Disclaimer (which will not be repeated, since each chapter obviously
followed the first, which had this disclaimer included. It is a part of
the text as a whole. So there. And besides, I'm lazy today.):
Labyrinth is a term used for the shape of a maze with only one path, with one opening and one centre. This was used often to build city walls, because the many corners allowed for a geometric design and could confuse enemies who tried to infiltrate the walls. In a different note, Labyrinth can also refer to a very confusing maze, assumably having dead ends and misleading paths. Labyrinth is also a film made by Jim Henson, starring a blonde mullet and a girl in a poet's shirt. The man who plays "the Cat" in Red Dwarf appears as a small furry animal with detachable appendages, also known as a "firey". A generally pleasing film, and sadly (and understandably) not a product of my amazing genius. This is most likely due to the fact that at the time the film was produced I had just learnt to say "Bananananana" and not "Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me.", which meant I was not qualified to join in the creative process. Please accept this rather fanciful and only slightly Mary-Sued offering as a tribute to the aforementioned film and not as an infringement on your Copyright laws. If you do, rest assured I will not mind being sued for my personal, pirated copy of the film, and a plush toy that bears a slight semblance to a secondary character in a Disney film. I'm afraid all my other possessions are rather worthless. And for anyone who bothered to read this far into the disclaimer, please, have a VERY nice day!
Rain recently seemed to laugh as it ran down the windowpanes, bitter and dry. The gurgling, childish rain had left soon after Toby entered primary school. In fact, most weather seemed to have a sour temperament that grew in angered fervor as Toby grew.
Perhaps, it's only my mood that interprets the weather, rather than the weather itself...
Sarah was alone, sitting against the shadowed glass, watching rivulets bleed down past her eyes. Her thoughts spiraled in a repetitive drumming that mirrored the rain. Storm clouds lent a haunted air to the corners of the room, and she tugged her blanket closer around her shoulders. Waiting always seemed to still the world until all that was left was Sarah, the window, and the distressed elements of nature.
A while...
... It must have been five years...
...ago, Karen had persuaded her father to set up bookshelves that she could share with Toby. Over the years, the books the two dreamers had cumulated had spilled over and inspired more shelves. The more recent additions being an old and barren box-shaped dollhouse (one side knocked out), Toby's old toy-chests, and an extremely oversized spice-rack that Karen found in the garage. Novels had covers cracked with overuse, and their colourful bindings instilled a scholarly mosaic that curtained off the outside world.
There was a comforting atmosphere, friendly only in the way that often-read texts can be. And so as Sarah waited for the day to continue and her family to return home, she sat in the living-room-turned-library and watched, as the days grew darker.
Sitting at the window always brought her thoughts back to her dreams. To the most vivid, and memorable dreams. They had been few and far between recently, but they formed a trail that would lead her towards the first dream that she could remember.
I know that there were dreams before, but this one was so...
So... ...real. So tangible that it forced all others out of my mind. They are all forgotten. And all afterwards, they all echo elements of that other dream.
Sarah stared quietly for a minute, allowing her subconscious to make sense of it all. As the rain ebbed, the skies sighed heavily and groaned under the weight of water, eventually losing patience and lashing out at the ground below with shards of light and power.
Maybe I've only ever had the one dream. Over and over again, without noticing.
'Maybe that's why it seems so real...'
Gravel hunched under car tires, and Karen herded an exuberant Toby alongside an uninspired "Father Figure" towards the door.
'Sarah honey, we're home. How was your day?' 'Sarah, look at this! I got an A!' 'Sarah, did you remember to pick up some mince from the shops?'
Sighing, Sarah folded the blanket and greeted each of her family. 'It was fine, Dad. That's pretty cool, Toby! I got the meat Karen, it's in the pot on the stove... and it's nice to see you too.' Karen smiled apologetically. 'I am glad to see you, Sarah. I'm just far too rushed at this job of mine.' Going through daily motions bags were dropped, food was prepared, and conversations adjusted themselves around the actions performed. It was a chaotic, toneless chorus. Sarah was sure that once, long ago, there had been some fashion of harmony. Somehow, long ago, it must have faded away.
Only three books survived the downward migration of the Williams family bookshelves; all of which resided within reach of Sarah's dresser. Two lay inside a drawer, perhaps more denied that forgotten or ignored. The other sat with trepidation beside her bed, always in fear of a similar relocation.
