Love, Films, and Theater

Toby grunted and slid by knocking the soccer ball straight into the goal cheers from his friends on the sidelines and teammates on the field. He got to his feet and grinned brushing his hair from his face. He laughed as his friends boosted him up onto their shoulders cheering Toby’s victory. He loved sports for one of these very reasons, the cheering, the celebrations, all of the thrills of the game, and thrill of the win.

Toby laughed a little as he was dropped down on his feet into the dampened grass. It was the perfect end to the first day of the beginning of his summer. He would start university in the fall, and he had begun to worry about what he would do. He was an excellent student, and was going on a full scholarship. He was going to his first choice school with extra money for housing and books.

He thought a great deal about his future as he waved goodbye to his friends and headed for his jeep, it was nearly dark, and a pair of long pale legs caught his eye. There was someone leaning against his Jeep. He watched her hair flutter in the breeze and he tilted his head slightly as he reached up to wipe his eyes. Was he seeing things?

“Hey, do I know you?” He called out as he put his bag over his shoulder. “Miss, do I know you?” He called again quickening his step. And then, just as he reached his car, she was gone. Like she had only been a figment of his imagination. He sighed and shook his head, it was the heat of summer. He was just seeing things. He tossed his bag into the back seat and pulled his phone out of the console. He’d decided to stay at Sarah’s tonight, he needed a break from his smothering mother. She was worried about him moving away for school, to be honest, he was thrilled to get away from home.

He rubbed his eyes and sighed as he slid behind the wheel of his cherry red Jeep. That girl had been a figment of the heat. That was all, and nothing more. He smiled and sighed, it wasn’t like it was the first time he thought he’d seen her… Or rather, those unforgettable legs. It was like they went for days… He shook his head and let the engine roar to life. Figment of his overheated imagination. He sighed and pulled out of the parking lot heading for Sarah’s house, a hot meal and a good movie with his sister sounded amazing.

Elisa felt her heart pounding in her chest and a broad grin on her face… He had almost seen her.. She brushed her hair back from her flushed face and giggled in an almost nervous way. She loved the other world as much as her brother, and she was just as magical as her brother. Elisa giggled again as she slid down the wall smoothing her skirt under her. “I love doing that..” She said with a soft sigh, “I’ll have to visit more often. He’s brilliant when he’s nervous.” She leaned from around the corner and watched his taillights disappear into the night. She giggled again and then, she was gone, like she had melted back into the night.

Toby arrived at Sarah’s small home in a few short minutes, it wasn’t a far drive from the park to her house, it was very convenient for when he had been younger and Sarah couldn’t take him.. He pulled into the small drive behind Sarah’s little sedan and slid out of the Jeep taking his bag and locking the car behind him. He wandered up to the house flipping through his key chain to find her house key. He felt a chilly breeze blow over his shoulder. He glanced away from the door and shivered before he jiggled the handle and went inside. It shouldn’t be chilly in June.

Sarah laughed a little as Toby tried to explain his bizarre hallucinations to his sister. She shook her head, “Toby, really a girl with model like proportions, and legs for days, as you put it was leaning against your Jeep one moment, and gone the next? Really? I’m supposed to believe that?”

Toby groaned as he tossed his spoon back into his soup bowl, “you’re my sister! You’re supposed to believe me when I tell you these things.” He said looking at her as she calmly sipped on her coffee. “You really don’t believe that I saw her do you?”

Sarah smiled a little, “you don’t believe me that we really did go to the castle beyond the Goblin City. Why should I believe that you’re seeing a girl that can melt into the dusk.” She said calmly as she sipped on the steaming cup. “Unless you want to rethink what you said the afternoon before Mom and Dad ran their ‘what are you doing with your life’ scphiel.” She said with a smile as she looked up at her little brother.

“I’m telling you, I saw her again tonight. She was leaning against my Jeep, and I know she was there, I’m not crazy. You’ve gotta believe me. If you help me reason this out, I’ll try and rethink what you’ve told me about our adventures when I was two.” He said sarcastically.

Sarah smiled, “ Fine, I’ll help you so long as you promise to quit writing me off as crazy for talking about it. Hoggle is a real person, not some schmuck I made up for a story, just like Jareth is as twisted and charming as I’ve always said.” She smiled, “now, tell me all about this mystery girl you seem to keep seeing.”

It was a long night for the very close siblings, they were trying to reason both Sarah’s dreams, and Toby’s hallucinations. Elisa watched the two of them for a time, they were fascinating creatures… Humans were so unlike a great many things Jareth had allowed her to be exposed to when she was younger. Toby had been one such exposure, they were children together, though they grew in separate worlds, stories of Sarah’s adventure to save Toby from Jareth, then portrayed as a selfish fool, had enraptured her for as long as she could remember.

She sighed as she looked at the moon, she had to return, it would be time to greet their house guests soon. How she hated these formalities of parties and courtiers… It was all so pointless. Maybe someday soon, Sarah and Toby would return to the goblin city, this time of course without the stakes of last time. Maybe, this time, they would come of their own volition, just, call upon her brother to take them back. How simply fascinating that would be, humans in the palace beyond the goblin city, by invitation of the Goblin King.

It was about noon when Toby began to stir from his restful slumber, he could have sworn he felt cool lips against his brow. But it must have been a dream it was only he and Sarah in the house after all. He shook his head and yawned, he stretched and looked out the window, it was dull and gray, it was supposed to rain today. He slid out of the bed resettling his boxers and tugging on a pair of sweats over his chilled legs. He started out of his bedroom door, only to stop at the sound of furious typing from Sarah’s office. He paused and turned nudging the door open to see his sister tapping furiously on her keyboard something had obviously inspired her enough that she was writing like crazy.
He stood for a few moments watching her as she worked and tilted his head wondering just what she was writing about. He smirked; she would come away from her work to the smell of fresh coffee and breakfast on the table. He chuckled and went into the bathroom before heading downstairs to start breakfast for the two of them.

Elisa once again melted away into the scenery, though, this time, she lingered outside of the house, something told her she was missing something… Someone else was here today. She walked slowly, all but invisible to the naked eye before she paused and glanced at a snowy white owl perched on a branch alongside one of the upstairs windows. She smiled, Jareth was back again, just as she was to look upon the humans. She thought for a moment before she leaned against the house and called to her brother. The owl’s wide wise eyes looked down at her before it began to glide down, only to turn into the nimble king of another realm.

“Elisa, what in the worlds are you doing here?” He asked his sister with an incredulous look in his eye, though he was really simply trying to mask the look that both he and Zenith got when they were caught sneaking sweets before dinner.

She smiled and shook her head, “I should be asking you the same Jareth. Skulking about in trees watching Sarah work.” She said with a chuckle, “ come along brother dear, we have to get back, the little ones will be awaking, and lady Anne and her party will be arriving soon. “
Jareth looked at his sister with distaste and sighed, “there are days I simply hate being king.” He said as he melded into the background of the early morning. Elisa lingered only moments longer before doing the same, And slowly the grass where they’d stood popped back into place and the evidence that they’d been there at all lay in a single snowy feather.