Is it too soon to be posting a Halloween story? Possibly, but it is in two parts, and I haven't finished writing part two yet. Anyway, it's October and everything is pumpkin spiced, so here goes...
Firstly, as you may have guessed from the title, Goblins is a Labyrinth-Halloween-themed take on Gremlins. I've set it in the fictional town of Mongwau Falls (Mongwau being the Hopi word for owl). Gremlins was set in Kingston Falls, which was a nod to It's A Wonderful Life's Bedford Falls. There is some nineties speak in this story but just think early Friends and Clueless et al.
I do not own anything Labyrinth related or Gremlins related, or much of anything, really.
Please do let me know if you like this, and even if you don't. All constructive criticism is welcome. Thank you - Mrs. P.
Goblins
Part 1
"Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good."
Toby diligently carved his pumpkin as Sarah stirred the melting sugar and recited from Shakespeare's Scottish play. It was bad luck for actors to use its proper title, and she'd had enough of that. Like I'll be needing the great works of the bard anytime soon, she thought to herself bitterly. It was months since her last audition, and that had been for a dog food commercial. Not that she had anything against dogs; she still missed Merlin five years after his passing. Toby's black and white cat, Gizmo, was a poor substitute. However, it did sting that the canine star stood to make more money from the deal than her, and she didn't even get the job. Ever since financial necessity forced her to move back home to the sleepy town of Mongwau Falls, three months previously, she had begun questioning her dedication to acting. It was a dream she'd stubbornly held on to, when reason, experience and destitution, told her she should abandon it. At the age of twenty-five, she expected to be world famous, not so broke she had to move back in with her father, stepmother and baby brother. Although, being eleven and smart as a whip, he wasn't much of a baby anymore.
The smell of sugar candy bubbling away on the hob pulled her out of her temporary funk. Sarah loved fall and all the things that went along with it. There were cold misty mornings and trees shedding their summer cloaks in blazing shades of red and gold. Warm crackling log fires and cloves and spices in everything, whether they were needed or not. Pulling out four large plastic bowls, she started filling them ready for the trick or treat callers. Gizmo tried to dip his paw in, but she scooped him up off the counter.
Toby peered hungrily, if a little warily, at the sweet treats.
"There's this older kid at school called Freddie," he began, "And he told me that one Halloween, when his dad was his age, a bunch of his dad's school friends died from eating poisoned candy."
Sarah snorted. "I heard that same story when I was a kid, except it was from my friend Michelle about her dad. It's an urban legend."
Her brother shook his head.
"Freddie said there was this old guy who everybody in the town called Creepy Cody. He lived alone in that big old house by the train tracks and he hated kids. Every year, moms and dads would warn their children to keep away from him and not go trick-or-treating there. But one Halloween, a group of five boys, including Freddie's dad, dared each other to go knock on his door. Creepy Cody took forever to answer and they were all set to run away. After turning to leave, they heard slow dragging footsteps coming down the hall. The front door creaked open and, holding their breaths, the boys were relieved when the old guy greeted them with a friendly smile. He held out a big bag full of candy and told them how happy he was that someone had finally come to enjoy it. The five boys dipped hungrily into the bag of treats and were glad that they'd defied their parents. Freddie's dad took a hard candy and was about to pop it into his mouth when he noticed it smelled funny. He tried to warn the others, but it was too late. His four friends began clutching at their throats and turning blue in the face. Before he could run and get help, they all dropped down dead." Toby popped a handful of Reese's Pieces into his mouth and began munching, evidently not too put off by the tale to carry on eating.
"I know," Sarah said as she took over telling the story. "Creepy Cody got the electric chair for giving out Halloween candy laced with rat poison. He refused to say a single word after his arrest. But, as the executioner got ready to throw the switch, they asked Cody if he had any last confession, and he yelled out - TRICK."
"Not cool, sis," her brother complained after almost jumping out of his skin.
Undeterred, she continued, "He died twitching from the two thousand volts of electricity passing through his body while he cackled like a madman." She imitated the jerking and laughing before reaching to pick out a candy heart from one of the bowls.
The white sweet had the word precious written on it in red letters. Sarah popped it in her mouth without a second thought.
