Labyrinth Sequel
The rain came crashing down outside. I could hear it’s constant pelting on the windows as if it would break them in out of anger. The lights dimming on and off constantly, making me feel as if I was in some second rate horror flick. My head slightly pounding from memories that once were. Memories I was trying to forget. I rounded the corner and entered into the hallway, the lights almost strobing. I sighed, if I could just reach my room it would all be over. I could slip inside the comfort of my bed. Pull the sheets over my head and sleep away this horrible night. Sleep away the pain, escape into a dream world where I was much better off than the one I was in now.
There was a quick flash of lightning followed by a thunderous clap. The lights had lost their battle and were now officially out. Thankfully I had reached the door to my room just in time. As I reached for the doorknob I got a strange shock. Not willing to let this stop an otherwise perfect night, I closed my eyes and walked inside.
There was a strange silence emitting from my room. No, it was more than that. The rain had stopped completely. I opened my eyes to see. What now was in front of me was no longer my room but a landscape of green fields, blossoming trees, and blue skies. I must have snapped. I released the doorknob to rub my forehead when I realized… there was no door.
Sneaking suspicions of sleep deprivation and mild paranoia crept through my head, but that would not induce this. But in the distance I see something, something out of place. As if the whole thing wasn’t. But it seemed the longer I tried walking towards it, the further away it was. I couldn’t make it out anyway, a house, a castle, a town, a village, I don’t know. But it seemed to be some form of civilization, out in here in the middle of paradise lost.
Well as a waker of dreams, I must admit I did try to wake up. I thought instantly of how this can’t be. I screamed, I yelled, no luck. It isn’t a dream, at least not like one I’ve ever been in before. And there stands that in the distance… I don’t know what it is, in front of me. Taunting me, like it holds the answers and I can’t get there.
I start to walk to the right for a while, not really noticing things at first. My mind is still whirring about where I am and how I got here, where is here anyway? Then it hit me, no matter how long I have walked, the scenery here looks like I am standing still. Then a few steps in front of me, sits a small key. I know I have been looking at my feet, it wasn’t here a minute ago. It’s about three inches long, gold, shiny… perfectly shiny actually no fingerprints. Other than mine now.
I glanced up from the key, suddenly I am not so far away from the thing in the distance. And now I know what it is, it’s a very large castle. The funny thing is…I’ve seen this castle before. I’ve more than seen this castle, I KNOW this castle. I have the movie posters, I have the soundtrack, I have the movie, I have the book…I mean I KNOW this castle.
But it’s interesting to me, why am I here? And this key is to small for the gates, to small for a door…you see the key has shrunk while I’m looking at the castle, it’s the size of a ring charm.
Now the unfortunate thing is, unlike the character of the story I know… I don’t have any lipstick to mark my way. I don’t have any jewelry to trade. And I of course don’t have any little brother that I offered up to get rid of, or step brother actually, oh who cares. But what I do have is one up on her, I know where I am and what I’m doing. I know what mistakes she made and how not to make them, in a sense smarter. And a lot older too.
While I’m pondering, I hear the gate open. No little gnome person to guide me the way with misguided advice, or riddle me this and that. No nothing. Except for one thing, faint in the background I can hear ticking. And just as I step forward to start my inevitable journey I see my worthy adversary, if he is indeed my adversary at all.
You see, I thought it was stupid of the girl to shun his attention. Immature for her to leave him the way that she did, or in any way for that matter. Had I been in her shoes, as it would seem now I am, I would not do that. I of course would stay.
Jareth’s eyes gleaming with his winning grin on, “You know the rules, you know the hours. You may even know why you’re here. But there is something you don’t know. To get out you must reach the other side.”
Not like the other girl who made it halfway through the castle and mysteriously returned home. But why would I want to leave?
The clock slowly appeared, the faint ticking growing louder as it approached, then lessening as it went away. But Jareth was gone.
