Magic Mirror

Sonnet to Satan

In darkroom of your eye the moonly mind
someraults to couterfeit eclipse;
bright angels black out over logic's land
under shutter of their handicaps.
Commanding that corkscrew comet jet forth ink
to pitch the white world down in swiveling flood,
you overcast all order's noonday rank
and turn god's radiant photograph to shade.
Steepling snake in that contrary light
invades the dilate lens of genesis
to print your flaming image in birthspot
with characters no cockcrow can deface.
O maker of proud planet's negative,
obscure the scalding sun till no clocks move.

---

...she'll never give up...

Oh wont she? She'll soon give up when she realizes she'll have to start all over again!

Sarah lay prone on the old bed, covers drawn over her almost crassly. They offered little warmth and she lay tensed, staring with empty eyes at the ceiling. The room flooded with moonlight, casting pale, placid shadows across the floor which she paid little attention to. A clock on the opposing wall ticked anxiously. She shut bloodshot eyes and released a barely audible sigh. This would be the last night at her father's and Karen's house, and then she would return to the city to live with her mother again, and try to finish school.

Sarah laughed to herself at that prospect. Her mind was numb still, as if the drugs at the psych clinic still had an effect on her and her raging mind could not connect to her body. With a scowl, she abruptly sat up and shoved away the covers. Her fingers grasped the pen by the nightstand, and despite the darkness, she began to vigorously write. As she pressed it against the page it snapped. Ink spilled across her hands, into her lap. She cursed, and wiped her hands on her old t-shirt, and took another pen to continue, but the moonlight had suddenly vanished. With a start she realized the room was blanketed in silence – the incessant ticking no more. Afraid to talk, afraid to move, she tried to turn on small lamp beside her. It clicked several times, to no avail. Sarah held her breath in anxiety, straining to listen for the scuffling of feet or muffled cackling.

Wings? The though crossed her mind, too late for her to make the connection.

Soft sounds again... then whispers. “I am that which passes in between...you summon me with the blood on your hands, my precious thing.”

Cool lips pressed against hers in the darkness. And everything came back to her...

“You-”

“Who else, dear Sarah.” One had had found a comfortable on her waist, making a semi-circle as it clutched gently. She raised a hand to shove him away, and he held it firmly. “ You need me Sarah.”

“No! I-” She stopped herself, his words sinking in.

“And I need you.”

Sarah's body shook as her breathing grew irregular. A tear, the first in months, came to the surface.

“I don't want this!...”

“Oh really Sarah?” His tone was biting. She flinched.

“I --” She faltered, and clutched the fabric of the bedspread. She expected him to laugh at her, but his eyes met hers with a somber gaze. “Why me?”

“You defeated the Labyrinth, you have broken an old curse, and released old demons. You think these things have no consequences?” His fingers lingered along her jawline.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh come now Sarah! You read the story – I know it. You read it, practically memorized it before you met me. You know the rest of the story.”

“You have now power over me.” She spat.

He scoffed. “The rest of it Sarah – that wasn't the end of the story.”

“But you destroyed the Labyrinth – I saw!”

“You think I could have done that dear one?” He laughed bitterly. “What your friends didn't realize is that once a runner defeats the labyrinth it cannot stand without their presence. You condemned them all when you disappeared.”

“Why are you still here then?” she demanded.

“I existed beyond the Labyrinth – as did some of the other creatures who were forced to relocate. I have always been a transient creature, but my other powers have disappeared along with my old kingdom.”

His eyes met hers. “You must return with me.”

“I can't leave!”

“Why? You've built yourself a life have you? You condemn thousands of creatures to a rootless existence through your poor choices.”

“I didn't choose anything Jareth!”

He pulled her towards him, roughly grasping her wrist and waist, her body pressed against his, and she felt her breath caught in her throat. He was strangely cool to the touch, his own body rigid with need. “You must return with me.”

“No!” she tried to pull herself down, trying to become dead weight. His grip didn't falter. “Please!”

“It's not like I'm going to kill you Sarah...”

“What do you want with me?”

He glared. “Remember the story Sarah. Or perhaps you need it explained in explicit detail?”

“Oh god...”

“I suppose the meaning would escape a child's understanding.”

“The merging of kingdoms...” her voice was hollow.

“Very good Sarah. I didn't think you'd have forgotten. You are right – I have no real power over you, but I am not completely powerless my dear. I cannot force this on you, but I will do whatever I can to convince you.”

She clenched her fingers. “Is that all I need to do? Sleep with you?”

A look of displeasure passed over his face. "Fucking? Is that what you think it is?
He laughed. "That is all it is, in human terms, I suppose. It takes but once for the spell to complete – the Labyrinth can be revived.”

“And my friends?”

“If you truly want to repair the Labyrinth you must stay with me Sarah. Forever.”

Only forever...it's not long at all...

“And if I don't stay?”

“You'll have to come back eventually. The Labyrinth is yours now, as much as it is mine...what's left of it.”

He released her, a pained look crossed his face, not unlike when she first refused him.

“Fine.”

“You have to wish for it.”

Say the right words....

“What do I say?”

“You know what to say...”

The way forward is sometimes the way back...

“I wish...the Goblin King would come and take me away right now.”

He laughed. “You have no power over me...”

Sarah's eyes widened in horror as she watched herself transform into a small, black bird. Behind her, the white
owl nudged her forwards and the two took to the sky, to make the journey to the Underground.

...and sometimes it seems like we're not getting anywhere, when in fact...we are.