through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered.

once upon a time, a seamstress, a fairy queen, and a fop set out to attend a goblin ball. they all looked fabulous, i assure you, small wonders in black and purple; as evidence of this is made and found, it will be shown to you. they were pixie led for a time in attempting to find their labyrinth as they traveled in their carriage made of dust, but they all turned their coats and made threats of iron, and on the third pass they were allowed to go where they were going as opposed to somewhere else. once there, they found that lord jareth can be in two places at once; that babies wearing red and white make people extremely excited, especially when the right song is played; that all ages events that actually attract a few small children and bairns are absolutely lovely, especially when one of the girls is alice liddle; and that masquerades that give people the opportunity to wear fantastic amazing things are often attended by people who are quite naked. there was an abundance of colour, a thing the fop has never before experienced when going dancing. there was lots of music, some of it good, and some of it not, and some of it played on drums by beautiful people wearing very nice boots. there was a very large man named lord rock, who was one of the greatest puppets whose hand the fop has ever had the honour of kissing. everyone wore a mask. many wore corsets or wings or both. for the most part, girls looked like girls and boys looked like boys, but when that was not the case, and sometimes when it was, the fop swooned, and his queen was good enough to bring the smelling salts and some brandy, even though she herself had beglittered robert smith hair and usually sent the fop fainting dead away once more. our heroines went prettyboy hunting, and girl in red and white dress hunting, and girl with amazing delirium mohawk hair hunting, and captain hook hunting, and crowmask hunting. they hunted for various other creatures, as well, and were mostly successful. they, too, were hunted, and were extremely pleased by it, as they are vain creatures, really. the most lovely people there were an old man and an old woman; they were not together, and they both seemed like the sort of person one should want to be upon growing up, even or especially if one is a lost boy. the world fell down sometime after thirteen o'clock, and the three returned to their carriage and then to their home, where they went straight to bed, still messes of glitter and silver and lipstick and dust.