A/N: Inspired while sitting eating dinner, I couldn't get back to my computer fast enough to write the idea down. Spawned in part from Tim Burton's rendition of "Alice in Wonderland" and in part from the fic(s) written by Lixxle. Go check her out, she's an amazing Jareth/Sarah writer.
Also, an added note – Jareth will not be showing up until chapter two. Sorry for the disappointment, but it's worth the wait, plot-wise.
Disclaimer: If I was able to own the Labyrinth, I'm pretty sure I'd drop more than a few people in the Bog of Eternal Stench. Unfortunately, nothing related to Labyrinth belongs to me, except for the things you don't recognize. Ah well, a girl can always dream…
A Pixie in the Pantry
One: Of Roses and Rummaging
It had started with the goblin in her garden. To begin with, Sarah hadn't been sure she had seen the mythical creature at all – the moonless night was dark, there had been a flash of something out of place, something she couldn't quite see at the edges of her vision. She had thought it was a squirrel, or maybe a cat, or even a small dog. Nearly a decade after "The Dream" as she liked to call it, Sarah barely thought of the incident at all. No, she had far bigger things on her mind.
Her life wasn't all that bad, all things considered. She was helping children as a therapist, and acting part time at a local theatre. Sarah couldn't bear to entirely turn her back on her dreams, even if she had to grow up to be a mature adult. A mature adult who did not see goblins on the back lawn, thank you very much. The very idea was preposterous!
No, she simply hadn't had enough sleep, that was all. Sarah wearily shook her head, putting the now empty mug in the sink. She took in a deep breath, savouring the lingering aroma of hot chocolate and smiled contentedly. Looking at the clock made her frown; it was half past three in the morning. What would Andrew think?
Andrew was one of a long list of potential suitors. He was an accountant, made a reasonable amount of money per year, always insisted on paying for her dinner when he took her out. He was smart, engaging and overall a handsome, sweet, caring man.
Sarah sat down at the table, head in her hands. Thinking about Andrew always had this effect – thinking of any man had this effect. They were all Prince Charming, every one. Somehow she had lucked out, finding so many great guys. A girl would be lucky to have such handsome, dedicated, chivalrous, kind-hearted men vying for her attentions. But there was always something not right with each and every one. No matter how great they were, Sarah could not bring herself to be with them for more than a few months. One by one, they faded away into memory, leaving Sarah alone.
With a dejected expression and slumped shoulders, Sarah had slouched her way back upstairs in her little townhouse to her cold and empty bed. Moments later, she was asleep.
It was exactly a week later, a Wednesday, and Sarah woke in the middle of the night. Looking over at the clock she groaned, flopping back against the soft mattress, trying to will herself back to sleep. A few minutes later she cracked an eye and gave a frustrated snort. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy.
Pulling on her blue fluffy dressing robe, she climbed down the stairs, wincing at the shock of cold hardwood on her bare feet. Walking into the kitchen she pulled out the creamy white mug out of the cupboard out of habit, spooning instant hot chocolate mix into it and setting the kettle on, all without switching on the light. Looking out the ice frosted window, Sarah thought she saw movement between the rosebushes. Craning her neck, she tried to catch a glimpse of whatever was out there, but had no luck. With a shrug, she turned back to the whistling kettle, pouring hot water into the mug. Stirring the sugary chocolate-y drink with a steel spoon, Sarah moved to the back window, looking up at the tiny sliver of a moon that poked through the wispy clouds.
Eyes turned skywards, Sarah caught sight of a regal snowy owl that wheeled above the evergreens behind her lot. A slight smile flitted over her lips as a memory tugged at her mind. Before she could place the creature, she heard a scrabbling at the backdoor. Curious and slightly apprehensive, she put the mug down on the window ledge and returned to the kitchen. She looked out of the window over the sink, trying to see what had made the noise. There, an animal running across her lawn!
It didn't look like a cat, or a dog, or a raccoon… in fact, it didn't look much like any animal Sarah had seen before. Interest piqued, Sarah unlocked the back door, pulling it open and looking out of the glass outer door.
There were footprints preserved in the faint dusting of snow that coated the frosty lawn. Tiny footprints. Sarah gulped, and shut the door. Once she had doubled checked that it had been locked, she padded back upstairs, mind reeling.
The next Wednesday found Sarah waking again at nearly the same time as the previous two weeks. She stared up at the roof of her bedroom; this wasn't a routine she had wanted to get into. Never the less, she climbed out of bed and walked down the stairs like she had before. This night however, she heard a strange scuffling noise, a rattling and crinkling noise coming from her kitchen. Perplexed and more than a little alarmed, Sarah peered around the doorframe too look into the kitchen, wishing that there was some sort of impromptu weapon she could pick up to club the intruder with. What she saw inside the room made her jaw drop.
There was a goblin. On her counter. Riffling through her cupboards.
She blinked her eyes, rubbed them with her hands, but the apparition remained securely in place, muttering to itself while going through her stuff.
"What? Who are you?"
The goblin looked up and gave her a toothy grin. "Nobody you know, Lady!"
Sarah was speechless, unsure what to say to such enthusiasm. "Well, what are you doing in my house?"
"Rummaging!" Came the irritatingly cheerful reply as the creature pulled something out of the cupboard and shoved it into a burlap sack.
"Rummaging? For what?" She moved slightly further into the room, noticing now the overturned chairs, broken flatware and explosion of instant coffee on the floor of the room.
"Stuff!" The goblin shut the cabinet door with a bang, jumping off the counter. He then moved to the drawers, pulling them open with such gusto that it was surprising that they didn't fly out of the counter. He clucked to himself, reaching in and pulling out several gleaming utensils and depositing them in his sack.
"Hey! Stop that!" Sarah lunged forward to grab the sack, but the goblin scampered out of the way, heading for the door. "Get back here you thief!" She doggedly pursued the laughing creature.
With a crash they were out on the lawn, frozen grass being crushed beneath their feet. Sarah didn't see the snowy owl floating high above the garden, focussed instead on the scamp who was escaping through the icy over-grown rosebushes that lined the stone fence. Funny, she didn't recall them being overgrown before. Putting on an extra burst of speed, she chased after the goblin unhindered by the frosted thorns that scratched at her face and snagged both her robe and hair.
She also didn't recall there being so much space between the rosebushes and the fence before. In fact, the rosebushes had white roses in full bloom on them, and the air was getting decidedly warmer. Shouldering her way through the line of rosebushes, she tried to keep up with the tiny creature that kept getting further and further away as the tall bushes grew closer and closer together, slowing her progress. Annoyed by their interference, Sarah glared at the bushes, trying to push them aside as she kept going, now at a slow jog instead of her previous run. Up ahead she couldn't see the goblin at all, but she kept going, hearing his laughing as it drifted between the rosebushes.
With an sudden crash, Sarah was through to the other side of the bushes, coming out into a flagstone courtyard. At the center was a sandstone fountain that bubbled merrily under the full moon. The faint breeze brought the whiff of fresh peaches and blooming roses to Sarah's nose. She blanched, feeling nauseous but not quite sure why. Fireflies blinked all around her, giving the scene a magical feel. There were intricately carved stone benches on each side of the courtyard, and several different paths to take from here. Looking behind her, Sarah couldn't find the entrance where she had just come from, instead an imposing wall of the thorny flowers. She swallowed heavily, looking first around her for some indication of where to go, then down at her bare feet and blue robe.
"Looks like we're not in Kansas anymore, eh Toto?" She asked herself sarcastically, not seeing the owl that flapped away from her with a curious smirk on its beak.
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