Not Long At All

Chapter Thirty

David's POV:

      We walked silently through the odd village and I eyed the buildings built from leaning stones and thatched roofs. The only sound came from the clickering chorus of our footsteps, like fingers drumming against a table. We made our way down the cobbled streets, occasionally hearing the shouts or laughter that floated roughly from behind houses or down alleys, the voices faceless. 

      The Goblin City, as Sarah had called it, was eerie at night, stray chickens clucking from dark side roads, curtains made of rags closed tightly in the houses' windows. I tried keeping my eyes forward, but sudden movements drew them to the windows or down unlit paths. It was impossible to tell whether what I saw were goblins or shadows. 

      The houses became more dispersed as we made our way to the outskirts of the city, the roads becoming more poorly lit, a quiet emptiness clinging to them. From behind us the screech of a cat rang out, followed by gargled laughter. I turned my head towards it, but continued walking, not wanting to discover the source of the noise. 

      Before long, we had reached a set of towering wooden doors and I paused to look up at the them, mesmerized by the stone wall that ran in either direction off of them. In the moonlight the gate was daunting and I wondered why such a formidable barrier was needed. The hairs pricked on my neck- what had Jareth been trying to keep out?

      Sarah broke away from the group, making her way to where a guard stood post, the light from a torch flickering across the goblin's face. Ziggy waited by my side as we watched her, her hands gesturing to the gate as she spoke. The two went back and forth, the goblin squinting suspiciously, before Sarah pointed towards me in exasperation. The goblin's eyes found me, widening at the sight. For a moment he lingered, suddenly turning away from us to knock on the wall. 

      High above, a panel slid open on the wall and another goblin peered down from the opening. The two waved gestures at each other before he disappeared again, the panel closing firmly behind him. There was a pause. Everyone's eyes were on the door, Sarah staring straight ahead at it and Ziggy lifting his chin to gaze up. My heart flitted in anticipation.

      From somewhere in the wall came the muffled rumbling of metal, gears grating against chains. The sound was low and impossibly heavy, the ground vibrating under the pressure of whatever was happening within in the wall. Slowly, the doors began to pull towards us, opening to reveal a sea of hills, the moonlight turning them silver. 

      Sarah looked to us and Sir Didymus snapped his reigns, "On we go dear fellows." 

      I stared out at the hills as everyone moved to follow the small fox. But I felt unable to move, my mouth dry as I wondered what laid ahead. My heart pounded weakly in my chest- what was he trying to keep out? A nudge came from behind me and I looked up at Ludo's towering figure. The beast smiled and gave a low rumble, "Luudooo."

      Even though I'd never known Ludo to be aggressive, his hulking size made me uneasy. 

      "David!"

      I turned towards Sarah's voice as she waved for me. Hesitating, I took one last glance at the landscape that loomed behind her, seeing where the hill gave way to black shadows in the distance. I rolled my shoulders, it would be fine. Pushing myself forward, my eyes caught Sarah, her expression hard and unreadable. She turned quickly as I reached her side, ignoring my attempt to make eye contact and lead us out the gate, beyond the Goblin City.

      As we'd gotten closer, I'd realized that the hills weren't so much hills as mounds. Following the pathways that wove between them, I looked in disgusted awe at the piles, unable to tell if they were made of trash or simply discarded items. Peeking from under broken chairs and tables I could see dirty stuffed animals, some missing eyes or arms. The moonlight turned everything grey, the fading pinks of doll's dresses muted by age and neglect. On one pile, a porcelain doll stared out at us, its face spider webbed with cracks, the lashes plucked from one eye.