Sarah sat at her desk writing up her case file that was due in Monday morning, thunder rumbled outside and wind whistled. Archimedes, Sarah's dog, barked grabbing her attention."I know what you want. One second and I'll get you your food." Sarah sighed as she saved her file and switched her computer off. She stood up and shivered, she hadn't noticed that she was cold because she had been so wrapped up in writing her report. Tying her dressing gown around her, she went into the kitchen and poured some dog food into Archimedes' bowl. Staying at her father and stepmother's house while they were exploring the world was not exactly fun.
Over the years, she had lost contact with all her friends from her childhood and now that she was staying here she didn't really want to try finding any of them anyway. She had never quite fit in when she was younger; she lived in fantasy while she was a child, normal life was dull. She had frequently been reprimanded by her stepmother for living in a dream and even now was constantly being pressured by her to 'grow up'. As soon as she was old enough, Sarah started to apply for colleges and, eventually, she moved out of her childhood home. Sarah felt free and happy, which she hadn't felt for a long time...not since that night...
After college, she had lived alone for five years and only rarely visited her old home; she did see Toby regularly as she worked in a small cafe, for a few years, near his school; she was content. Staying in the huge house, which had once been her home, now was menacing and sinister as she was used to the small, cosy apartment she now lived in. It had never seemed so empty and dark. She hugged herself as a shiver passed through her and wandered back to the living room. Her eyes were strained and her body ached; she had been working on her case report all day and she was still nowhere near finished. Being the manager of the Child Protection agency was not all thrills and spills! Exhausted, Sarah let herself fall onto the sofa and quickly she dosed off into a deep sleep.
**Wind whistled around Sarah's face as she struggled to break free of the oppressing darkness that was squeezing the air out of her lungs. She seemed to be in a tunnel but she couldn't see the light at the end. She could hear her stepmother shouting at her "Get a life. Grow up. Leave us alone. Just disappear." She tried to run, but tripped and fell into cold black water. It quickly filled her mouth and started to choke her.**
THUD! Sarah had slipped from the sofa and landed on the floor. Her nightmare had caused her to thrash about blindly and make her off balance enough to come crashing to the floor. She had been having the same nightmare for the past two years. Her stepmother had cornered her one day and said the harshest, most hurtful things to her. However, when Sarah had told her father he hadn't believed her. He was so angry at Sarah that he made her leave for a few days and stay with another relative while he calmed down. In the end, things cooled between the family and then returned to some normality; Sarah moved out the day after her 18th birthday.
Shaking slightly, Sarah decided to go to bed and try to get some decent sleep. Slowly, she dragged herself up the stairs into her old room, which was now the guest room, and flopped down on the bed. The soft covers warmed her cold limbs and made her feel safe, allowing a peaceful sleep to overtake her stressed mind.
The sun peeked through the curtains causing Sarah to wake, smiling gently she climbed out of bed and headed towards the shower. After showering and getting dressed, Sarah decided to get some breakfast. Sarah's eyes roamed over the kitchen and stopped suddenly when she saw a black heap on the floor. Cautiously Sarah walked towards the heap of black cloth. It moved! Holding her breath, she bent down to see what it was lying on her kitchen floor.
"Jareth?!" Sarah gasped in shock.