Now I won't hear a word of it!"

Contrary to Hoggle's original belief, the alcohol only made his father more obstinate. Mr. Hiddlebury's son had traveled to the apothecary and returned with an ointment for the old dwarf's aching joints, only to find the codger prepared to fight the admission of elderly defeat, passion in his eyes and ale on his hot breath. Mrs. Hiddlebury tried to soothe him with soft words, but he bit back with new fury. The little outburst caused quite a stink, and ruined the mood for quite a few onlookers. Hoggle dragged his fighting father into the castle and shoved him into a seat in the empty throne room to give him a good talking to. Sarah and Mrs. Hiddlebury were in the rear, concern written on their downcast faces. Hoggle gave them an irritated frown and snapped, "Dontcha be worryin' about the old goat. I got my stubborness from 'im, and I know how to deal with it."

"I don't know, Hoggle," Sarah pressed. "I think this may be more serious than you think."

"Now dontcha let him think so! You'll really give'im the idea that he has a right to stink about nothin'!"

Mrs. Hiddlebury placed her hand onto Sarah's arm, looked up at the girl then to her son. "We'll let you handle it, son. Just you be careful. He's very hot tempered when'e gets to drinkin'."

"Thanks so much for warning be beforehand, Ma." Hoggle gave his mother and uncompromising glare.

"Now, dontcha give me that look, Hoggle Jr. Your father ain't nothin' when it comes to my temper."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't let me get started on a woman's temper..." Hoggle turned to care for his father while his mother crossed her arms and gave him a disdainful look.

Mrs. Hiddlebury looked up at Sarah and said, "'T'will be fine, Your Majesty. It's just a little mood he gets into once-in-awhile. It will pass."

"Who do ya think you're dealin' with, boy?" Mr. Hiddlebury declared with venom. "I'm your father, not some lad who done gotten into the larder without permission. I should give you a whippin' for your insolence!"

"Ain't no one gettin' a whipping!" Hoggle yelled back. "Look, you're gonna listen to me for once! I actually know more'n you in this case! I've been studyin' on agin', and -"

"So, you've been waitin' for yer dad to die, eh?! Well, I'm sorry I can't oblige you any faster -" Just as he was preparing to get up, Hoggle shoved him back into his seat, pulling his own face inches from his father's.

"Now, look, you listen here -"

"Get out of my face -"

"Listen!" Hoggle's eyes burned brightly and the force in his tone caught his father's attention. "I'm not waiting for you to die. But you are damned well close, and you ain't helpin' nothin' by all this screamin' and hollerin'. I'm tryin' to help you. That's all I've been tryin' for all along."

"You weren't there when I needed you!" Mr. Hiddlebury declared, bending forward to emphasize his statement, his hot breath choking Hoggle with the smell of liquor.

"You're right, but I'm here now. I know I wadn't there for you all the time I was slavin' my life away for Jareth. I know that you didn't have a son, and that, even now, I'm not followin' in your footsteps as directly as you'd like. That's too bad, Pa. If I learned anything from the colossal mistake I done made with Jareth, it's that I gotta choose my path, and not slave for no one, not even my own father. I made a big mistake, granted, but I'm here now, and you don't wanna accept me. Well, there ain't no time to wait, Pa. 'Cause you'll be gone before you know it, and I'll be left with the miserable thought that you and me never patched things up. No matter how much you don't like it, you're dyin', Pa. I wanna make it as painless as possible, and I wanna try to get a few more years with you if I can help it. That's why I been studyin' up on aging. That's why I brought you this ointment. I want your last years to be your best. I wanna be the son that you never had."

Mr. Hiddlebury made no response, only to glower pitifully.

Hoggle softened his gaze, wrinkling a brow in contemplation. "Okay, now give me your arm." Mr. Hiddlebury complied instantly, only indicating hurt pride through the redirection of his gaze. Hoggle looked surprised, and turned to see shocked looks on Sarah and Mrs. Hiddlebury's faces. He opened the jar of ointment, then rubbed a large amount onto his stubby fingers. "This'll sting a bit, but it will feel better in just a second." When his father didn't respond, Hoggle proceeded to rub the ointment on the old dwarf's elbow, then moved to the other. Mr. Hiddlebury didn't even flinch. "There! Now to your knees. I'm gonna pull the legs of yer breeches up a bit." Mr. Hiddlebury moved one leg forward, never looking at Hoggle as he did so. One knee and then the next, Hoggle applied the remainder of the ointment. The dwarf stood up and faced his father. "Now, that wadn't so bad, was it?"

