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Regularly, when the clock strikes twelve and the beginning of the New Year comes, people will celebrate and cheer with friends and family, in great thrill over what the future might bring for them. But if there is anyone that knows what this particular year will bring, it is I…The Storyteller. And I must tell you, my friends, this will be a challenging year for anyone who had dared faith, stared death in the eye, and lived to tell about it all for people who love to listen to marvels that have factually occurred.
Oh, come now. You can’t tell what’s to come more than I can remember the last delicious bone I had.
You are wrong. I can foretell future events, just like a dear strange friend of mine can teleport, generate illusions, create astral projections, read minds, levitate objects, and live as long as I have. Case in point, the first day of the New Year, when we visited young Sarah Williams at her home abode. For those who are not familiar with the story to this marvelous girl, look up the word “labyrinth” in the dictionary, and you’ll be sure to find a picture of Sarah next to it.
What do a dictionary and a labyrinth have to do with a young girl?
Well, if you listen, then you will find out.
Just a couple of years ago, the imaginative Sarah made a dreadful wish that concerned her infant brother, Toby. Now, when people normally make wishes, the chances of them coming true are very slim…unless you wish it hard enough. And Sarah wished hard—harder than the surface of stone—that goblins would come and take her brother away.
She didn’t!
But she did. And soon after brother Toby was gone from his crib, an enchanted yet foreboding figure comes at the window and greets the bewildered and frightened Sarah. This figure has a name…and he calls himself Jareth, the Goblin King.
Oh, I recognize this story. You told it a year ago.
Well, you asked me what a dictionary and a labyrinth have to do with this young girl, didn’t you?
Yes, but there’s no sense in retelling a story that everyone already knows by now. Just tell how you first met the girl.
Fine. If you truly believe the back-story will slow things down, then I will get on to how I first encountered young Sarah.
As I had mentioned before, I can foretell future events. And the visions that came to my mind on the dawn of the New Year was like an electric shock coursing through my body. Visions of Jareth the Goblin King with a man…No! He was with a demon…a skeletal demon with a flaming skull.
Flaming skull?! Were you dreaming again?
How I wish I had been, for this vision was very real and very frightening. Yet I knew that there was a message behind it. This wicked king, freed from the spell that he cast upon himself while escaping from Sarah’s imagination, was up to his old tricks again. But what purpose this time? How does this flaming demon tie in with his plans? Does he figure on coming after young Sarah Williams and her baby brother again?
The only way I could ease my fears was to go to Sarah herself and warn her about the Goblin King’s wicked plans. Yes, I knew I was taking a chance at this task. An old Storyteller like me seeing a young woman who had conquered a labyrinth in thirteen hours and barely even knows who I am. It was almost like a mortal confronting a god. But I was no mere mortal…though Sarah was the goddess of pure imagination. If there were anyone who could keep the Goblin King from accomplishing any evil objective, it would be Sarah.
So did you go see the girl?
Yes, I did. And I came to see her in time before she had drifted off to bed, coming in through the same bedroom window that Jareth had made his first appearance in. Upon seeing me in her brother’s room, Sarah at first believed that I was the dreaded king. She was so cautious over my presence that she immediately took Toby from his crib and held him close to her bosom, protecting him from the unexpected visitor that was I.
“If you have come for him, then you will have to get through me in order to do so.” She said with a powerful tone in her voice that could only describe how determined she was to shield her brother from me. Though I had not come for Toby, and I let her know so, speaking calmly to lower her suspicions.
“I come to warn you about the real danger that has been threatening the safety of your brother. The Goblin King named Jareth.” Her eyes widened in shock, just from the name of her tormentor. They widened more and more and more, as I explained my vision of Jareth and the flaming demon to her, warning her of what dangers should possibly come in her future.
“He wishes to take Toby back to his horrible labyrinth, doesn’t he?” I only replied to her question with a simple nod, confirming her greatest fear. “And he’ll do anything to do it. Even use a demon to do it for him.” Sarah placed her brother gently back into his crib, looking at him for minutes and minutes before she returned her gaze back to me. Tears streamed down from her eyes, thinking over the possibilities of losing her brother like she had before. “How much do you know of this skeletal demon with a flaming skull?”
