She had never run so hard, fast, or long in her life. Every bone and muscle in her young body ached. Yet, still, Sarah moved desperately forward. Every time she dared to stop to try to rest for a moment, to gasp at air with burning lungs, she heard Toby cry again and sprang back into action. She yearned for something to drink. She had never been so thirsty in her entire life!
Yet even if she were to come across a stream, Sarah knew she could not trust it. Not here. Any freely given liquid was liable to be poisonous, life-stealing instead of life-giving. She shivered in the warm, Autumn-like air at that thought. She had been life-stealing. Toby was her brother, but he was here, facing becoming a Goblin forever, because of her!
She screamed. In these cavernous, endless walls, what did it matter if anyone heard her? They'd no doubt think she was being attacked. It might lead to an attack, but what did she care? If she ventured across another living being again, maybe she could finally get some answers! She had been running so long -- but what if she was running in the wrong direction? Toby's life was at stake, and all because of her own foolishery and jealousy.
Perhaps not really jealousy, she thought, panting and feeling the rapid thudding of her heart pounding frantically in her chest, but certainly foolishery! Toby was a baby! How could she have taken out her frustrations on him?! Perhaps she did belong in this place! Perhaps she was as evil as all those around her!
Perhaps she was evil as him! The Goblin King was worst of all the beings she had encountered in this place, and his conceitedness certainly only made matters worse! He had offered her to stay, offered, it would seem, for her to become his Queen, but at what price? He seemed able to do anything, but somehow Sarah sensed that did not include returning Toby to the world that did not want her if she did not beat his stupid game.
Could she offer to stay? she wondered, and her heart pounding even harder. Could she attempt to make a deal with him, swap herself for her brother, her brother who their parents actually wanted, who her father still loved? It was a tempting thought that seemed to unsettle her stomach even more while rushing a strange fire into other parts of her. Could she stay with Jareth and somehow persuade him to send Toby back? For as horrible as this place seemed, it would mean being free forever of her stepmother, her father, and the other bullies in her life.
It would allow her to start over finally, to -- Toby wailed from somewhere within the palace. Sarah shoved all thoughts from her mind and returned to running.
She could easily hear Toby's every cry, but not Jareth's chuckle. "Ah, Sarah, sweet, beautiful Sarah, you're still not looking right."
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ninetydegrees
Foolishery
2024-09-22 17:16 (UTC)She had never run so hard, fast, or long in her life. Every bone and muscle in her young body ached. Yet, still, Sarah moved desperately forward. Every time she dared to stop to try to rest for a moment, to gasp at air with burning lungs, she heard Toby cry again and sprang back into action. She yearned for something to drink. She had never been so thirsty in her entire life!
Yet even if she were to come across a stream, Sarah knew she could not trust it. Not here. Any freely given liquid was liable to be poisonous, life-stealing instead of life-giving. She shivered in the warm, Autumn-like air at that thought. She had been life-stealing. Toby was her brother, but he was here, facing becoming a Goblin forever, because of her!
She screamed. In these cavernous, endless walls, what did it matter if anyone heard her? They'd no doubt think she was being attacked. It might lead to an attack, but what did she care? If she ventured across another living being again, maybe she could finally get some answers! She had been running so long -- but what if she was running in the wrong direction? Toby's life was at stake, and all because of her own foolishery and jealousy.
Perhaps not really jealousy, she thought, panting and feeling the rapid thudding of her heart pounding frantically in her chest, but certainly foolishery! Toby was a baby! How could she have taken out her frustrations on him?! Perhaps she did belong in this place! Perhaps she was as evil as all those around her!
Perhaps she was evil as him! The Goblin King was worst of all the beings she had encountered in this place, and his conceitedness certainly only made matters worse! He had offered her to stay, offered, it would seem, for her to become his Queen, but at what price? He seemed able to do anything, but somehow Sarah sensed that did not include returning Toby to the world that did not want her if she did not beat his stupid game.
Could she offer to stay? she wondered, and her heart pounding even harder. Could she attempt to make a deal with him, swap herself for her brother, her brother who their parents actually wanted, who her father still loved? It was a tempting thought that seemed to unsettle her stomach even more while rushing a strange fire into other parts of her. Could she stay with Jareth and somehow persuade him to send Toby back? For as horrible as this place seemed, it would mean being free forever of her stepmother, her father, and the other bullies in her life.
It would allow her to start over finally, to -- Toby wailed from somewhere within the palace. Sarah shoved all thoughts from her mind and returned to running.
She could easily hear Toby's every cry, but not Jareth's chuckle. "Ah, Sarah, sweet, beautiful Sarah, you're still not looking right."
The End