"If you wanted, I could come with you and your little friends tonight. I'll hold your hand and make sure no one poisons you," she offered with a teasing look.
Toby grimaced. "As if," he exclaimed in horror. "We'll have Zach's dad keeping an eye on us as it is. Anyway, I thought you were going to the Gunderson's Halloween costume party with mom and dad?"
"Correction," Sarah scowled, "I'm being dragged there so your mom can try and set me up with their son, Harland. He totally looks like Ned Flanders and is twice as dull. At least I've got an escape plan; I get to come pick you up from your friend's house at ten."
It was a while since she'd been on a decent date and her hopes of finding a hot, or even interesting, guy in Mongwau Falls weren't high.
"I wish..." she paused, thinking better of using those words.
It had been a long time since her last wish was granted, but better safe than sorry.
"Never mind," she mumbled.
Toby grinned mischievously, recalling her warning to him about making careless wishes. "Do you remember that story you used to tell me about when you wished me away to the goblins?"
Sarah nervously nodded; he didn't know it was true.
"The Goblin King sounded like a fun kind of guy, and you seemed to think he was the dope," her brother speculated. "I wish..."
"No, no you don't," she butted in, "And I may have thought the Goblin King was a dope, but that's all."
It was a lie, of course. Memories of her teenage crush had matured into a treasured fantasy. Something she could replay in her head whenever the need arose.
"Don't wig out, it's only make believe," Toby mocked her overreaction. "When you told me the story, you said Jareth wanted you for his queen, but you turned him down to save me."
Sarah blushed; she was only fifteen at the time, and the thought of having anyone for her slave back then, let alone an ethereal Adonis, was more than she could handle. Logically, she knew it was probably all a ploy on the Goblin King's part, even if the romantic in her wanted to believe he meant every word.
"Like you said, none of it was real," she sighed.
Toby finished carving a grinning mouth with jagged teeth in his pumpkin.
"It would be super cool if there really were goblins," he enthused. "Don't you wish it was all real?"
"Uh-uh," Sarah shook her head, desperate to change the subject, and pulled out a bag of apples ready for dipping. "I promised your mom we'd have these ready by the time she got back from the hairdresser. You get the wooden sticks and I'll check if the sugar candy is ready."
Her brother was not to be distracted. "Well, I wish the Goblins and their king were real. It would sure make this Halloween one to remember if they came to visit our boring old town," he mused.
Sarah cringed, expecting thunder, lightning, glitter and the sudden appearance of a leather-clad monarch from another world. When nothing happened, she wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. But, to her surprise, it was definitely more the latter. Maybe he didn't say the right words; she pondered and decided she should view it as a narrow escape. Making candy apples helped to take her mind off fairy-tale creatures and exhilarating adventures. Toby loaded Michael Jackson's Thriller into the CD player and they sang along and did the zombie dance. Gizmo scooted out of the cat flap, desperate to escape the din and being trampled on. Sarah and her brother were too wrapped up in the music to notice the sound of wheezy laughter and the clip clop of little feet scurrying across the floor.
Toby put on his cowboy hat and pinned on his sheriff's badge. He hoped his friends wouldn't think being Woody from Toy Story was lame. If it wasn't for the pull string his mom had sewn to the back of his suede waistcoat, maybe he could pretend he was just a regular cowboy. As he was checking out his costume in the mirror, a flash of movement from the corner of his room caught his eye. There was a scratching noise, and it seemed to be coming from his closet.
"Gizmo?"
Advancing slowly towards the clawing sound, Toby's first thought was that his cat was trapped. He pulled his closet door open and peered inside. There was definitely something moving about in the darkness, and it wasn't feline shaped. It bobbed around underneath one of his discarded sweaters, and he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of glowing red eyes. The creature was making an unearthly chattering noise, and he hesitantly reached in to free it. At that exact moment, his bedroom light went out.
"Hey, what's going on?" He shrieked with fright as he heard the hurried tapping of tiny clawed feet scampering around him.
Rasping laughter seemed to be coming from all sides of the room.
"Mom," Toby screeched as he raced for the door.
The handle wouldn't turn and he frantically jostled with it. Shadows danced around the walls and appeared to be closing in on him.
