A/N: Labyrinth and the characters contained in are the property of Jim Henson, George Lucas, Brian Froud, Terry Jones, and Dennis Lee, this also includes the work titled Labyrinth: A Novel, authored by A.C.H. Smith. I do not own any rights to the works produced by The Jim Henson Company, Lucasfilm, or Rob Thomas and am uncompensated for my works.
"Let your clarity define you, In the end we will only just remember how it feels" Little Wonders, Rob Thomas
Chapter 1.
A woman sits silently gazing out her window. Her long dull brown hair hangs limply down her back. Shadows sit in the hollows under her still vibrant jade green eyes.
A smile played at the corners of her mouth, unknown to her, as she watched the boy play. Seeing him laugh, seeing him smile. She wanted to go out to him, to laugh, and dance with him, to forget, if for just a moment the pain. She closed her eyes and imagined playing silly childish games with him. He could be so mischievous, and then at other times innocent.
She felt a twinge of regret deep in her chest, a coldness that made her shutter. Did she tell him she loved him enough, did he understand how special he was to her? He was so much more than a half-brother; that thought repulsed her now. There was no resentment against him, not anymore. Amazing how she could feel about him, how to her above all else he was now the center of her small world. She thought she might know how mothers feel, in that respect. This boy was as close as she would ever come to a child of her own. She knew the fates had smiled down on her everyday he loved her back, and that is why this hurt so much more.
It would be worse later, she reminded herself. When he came to her and she read to him. He would cuddle against her side, and say the same words he said each night, "Sarah, read to me. You're the only one who does it right," in an almost commanding way. She would nod, wrap an arm around him and together they would go on another adventure, the only kind of adventure she could go on anymore.
The doctor, in his starched white coat, looked at her. He sighed deeply, before beginning "Sarah, there are no other options; we will do our best to keep you comfortable."
She nodded, stoically. She'd hoped for better news, no she had prayed for it desperately. "What do I do now?"
He cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable, "Well, Ms. Williams, now you go home, you rest. We're arraigning for in-home nursing care. It's all there is to do. I'll have my nurse finish the paperwork. This is never easy; you'll need time to think before you tell your family. At least you have that; you can spend your last days with them. Many of my patients don't get that. I'm deeply sorry Ms. Williams."
Suddenly she was lost, an empty pit swelling in the back of her mind. She felt nausea rolling through her stomach, tight and gripping like a rough wave out far in the ocean, her throat was a constricted, parched desert.
He turned his back, and walked away.
Undiscovered tears welled up and threatened to overflow. She waited, but did not watch, hearing the door close. No anger, only loneliness stole over her. She suddenly felt darkness creep into her periphery, and she knew she had to leave. She sighed and stood, only now realizing her keys were digging trenches into her palm. They caused her no pain, numbness now taking over. The tide of nausea receded, only slightly. As if in a dream she moved to the door, only allowing her muscles to lead her where they wanted to go. Never making a conscious decision of her destination, she left.
She drove for hours. The sun, once high in the sky, bright, was now sinking down in the sky. Its light muted in the horizon. She felt no warmth with it, and no loss as it sank. Eventually she found herself near her home, or the house that she now called her home once again. She remembered the day she moved back, not by choice. This disease had long since robbed her of her choices.
She heard the steps coming down the hall and she was pulled from her memory, she knew it was time. She longed for more clarity, she only wanted to think. She knew once they reached her she would no longer care, and she would drift.
Karen stood at the door, smiling at the beautiful woman before her. She too felt a twinge of regret and pain, just looking at Sarah. To see her sitting on the window bench wrapped in a well loved quilt looking out the window, huddled in on herself. Karen was proud of the beautiful young woman seated before her, wise beyond her years, brave to face every day with the knowledge that her last were coming soon. Karen wondered to herself why life had to be so cruel to some, and easy to others. It wasn't right to lose her so soon. Karen smiled to herself, how much she now loved and cherished this girl. That's what Sarah would always be to her, a young girl full of ambition and wonder.
When she first came into Sarah's life it was hard. Sarah resented her, and Karen was at a loss to connect with the girl. She tried to befriend her, she tried to mother her. Sarah wanted neither from Karen. As time passed their relationship strained, more so after the birth of Toby. Sarah had a difficult time adjusting to a brother, after 14 years of being an only child. Karen understood now that Toby had been more than a brother, at the time he was an adversary. He was the reason Sarah was once again being abandoned, this time by her father.
She didn't know how; but one day things just changed, simple as that. Sarah suddenly didn't complain about sitting with Toby when Karen and Robert, Sarah's father, had business dinners to attend. It was as if she awoke one day and just loved the boy.
