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White Feathers

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"You have no power over me."

There was a moment of silence, and then the malicious laughter of the King of the Goblins filled the air.

"What did you say, you silly girl?"

"You have no power over me!" Desperate, she was yelling now. "YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME!!!"

"Oh," he raised a eyebrow, "and exactly what gave you that idea?"

"They're the words … It's in the book … You're suppose to …"

"Let you go? But Sarah," he purred, "they are just words. It's just a fairy tale."

She was suddenly both very angry and very afraid. This wasn't supposed to happen. She'd done the whole dangers untold and hardships unnumbered thing. Why was he suddenly changing the rules?

"Then what was the point? Why make me run the Labyrinth? Promise me my brother back if I succeed?"

"No point, my dear girl. Just a little harmless fun. A little terrorising, a little dancing." His voice turned hard. "A little goblin-making …"

She looked around, wild-eyed and panicky. Something bumped up against her legs, and she saw Toby crawling at her feet. Horrified, she realised that his ears had become long and pointy, his chubby little face was changing, and bit by bit he was transforming into a goblin.

"No, you can't," She screamed, and in a fury she threw herself at that mocking smile. But as she clawed at him Jareth dematerialised into a cloud of white feathers, swirling round her, choking her. She flailed desperately, coughing and cursing, and then her eyes snapped open.

"Sarah, wake up. You're dreaming again." Her father shook her by the shoulders. There were white feathers floating everywhere, spewing out of her torn pillow. She coughed again, looking up anxiously at her father. "Where's Toby? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He's fast asleep in his cot. Is that what the dream was about?"

"Sort of," she mumbled.

"Let's clean this mess up and find you a new pillow."

Sarah got up, and as she glanced towards the window, she could have sworn she saw a flash of white outside, but she blinked and it was gone.

She scowled. "Sore loser."