"I ain't sayin' nothin'," Mr. Hiddlebury replied in a low tone.

"Then, will you come back with us and have some fun?" Hoggle prodded.

"I ain't goin' nowhere."

"Well, fine then. I will just take the lasses away and we will have a good time without you." With that, Hoggle herded the women toward the door. Just as the women had left, Mr. Hiddlebury exclaimed, "Wait! Come'ere. Hoggle Jr. I wanna have a word with ya." Hoggle turned his head, cocked his bushy eyebrow, then hobbled over to his father. "Yes?"

"I just wanna say...." Mr. Hiddlebury looked up, puckered his lip as if avoiding a sour flavor, then continued, "I wanna tell you, 'Thank you, son.'" He pulled the legs of his breeches down and sighed. "I've been troublesome, 'cause I've still been angered. But you've been a better son than any father could wish for. I forgive you fer runnin' to the Goblin King... I guess I can't blame ya... I was a harsh father, always wantin' you to follow my dreams instead'a yer own. I know that's why you ran away. I wantcha to do what makes ya happy. And I appreciate yer help with my achin' joints. I'll try to be more agreeable. I know my time's comin', though I find it hard to admit sometimes. Guess I just don't wanna die." He grunted. "But, who wants to die? It happens anyway. So, might as well enjoy what time I got left... And enjoy the remaining precious moments I have with my son. Come'ere boy."

Hoggle smiled warmly, tears trickling down his cheek. His father rose and they embraced for some moments before Mr. Hiddlebury finally stood back, holding his son's shoulders in his hands. "You make me very proud, Hoggle Jr. You will be a fine bookman."

"Thank you, Pa. I love ya, too."

Mr. Hiddlebury smirked. "Ah, my son knows me too well. Guess we're of the same sort."

"We most definitely are."

"Well, shall we return to the festivities and join in a drink, lad?"

"That we shall, Pa. I've been waitin' all day."

*       *       *

As Jareth traversed the labyrinth, he discovered that, unlike the labyrinth he had created, the maze was more of a test of skill than a display of chance. Nonetheless, his skill far exceeded that which his current obstacle course required, and he had no doubts about his future success. He found himself facing a dead end, and he was most certain that he was going the right way. The wall was jagged, full of holes and littered with branches that protruded from the wall. A little bug that was making its rest on one of the branches turned about to face Jareth and cried, "Hahaha! It's a dead end! And you can't make your way through, you big bully human!"

Jareth cocked his eyebrow and looked down on the creature. "Quite a disdainful little chap, aren't you? If I were inclined to think so, I might presume you were picking a fight with me... Perhaps you have not considered the odds of your survival in such a battle? I won't even worry you with the ratio of my size to yours... Let's just say that you would end up less appealing to look at than you already are."

"Heh, I can outfly you any day! Just try me, you big oaf!" The bug twitched his behind to and fro, flittering his wings and buzzing in mockery.

"Can you, now?" Jareth smirked at him, and, just as the bug began to bug off, he darted out his hand, catching the bug by the foot. "Not so fast."

"Oww....! Goshdarnit, you're hurting my foot!" The creature pivoted about his ensnared foot agitatedly and declared, "Alright already! You got me, you got me!"

"Your tongue has softened... Perhaps you'll think twice before you take another oafish human for granted, hmm?" Jareth brought the bug to eye level before letting it go. "I could have squashed you, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, you're the man..." The bug perched on his branch again. "But can you get past this wall?"

"Don't tempt me to take you hostage again..." Jareth began to move his hand toward the bug in a threatening manner when he suddenly came upon an idea. "No, I'll let you be, I think. You have given me an idea."

"So you think you know the way past?" the bug asked, landing on Jareth's shoulder.

"My dear insect, I do know the way past. But first I think I shall cash in one of my hints."

"Why do you need a hint if you know the way? I don't believe you. You're just talking big."

"Naturally this wall is meant to be climbed over. I am supposed to think it's a dead end, but it is not. Am I correct?"

The bug crossed his first two legs and looked away. "I'm not saying you are, I'm not saying you're not."

"I thought so. Now please be off, I have matters to attend to."

"You ain't got much time, if you're in that race. You've only got nine hours left. How come you're going to waste your time asking for a hint you don't need? You act like you think you're gonna win."

