Falling Down

CHAPTER 5: A WORLD OF TROUBLE


Time seemed to freeze as Sarah and the strange man locked eyes. She knew she should do something, anything, but speech was not forthcoming, and any plans of action had been driven from her mind by shock. She had thought she was so smart, so well-prepared, so ready to face the Goblin King... but the man in front of her, holding on to baby Emily, was most definitely not Jareth. And yet this most definitely was the Underground. Who was he? What did he want with her? And, more importantly, how was she going to defeat him?

"If you could kindly state your name, girl," the amusement he had shown at her arrival had quickly faded away to a brisk, business-like manner. "I haven't got all day." In his arms Emily shifted slightly, but the man paid the child no heed, instead he remained focused on Sarah, looking her up and down.

In response to the look he gave her, Sarah took a moment to survey him in turn once again. Above anything else, she wanted to be doubly sure that the man was not Jareth in some new disguise.

But she soon dismissed such a notion. No, he was too different for that to be true. Any similarities were superficial. This man's hair was short, slightly curled, well-kept and a deep gold in comparison to Jareth's wild, fair mane. His eyes were not mismatched, but both a light, misty green. His features were well-defined, but not angular - instead there was something curiously soft about them, as though you were perpetually regarding him in flickering candlelight. A long black cloak wrapped around him, hiding the rest of his body from view.

The softness of his features made him seem angelic. But his sneering, pouting mouth, his clipped, supercilious accent, and his false politeness all made it plain to Sarah that he was anything but. She wouldn't give him her name. And she didn't care if that meant she didn't receive his in return. She was only here on one mission.

"Give me the child." The words came naturally to Sarah, but they were little more than a whisper, and were half blown away by the cold wind. As it moved through the trees in the distance they seemed to whisper, and she couldn't help but give a small shudder. From here the Underground looked wild, an arid, desolate place.

The man raised his eyebrows, apparently stunned. "I beg your pardon?"

"Give me the child." Her tone was bolder this time, her fists clenched. Any feelings of fear she pushed aside, focusing entirely on the task at hand.

Intimidation could work both ways.

...Or perhaps it couldn't. For, after watching Sarah's attempt at taking charge, the man simply threw back his head and laughed.

"My my, such stern words from such a pretty face!" As he smiled, Sarah's first impression that he was almost angelic came back to her - with his pale complexion and golden hair, he looked kind, a man to be trusted, a man who could do no wrong. It was silly to be so afraid of him, wasn't it? Hadn't she made plenty of friends in the Underground when she was here last?

But then his laughter stopped abruptly, and the mask of friendliness slipped away too. His mouth twisted into a queer, cruel sneer, his eyes were cold and glinting as he spoke in the steeliest of tones. "You presume to give commands to me?"

"I..." Shaking her head, Sarah quickly pulled herself together. "You left a changeling in her place."

"A changeling? What changeling?" The man was suddenly the picture of innocence, and again Sarah's certainty was thrown. But, luckily for her, at that moment there was a slight rustling from one of the bushes to her left. Both Sarah and the man turned sharply, startled, to look at what was making the noise - a pair of bright green eyes glinted in the dark, and a small, hairy, brown creature shuffled out, wringing its hands together and gurgling apologetically. The changeling.

The man sighed and rolled his eyes, which the creature seemed to take as a sign to scurry back into the darkness, squeaking in fear. "Ah. That changeling. How perceptive of you."

For someone who wasn't Jareth, the man was doing a good job at being equally full of himself.

"I made it laugh," Sarah's voice was steady now that his guilt was certain. "I made it laugh, and it came back here, so you have to return the child to me. Those are the rules."

His voice became suddenly as soft as his features as he fixed her with an almost quizzical expression. "Those are old rules, my dear. Very old rules..." He paused for a moment, before changing again in a flash, his curious face melting back to an arrogant one, his voice now at once amused and thoroughly nonchalant. "So you went through all that bother just to bring back this scrawny bundle of joy? A mother's love is blind, I suppose."

As he squinted dismissively at Emily, Sarah thought briefly about correcting him in his assumption that she was the mother, but decided against it. The less he knew, the better. She simply repeated her demand: "Give back the child."

He ignored her completely. "But the question is, little mother, how on earth did you surmise that the creature in the cradle was, in fact, a changeling? How did you recall those pesky, tired old rules?"

"I read a lot."

"How fascinating." Though his bored look said that it was anything but.

"Give her to me."

"And so, my little, well-read mother," he continued to ignore her, "you thought to brave the unknown horrors of the Underground to rescue your darling daughter? Some might call that foolish."

"Or brave," she retorted quickly, struggling to keep her temper in check. "Who are you?"

He smirked. "Oh, I think we've passed the point of pleasant introductions, don't you?"