“Not very much.” I honestly responded. “All that I can figure is that he is of not this world, but most definitely of the next. And if Jareth has ties with him, then we must be prepared.”
Be prepared? How can you prepare yourself to face a demon? How? How?
“How? How can we?” Sarah asked that same question, and for a moment, I didn’t have an answer. How can one prepare to face an unearthly creature?
And then I remembered the other visions I had, prior to my recent one. But unlike my recent one, they were more pleasant and remarkably informative, though I didn’t realize it at the time.
What were they of?
Listen carefully, for the things that I am about to reveal could possibly change the fate of the future.
The first vision came to me soon before I told a story about a dragon. But this was no ordinary dragon. This was an “American Dragon,” who was also a young boy who could become this dragon whenever he wished. And this boy’s name was Jake Long…a proud but lazy young man he was, using his duties as a dragon to help defend the underground magical world of New York City.
I remember you telling that one. That “Dragon Boy” had friends and family that knew of his secret. What were their names? Dixie and Crud?
No, no! It was Trixie and Spud! They were Jake’s dear friends who were able to keep his secret for the longest time, while helping him out on his magical tasks. Trixie Carter—the sassy, vivacious, and tomboyish girl—and Arthur “Spud” P. Spudinski—the extremely loyal and yet slow-witted boy…these two, along with Jake’s grandfather/dragon trainer and his 600-year-old talking Shar Pei, make a compatible team of mythical defenders and protectors.
They sound marvelous. But what do they have to do with Sarah?
Ah, I am getting to that. But I must first reveal the second vision, which is almost as similar as the first one. This other vision came to me soon before I told a story of Orchid Bay City, a hub for magical activity and filled with various demons, both good and evil. In this particular city, which isn’t very far from New York, there lived a girl by the name of Juniper Lee, who had been made Te Xuan Ze, which gives her the responsibility of maintaining balance between human and magic worlds. And to accomplish this task, Juniper had been magically enhanced, making her far stronger and faster than any mortal being.
Yet another story that I remember you sharing with me. The girl has a grandmother who was the previous Te Xuan Ze and gives her granddaughter advice on dealing with the magical community. She also had an intelligent, enchanted dog companion herself named Monroe, educated in the world of magic and been alive for centuries to assist each Te Xuan Ze that comes.
And let us not forget one other who has just as much magic in himself as Juniper has. Yes, Juniper’s giddy and careless little brother, Ray-Ray, who gained only a fraction of Juniper’s magical abilities, when a group of demons attempted to drain them from her and transferred some into him, once he unwittingly intervened. Because of this unforeseen event, Ray-Ray could see through the magic barrier that separates the mortal world from the magical one.
Those were indeed very interesting stories. But you fail to point out the connection between them and the girl, Sarah.
I believe I have, if you have focused on the central themes of those stories and this one. And those stories are the ones that I shared with young Sarah, just a moment after her question was asked.
And let me guess…she was just as lost as I am.
No, Sarah was a smart young woman. She knew the exact meaning of the point that I was making from the stories I told. But what she didn’t know was that these stories were not fiction…they were fact.
You mean the visions…the stories that you told…they actually happened?!
Hasn’t every single one that I’ve told? From the Grovelhog to the Heartless Giant? Haven’t you once believed me?
Well, I admit that I had my doubts.
Shame that you couldn’t have been as convinced as Sarah had been, for she knew what she had to do, long before I even suggested it. She had to find these defenders and protectors of magic and the supernatural, in order to form the group that was needed to stop Jareth from tampering with whatever force that plans to use for his horrible, dreadful gain. And, before I made my departure from her home, I was certain to instruct Sarah that once she found these Nightstalkers, as I would soon refer to them as, that she would bring them here to my castle.
Why here?
Because there is one place that the Goblin King cannot set one foot…not one single soul in. And that place is here…my castle, which is guarded by magic that is good and strong enough to withhold the most evil and wicked sorcery of all, even that of the Goblin King himself. Yes, he is a powerful being, but I am just as perfect as he is.