"That is because I am, dear chap. You may accompany me if you don't believe me. And just to prove to you that I know that I am correct about this wall, I shall climb it before I call the queen."

"Sure. We'll see about this. Ain't many people to solve the labyrinth in nine days let alone nine hours. This'll be a hoot. And me to jeer - I mean cheer - you on."

"Very well, then. It's settled. Now, I have things to do, so please keep quiet." Jareth climbed to the top of the wall with little trouble and gazed out on the labyrinth. He could see most of the labyrinth from his position, and, though most of the puzzles had nothing to do with the orientation of the labyrinth walls, he could still make a mental picture of the path that lay ahead. He pulled out a pencil and paper and sketched out the shape of the walls. Then he drew a line from beginning to end. "Just like a maze. Too simple. At least, so it seems. I'm sure that I shall find some more surprises on my path."

*       *       *

Sarah, Sage, and a large audience watched the large scrying crystal in amazement. Oohs and aahs came from the crowd. Sarah turned to Sage and exclaimed, "I can't believe he did that! Isn't that cheating?"

"Not really, Sarah. We did put that particular puzzle there. But you need not fear. He will still have to solve many puzzles in order to go that route. Now he knows the shortest route, that it all he has gained."

Sarah's jaw stood agape. "I can't believe he had a pencil and paper with him. How many people carry - " She caught herself then continued, "Uh, yes, I am sure that he will still have some difficulties to overcome yet."

They all watched as the contestant jumped down from the wall and landed amidst a new path. He then pulled out his amulet and invoked it. The scrying crystal pulsed with light and all images were replaced with that of the hooded man. "I am in need of your assistance, my queen," he said.

"Very well, then," Sarah responded with a confused look on her face. "I shall be there shortly." He bowed his head and his image dissipated. Sarah then looked to her advisor. "What on earth could he need help for? He hasn't yet approached another puzzle."

"I am also perplexed. Maybe something is wrong."

"Perhaps. I shall return shortly." Sarah pulled out a crystal, invoked its magic, and disappeared. When she rematerialized she was standing before the hooded man.

"You are very handy with that magic crystal," the man declared. He was leaning against the wall in a contra posto stance, his arms crossed and his hood hanging over his eyes.

"Thank you. I am fairly proud of my acquired skill. How can I be of assistance to you?" Sarah looked at him, perplexed, when he did not move. She was certain he was staring at her. Her curled hair was teased by the breeze, tangling in the flowers in her hair. Her orange gown glowed in the bright midday sunshine. "You did need my help, did you not?" she questioned again.

"Yes." The man merely uncrossed his arms to pull his gloves tighter on his hands. "Now that I know I am going to have several spare hours ahead of myself, I decided that I could allow myself to have a little break. I was hoping that you might be able to conjure up some water and keep me company for this small time."

"Well, certainly I can bring you some drink, but, if you are so certain about the speed of your journey, it would seem logical that you would wait until the end to find company of a more lasting nature." Sarah spun her hand about and a goblet appeared between her fingers. "Would you prefer wine?"

"No, water will be fine. I am drunken well enough by your beauty."

Sarah blushed visibly as she handed the goblet to the man. "If you think flattery will give you more of an advantage, you are sorely mistaken," Sarah joked.

"No flattery intended. I do believe I am already at an advantage and do not need any help. And as to your reasonable advice about my need for company... I just couldn't wait for your company. I still have at least five hours to go, and that seemed too far off. I hope you do not think me foolish."

"Not at all, Pandor."

"Ah, you know who I am, then?"

"No, you are hearing things. It would be at the disadvantage of the other competitors for me to know your identity."

"Clever woman. Well then, since you do not know who I am, then you must not have met my traveling companion, Granen."

"No, I did not."

"Then you must not have seen the painting my friend was to give to you... It is no matter, I am sure you would have hated it."

"Oh, indeed, I think I would have despised it so that I would have no words to describe my hatred. No, I did not see this painting, nor did I invite you to become my court painter."

"That is a good thing, for, if you had, I surely would have refused."

Sarah had been keeping a straight face all throughout the paradoxical conversation, and she suddenly burst out into laughter. "Good heavens, what are we talking about?!"

Pandor's mouth twitched beneath his hood, and soon his was laughing ,as well. "I do not know, my queen. Be assured, though, that everything I have said was in purposefully contrary jest. I am quite honored to be your court painter. I just must know one thing..."

"What is that?"

"Where will you be hanging your new painting?"