"Put the child back where you found her." Then, before he could ignore her once again, Sarah decided to take a chance. "You have no power over me."

The declaration sounded charged with something, the words potent as they fell from her mouth. They left a chilled silence in their wake, much like the silence that had fallen when she had first met her new opponent. The man cocked his head, eyes narrowed, expression unreadable.

"Rules are rules..." His voice had an eerie, sing-song quality to it. Holding Emily firmly in one arm, he raised the other upwards, fingers flexing slightly, as though testing the air. Sarah waited with baited breath, waited to see what he would do - and was slightly disappointed when he merely clicked his fingers together. But, as if on cue, the air surrounding the still-sleeping baby began to shimmer, like the haze of a desert. Sarah recognised it as a smaller version of what had just happened back in her New York apartment. Emily seemed to fade bit by bit, like some sort of ghost... Sarah blinked, and the child was gone.

She couldn't help but give a small, satisfied smile. Another creature of the Underground defeated. Sarah Williams: 2, Creepy Fairy Men: 0. Emily was safe, and Holly would never know how close her daughter had been to disappearing off the face of the earth. And Sarah could rest easy knowing for certain that she had no reason to be scared of the pitiful threats of wayward fairies. She could dream safe, empty dreams now, back in her own bed, in her own apartment...

...Except, she realised, she was not in New York. She was still in the Underground. And the mysterious man was still standing before her, a lurid grin on his face.

--

The sun was just beginning to weave its way through the city skyscrapers as Holly turned her key in the apartment door. Judging by the time of her return, the night had definitely been a successful one.

Poking her head in, she sung out a greeting, "Honey, I'm home!"

No answer. But that didn't worry Holly. It was way too early for anyone half-way normal to be up yet. She was only up at the crack of dawn because last night's date, Michael, had turned out to be a bit of a fitness-freak, who liked to go for his early morning run while most of New York was still tucked up in bed. Not that Holly really minded - she was used to getting up at all hours to check on her baby daughter. And besides, Michael had kissed her goodbye, and promised to call her soon. If the price of having a brilliant night with a proper gentleman was being an early bird, Holly was happy to pay it in full.

Tiptoeing into Emily's room, Holly took a moment to check on the girl. She was sleeping soundly, but she must have kicked the blankets off in the night, because they were all bunched up at the bottom of the crib. Holly tucked her in again, kissing her softly on the cheek. A quick look around the room for Mister Jumbo found the stuffed elephant discarded on the floor. He was slipped carefully back in his proper place next to the baby, and Emily's little arm reached around unconsciously to hug him.

Certain that her daughter was safe and sound, Holly padded softly out of the bedroom, going to check on her roommate. Quietly, in case she was still asleep, Holly opened Sarah's door.

A trunk lay open in the middle of the room. There were books all over the place, on the bed, the chairs, the floor - and all of them wide open, revealing old cursive writing and strange illustrations. On her dressing table Sarah's jewellery lay in a muddled heap, as though the drawer had been emptied in a hurry. The clothes she had been wearing when Holly said goodbye to her the previous night had been kicked into a crumpled heap in the corner.

"Christ, what happened here, Sarah? Did the IRA mark you out as a bomb target?"

No answer. Holly reached up and flicked the light on.

"Sarah?"

Again, no answer. But now Holly could see that the bed was empty. And, judging by the pristine state of the sheets, it had not been slept in.

Suddenly, a faint cry came from somewhere else in the apartment. Quick as a flash, Holly raced to the source of the noise. But it was only baby Emily, who had woken and was fretting about something. There was no sign of Sarah. Picking the child up, Holly shushed her quietly, though her efforts had little effect. Looking up, she squinted at the sunlight that was gleaming into the room. Walking towards the light, Holly realised that not only were the curtains drawn, but the window was wide open.

With a jolt, she remembered how Sarah always double-checked that the windows were closed.

In the pale light of the morning, cradling her baby, Holly Greaves felt very young, very scared, and very alone.

--

The man took a step towards Sarah, with his arms outstretched, no longer burdened with Emily. "And now, lost little mother, why don't we get to know each other better?"

Sarah stepped back as he advanced, "You have to send me home!"

"Do I?" he questioned with false incredulity. "But why would I want to do that? These commands of yours are growing a trifle tiresome. There are no rules that say I must return you. You came here of your own accord. I'm afraid you're in a world of trouble, dear."

There was something about his nonchalant manner that chilled Sarah to the bone. As she looked again at the surrounding area, her worst fears were confirmed: she was trapped. The land was, for the most part, a blank and desolate canvas, except for a forest in the distance - but the nameless man stood between her and any shelter she might find there. There was nowhere to hide, and no point in running, for she had no doubt any more that the man was not even remotely human. Another snap of his fingers and she could be dead - or worse. And now he was almost within touching distance of her, with a mischievous grin little better than a leer, like a shark surveying its prey.

