Chapter 3 - What About Shortcuts?
Submitted April 18, 2006 Updated April 18, 2006 Status Incomplete | The Goblin King shows up, surprising both Chantal and Stephanie. He has come to ask the girls for help. Why would he ask two powerless girls for help? Is something wrong in the Underground? Part II of the Labyrinth Chronicles |
Chapter 3 - What About Shortcuts?
Chapter 3 - What About Shortcuts?
Chapter Three: What About Shortcuts?
"Cor, I don't see why's I gotta go along," Hoggle grumbled to himself.
Chantal, who was walking ahead of the dwarf, turned around and looked at him. She sighed and shook her head.
Stephanie turned around and smiled at Chantal.
"Is he always like this?" Chantal whispered to Stephanie.
"Yeah, I guess. He's not one who likes to help people," Stephanie said. Perhaps it was because he gets punished for any show of friendship.
As though to reply to Stephanie's comment, Hoggle grumbled some more.
Chantal stopped and turned to stare at Hoggle. She then looked up at Jareth with a pleading look, asking if he could do anything to shut him up.
Jareth sighed.
"Hoggle, be quiet for a while will you?" Jareth said his hand to his eyes. "You're giving me a headache."
Hoggle, who didn't want to defy the Goblin King at this point since the last threat, shut his mouth and continued down the passageway. Chantal rolled her eyes and followed the dwarf.
The group continued down the corridor, which seemed like forever, with no end or turns in sight. Chantal started to grow impatient.
Chantal stopped in mid-step, Stephanie, who was only a couple steps behind, rammed right into her.
"Ow!!!" Both girls said at the same time.
"Chan, why did you stop??" Stephanie asked rubbing her shoulder.
"I just thought of something." Chantal said as she paused for a moment, thinking. "What about the shortcuts?"
"You mean the hidden passageways??" Stephanie blinked.
"Yeah!" Chantal said. "Couldn't we use those?"
"You know, I almost forgot about those," her friend said. Chantal turned and looked at Jareth.
Jareth raised an eyebrow in reply.
Stephanie walked up to a wall and tried to find an hidden opening. She couldn't find any.
"Maybe they're further up," she said to herself.
Chantal started checking the wall along the other side. "Nothing here either."
Stephanie was far ahead. "Pasta Vazoo!!" she had raised her hands in frustration and dropped them to her sides.
"Now what?" Chantal asked.
Both girls turned toward the Goblin King.
Jareth was silent for a moment. "You can't take anything for granted," he said. "You've been here before so you know what to expect."
Chantal groaned.
"So what do we do now??" Stephanie asked.
Hoggle started to grumble and began looking around. He returned to the girls.
"There is a shortcut over there." The dwarf told them, pointing towards where he had found a hidden passageway.
"What??" Stephanie said disbelieving.
Chantal and Stephanie followed Hoggle to the hidden passageway.
"Why didn't you tell us that you knew where the shortcuts were sooner??"
"I just found this one," Hoggle grumbled. "All of the normal shortcuts are gone."
"Oh," Stephanie replied.
"Well what are we waiting for?" Chantal asked. She walked into the passageway and stopped dead in her tracks. "Ack! What is that?" she exclaimed.
A greyish hand was pointing towards her.
"Those are the pointing hands," Jareth replied simply.
"Do they actually point in the right directions or are they false alarms??" Stephanie said looking at the other sets of hands, each pointing in a different direction.
"I think they just point all over the place to confuse people," Chantal mused.
"Probably," Stephanie said looking at her friend. Hoggle just grumbled something behind them.
Jareth rolled his eyes at Hoggle, annoyed.
Chantal looked at the hands then back at Jareth. "They can't hurt us, can they?"
Hoggle turned. "They like to pull hair!" he grumbled.
Stephanie turned to Hoggle with a half laughing half shocked expression on her face.
"For bloody hell Hoggle!" Jareth said suddenly as he turned and walked towards Hoggle. Hoggle backed away as the Goblin King came closer.
"You could have chosen to leave as you please," Jareth said. "But instead you've decided to stay. I've had enough of your complaining."
Hoggle began to shiver in fear.
"You don't have to be so hard on him, Jareth," Chantal said in a quiet voice behind the Goblin King.
Jareth turned to Chantal, he smiled, revealing his sharp canines. He then lowered himself to Hoggle's level.
Chantal raised an eyebrow and watched the Goblin King. She wasn't sure if she fully trusted him yet.
"I'll give you the choice again. You either continue with us and stop your complaining or," the Goblin King gestured with his hand.
Hoggle lowered his gaze.
"Or you can go on your own way," the Goblin King finished.
Hoggle shuffled his feet in thought.