However, rather than being read it merely sat. Watching, watched. Never touched or opened. Gold lettering glared, defying the world.
Sarah stared, making no move to touch it. The rain was laughing once more, mocking her as it drew claws across her window. The trees shook with the force of its hollow cries.
A light snapped, casting the bright lettering into dull relief as shadows softened and took new shape. Toby entered the room, sitting at the end of her bed. He gazed at her quizzically, curious, as a ten-year old tends to be. 'Why were you sitting in the dark, Sarah?'
Sighing, she uncurled and drew her eyes away from the book. 'Toby, what do you want?'
'I... I remember that when I was little, we used to play pretend the Labyrinth.' Memories of younger siblings, sharing a story, hovered between the two. 'You always enjoyed it, but...'
He fell silent, glancing silently at the book.
'We stopped playing, all of a sudden. And then you began to look worse each day, like something was going rotten under your nose.'
Sarah placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, and smiled unsuccessfully. 'Toby, did it ever seem real to you?' She nodded at his confused look. 'I didn't think so. It...'
Sarah took a breath, before shakily continuing. '...It started to become real to me. Too real. I began to fall away from this,' she indicated a photograph of their family, taken the previous year on Toby's birthday, 'and I knew that it had to stop.'
'No it didn't!' Toby stated vehemently, 'I know that I'm not as smart as you are, but it's easy to see that you need it. If you're like this without it, wouldn't you be better off just being happy?' He picked up the book, and sat it in front of her, turning to the first page of text. 'Read it, and stop being so sad, okay?'
Smiling at her, Toby walked across the hall to his own room, passing Karen on the way.
'Wait, Toby!' Sarah tried to follow, but Toby had jammed his door shut. Scowling at the closed door, she felt embarrassingly immature when Karen walked past towards the bathroom, glancing concernedly at Sarah. 'Sarah, are you okay? You look a little pale...' 'I'm fine.' Reigning in her thoughts, she focused on the present situation. 'Really, I'm fine,' she parried Karen's worried look with a light wave, a weak smile, 'I'm just tired. Must be the weather or something. 'Night.'
Lying on her bed, Sarah felt a lump beneath her back. 'Wha... oh.' Pulling the open book out, she closed it. 'Children always see things as simple...
...but Reality isn't simple... ...is it?...
'...' The wind, having exhausted its reserve of complaints, left the other elements to their moans and howls. A static silence fell over the room, emphsasised by the now sparse rumbles of heavenly discontent. It was as if time had stopped...
...It's like in that dream...
... but as if life had intensified, as if it had been compressed into one eternal moment. A rush surged through Sarah's body, leaving nerves standing on end. Glancing at the clock, she couldn't make out its shadowed face. 'Well, no matter what the time, I suppose I'll never get to sleep now.' Perhaps spurred on by the strange energy, she retrieved the book and opened it once more to the first page. After all, it was only a story, and she hadn't had any dreams in a long time.
Once upon a time there was a princess, and she had a stepmother...
The morning stretched lazily in sunlight, all traces of rain gone. Sarah lay on her bed, a small book tucked in her hands. Waking slowly, her body was reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed. Feeling the sharp morning air as she left the embrace of her covers, she read the words she had fallen asleep reading.
'...Give me...
'The child...' softly, almost inaudibly she gasped as a sharp pain lanced through her side. 'Ow... what the...' Toby ran giggling past her, flying onto her bed in an oversized shirt and belt. He carried a sword and shield. 'Who are you?'
'...I'm Hoggle...'
'Nice to meet you, I'm Sarah.' Toby giggled. 'I thought so.' He raised his sword, leveling it at her neck. 'Sarah, by the power invested in me by me, I command you stop feeling sad!' 'Come on, "Sir" Toby, let's get some breakfast.'
The antics of 'Sir Toby' calmed as he found a noble steed and some travelling companions among his toys. Karen had gone shopping, and Sarah's father was still asleep when Merlin bore the knightly company of stuffed animals with a long-suffering face. Toby marched proudly past Sarah, in search of a quest. 'Lady, what noble cause can I champion?' Sarah sighed, and raised a dishcloth high. 'You can save my delicate hands from the glorious task of washing up.' 'Eww! A noble cause, Sarah, not a dumb one.' He paused, and spent a few minutes thinking.
