Tina POV

"Tina I can't go after him not right now. What he did is against everything I believe in. Regardless if you chose to be spanked he should never used a belt." Mom replied and I groaned in frustration.

"Mom, I would have gotten 60 -80 hits with the belt if not more had I been at the General's military school. That's how many my behavior calls for according to their rules. 50 is the lowest number I'd received." Mom's eyes widened in shock. "The truth is mom, there are a lot worse punishments then being spanked. Daddy was actually doing me a favor by hitting me with the belt. He asked how many hits with the belt he should give me. I chose 30 for my punishment. He refused to do that. He insisted that I receive no more then 10. In fact, I think he was going to stop at five. The truth is I deserved the full 100."

Mom sighed and stubbornly replied "No, no one deserves to be hit with a belt. I don't want to discuss this anymore. How's about I tell you the story I'm working on so you can fall asleep?"

"Ok mom but in the morning we are going after him." I replied with a frown.

"I can't. Can't you understand that I can't? It's not that I don't appreciate what your trying to do Tina but I just can't forgive him. It's going to take time before I can trust him and the truth is I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust him again. Now lie down and let me tell you my story. It's called My Journey in to the  Labyrinth. It's a true story of an event that changed my whole life."

"Really? How?" I asked.

"I was rather dramatic when I was 15. I wanted to be an actor just like my mother . Every day I would go to the nearby park and rehearse my favorite play called the Labyrinth. One day I had lost track of time and was late getting home and had a fight with my step mother." Angry I rushed upstairs to my room and once again began practicing the lines from my Labyrinth script.

"What were your lines?" I asked curiously.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I fought my way here beyond the goblin city to take back the child that you have stolen." Mom replied with a smile.

"Wow, you still remember the words after all this time?" I asked surprised.

"Yes. Anyway, My father, your grandfather had said he'd talk to me. He stood outside my door he asked if we could talk. I told him there was nothing to talk about and that he'd better get going or they'd be late. He responded by saying "listen we fed Toby and put him to bed. We have to go now but we will be back at midnight." I was frustrated and yelled you really wanted to talk to me didn't you? Practically broke down the door! But it was too late he had already walked away. He hadn't wanted to talk to me all he really wanted to do was inform me of when they'd return from wherever it was they were going this time. Upset I threw myself onto my bed and it was then that I noticed that my favorite teddy bear Lancelot was missing from his designated area my on the shelf near by bed. I hated it when people messed with my stuff especially my step mother who had probably taken Lancelot and given it to my spoiled little step
brother. I ran into the nursery and there on the floor was Lancelot. I glared over at the crib and yelled that i hated him as I picked up Lancelot and hugged him tight. Toby started crying as soon as I entered the room. Frustrated I asked him what he wanted and if he wanted a story. So I started telling it to him. It went something like this: once upon a time their was a beautiful girl who's stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And he was a spoiled child and wanted everything for himself and that the young girl was practically a slave. What no one knew was that the Goblin King had fallen in love with the girl and had given her certain powers."

"I think I know where this is going" I replied.

"Oh?" Mom replied.

"The goblin king had given the girl the ability to call upon the goblins to come and take her troubles away. Right?" I asked excitedly.

"Well, Sort of." Mom replied. "It's getting late. Perhaps we should save this story for another time." Mom replied.

"No! You can't just stop in the middle of the story! You have to tell me the rest." I replied a little bit more sassily then I had intended. Mom cocked an eyebrow and I realized how what I had said had come out. I knew if her father had been their she's have been in trouble again for being sassy. "I'm sorry mommy I didn't mean to be sassy. Please finish the story. I'm not tired really I'm not." I said trying to hold back a yawn.

Mom sighed and then replied "Oh all right but only because you apologized and said please." Mom replied. "Now where was I?"

"You were telling Toby a bedtime story. The Beautiful girl had been given certain powers by the goblin king.

"Right. I told Toby that one night when the baby had been really cruel to her she called on the goblins for help. What i didn't know was that goblins were listening to my story intently. Say your right words the goblins said and we'll take the baby away to the goblin city and you will be free I told Toby. I continued that the girl knew that the Goblin King would take the baby to his castle and keep him there forever and turn him into a goblin. Then I approached the crib and continued that the girl suffered in silence until one night when she was hurt by her step mother harsh words she could no longer stand it. At this point I was directly in front of Toby. He wouldn't stop crying so I picked him up. I told him to stop crying and threatened to say the magic words. He kept crying and I held him up in the air and said something stupid like I wish, and then no I mustn't I mustn't say. I wish I wish... Goblin king, goblin king wherever you maybe come and take this child away from me. He kept crying and I grumbled that I wish I knew the words to say so that the goblins would take him away. Then I put him back in his crib and walked over to the door and Then I said words that had popped into my head. These words turned out to be The magic words." And I turned out the light and headed back to my room."