"Mommy?" his voice was shrill with fear.
The door was flung open and the light flickered back on.
"What on earth?" Irene almost got knocked onto the floor as her son launched himself at her and clung on for dear life.
Toby opened his eyes and peered around; he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Feeling a little silly for causing a fuss, he extricated himself from his mother's embrace and cautiously headed towards his closet.
"I thought there was something trapped in there," he explained, "And then the lights went out and I heard all these weird noises."
Irene gave him a sceptical glance.
"Sounds to me like you've been overdosing on scary Halloween stories and candy," she frowned. "We've hardly had any callers, and yet the candy apples are disappearing fast." Shaking her head with disappointment, she turned to leave. "Really, Toby, you'll make yourself sick."
"I didn't eat them, mom," he protested, but she was already halfway down the stairs.
"Finish up getting ready," Irene instructed, "Your friends will be here any second."
It had been her intention to dress up as a famous literary character; Scarlett O'Hara, perhaps, or maybe Elizabeth Bennett. But Sarah trusted her stepmother with the costume hire, which she now realised, was a terrible mistake. Shivering, she pulled the red cape around her, slightly consoled by the fact she'd probably freeze to death long before she died of shame. It might have been her imagination, but she was sure she heard an owl hooting outside her window. When she peered through the curtains, there was nothing to be seen.
"Sarah, we're gonna be late."
Irene's shrill voice shook her from her suspicions.
"Coming," she yelled as she grabbed her lasso from the bed.
Her father and stepmother were waiting impatiently by the door.
"Well, if it isn't the President and First Lady," Sarah threw her hands up in mock surprise at the sight of them dressed as Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Robert Williams wasn't sure about his daughter's costume, but Irene told her she looked great.
"Yeah, I always wanted to be Wonder Woman." She rolled her eyes. "Who wouldn't want to go out in what amounts to patriotic lingerie on a chilly night? Mongwau Falls sure ain't the Amazon!"
Noticing that she was shivering, her father put his arm around her.
"Really, there's no need to be such a drama queen," her stepmother chided, "It's all the shop had left at short notice. And besides, we're only going next door."
Sarah bristled at Irene's impatience. "I'm gonna go get a scarf," she insisted. "You guys go on ahead, I'll be right behind you."
Practically shoving them out of the door, she turned to go back upstairs.
The lights flickered and she felt her skin prickle with apprehension. Behind her, a raspy giggling noise caused her to spin around in alarm. Something furry darted out of view, and she grabbed her father's umbrella from the rack as she went to investigate.
"Who's there?" Sarah inquired, already having a suspect in mind. "Goblin King, if you're up to your old tricks, you can stop it right now," she demanded.
Again, the lights flickered, plunging her into darkness. Something with shiny eyes hissed at her. Hoping it was the cat, she edged closer, brandishing her makeshift weapon. At that moment, the clock in the hall began to chime, halting her in her tracks. It was eight, so why was still chiming? Nine...Ten...Eleven...Twelve…Thirteen… She shivered; her breath catching as a crystal ball appeared at the top of the stairs. It glinted in darkness as it slowly rolled down the steps with a series of thuds, each one causing her to shudder. The orb clinked onto the hall floor and continued its progress before coming to a stop at her feet. Trembling, she bent down, debating whether or not to pick it up. Making the decision to reach for it, she flinched as the room exploded in a cacophony of mocking laughter.
"Goblin King?" Sarah screeched angrily, recognising the sound of his rich deep guffaw.
The scene was all so familiar from when she'd made her foolish wish ten years ago. Half expecting the door to burst open and an owl to swoop in, she raised her umbrella ready to swat it. Dark shapes began to dart around her, tittering and cackling as they whizzed by. Something with red glowing eyes in the hall mirror, which wasn't her reflection, grinned at her with sharp white teeth. The sound of cupboards opening and closing and glass breaking emanated from the kitchen area, running to find out what was going on, she caught her foot on something unseen and went crashing towards the floor. But the expected impact never came as a pair of strong arms caught her. Soft feathers tickled at her skin as a velvety voice purred in her ear.
"I really must thank young Toby for the invitation."