Wishful Thinking

The Gates of Goblin City

Sarah and Stephanie looked at the grotesque gates and did not dare to believe what they saw.

"Where are we?" Sarah asked.

All Ludo could do was beam with joy. "Sarah—back," he started to say.

Sir Didymus interrupted him. "We are at the gates of the Goblin City, fair damsel. Beyond thou canst descry the castle, the object of thy quest, didst thou not say?"

"That's right," Stephanie said.

Sir Didymus looked wistful. "Thou art sure, art thou not, that thou dost not seek a castle that requires fourteen years of knight errantry through travails and perils and—"

"O, Sir Didymus. Ludo. Stephanie and I have to quickly get into Jareth's castle, or we'll lose Toby," Sarah said.

"Toby?" Sir Didymus queried.

"Our little brother," Stephanie answered.

"Toby—Ludo—brother," Ludo beamed.

"Ah! Sir Tobias, our brother-in-arms," Sir Didymus exclaimed. "Then forward!" He raised his staff, spurred Ambrosius and charged toward the gates of Goblin City.

Sarah, Stephanie, and Ludo hurried after him. They did not see a shadowy figure lurking behind a junk pile. It was Hoggle, and he was watching every move they made.

Outside the gates, a goblin guard was leaning on his spear, sound asleep. Sir Didymus took no notice of him, but rushed straight at the great gates and began to hammer on them with his staff. "Open up!" he bellowed. "Open the gates, in the name of all that is—"

Sarah and Stephanie, catching up with him, put their fingers anxiously to their lips

"Sh! Quiet, Sir Didymus," Sarah whispered.

"Do you want the whole castle to know we're here?" Stephanie asked rhetorically in a low voice.

Both sisters pointed to the sleeping guard.

Sir Didymus glanced contemptuously, and shouted, "Pshaw! I give not a fig for such goblins." He repeated his clattering on the gates. "Open up, I say!"

"Please," Sarah entreated him in an urgent whisper. She and Stephanie saw the guard grunt and stir in his deep sleep.

Sir Didymus was indomitable. "Let them all wake up. I shall fight them to the death." And again he rained blows upon the resounding gates.

'That's what we're afraid of!' Stephanie thought, finding the pint-size knight frustrating. Hadn't he ever heard that discretion was the better part of valor?

The guard's eyelids were flickering.

Stephanie took up a fighting position in front of the guard, ready to disarm and subdue him with her sword if he woke.

Sarah grabbed the tiny chevalier by the sleeve. "Please! Please, Sir Didymus. For my sake, could you please try to make no noise?"

From his saddle, Sir Didymus bowed so low that his mustache swept the ground. "But of course," he assured her. "For thee, fairest of maidens, for thee, anything!" He put his mouth to her ear and whispered, "But I am not a coward?"

"Oh, no," she whispered back.

Stephanie shook her head.

Ludo shook his head, too, with great conviction.

Sir Didymus had one more point concerning his knightly prowess that he wished to settle. "And my sense of smell is keen?"

"Oh, yes," Sarah told him.