Sarah cocked her eyebrow in thought. "I do not know, I haven't really given it much consideration."

"Then I have one request of you."

"Certainly."

"Put it in your bedroom."

Sarah seemed taken aback. "Quite a blunt request. Can I ask why?"

"Just because you are curious I will tell you, 'No.' I shall let you draw your own conclusions and I will not tell you whether or not you are right until I am ready."

"Playing mind games, I see." The queen gave him a sideways grin.

"I assure you - nay, I warn you, I am very good at them."

"You may think that your intentional ambiguousness is going to torture me, but it is not."

"We shall see about that."

Sarah turned around, skirt twirling about her legs. She answered him as she walked away, "Very well then. Enjoy your drink, Pandor. I am willing to bet you will feel very worked by the time you are done with your journey. We shall see each other at the center of the labyrinth." Without any other words, she twirled the crystal about between her fingers and disappeared.

The man crossed his arms again and gazed in the space she had once occupied. "That we shall. Dear Sarah, you are one very intriguing woman."

*       *       *

Sage was waiting with a grin when Sarah returned. "So, what did he want? I was watching you in the crystal... You seemed rather amused."

She bent over to whisper in his ear. "Don't let it slip that I know, but I do believe it is our good friend, Pandor. The sneaky one just wanted to brag... He thinks he is going to win."

"Well, based upon his performance heretofore, I do not see why he wouldn't." Sage saw Sarah's mischievous grin and further replied, "Why, what ever are you thinking, Sarah?"

"Let's just say that I plan to cut him down a notch or two. Don't worry, he'll probably still win, but I don't see why he should have it so easy. I'll just even the playing field."

"You know, the reason we agreed to disguise the contestants was to keep you from both giving the players and advantage and taking away their advantage."

Sarah smiled at him knowingly. "Yes, that is true. And he forfeited that advantage by giving himself away. Like I said, it is no matter. If he is meant to win, he shall. He practically challenged me to a duel of wits. Well, I don't think he took me seriously... And now I shall have a little fun with him."

Sage shook his head and grinned. "Very well. You are a funny one. You will hate me for saying it, but this is behavior typical of Jareth. Didn't he do the same thing to you when you went through the labyrinth nine years ago?"

"Yes. It is an ironic world, now, isn't it?"

"You just don't know how ironic, my dear girl. You will laugh when you find out."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sarah narrowed her eyes.

"Ignore me. I am full of silly comments today." Sage was now the one to smile mischievously; he turned his back and walked away, leaving a perplexed Sarah. He went to Isabelle's side, exchanged a few words and a few chuckles, then went into the castle.

She began to follow him, but seemed to think better of it, pulling out a crystal instead. Just as she began to scrunch her brow in thought, Isabelle approached from the left. "What are you doing, Sarah?'

Sarah smiled. "Just giving a smart-aleck contestant a bit of heartache."

"Who is that?"

"Shhh... Don't tell anyone. It's Pandor. He just asked for a hint in order to brag to me about his excellence... I thought he deserved a little trouble. Don't worry, I'm just doing so for fun."

Isabelle nodded her head and smiled. "I see. You are having trouble coming up with something?"

"Yes, I am, as a matter of fact. Got any ideas?"

"Actually, I do. If anything would distract him, it would be a trip into one of the crystals... Maybe give him some enchanted food, or something." She paused to consider. "I know! I've got a great idea!"

Sarah bent over for Isabelle to whisper her plan. She pulled back, grinning from ear to ear.

*       *       *

Toby stepped off the school bus, his hair glistening in the afternoon sun. He stood still and watched it drive away, past his carport and down the street. He made no effort to move, other than to turn his head to face his house. Groaning, he flung his back pack onto his shoulder, straightened his back, and began the journey up the walkway. "Here goes," he mumbled as he eased the front door open with all of the care he could muster. The door closed quietly behind him; he tiptoed his way to the staircase. Just as he had mounted the last of the steps, he heard his mother cry from the kitchen.

"Toby Harry Jacobs! Get over here right this instant!"

The boy's shoulders slouched when he heard the demand. Stopping in his tracks, he seemed to consider it before finally turning around and walking back down the stairs.

"Spit-spot young man!"

He hurried his pace only fractionally. Upon reaching the kitchen door, he sauntered in, dragging his feet behind him. His head hung low and he did not face his mother, who was standing by the kitchen counter, staring angrily down at him.