Well the main thing is to get to the castle, in past the gate. Glancing up at the walls I was ready to forgo her first mistake. I jumped on top of the wall. It was easier to walk on the top of the wall and make it by jumping the openings than try to search through the maze.
“This isn’t like the movie.” Jareths’ voice came from nowhere.
Retractable mechanized spikes came up from the top of the wall, missing my feet by mere millimeters, causing me to jump backwards almost onto another spike. This of course caused me to look down. The walls which had been hard climbing length to me before, were now over twenty feet tall and rising. Unable to keep my balance, and being afraid of heights to boot, I fell.
It seemed like a never ending fall, weightlessness, waiting for the final thud. But instead I landed softly on a mound of cushions, soft large hand embroidered cushions. I blinked slow and glanced up at a smiling Jareth.
“You get three falls and then your mine.”
Sort of like a game, three lives and then game over. But again, before a word can come out of my mouth, he is gone. I roll my eyes and glance around. No matter, I am at the wooded area. Beyond the maze, a good head start, past undesirable places. But I remember her falling asleep here. Not here, actually two steps to the right. Funny how I landed here. Well I’m not hungry, there’s nothing around, and I didn’t make any friends. Which means I’ll have to beat up those creatures if they show up all by myself. Which is funny to me now because I hear a rustling in the distance. I start running to the nearest climbable tree, which is fortunately near a wall. Which is probably where I want to go next anyway.
I start to climb and glance down as I do to see goblins with sharp spears trying to follow me. But no matter I’m almost there, and right as I reach the top of the wall, my right hand grasping it firmly…A goblin has reached for my left ankle, and has a good hold. Now try as I might to shake, kick, scream, and pull myself away… He’s just a little stronger than I expected them to be. My hand lost it’s grasp and I began fall number two.
There were no pillows at the end of this fall, instead I ended up standing straight on my feet. I must be in the oubliette because there is nothing but darkness around me, and I’m standing in a pillar of light.
That is until smiling jack appears.
Holding up two fingers he then motions to the ever changing clock face, which by the way I think is six hours off. Then suddenly I’m surrounded in a complete circle of crystal balls, it was almost like bing surrounded by a bubble wall on all sides. The crystal balls floated to the ground in straight lines and uniform motions before shattering in pieces on the ground.
“Do you see them, just like your dreams.” a mocking grin creeps across his face.
I reached out to touch one.
“Stop!” he motioned to me as I froze.
They began to slow down just long enough for me to reach my hand out to grab one. It almost crushed my hand under it’s force. I jerked my hand back shaking the pain off. Then I noticed they were no longer crashing anymore. The crystal balls had faded away. I was alone again and the only piece of ground that was around was the piece directly under my feet. I sighed, no way out, I wasn’t going to mumble a not fair. I knew him to play the cards to his advantage, they were all his to play anyway.
And besides did I not come here but only to lose? I jumped. It was a dizzying height, and there was no end to the fall. I eventually passed out.
It’s funny how I awoke. It would seem I was in a box of some kind with red velvet lining, almost like a jewelry box. When the lid was opened I must have been at least three inches tall to Jareth who picked me up with his fingers. In a brief second I was transformed to regular size to see around me a room that was nothing but shelves. Shelves with tiny little boxes floor to ceiling, and a throne sitting in the center. He set my box back on the shelf, opened.
“You belong to me now, as do all the others.” he motioned to the boxes. “All searching for the one true love. But I tire of them easily, and become quite bored.”
I’m of course speechless, would I be any different than them. How easy it was for him to catch me, how unwilling I was to fight.
“Come” we stood in front of an endless dinning room, paintings or women stretched the lengths of the walls. The table set with plates stretching to eternity, dizzying me just looking at it. I turned to walk away, but instead stood in the center of my box, my new home for eternity.
Jareth sighed as he shut the top of the box, locking it, then placing it back on the shelf.
Then I realized I had the key to get out all along. Reaching in my pocket I held it, the small gold key. Dare I use it, and what would be his game if I did.