Don’t flatter yourself, old man!
I hear a voice that not even my own ears can believe.
Mine, too.
And from my own warm, comfortable chair do I turn to see none other than the Goblin King himself standing near the window of my chambers, juggling his glorious yet dangerous crystal balls. One of those crystal balls does he use to turn into cold air, just from blowing at it. In a quick moment, a chill comes over the room, even the fire falls victim to the cold air and goes out from the fireplace. And my poor dog is left to bundle with me in my robe.
I h-h-hate that G-G-Goblin K-King!
“What purpose do you have to break through my magic and trespass into my castle, Goblin King?!” I ask fiercely, never in my life been so demanding, so furious of a wicked presence in my humble habitat.
“I know of your visit to Sarah. I know of how your plan to keep me from finding Zarathos and having him assist me in getting Sarah and her baby brother back into my labyrinth.”
“Zarathos? So this demon does have a name!”
“Not only does he have a name, but he has enough remarkable power to take over all of existence.” He says this with such wicked and demented glee, having no idea what powerful forces he’s dealing with. “I have made deals with some unearthly figures that mere mortals could only dream or fear of meeting with one day.”
“No matter what deals you have made…no matter whom you have made them with…even you should be alerted by what you’re attempting.”
“If you are saying that I don’t know what I’m doing, then you are wrong, old man. Because I know exactly what I’m doing. And I suggest that you stay out of my affairs, before you wind up putting your precious Nightstalkers in great danger.”
“Only you are putting yourself in great danger, Jareth.”
“We’ll see.” And with those words did the Goblin King transform himself into a white owl and fly away from my chambers. With his presence gone, all I could do was restart my fire, warm up the room again, and sit back in my chair, waiting for young Sarah to return with the rest of my soon-to-be newly formed team.
You’re just going to sit there? After what Jareth had told you about making deals with unearthly figures that you don’t even know about?
Oh, I know who these figures are.
Well, then who are they?
If I told you who they were, then I could risk having your soul taken from this earth. Trust me. When the time comes, you’ll find out whom they are. And when that time comes, the Nightstalkers will be ready to take action.
Ohhh…I’m having a bad feeling about this.
Oh, come now. You can’t tell what’s to come more than I can remember the last delicious bone I had.
You are wrong. I can foretell future events, just like a dear strange friend of mine can teleport, generate illusions, create astral projections, read minds, levitate objects, and live as long as I have. Case in point, the first day of the New Year, when we visited young Sarah Williams at her home abode. For those who are not familiar with the story to this marvelous girl, look up the word “labyrinth” in the dictionary, and you’ll be sure to find a picture of Sarah next to it.
What do a dictionary and a labyrinth have to do with a young girl?
Well, if you listen, then you will find out.
Just a couple of years ago, the imaginative Sarah made a dreadful wish that concerned her infant brother, Toby. Now, when people normally make wishes, the chances of them coming true are very slim…unless you wish it hard enough. And Sarah wished hard—harder than the surface of stone—that goblins would come and take her brother away.
She didn’t!
But she did. And soon after brother Toby was gone from his crib, an enchanted yet foreboding figure comes at the window and greets the bewildered and frightened Sarah. This figure has a name…and he calls himself Jareth, the Goblin King.
Oh, I recognize this story. You told it a year ago.
Well, you asked me what a dictionary and a labyrinth have to do with this young girl, didn’t you?
Yes, but there’s no sense in retelling a story that everyone already knows by now. Just tell how you first met the girl.
Fine. If you truly believe the back-story will slow things down, then I will get on to how I first encountered young Sarah.
As I had mentioned before, I can foretell future events. And the visions that came to my mind on the dawn of the New Year was like an electric shock coursing through my body. Visions of Jareth the Goblin King with a man…No! He was with a demon…a skeletal demon with a flaming skull.
Flaming skull?! Were you dreaming again?