"Son, why do you do these things? The teacher called me and told me that you poured blue paint all over one of your classmates' hair. How could you do such a thing? It's going to take months for the dye to come completely out!"

"But, Mom, I didn't do it! The gnomes did it!"

His mother sighed heavily, sinking into the nearest chair and covering her face with her hands. She finally looked up at the boy and said, "Son, where do you come up with all of these things? You can't keep blaming your actions on your imaginary friends!"

"But, Mom, they're not imaginary! They were real! I was bored, and I wished that I could see gnomes... And they came! They went to recess with me, and Susie was being mean to me, so they turned her hair blue! And when they did, I -"

"You wished them away, like the other time when the fairies came that started biting people, right?"

"Yeah!"

Miss Jacobs sighed with the utmost lamentation in her tone. "Oh, Toby. Just go to your room. We'll talk some more when your father gets home."

"But don't you believe me, Mom?" Toby looked at her with wide blue eyes.

"Toby, I don't know what to think." She was interrupted by the shutting of the front door. "There's your father now. Go to your room. We'll be up there in a minute."

Toby stood still for a moment, gazing at his mother with pleading eyes. His father stepped into the kitchen, summed up each of them then asked, "What's wrong?" The boy looked to his unresponsive mother, glanced up at his father, then turned around and exited the kitchen. "What's up with him?" Toby heard his father say once he had begun to climb the stairs. Instead of going to his room as asked, Toby merely sat at the top of the staircase in order to hear his parents' conversation.

"Oh, Robert, what are we going to do with him?"

"He did something at school again?"

"Yes."

After a brief silence, Robert asked, "What did he do this time?"

"Poured blue paint all over some little girl's hair."

"You're kidding me!" his father cried incredulously.

"No. What's worse, he's blaming it on his imaginary creatures again." His mother lowered her voice. "Robert, I really think we should take him to a therapist, like we talked about earlier."

"You may be right. Tomorrow I'll make the call. I talked to Dr. Richardson yesterday; he said he's be glad to treat him."

"You know what scares me most, Robert? I really think he believes these creatures are doing these things... And when he said he didn't throw the eraser at his teacher, but that it just flew at her as soon as he became angry... He really seemed to think that he had magical powers! Sarah had the same imagination as a child, but she never went this far! Otherwise I would say that he got it from her!"

"You know, he didn't start doing these things until she moved to New York. Maybe he's just reacting to her absence."

"But she doesn't live in New York anymore, Robert. You'd think he would have gotten better once she moved back to Virginia, if that were the case."

Robert scratched his head thoughtfully. "I don't know. She's still going back and forth to NewYork on business and she's still been pretty busy. I mean, he does so much better when she's here. I think her presence has a lot to do with it. He really looks up to her. I think she's one of the few people he thinks understands him."

His wife shook her head. "You know, it's really something the way those two have grown together. It seems like Sarah's attitude towards her brother changed almost overnight. One day she despised him, the next she couldn't spend enough time with him."

"Well, Nancy, she did pay him even more attention than we did, at least, once she did decide she liked him. I didn't realize all the attention she paid him would make him feel so dependent on her. It's as if he can't survive without her presence, now. I guess we didn't notice it so much until he started school..."

"And then he had a hard time getting along with all of the other kids. Sometimes he acts so grown up, Robert. I don't understand why he does these things. He has so much of his sister in him... You'd think he would pick up on the responsibility that she has been displaying these past couple of years."

"I don't know. Maybe Dr. Richardson will have an answer. I'll go upstairs and speak to him in a minute. Let me get out of my work clothes, first."

Nancy looked up at him and smiled wanly. "Okay."

Toby hurried into his room, his head swimming. They thought he was crazy! He couldn't believe it. "Well, I'll show them!" he exclaimed. He rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a bit of rope, a picture of his sister, a little drawing pad, a pair of socks, some money, and a few pencils. He then dumped everything out of his bookbag in order to put the other items inside. Next he opened a little black jewelry box that sat on his dresser, pulling out a necklace his sister had given him for his sixth birthday. It was a necklace with a pendant of a hand holding a crystal ball. He put it around his neck, grabbed his bookbag, and went to open the window. It took him little effort to climb out and onto the branch of the nearby maple tree. With great ease he climbed down the trunk and landed on the grass.

He looked up at his bedroom window with a furrowed brow. "I'm not crazy! I'll go find Sarah, and she'll tell them!" With that, he ran around the building and down the street.