Desperately, Sarah attempted to cling to the 'rules' of the Underground that had guided her so far. There must be something that could stop this man, some catch, some loophole. "I only took back what was taken!"

"No doubt. But I'm really rather put out by all of this. You've just lost me a perfectly good baby."

The reminder of the loss of Emily seemed to touch a nerve within him. He moved again towards Sarah, this time with purpose in his narrowed eyes. She stumbled backwards, and as she did, she felt something heavy beat against her chest. Instinctively, her hand came to her neck, and then she remembered what it was - the horseshoe amulet she'd put on before she left her apartment.

Without stopping to think, Sarah grabbed hold of the necklace and pulled it sharply away from her neck, feeling the thin chain snap. Standing her ground, she held the now broken chain in her fist before her, the horseshoe charm dangling down, willing it to work. "Don't come any closer."

The man, now so near to Sarah that he could grab her at any moment, only smiled and reached out his hand. But, to Sarah's surprise, the horseshoe began to shudder violently. Then its colour started to change, the dull grey bubbling into a bright orange. Sparks began to fly, as though it was some tiny Catherine Wheel. In an instant, the cool iron had become white hot.

Pulling his hand away as though he'd been burnt, the man glared incredulously at Sarah. "You little bitch!" In the fiery light, his soft golden hair appeared to glow like flame, his skin eerily pale.

"Stay away from me."

"How dare you-"

"You're not going to touch me."

"Do you really imagine you could prevent me?"

Sarah hesitated, but only for a moment. "Try anything, and I'll stick this in your face."

Her adversary curled his lip as if about to snarl a retort, but then his features suddenly relaxed into a self-satisfied expression of amusement. "Dawn might be breaking in your world, but here it's quite the opposite." He stepped to the side, and gestured to the view behind him. Above the forest in the distance, the sky was growing dim. The sun was setting. "Aren't you out late, little mother?"

"What do you mean by that?" Sarah asked, suspiciously.

"Only that the night is, after all, a time of magic," he replied. "All the strange creatures come out to play, rules are broken, and any hopes of protection fall to the wayside." Raising his hand once more, he flicked the horseshoe with a single finger. Again, sparks rose furiously from the charm, and he was forced to step back, but this time he was laughing. "I'm afraid your pretty knick-knacks won't save you after dark."

"You're bluffing."

"Am I? Oh, my dear, what's the point of trading words with you now? I can easily wait a few minutes."

Sarah began to realise that it wasn't just the light that was fading fast - the man was fading too, inch-by-inch, disappearing into nothingness. "Run if you like, little mother. But you won't get far before the sun sets."

His pale flesh had all but melted away into the air, and he seemed semi-transparent now, except for his smile, which continued to smirk at her like that of some bizarre Cheshire Cat. "I'll be seeing you..."

With a final laugh he was gone, his name and purpose still unstated. Physically, Sarah was alone, but she was sure he was still watching her.

Watching, and waiting for the inevitable sunset.

She had to move quickly, and there was only one place to move to. Hastily stuffing the necklace into the pocket of her jeans, Sarah broke into a run, heading straight for the forest. She knew full well that all a manner of dreadful creatures might be waiting for her in there, but anything was better than standing here, out in the exposed open. Maybe, just maybe, she might be able to find a way to escape under the darkness of the trees.

The second she entered the forest it seemed to close behind her, just as she remembered from her previous journey in the Underground. There was no turning back now. Sarah was forced to continue running deeper and deeper into the trees as they shifted around her, running wherever there was light to see by, willing herself not to trip or falter. But soon the trees became dark, ominous shapes, all hint of greenery gone, and she was running blind - though whether this darkness was due to the leaves thickening above her or the sunset, Sarah couldn't say.

Something was behind her now. She could hear the noise of its heavy movement, the rustling of leaves as it pushed them aside. She felt dizzy as she remembered her dream from the night before, where the terrible, growling creature had pursued her. It was happening again, and this time it was real. A stray branch scratched her cheek, drawing blood, but she continued to run. Now she could hear the babbling and giggling of invisible Underground creatures around her, laughing as they watched her plight. Somewhere behind her, she could hear the strange man's laughter joining their unearthly chorus.

Suddenly, Sarah remembered what had happened at the end of her dream - the terrible fall into nothingness.

But the memory came too late, just as she tripped and tumbled into some unseen hole in the ground. Blindly, she stretched out her arms to hold on to something, but could only feel loose earth that gave away beneath her fingers. She tried not to scream, but she couldn't help but let out a cry. She was not Alice, and this fall would not lead to Wonderland. Any second now she'd hit the ground, any second now every bone in her body would shatter...