'Will you play with me, Sarah?' His eyed pleaded hopefully as she rinsed bowls. 'Alright, but you'll have to help me after dinner.' 'Alright, but you'll have to wear something different than that. Otherwise, it won't be fun'
'I have been through dangers untold, and hardships unknown...'
'The castle at the centre of the Labyrinth. Well, Toby, this is a church, not a castle. Besides, there's no Labyrinth here. Let's just go home.' 'No way! You used to play pretend with me, why can't you now?' Sarah shivered in her white dress, despite the warmth of the sun. 'Because things changed, I told you...' Toby pouted. 'But that's stupid. Why stop playing because of a dream? Dreams can't stop you from playing, can they?' Sarah smiled. 'I guess I can't argue with that. So, where do we start?'
Toby ran a short distance, plastic sword and sheath flapping against his legs. 'Okay... so you're Sarah, and you're helping me to save our new baby sister. We wished her away when she bit Lancelot. We've got to find people and get into the centre before she becomes... a turtle!' Sarah could see many flaws in the story, and tried to point them out to no avail. 'But Toby, we don't have a baby sister...' 'In the game, we do.' 'Wouldn't she be turned into a goblin instead of a turtle...' 'In the game, she turns into a turtle.' 'Oh.'
Sitting on the bridge, Sarah watched Toby poke at a small rock. 'Toby, can't we rest? This puzzle's too hard.' 'Nah.. almost got it.' He knelt next to the stone, whispering softly. 'Done. Let's go, onward to the goblin city!' His excitement carried over to her, and Sarah found herself chasing after her brother. 'Onward to the goblin city!'
Toby jumped onto the small boulder, glaring at an invisible goblin king. 'Give me the child!' He frowned, and shook his head. 'Give me the turtle! We have been through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered.' Sarah took her cue from Toby, brandishing a club (stick) at the goblin king (air), 'We have come to the castle beyond the labyrinth, in the Goblin City, to take back what was stolen from us.' Smiling gleefully, Toby advanced to the goblin king. 'My will is as strong as yours...'
'Wait!'
Sarah gasped as her head began to ache, losing her balance as she cradled her forehead. 'Sarah, are you okay?' 'Yeah, Toby, I'm fine. It's just getting a little late, I'm tired.' Toby patted her arm. 'Let's go home, we can finish tomorrow.'
Labyrinth is a term used for the shape of a maze with only one path, with one opening and one centre. This was used often to build city walls, because the many corners allowed for a geometric design and could confuse enemies who tried to infiltrate the walls. In a different note, Labyrinth can also refer to a very confusing maze, assumably having dead ends and misleading paths. Labyrinth is also a film made by Jim Henson, starring a blonde mullet and a girl in a poet's shirt. The man who plays "the Cat" in Red Dwarf appears as a small furry animal with detachable appendages, also known as a "firey". A generally pleasing film, and sadly (and understandably) not a product of my amazing genius. This is most likely due to the fact that at the time the film was produced I had just learnt to say "Bananananana" and not "Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me.", which meant I was not qualified to join in the creative process. Please accept this rather fanciful and only slightly Mary-Sued offering as a tribute to the aforementioned film and not as an infringement on your Copyright laws. If you do, rest assured I will not mind being sued for my personal, pirated copy of the film, and a plush toy that bears a slight semblance to a secondary character in a Disney film. I'm afraid all my other possessions are rather worthless. And for anyone who bothered to read this far into the disclaimer, please, have a VERY nice day!
Rain recently seemed to laugh as it ran down the windowpanes, bitter and dry. The gurgling, childish rain had left soon after Toby entered primary school. In fact, most weather seemed to have a sour temperament that grew in angered fervor as Toby grew.
Perhaps, it's only my mood that interprets the weather, rather than the weather itself...
Sarah was alone, sitting against the shadowed glass, watching rivulets bleed down past her eyes. Her thoughts spiraled in a repetitive drumming that mirrored the rain. Storm clouds lent a haunted air to the corners of the room, and she tugged her blanket closer around her shoulders. Waiting always seemed to still the world until all that was left was Sarah, the window, and the distressed elements of nature.
A while...
... It must have been five years...
...ago, Karen had persuaded her father to set up bookshelves that she could share with Toby. Over the years, the books the two dreamers had cumulated had spilled over and inspired more shelves. The more recent additions being an old and barren box-shaped dollhouse (one side knocked out), Toby's old toy-chests, and an extremely oversized spice-rack that Karen found in the garage. Novels had covers cracked with overuse, and their colourful bindings instilled a scholarly mosaic that curtained off the outside world.