How I wish I had been, for this vision was very real and very frightening. Yet I knew that there was a message behind it. This wicked king, freed from the spell that he cast upon himself while escaping from Sarah’s imagination, was up to his old tricks again. But what purpose this time? How does this flaming demon tie in with his plans? Does he figure on coming after young Sarah Williams and her baby brother again?
The only way I could ease my fears was to go to Sarah herself and warn her about the Goblin King’s wicked plans. Yes, I knew I was taking a chance at this task. An old Storyteller like me seeing a young woman who had conquered a labyrinth in thirteen hours and barely even knows who I am. It was almost like a mortal confronting a god. But I was no mere mortal…though Sarah was the goddess of pure imagination. If there were anyone who could keep the Goblin King from accomplishing any evil objective, it would be Sarah.
So did you go see the girl?
Yes, I did. And I came to see her in time before she had drifted off to bed, coming in through the same bedroom window that Jareth had made his first appearance in. Upon seeing me in her brother’s room, Sarah at first believed that I was the dreaded king. She was so cautious over my presence that she immediately took Toby from his crib and held him close to her bosom, protecting him from the unexpected visitor that was I.
“If you have come for him, then you will have to get through me in order to do so.” She said with a powerful tone in her voice that could only describe how determined she was to shield her brother from me. Though I had not come for Toby, and I let her know so, speaking calmly to lower her suspicions.
“I come to warn you about the real danger that has been threatening the safety of your brother. The Goblin King named Jareth.” Her eyes widened in shock, just from the name of her tormentor. They widened more and more and more, as I explained my vision of Jareth and the flaming demon to her, warning her of what dangers should possibly come in her future.
“He wishes to take Toby back to his horrible labyrinth, doesn’t he?” I only replied to her question with a simple nod, confirming her greatest fear. “And he’ll do anything to do it. Even use a demon to do it for him.” Sarah placed her brother gently back into his crib, looking at him for minutes and minutes before she returned her gaze back to me. Tears streamed down from her eyes, thinking over the possibilities of losing her brother like she had before. “How much do you know of this skeletal demon with a flaming skull?”
“Not very much.” I honestly responded. “All that I can figure is that he is of not this world, but most definitely of the next. And if Jareth has ties with him, then we must be prepared.”
Be prepared? How can you prepare yourself to face a demon? How? How?
“How? How can we?” Sarah asked that same question, and for a moment, I didn’t have an answer. How can one prepare to face an unearthly creature?
And then I remembered the other visions I had, prior to my recent one. But unlike my recent one, they were more pleasant and remarkably informative, though I didn’t realize it at the time.
What were they of?
Listen carefully, for the things that I am about to reveal could possibly change the fate of the future.
The first vision came to me soon before I told a story about a dragon. But this was no ordinary dragon. This was an “American Dragon,” who was also a young boy who could become this dragon whenever he wished. And this boy’s name was Jake Long…a proud but lazy young man he was, using his duties as a dragon to help defend the underground magical world of New York City.
I remember you telling that one. That “Dragon Boy” had friends and family that knew of his secret. What were their names? Dixie and Crud?
No, no! It was Trixie and Spud! They were Jake’s dear friends who were able to keep his secret for the longest time, while helping him out on his magical tasks. Trixie Carter—the sassy, vivacious, and tomboyish girl—and Arthur “Spud” P. Spudinski—the extremely loyal and yet slow-witted boy…these two, along with Jake’s grandfather/dragon trainer and his 600-year-old talking Shar Pei, make a compatible team of mythical defenders and protectors.
They sound marvelous. But what do they have to do with Sarah?
Ah, I am getting to that. But I must first reveal the second vision, which is almost as similar as the first one. This other vision came to me soon before I told a story of Orchid Bay City, a hub for magical activity and filled with various demons, both good and evil. In this particular city, which isn’t very far from New York, there lived a girl by the name of Juniper Lee, who had been made Te Xuan Ze, which gives her the responsibility of maintaining balance between human and magic worlds. And to accomplish this task, Juniper had been magically enhanced, making her far stronger and faster than any mortal being.
