Chapter 1: Of Thieves and Tales (Part 6/7)

“Oh, I’ve heard stories,” Old Jareth said, his voice lowered to a whisper and he leaned close to the kids. This was the very same voice everyone in town would recognize when he used suspense in his stories. He ruffled Callen’s unrecognizable blonde hair that to most would seem quite brown due to the life in the dirt and dust. “Tales of places far beyond our village. Dangerous places, where even the fastest and smartest don’t always make it back.” He paused, sat back on the bench, and shrugged, his eyes twinkling underneath the brim of his hat. “But you two aren’t interested in stories like that, are you?”

Callen and Mae exchanged quick glances, their eyes lighting up, almost falling over in excitement. “Tell us!” Callen said, leaning in eagerly. “You always say that but never tell us what happened to those people. Come on, Jareth. We want to know!”

Mae nodded in agreement, “Yeah, what places? And what kind of danger? Come on, we can handle it!”