There was a comforting atmosphere, friendly only in the way that often-read texts can be. And so as Sarah waited for the day to continue and her family to return home, she sat in the living-room-turned-library and watched, as the days grew darker.
Sitting at the window always brought her thoughts back to her dreams. To the most vivid, and memorable dreams. They had been few and far between recently, but they formed a trail that would lead her towards the first dream that she could remember.
I know that there were dreams before, but this one was so...
So... ...real. So tangible that it forced all others out of my mind. They are all forgotten. And all afterwards, they all echo elements of that other dream.
Sarah stared quietly for a minute, allowing her subconscious to make sense of it all. As the rain ebbed, the skies sighed heavily and groaned under the weight of water, eventually losing patience and lashing out at the ground below with shards of light and power.
Maybe I've only ever had the one dream. Over and over again, without noticing.
'Maybe that's why it seems so real...'
Gravel hunched under car tires, and Karen herded an exuberant Toby alongside an uninspired "Father Figure" towards the door.
'Sarah honey, we're home. How was your day?' 'Sarah, look at this! I got an A!' 'Sarah, did you remember to pick up some mince from the shops?'
Sighing, Sarah folded the blanket and greeted each of her family. 'It was fine, Dad. That's pretty cool, Toby! I got the meat Karen, it's in the pot on the stove... and it's nice to see you too.' Karen smiled apologetically. 'I am glad to see you, Sarah. I'm just far too rushed at this job of mine.' Going through daily motions bags were dropped, food was prepared, and conversations adjusted themselves around the actions performed. It was a chaotic, toneless chorus. Sarah was sure that once, long ago, there had been some fashion of harmony. Somehow, long ago, it must have faded away.
Only three books survived the downward migration of the Williams family bookshelves; all of which resided within reach of Sarah's dresser. Two lay inside a drawer, perhaps more denied that forgotten or ignored. The other sat with trepidation beside her bed, always in fear of a similar relocation.
However, rather than being read it merely sat. Watching, watched. Never touched or opened. Gold lettering glared, defying the world.
Sarah stared, making no move to touch it. The rain was laughing once more, mocking her as it drew claws across her window. The trees shook with the force of its hollow cries.
A light snapped, casting the bright lettering into dull relief as shadows softened and took new shape. Toby entered the room, sitting at the end of her bed. He gazed at her quizzically, curious, as a ten-year old tends to be. 'Why were you sitting in the dark, Sarah?'
Sighing, she uncurled and drew her eyes away from the book. 'Toby, what do you want?'
'I... I remember that when I was little, we used to play pretend the Labyrinth.' Memories of younger siblings, sharing a story, hovered between the two. 'You always enjoyed it, but...'
He fell silent, glancing silently at the book.
'We stopped playing, all of a sudden. And then you began to look worse each day, like something was going rotten under your nose.'
Sarah placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, and smiled unsuccessfully. 'Toby, did it ever seem real to you?' She nodded at his confused look. 'I didn't think so. It...'
Sarah took a breath, before shakily continuing. '...It started to become real to me. Too real. I began to fall away from this,' she indicated a photograph of their family, taken the previous year on Toby's birthday, 'and I knew that it had to stop.'
'No it didn't!' Toby stated vehemently, 'I know that I'm not as smart as you are, but it's easy to see that you need it. If you're like this without it, wouldn't you be better off just being happy?' He picked up the book, and sat it in front of her, turning to the first page of text. 'Read it, and stop being so sad, okay?'
Smiling at her, Toby walked across the hall to his own room, passing Karen on the way.
'Wait, Toby!' Sarah tried to follow, but Toby had jammed his door shut. Scowling at the closed door, she felt embarrassingly immature when Karen walked past towards the bathroom, glancing concernedly at Sarah. 'Sarah, are you okay? You look a little pale...' 'I'm fine.' Reigning in her thoughts, she focused on the present situation. 'Really, I'm fine,' she parried Karen's worried look with a light wave, a weak smile, 'I'm just tired. Must be the weather or something. 'Night.'
Lying on her bed, Sarah felt a lump beneath her back. 'Wha... oh.' Pulling the open book out, she closed it. 'Children always see things as simple...
