Chapter 1
Dreams. They were the only solitude she could find anymore. If there was ever something she actually wanted to do, it was sleep, because sleep brought the possibility of dreams. Dreams of the labyrinth. Sarah didn't think of anything else; she hadn't since the night she was returned to her familiar house, her boring neighborhood, her dreary life, her boring world...
She had been so relieved and happy to find the babe resting peacefully in his crib; she knew everything would be alright. Her labyrinthian friends stayed with her long into the night, having the best party that any of them could remember. Eventually, they were all drawn back to the magic of the Underground that forebade them to stay away for so long. After the last otherworldly guest had departed, Sarah glanced around her room, the place that had always been a sanctuary from Karen's nagging and Toby's crying, and saw how empty it was. Dolls and magical creatures stared at her from shelves, bookcovers, and posters, but they had not the power to stand up and converse with her as Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo had. She sat down at her vanity and stared into the sad eyes of the girl who stared back at her. Once, she tried to call Hoggle a second time, but there was no reply. Her heart sunk as the realization hit her: her adventure was over, her friends were gone, and she was back on boring old Earth. Tears threatened to break until she couldn't even look at her own reflection. She had lost everything that she had every dreamed of having, had thrown it to the winds. The tears did come, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. She stumbled to her bed and collapsed on it, soaking her pillow with the salty teardrops until she succumbed to exhaustion and blissful sleep...
It had only gotten worse from there. She lost interest in everything surrounding her; she cleared everything to do with magic and fantasy from her room, boxed her precious teddy bears and her piles of books, for it all reminded her of the labyrinth. Karen had to literally drag her out of bed in the mornings to go to school, and when Sarah did eventually stumble off to her classes, she was like a zombie, her eyes glazed and uncaring. What few friends she had at school couldn't understand why she wouldn't speak to them, but would only stare blankly at a wall. She eventually stopped going to school, and Karen, tired of pulling her out of bed, stopped forcing her. Her father was concerned, but received no answer. Karen said it was just a phase, it would pass; when weeks passed and there was little change, her father and Karen took her to a doctor. She was diagnosed with depression, given a prescription, and sent on her way. She stopped eating, and spent her time in her room, alone, sleeping. The color left her face, her eyes became dull. Her hair lost its healthy sheen, and she lost weight. A lot of it. Her father would plead daily with her to eat something; she was beginning to look like a skeleton. She didn't bother to change her clothes unless she was bathing, which she only did because it made her sleepy. If she was not sleeping, she was staring out of her window or into her mirror and crying. And so it was for weeks, even months. Sarah, the beautiful girl whose dreams and imagination had no limit, had lost her passion for life.
Dreams. They were the only solitude she could find anymore. If there was ever something she actually wanted to do, it was sleep, because sleep brought the possibility of dreams. Dreams of the labyrinth. Sarah didn't think of anything else; she hadn't since the night she was returned to her familiar house, her boring neighborhood, her dreary life, her boring world...
She had been so relieved and happy to find the babe resting peacefully in his crib; she knew everything would be alright. Her labyrinthian friends stayed with her long into the night, having the best party that any of them could remember. Eventually, they were all drawn back to the magic of the Underground that forebade them to stay away for so long. After the last otherworldly guest had departed, Sarah glanced around her room, the place that had always been a sanctuary from Karen's nagging and Toby's crying, and saw how empty it was. Dolls and magical creatures stared at her from shelves, bookcovers, and posters, but they had not the power to stand up and converse with her as Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo had. She sat down at her vanity and stared into the sad eyes of the girl who stared back at her. Once, she tried to call Hoggle a second time, but there was no reply. Her heart sunk as the realization hit her: her adventure was over, her friends were gone, and she was back on boring old Earth. Tears threatened to break until she couldn't even look at her own reflection. She had lost everything that she had every dreamed of having, had thrown it to the winds. The tears did come, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. She stumbled to her bed and collapsed on it, soaking her pillow with the salty teardrops until she succumbed to exhaustion and blissful sleep...
It had only gotten worse from there. She lost interest in everything surrounding her; she cleared everything to do with magic and fantasy from her room, boxed her precious teddy bears and her piles of books, for it all reminded her of the labyrinth. Karen had to literally drag her out of bed in the mornings to go to school, and when Sarah did eventually stumble off to her classes, she was like a zombie, her eyes glazed and uncaring. What few friends she had at school couldn't understand why she wouldn't speak to them, but would only stare blankly at a wall. She eventually stopped going to school, and Karen, tired of pulling her out of bed, stopped forcing her. Her father was concerned, but received no answer. Karen said it was just a phase, it would pass; when weeks passed and there was little change, her father and Karen took her to a doctor. She was diagnosed with depression, given a prescription, and sent on her way. She stopped eating, and spent her time in her room, alone, sleeping. The color left her face, her eyes became dull. Her hair lost its healthy sheen, and she lost weight. A lot of it. Her father would plead daily with her to eat something; she was beginning to look like a skeleton. She didn't bother to change her clothes unless she was bathing, which she only did because it made her sleepy. If she was not sleeping, she was staring out of her window or into her mirror and crying. And so it was for weeks, even months. Sarah, the beautiful girl whose dreams and imagination had no limit, had lost her passion for life.