Well, my first piece of labyrinth fanfiction. Written at three in the morning while watching Labyrinth. Some Sarah/Jareth. Oneshot . . . for now.
Word Count: 587
Observing Owl
The owl had become a regular resident at the Williams' household. Every night it would perch on the tree branch outside of Sarah's window, watching her. Watching her do her homework, read, talk on the phone with her friends, or just sleep. Worrying about her final exams, raving about her brother, crying about her first breakup . . . . He saw it all.
Some nights she would open the window and attempt to coax the owl from his perch to her arm.
Some nights, he would fly the short distance and allow her to pet him for a few moments. However, it was much more likely that he would completely ignore her or fly away.
It all depended on his mood, really.
Other nights, she would merely open the window and talk to him. More like talk at him, since he never answered, not that she expected him to. Her face took on that faraway look that always appeared when she was imagining, and she conversed.
Well, the owl's answers and responses were all in her head, but she treated him as her confidant, and he appreciated it, as much as he was able.
He watched as she conjured her friends when she needed something more real than a one sided conversation. It always made him feel profoundly envious. They could talk to her; she would listen to them; they could give her advice that he just . . . could not.
When Sarah was twenty, she held what would be her last conversation with the owl.
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
She smiled softly as her eyes unfocused.
"You remember the boy I met at college a few months ago? Well, we've been dating, you know, and last week . . . last week he asked me to marry him."
He stayed silent, taking in her dreamy expression.
"It was really romantic; he took me to a nice Italian restaurant, and the ring showed up on my dessert. I had actually started eating the cake before I noticed! We laughed a little and then . . . he asked me."
Her eyes abruptly focused on him, and her smile twisted into a wry grin. He started to preen.
"I was so shocked, I didn't speak for a minute; I couldn't! Finally, I told him I needed to think about it. I think he was a little disappointed, but . . ."
She was imagining again. The smile was back, and her voice had a particular lazy quality.
"I'm going to say yes. It's not for the usual reasons, though . . ."
Her voice and eyes were still faraway, but a small frown betrayed it as her thinking and not daydreaming.
"The truth is . . . he reminds me of someone . . ."
Owl and woman both paused, and an uncomfortable silence built. It was broken, however, when Sarah smiled brilliantly at him.
"The truth is . . . you do too."
She sighed then, her eyes infinitely sad.
"Jareth . . ."
She paused, seemingly lost in thought. He just stared at her, waiting for her to finish. She came to shortly, and smiled weakly.
"Jareth, though . . . was a barn owl."
They stared at each other for a long time, sadness, hope and wistfulness resplendent in their gaze, before the owl spread his wings and flew off into the night.
Sarah smiled truly then and closed the window.
By the next night, she was gone, and the owl did not return.
Review, please.
-Shards of Light