Yet another story that I remember you sharing with me. The girl has a grandmother who was the previous Te Xuan Ze and gives her granddaughter advice on dealing with the magical community. She also had an intelligent, enchanted dog companion herself named Monroe, educated in the world of magic and been alive for centuries to assist each Te Xuan Ze that comes.
And let us not forget one other who has just as much magic in himself as Juniper has. Yes, Juniper’s giddy and careless little brother, Ray-Ray, who gained only a fraction of Juniper’s magical abilities, when a group of demons attempted to drain them from her and transferred some into him, once he unwittingly intervened. Because of this unforeseen event, Ray-Ray could see through the magic barrier that separates the mortal world from the magical one.
Those were indeed very interesting stories. But you fail to point out the connection between them and the girl, Sarah.
I believe I have, if you have focused on the central themes of those stories and this one. And those stories are the ones that I shared with young Sarah, just a moment after her question was asked.
And let me guess…she was just as lost as I am.
No, Sarah was a smart young woman. She knew the exact meaning of the point that I was making from the stories I told. But what she didn’t know was that these stories were not fiction…they were fact.
You mean the visions…the stories that you told…they actually happened?!
Hasn’t every single one that I’ve told? From the Grovelhog to the Heartless Giant? Haven’t you once believed me?
Well, I admit that I had my doubts.
Shame that you couldn’t have been as convinced as Sarah had been, for she knew what she had to do, long before I even suggested it. She had to find these defenders and protectors of magic and the supernatural, in order to form the group that was needed to stop Jareth from tampering with whatever force that plans to use for his horrible, dreadful gain. And, before I made my departure from her home, I was certain to instruct Sarah that once she found these Nightstalkers, as I would soon refer to them as, that she would bring them here to my castle.
Why here?
Because there is one place that the Goblin King cannot set one foot…not one single soul in. And that place is here…my castle, which is guarded by magic that is good and strong enough to withhold the most evil and wicked sorcery of all, even that of the Goblin King himself. Yes, he is a powerful being, but I am just as perfect as he is.
Don’t flatter yourself, old man!
I hear a voice that not even my own ears can believe.
Mine, too.
And from my own warm, comfortable chair do I turn to see none other than the Goblin King himself standing near the window of my chambers, juggling his glorious yet dangerous crystal balls. One of those crystal balls does he use to turn into cold air, just from blowing at it. In a quick moment, a chill comes over the room, even the fire falls victim to the cold air and goes out from the fireplace. And my poor dog is left to bundle with me in my robe.
I h-h-hate that G-G-Goblin K-King!
“What purpose do you have to break through my magic and trespass into my castle, Goblin King?!” I ask fiercely, never in my life been so demanding, so furious of a wicked presence in my humble habitat.
“I know of your visit to Sarah. I know of how your plan to keep me from finding Zarathos and having him assist me in getting Sarah and her baby brother back into my labyrinth.”
“Zarathos? So this demon does have a name!”
“Not only does he have a name, but he has enough remarkable power to take over all of existence.” He says this with such wicked and demented glee, having no idea what powerful forces he’s dealing with. “I have made deals with some unearthly figures that mere mortals could only dream or fear of meeting with one day.”
“No matter what deals you have made…no matter whom you have made them with…even you should be alerted by what you’re attempting.”
“If you are saying that I don’t know what I’m doing, then you are wrong, old man. Because I know exactly what I’m doing. And I suggest that you stay out of my affairs, before you wind up putting your precious Nightstalkers in great danger.”
“Only you are putting yourself in great danger, Jareth.”
“We’ll see.” And with those words did the Goblin King transform himself into a white owl and fly away from my chambers. With his presence gone, all I could do was restart my fire, warm up the room again, and sit back in my chair, waiting for young Sarah to return with the rest of my soon-to-be newly formed team.
You’re just going to sit there? After what Jareth had told you about making deals with unearthly figures that you don’t even know about?
Oh, I know who these figures are.
Well, then who are they?
If I told you who they were, then I could risk having your soul taken from this earth. Trust me. When the time comes, you’ll find out whom they are. And when that time comes, the Nightstalkers will be ready to take action.
Ohhh…I’m having a bad feeling about this.
The MARVELOUS Mini's
