Work Text:
The Labyrinth Revisited
by Windex Cat & Gypsy Cat
Windex_Cat@Hotmail.com
"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered" Danny’s soft voice blended with the babbling of the stream "I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city, to take back the child that you have stolen." The wind gently ruffled Danny’s hair and attempted to turn the pages in his book. Thunder rolled across the sky breaking Danny’s concentration momentarily, he glanced at the darkening clouds. "Damn, where was I? Ah, you have no power over me." Then thunder rolled again and Danny looked up just in time to see the clock in the clock-tower strike seven. "Oh no, I don’t believe it! It’s seven o’clock!" Danny jumped up from his place by the stream and dashed towards home tucking the book in his pocket as the promised rain began to fall.
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Owl eyes can’t see in color and for the first time I truly regret it. I’d like to know what shade of dark the hair he brushes out of his eyes is and what color the eyes that focus so intently on the book are. Even without color I can see that he’s beautiful and I’m amazed that I found him by accident. The park was a haven in the clutter of humanity, green and quiet with good places to land. He was sitting against the side of the stone bridge, wildflowers waving around him, so intent on his book that he didn’t notice me. He was beautiful and he will be mine and when he stands to flee the weather I follow.
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The rain starts before I get two blocks and by the time I get within sight of home and Rachel, my step-mother, I’m thoroughly soaked. Rachel is standing on the porch, hand on her hip, disapproving gleam in her eye - yet again. I don’t care, -she- has no power over me. I push past her into the house, grumbling an apology under my breath.
"Danny, you’re an hour late."
"I said I was sorry."
"Please, let me finish. Your father and I go out vary rarely-"
"You go out every single weekend."
"And I ask you to baby-sit only if it won’t interfere with your plans."
"Well, how do you know what my plans are? You don’t even ask me anymore."
"Well I’d assume you’d tell me if you had a date. I’d like it if you had a
date. You -should- have a girlfriend at this age."
My breath catches in my throat. Suddenly I can’t stand to look at this woman any more. Turning my back on her I make for my room, ignoring my father who says something to me as I pass. It’s just like her. I slam the door and lock it behind me. The vicious comments, the snide looks are bad enough, but what’s worse was when she got on a tear because it was the faggots and the homos ruining the world not the stupid close-minded bigots like her. She refuses to acknowledge what I am and I refuse to make her but on days like this I just want to tear her head off.
"Danny can I talk to you." Dad’s OK mostly because he’s completely oblivious. He can’t see or refuses to see what I am. I fling a pillow from my bed against the opposite wall before clenching my teeth and responding as evenly as I can
"There's nothing to talk about. You better hurry or your going to be late."
"Well listen, we fed Toby and put him to bed. We do have to leave now but we'll be back around midnight."
I’m able to keep most of the sarcasm out of my voice "You really wanted to talk to me didn’t you?" I sigh. "Whatever."
A few minutes later I hear the car start as dad and Rachel take off for the night. I wait a bit longer, staring into the mirror. Toby’s crying again.
One more look in the mirror. He’s still crying. I sigh and wander across the hall.
"Hey booger, what’s up?"
He’s wearing the striped pj’s they bought for him that make him look like a peppermint flavored convict. I pick him up and he quiets down a little. The rain has turned into a full fledged thunder storm and with every crack of thunder Toby screws his face up more and cries harder.
"How ‘bout a story booger? Ok once upon a time there was a boy and he was lonely and sad, his stepmother was cruel to him because he wasn’t like all the other boys and no one loved him but his baby brother. But what know one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the boy and one day he came and took him away to live in the goblin castle in the center of a magical labyrinth and they lived happily ever after."
Thunder crashed and Toby sobbed. I sighed.
"What you want more? Sorry booger That’s all there is; at least that’s all I want. You’d like the goblins though," I held him up sizing him. "Not too much bigger than you. Uglier though. You wanna see them? Maybe it’ll get your mind off the storm. Goblin king, goblin king wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!"
Toby had stopped crying and actually giggles. I grin for the first time since that damn clock reminded me I was late.
"Well booger, if it makes ya happy, then I wish the goblins really would come and take you away, right now." I put him back in his crib and turn the lights out as I leave. Then I hear something that scares the living shit out of me……..Nothing. Toby’s whines and gurgles and fussy baby noises stop completely, like they were cut off with a knife. I turn and dash back into the room not noticing that the lights I had hit on my way in didn’t come on.
Toby’s blankets are moving funny and an odd cackling noise is coming from under them, but when I pull the blankets back there’s nothing there.
"Shit."
Something hits the window and I jerk around to see - an owl? A snow white owl is beating it’s wings against the glass balcony doors as if it’s trying to beat it’s way in. More laughter from behind me. I spin around to see shapes moving along the bed under the covers and something slides down one of the bed posts. The owl-laughter-wings-shapes and then, then he’s there standing before me in all his otherworldly beauty.
"You’re him aren’t you? You’re the goblin king." It’s the only thing I can think of to say and I wince when he looks amused.
"I want my brother back, please. " It hits me then what I’ve done and a cold, hard lump forms in my stomach.
"What’s said is said."
But it was only a joke.
"I didn’t mean it."
He obviously doesn’t care.
"Oh you didn’t?"
"Please, where is he?"
"You know very well where he is." This isn’t going so well.
"Please bring him back."
He steps toward me, the slightest hint of a smile playing at his lips.
"Danny, go back to your room, forget about the baby."
"I can’t." I can’t, won’t abandon the only person in my family I love.
"I’ve brought you a gift," and a beautiful crystal ball appears in his hand from nowhere.
"What is it?" I have to ask, curiosity overriding worry for just a moment.
"It’s a crystal. Nothing more," he says as the crystal begins moving; weaving an intricate pattern between his fingers and across his hands.
Beautiful. "But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams. But this is not a gift for an ordinary boy. Do you want it?"
It’s shiny and absolutely beautiful - but I can’t just forget about my brother.
"I can’t. He’s my brother. I can’t just forget about him."
"Danny," holding the crystal up, he pauses as it changes into a snake coiled around his fingers. "Don’t defy me." He stretches the snake out and throws it at me and as my hands close around it, it changes to a scarf and falls to the floor. A small snickering goblin pops out and laughs at me.
It’s echoed by titters from all around the room but when I turn to look, there’s nothing there.
"You’re no match for me, Danny," he says. Way to state the obvious, Goblin King. I mean, not only are you bigger then I am, have magical powers and a horde of goblin followers, you yourself are a goblin. Who’s surprised? Still doesn’t change the fact that my brother is still in danger of being turned into a goblin for all time.
"He’s there, in my castle." Suddenly what had moments before been a completely uninspiring view of our neighbor’s house, is now a very impressive sight of a huge labyrinth; a castle sitting proudly in the center. "Do you still want to look for him?"
Oh. The wind blowing in my face is hot and dry, the sky dark and yellow and the plants shiny and the dust of the trail, red.
"Yes," after all, what else can I say?
"Turn back Danny, turn back before it’s too late."
"Look, I already told you I can’t."
"What a pity."
"It doesn’t look that far." His arm lies gently across my shoulder.
"It’s further then you think, time is short." He points to a clock hanging on a nearby tree. "You have 13 hours in which to solve the labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us forever."
He’s actually disappearing. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anyone do that before. Show off. His voice is no more then an echo now.
"Such a pity."
END PART 1