"What were the magic words?" I asked intrigued.

"I'm not going to tell you that." Mom replied with a smile her eyes sparkling in delight.

I pouted "why not?"

Mom smiled and held back a laugh. Evidently my reaction was priceless. "Because I wouldn't want you to wish away your new baby brother or sister because you get mad at us. The goblin king is no one to be trifled with you never know what he will do and you never know when he's listening. He could be listening to our conversation right now."

Jareth chuckled "if you only knew."

"Oh, so, what happened?" I asked curiously.

"No sooner had I finished saying the words Toby stopped crying." I walked back into the nursery and tried to turn on the lights but they wouldn't turn on. I asked Toby if he was ok and why wasn't he crying." I was a little afraid as i approached the crib and walked kind of slowly. As soon I reached the crib I grabbed the blanket and discovered that Toby was gone."

"You mean it worked?" I asked supprised.

"Yes it worked. The goblins had taken Toby away. Suddenly an owl burst through the window and flew around the room. I ducked and when I stood back up the owl was gone and the goblin king stood in its place." Your the goblin king aren't you? I asked and he just smiled at me. Please, I want my brother back if it's all the same to you."

"What did he say?"

He replied "what's said is said."

"But you didn't mean it right?" I replied confused.

"Your right I didn't and that's exactly what I told the goblin king.

"I bet he didn't like that one bit did he?" I asked with a smile.

"He seemed seemed amused by this comment but crossed his arms across his chest as he replied "oh? You didn't?" His voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Instead of replying to his question I replied please where is he?"

"But didn't you know where he was?"

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" I  nodded. "Then stop interrupting me." Mom replied.

"The goblin king adjusted his gloves and replied "you know very well where he is." It seemed I was starting to try his patients as he placed his hands on his hips.

I stepped closer to him and replied "please bring him back. Please."

He stepped into the room closer to me and replied "Sarah,'go back to your room, play with your toys and costumes. Forget about the baby."

"You couldn't do that." I replied.

"No I couldn't. That's exactly what I told the goblin king. " Mom replied.

"What was his response?" I asked getting very interested in the story.

"He waved his left hand and a Crystal appeared in it. He told me he had brought me a gift so I asked him what it was. He started moving the Crystal back and forth in his hand almost putting me in a trance.

"It's a Crystal nothing more. 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 girl who looks after a screaming baby. Do you want it?" He asked me, he could tell by the fact that I was mesmerized by it that I did." Then forget about the baby." He replied.

"He tried bribing you into forgetting about Toby? But that's so not fair! You can't do that." I replied.

"Your right I couldn't."

"So what was your reply?" I asked looking worried for a moment.

"While I was tempted by the offer I couldnt ro that. Not to Toby. So I replied "I can't. It's not that I don't appreciate what your trying to do for me but I want my brother back. He must be so scared."

"I bet he didn't like that did he?"

"No he didn't. Right before my eyes He changed the crystal into a snake and opened it up to its full length and warned me not to defy him. Then he tossed it at my throat."

"I bet that scared you."

"Yes it did. However, the snake disappeared and it became a scarf. As it dropped to the floor a small goblin appeared beneath it and started laughing at me.

"Your no match for me Sarah." He warned but I wouldn't give up.

"But I have to have my brother back!" I insisted fighting back tears. He shrugged his shoulders at me and pointed his finger towards the window. I looked out the window and in the place of the normal scenes there was a dessert like area with a huge maze and a castle in the background.

"He's there in my castle. Do you still want to look for him he asked me."

"What kind of stupid question was that? Of course you still wanted to look for him." I replied rolling my eyes.

Sarah nodded. "The next thing I knew we were no longer in my room but in his world. As I looked I asked him if that was the castle beyond the goblin city."

"He didn't answer my question instead he replied "turn back Sarah turn back before it's too late."

"You couldn't do that." I replied.

"That's exactly what I told him. He sighed and replied "what a pity."

"I turned and looked towards the labryinth. "It doesn't look that far." I told the goblin king. Within seconds he was right next to me and whispered in my ear.

"It's further then you think and time is short." Then he pointed towards the tree nearby and a weird clock appeared there.

"You have 13hrs in which to solve the labryinth before your baby brother becomes one of us forever. Such a pity." I heard him tell me. I turned back to reply but he was gone.

"What did you do?"