But what Sarah felt next was not what she expected.

Rather than hard, bone-breaking earth, she landed into what felt like a canopy of leaves. 'Landed' is perhaps not entirely the right word - she continued to fall, but now it was less of a plummet and more of a slow toppling, as branch after branch cracked beneath her. She was forced to cover her face with her hands to stop an eye being poked out by a stray twig, but the brute force of her fall had been broken. With a final yelp, and the final snap of a branch, Sarah landed on solid ground.

Luckily her hands had been out to brace her, and whilst she was sore and covered in dirt, she didn't think anything was broken. Breathing deeply, she pushed her body up from the ground, forcing herself to stand. Looking up to see where she had fallen from, she was startled to see nothing but a solitary oak tree, large, twisted and very old, but a single tree nevertheless, with the open sky above it. Where was the dark hole in the earth she had fallen through?

"I must have concussion," she muttered, shaking her head. But the scenery did not change. There was still only this one tree, and no sight or sound of the forest, or of her terrible pursuer.

Thankfully, it seemed the sun had not quite set yet, and a faint dusky light still clung to the world. Turning around, Sarah saw that yet another desolate landscape surrounded her, but whilst the one before had been almost utterly empty, there was some slight semblance of life here, however faint. Spindly, thorny plants decorated with tiny white flowers stretched out across the ground, tendril-like. Here and there withered, haunted-looking trees stood in twos and threes, stripped naked of their leaves. The earth seemed to shift slightly as the wind blew the sandy topsoil into the air. And whilst the land before had been flat, here it rose and fell in uneven hillocks. She thought she could see larger hills in the distance, but it was too dark to make them out properly.

Leaving the oak tree behind, Sarah began to walk briskly. But soon this decision began to seem like a regrettable one. She had no idea where she was, where she was going, or what was waiting out in the Underground to meet her. To cap it all off, the faint light that had given her a glimmer of hope was soon almost totally gone, leaving her alone in the dark.

She could feel her mind begin to wander. Who was that man? Why did he take Emily? What did he plan to do with her? Was he watching her even now?

Stay focused, Sarah. Just find a place to stay till morning, and then you can get out of here tomorrow. Focus! But no amount of mental reassurance could stop Sarah from beginning to despair. There was nothing and nobody to help her.

Or was there? An idea formed in her mind. "Hoggle? Ludo? Sir Didymus? Can you hear me?"

But there was no answer. Her friends, if they were even in this place, could not hear her. At this stage in the game, Sarah would have even welcomed an encounter with the Fireys. At least then she'd be on familiar ground.

"Is anybody there?" Sarah could clearly imagine what Holly would say to such a question. Jesus, Sarah, what kind of idiot are you? That's what the first girl to die in every single fucking horror movie asks! The thought of her roommate made Sarah smile, but it didn't deter her. She needed to find her friends, and fast.

"Hoggle? Hoggle can you hear me?"

No answer.

"Any goblins out there?"

Still no answer.

"Is there anyone out there? Anyone? Any—" Not concentrating on where she was placing her feet, Sarah stumbled down a slope, bracing her fall with her hands. She swore loudly. She was getting really, really sick of tripping over things. Gingerly she rose to her feet, trying to inspect her palms in the dark. She thought she could feel a little blood where the skin had broken, but nothing serious.

"This was much easier when I was fifteen," she muttered.

"Getting rusty in your old age, Sarah?" The sudden question rang out from somewhere in the darkness behind her. Sarah froze.

She knew that voice.

Fists clenched, she turned to face the sound. It couldn't be. It shouldn't be...

...But it was.

Jareth, the Goblin King, larger than life and in full regalia, was standing behind her. The crystal he held in his hand gave out a flickering light, as though it was full of fireflies. And Sarah could see that he had the same, smug grin on his face that she had come to fear the last time she encountered him.

"Really, Sarah," he sighed in mock-exasperation. "If you wanted to see me so badly, all you had to do was ask."

--

AN: Another cliffhanger... but we're all secretly glad to see Jareth, aren't we?

Because I like to make fanfiction of movies as 'movie-like' as possible, I've picked out an actor to play the mysterious man Sarah faced: the young Jude Law, as he appeared in the movie Wilde. Feel free to do an image search on Google for him!

And finally, and most importantly, I'd like to apologise for the incredibly long wait for this update. I lost the spark for the story, and I was caught up with real-life commitments. I will repeat the promise I made in the initial introduction: this story will not be abandoned. I have plenty of plans for it, even if it may take me a while to write them! I hope you enjoy this latest update, and as ever, I would love to receive any feedback.