...but Reality isn't simple... ...is it?...
'...' The wind, having exhausted its reserve of complaints, left the other elements to their moans and howls. A static silence fell over the room, emphsasised by the now sparse rumbles of heavenly discontent. It was as if time had stopped...
...It's like in that dream...
... but as if life had intensified, as if it had been compressed into one eternal moment. A rush surged through Sarah's body, leaving nerves standing on end. Glancing at the clock, she couldn't make out its shadowed face. 'Well, no matter what the time, I suppose I'll never get to sleep now.' Perhaps spurred on by the strange energy, she retrieved the book and opened it once more to the first page. After all, it was only a story, and she hadn't had any dreams in a long time.
Once upon a time there was a princess, and she had a stepmother...
The morning stretched lazily in sunlight, all traces of rain gone. Sarah lay on her bed, a small book tucked in her hands. Waking slowly, her body was reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed. Feeling the sharp morning air as she left the embrace of her covers, she read the words she had fallen asleep reading.
'...Give me...
'The child...' softly, almost inaudibly she gasped as a sharp pain lanced through her side. 'Ow... what the...' Toby ran giggling past her, flying onto her bed in an oversized shirt and belt. He carried a sword and shield. 'Who are you?'
'...I'm Hoggle...'
'Nice to meet you, I'm Sarah.' Toby giggled. 'I thought so.' He raised his sword, leveling it at her neck. 'Sarah, by the power invested in me by me, I command you stop feeling sad!' 'Come on, "Sir" Toby, let's get some breakfast.'
The antics of 'Sir Toby' calmed as he found a noble steed and some travelling companions among his toys. Karen had gone shopping, and Sarah's father was still asleep when Merlin bore the knightly company of stuffed animals with a long-suffering face. Toby marched proudly past Sarah, in search of a quest. 'Lady, what noble cause can I champion?' Sarah sighed, and raised a dishcloth high. 'You can save my delicate hands from the glorious task of washing up.' 'Eww! A noble cause, Sarah, not a dumb one.' He paused, and spent a few minutes thinking.
'Will you play with me, Sarah?' His eyed pleaded hopefully as she rinsed bowls. 'Alright, but you'll have to help me after dinner.' 'Alright, but you'll have to wear something different than that. Otherwise, it won't be fun'
'I have been through dangers untold, and hardships unknown...'
'The castle at the centre of the Labyrinth. Well, Toby, this is a church, not a castle. Besides, there's no Labyrinth here. Let's just go home.' 'No way! You used to play pretend with me, why can't you now?' Sarah shivered in her white dress, despite the warmth of the sun. 'Because things changed, I told you...' Toby pouted. 'But that's stupid. Why stop playing because of a dream? Dreams can't stop you from playing, can they?' Sarah smiled. 'I guess I can't argue with that. So, where do we start?'
Toby ran a short distance, plastic sword and sheath flapping against his legs. 'Okay... so you're Sarah, and you're helping me to save our new baby sister. We wished her away when she bit Lancelot. We've got to find people and get into the centre before she becomes... a turtle!' Sarah could see many flaws in the story, and tried to point them out to no avail. 'But Toby, we don't have a baby sister...' 'In the game, we do.' 'Wouldn't she be turned into a goblin instead of a turtle...' 'In the game, she turns into a turtle.' 'Oh.'
Sitting on the bridge, Sarah watched Toby poke at a small rock. 'Toby, can't we rest? This puzzle's too hard.' 'Nah.. almost got it.' He knelt next to the stone, whispering softly. 'Done. Let's go, onward to the goblin city!' His excitement carried over to her, and Sarah found herself chasing after her brother. 'Onward to the goblin city!'
Toby jumped onto the small boulder, glaring at an invisible goblin king. 'Give me the child!' He frowned, and shook his head. 'Give me the turtle! We have been through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered.' Sarah took her cue from Toby, brandishing a club (stick) at the goblin king (air), 'We have come to the castle beyond the labyrinth, in the Goblin City, to take back what was stolen from us.' Smiling gleefully, Toby advanced to the goblin king. 'My will is as strong as yours...'
'Wait!'
Sarah gasped as her head began to ache, losing her balance as she cradled her forehead. 'Sarah, are you okay?' 'Yeah, Toby, I'm fine. It's just getting a little late, I'm tired.' Toby patted her arm. 'Let's go home, we can finish tomorrow.'