From that moment on Sarah became a dedicated, loving sister. She had even coned Karen into allowing her to skip school for Toby's 12 month shots. Karen smiled to herself about that one, Robert was not very happy when he called to check on Toby and Sarah answered the phone. Once he arrived home that night to find them all curled up on the family room, with Sarah reading to Toby, any earlier irritation disappeared.
That was 9 years ago and Sarah had grow up she had found room to love Toby, and he reciprocated that love 10-fold. Where had all this gotten any of them? They would lose the daughter and sister they all loved, soon.
She sighed, "Sarah dear, it's time."
"Yes. I knew it was getting close," Sarah shakily rose and unsteadily moved to the bed, looking as frail as a woman four times her age. "I'm ready," she murmured once she lay down on the bed.
Karen handed her eight oddly shaped pills in a bright little rainbow. They didn't know how unwanted they were. Shame, Karen thought to herself, they relieve so little pain and cause her so much more. They were vile things by their own nature. These little horrid little pills rob us every day of the little time we have left with her.
She handed Sarah the medicine, and a cool bottle of water.
It started with the bruises, deep purple things angry and almost painless. She could never remember how she got them. Fatigue had long since been a daily companion. She never put the two together, until she cut her hand while cooking, 4 years ago. After the cut wouldn't heal she found herself returning to the doctor about the infections, he suggested they have some blood work run, "Just to be safe, but I'm sure there's nothing to worry about Sarah. We just need to get you better." Two days, that's all it took for her world to fall down, forty eight hours.
She remembered going home that day, her shoulders ached, and her back was tense. She only wanted a hot bath, and to curl up in bed early. When she entered her apartment the blackness of it was a comfort, the cool breeze from the air conditioner that engulfed her was more than welcome.
It was the blinking red light of her answering machine that froze her. She felt a sudden foreboding. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and full of cotton. None of her friends or family ever called before 4, they all knew her schedule that well. Who would have left her a message? Her mind raced through multiple scenarios. Karen, hurt or sick. Her father, or worse yet Toby needing her while she just stood there. Her feet did not want to move, she was frightened to hear it.
The voice on the machine was cool, calm, and not at all comforting. "Ms. Williams, this is Nelda, Dr. Gilles' nurse. It is of the utmost importance that you return our call once you've received this message…" Sarah heard nothing else while she dialed the numbers, she knew whatever it was it wasn't good. At 20 she knew that normal test results were announced by postcards, not messages. She realized later that part of her must have known what that message was.
The receptionist had answered on the second ring breathless, "Dr. Gilles' office, I'm sorry we're closed right now."
"This is Sarah Williams, Nelda left me a message I was returning her call," Sarah felt dizziness fall over her. Her heart pounded in her chest threatening to burst through. Her hands were clammy; it took all the concentration she could summon to hold the phone to her ear.
"Yes, yes. Ms. Williams, I'm so sorry. Please, hold one moment," The receptionist seemed to strain her name. Sarah had heard the sincerity in her voice. She wondered why this woman would speak to her as if she were so important.
"Ms. Williams. Ms. Williams, are you there?" The same voice from the answering machine was calling her back into reality. She didn't know how many times the woman had called her name.
"Yes. This is she." Sarah breathed.
"Ma'ma, the doctor would like to set up an appointment to see you in his office as soon as possible. When are you free tomorrow?" The answering machine woman asked.
"Um, wow, tomorrow?" Sarah had never been seen that quickly. It was a small family practice, with only two physicians and a handful of nurses. She couldn't understand the urgency; it had always been two, three day at least before they could fit a patient in.
"Ms. Williams, Sarah, are you there?" The answering machine woman asked again.
She answered automatically, "I can come in first thing in the morning."
Karen set the water bottle on Sarah's bed side table, and pulled the quilt over her. She pushed back Sarah's lank hair, all its former sheen gone from the internal war her body was raging against its self. "I'll come back up with your dinner around five. Until then, if you need me…" Karen let her voice trail off, Sarah was already asleep. She turned noting the slight disorder of Sarah's room. She picked up a book that had fallen to the floor when Sarah moved from the window. Karen absentmindedly caressed the red leather of the book for a moment before setting it on the small night stand. Quietly she closed the window, and pulled the curtains to. Leaving the small lamp on, so Sarah would have some light when she awoke, Karen closed the door as gently as she could.
Unnoticed a white owl swooped away into the early afternoon sunlight.
A/N: This is my first attempt at a fictional work. Please, feel free to read and review as constructive criticism is always welcome.
I have opened my twitter account, the link is on my profile, if you are interested in where I'm at with my story or have any questions beyond the review follow me there. Bonus points to anyone that picks up on the musical and literary references. These will all be revealed at the completion of the work.