over you, it still cancels your power out." Jareth glared at her, and with a movement of his hands, the setting changed- they were outside the walls of the Labyrinth.
"It might have changed something, Sarah. It still might, if you would let it. For the time being though, I still have a power over you. For now, you are in MY world." As silently as he had appeared, so he disappeared. Sarah shook her head, then started moving towards the entrance. Toby was still staring at her in shock-In all her tellings of this story, she had never once let on that she was in love with the Goblin King.
Sarah sighed, and turned around to face Toby.
"Are you coming, or not?"