"Well what are you waiting for?" Jareth asked the dwarf.
Hoggle looked up and grumbled quietly. The Goblin King tilted his head to one side. Hoggle then ran off in another direction, disappearing around an unseen corner.
"Cor, I don't see why's I gotta go along," Hoggle grumbled to himself.
Chantal, who was walking ahead of the dwarf, turned around and looked at him. She sighed and shook her head.
Stephanie turned around and smiled at Chantal.
"Is he always like this?" Chantal whispered to Stephanie.
"Yeah, I guess. He's not one who likes to help people," Stephanie said. Perhaps it was because he gets punished for any show of friendship.
As though to reply to Stephanie's comment, Hoggle grumbled some more.
Chantal stopped and turned to stare at Hoggle. She then looked up at Jareth with a pleading look, asking if he could do anything to shut him up.
Jareth sighed.
"Hoggle, be quiet for a while will you?" Jareth said his hand to his eyes. "You're giving me a headache."
Hoggle, who didn't want to defy the Goblin King at this point since the last threat, shut his mouth and continued down the passageway. Chantal rolled her eyes and followed the dwarf.
The group continued down the corridor, which seemed like forever, with no end or turns in sight. Chantal started to grow impatient.
Chantal stopped in mid-step, Stephanie, who was only a couple steps behind, rammed right into her.
"Ow!!!" Both girls said at the same time.
"Chan, why did you stop??" Stephanie asked rubbing her shoulder.
"I just thought of something." Chantal said as she paused for a moment, thinking. "What about the shortcuts?"
"You mean the hidden passageways??" Stephanie blinked.
"Yeah!" Chantal said. "Couldn't we use those?"
"You know, I almost forgot about those," her friend said. Chantal turned and looked at Jareth.
Jareth raised an eyebrow in reply.
Stephanie walked up to a wall and tried to find an hidden opening. She couldn't find any.
"Maybe they're further up," she said to herself.
Chantal started checking the wall along the other side. "Nothing here either."
Stephanie was far ahead. "Pasta Vazoo!!" she had raised her hands in frustration and dropped them to her sides.
"Now what?" Chantal asked.
Both girls turned toward the Goblin King.
Jareth was silent for a moment. "You can't take anything for granted," he said. "You've been here before so you know what to expect."
Chantal groaned.
"So what do we do now??" Stephanie asked.
Hoggle started to grumble and began looking around. He returned to the girls.
"There is a shortcut over there." The dwarf told them, pointing towards where he had found a hidden passageway.
"What??" Stephanie said disbelieving.
Chantal and Stephanie followed Hoggle to the hidden passageway.
"Why didn't you tell us that you knew where the shortcuts were sooner??"
"I just found this one," Hoggle grumbled. "All of the normal shortcuts are gone."
"Oh," Stephanie replied.
"Well what are we waiting for?" Chantal asked. She walked into the passageway and stopped dead in her tracks. "Ack! What is that?" she exclaimed.
A greyish hand was pointing towards her.
"Those are the pointing hands," Jareth replied simply.
"Do they actually point in the right directions or are they false alarms??" Stephanie said looking at the other sets of hands, each pointing in a different direction.
"I think they just point all over the place to confuse people," Chantal mused.
"Probably," Stephanie said looking at her friend. Hoggle just grumbled something behind them.
Jareth rolled his eyes at Hoggle, annoyed.
Chantal looked at the hands then back at Jareth. "They can't hurt us, can they?"
Hoggle turned. "They like to pull hair!" he grumbled.
Stephanie turned to Hoggle with a half laughing half shocked expression on her face.
"For bloody hell Hoggle!" Jareth said suddenly as he turned and walked towards Hoggle. Hoggle backed away as the Goblin King came closer.
"You could have chosen to leave as you please," Jareth said. "But instead you've decided to stay. I've had enough of your complaining."
Hoggle began to shiver in fear.
"You don't have to be so hard on him, Jareth," Chantal said in a quiet voice behind the Goblin King.
Jareth turned to Chantal, he smiled, revealing his sharp canines. He then lowered himself to Hoggle's level.
Chantal raised an eyebrow and watched the Goblin King. She wasn't sure if she fully trusted him yet.
"I'll give you the choice again. You either continue with us and stop your complaining or," the Goblin King gestured with his hand.
Hoggle lowered his gaze.
"Or you can go on your own way," the Goblin King finished.
Hoggle shuffled his feet in thought.
"Well what are you waiting for?" Jareth asked the dwarf.
Hoggle looked up and grumbled quietly. The Goblin King tilted his head to one side. Hoggle then ran off in another direction, disappearing around an unseen corner.
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