There was an enormous mound of fallen leaves at the far end of the lawn. Sarah had no idea where they’d come from, as they didn’t appear to have originated from any of the trees in this section of the gardens, or how they’d gotten there. Any questions relating to horticultural oddness, were currently being drowned out by the shrieks of Labyrinthine youngsters as they hurled themselves into the pile.
While a huge number of goblins were involved, there was also a fairly wide representation of the kingdom’s many species taking part in the game.
“I take it this is a seasonal thing.” Sarah turned to Jareth who was watching the children with a fond expression.
He hummed in reply, pulling her against his chest and lacing his fingers over her middle. “It’s a seasonal festival for the younger inhabitants of the city.” Sarah shivered in delight as Jareth’s breath ghosted against her ear. “Somebody brought the game with them from Above and rather than having piles of leaves everywhere, we have one enormous one and let them loose in it for the day.”
Sarah smiled as a pair of elves vanished into the leaves with a scream of delight. They were followed by a rowdy horde of small goblins.
“Shouldn’t they have destroyed the pile by now?”
Jareth nuzzled into Sarah’s hair. “It’s reinforced by magic to allow them to play for longer.”
“That’s a sweet gesture.” Sarah turned her head to brush a kiss against Jareth’s lips.
“I am a most benevolent monarch.”
“Of course you are, sweetie.” Sarah laughed as a human child with a retinue of goblins somersaulted into the leaves in an impressively synchronous display. “Isn’t there a concern about them crashing into the other kids?” She’d seen a large number of children disappear into the mound, but she realised that she had yet to see anyone emerge. This was a little confusing when she was sure that she had seen several familiar faces make multiple runs.
“They won’t be harmed. When they dive in, they enter a portal that deposits them at the top of that small rise.” Jareth pointed towards the slope. The rounder goblins seemed to have the advantage over the others, by tucking their limbs in tight they rolled down faster than most of the runners. “The added run lets them burn off excess energy.”
“It is safe, isn’t it? A note of concern crept into Sarah’s voice.
“Of course it is,” Jareth scoffed. “We only lose one or two a year.”
“Jareth!” Sarah gasped in shock and turned to look into his eyes. She slapped his arm lightly in exasperation when she saw his amused expression. “Cheeky devil!”
Kissing her fondly on the forehead, Jareth held her close. “When it starts to get dark, we’ll set the pile alight to usher in the new season.”
“I hope you’ll check for stray kids before you set it aflame,” Sarah deadpanned.
Jareth dramatically sighed. “The sacrifices I make for you, my love.”
Foliage
There was an enormous mound of fallen leaves at the far end of the lawn. Sarah had no idea where they’d come from, as they didn’t appear to have originated from any of the trees in this section of the gardens, or how they’d gotten there. Any questions relating to horticultural oddness, were currently being drowned out by the shrieks of Labyrinthine youngsters as they hurled themselves into the pile.
While a huge number of goblins were involved, there was also a fairly wide representation of the kingdom’s many species taking part in the game.
“I take it this is a seasonal thing.” Sarah turned to Jareth who was watching the children with a fond expression.
He hummed in reply, pulling her against his chest and lacing his fingers over her middle. “It’s a seasonal festival for the younger inhabitants of the city.” Sarah shivered in delight as Jareth’s breath ghosted against her ear. “Somebody brought the game with them from Above and rather than having piles of leaves everywhere, we have one enormous one and let them loose in it for the day.”
Sarah smiled as a pair of elves vanished into the leaves with a scream of delight. They were followed by a rowdy horde of small goblins.
“Shouldn’t they have destroyed the pile by now?”
Jareth nuzzled into Sarah’s hair. “It’s reinforced by magic to allow them to play for longer.”
“That’s a sweet gesture.” Sarah turned her head to brush a kiss against Jareth’s lips.
“I am a most benevolent monarch.”
“Of course you are, sweetie.” Sarah laughed as a human child with a retinue of goblins somersaulted into the leaves in an impressively synchronous display. “Isn’t there a concern about them crashing into the other kids?” She’d seen a large number of children disappear into the mound, but she realised that she had yet to see anyone emerge. This was a little confusing when she was sure that she had seen several familiar faces make multiple runs.
“They won’t be harmed. When they dive in, they enter a portal that deposits them at the top of that small rise.” Jareth pointed towards the slope. The rounder goblins seemed to have the advantage over the others, by tucking their limbs in tight they rolled down faster than most of the runners. “The added run lets them burn off excess energy.”
“It is safe, isn’t it? A note of concern crept into Sarah’s voice.
“Of course it is,” Jareth scoffed. “We only lose one or two a year.”
“Jareth!” Sarah gasped in shock and turned to look into his eyes. She slapped his arm lightly in exasperation when she saw his amused expression. “Cheeky devil!”
Kissing her fondly on the forehead, Jareth held her close. “When it starts to get dark, we’ll set the pile alight to usher in the new season.”
“I hope you’ll check for stray kids before you set it aflame,” Sarah deadpanned.
Jareth dramatically sighed. “The sacrifices I make for you, my love.”