Adam Williams trailed his finger across the spines of the vinyl records and let out a sigh of exasperation. It wasn't there. It felt like he had trawled hundreds of antique shops lately and hadn't even caught a whiff of the album he was after. Just as hope had just about faded from his mind altogether he noticed another stack of vinyl's tucked away in the corner of the shop underneath a large bookcase.
He gingerly moved away from the dog-eared cardboard box he had been pouring over and meandered over to the bookcase, being careful not to bump his head on any of the yellowing ancient glass lamp shades which dangled precariously from the ceiling. The whole shop, like most other antique shops he had been to, was a complete mess. How anyone found anything of actual worth in these establishments was beyond him. Books were overflowing onto the floor; vintage clothing was draped over old faded wood-worm eaten chairs. Old war-time propaganda posters plastered most of the walls, giving various commands such as to plant more vegetables and to give all scrap metal to the war effort. The whole place smelt old like a museum, the musky scent of dust, old wood and leather lingered in the air making his eyes and nose run with the threat of a sneeze.
Adam had become obsessed with finding that album, 'God Save the Queen' by the Sex Pistols, and he put all his spare time and effort into locating it. He knew deep down that his latest fixation was nothing more than a distraction to keep him from thinking about her. By spending his every free moment concentrating on locating this object he was able to push the fact that she had left him to the back of her mind. As the weeks had lapsed Adam found that he was putting more and more gravity into his task, it felt as though if he managed to finally locate the elusive album everything would be restored, time would magically reverse and she would never have cheated on him. She would never have left him.
'Can I have this Daddy?'
He was suddenly roused from his thoughts by the presence of his five year old daughter who had appeared at his side. Adam looked down at little Sarah with surprise as he noticed that she was clutching a small red velvet book to her chest and was wearing an expression of pure delight.
Adam took the small book from Sarah's outstretched hands and gave the novel a quick look over; strangely he noted that there was no blurb to indicate the novel's contents, there was only a title emblazoned simply in silver across the front reading 'Labyrinth.' Adam flicked through the novel and scanned his eyes across the pages, the book contained no illustrations whatsoever and looked relatively new though it's dusty smell suggested otherwise. He carried on, picking out the odd word here and there such as 'goblin,' 'magic' and 'kingdom' and chortled to himself in pleasure.
She was actually asking for a fairy story!
Sarah was only young but she had already faced hardships and concerns well beyond her years, throughout her short life she had been subjected to the constant arguments of her parents and the resentment of her mother. Adam had met Sarah's mother Linda at the age of 23 when he had gone to the local theatre to see a production of Richard III. As soon as Linda stepped onto the stage she held Adam's heart in a vice-like grip. She was heart-wrenchingly beautiful; her long ink-black hair fell in gentle curls around her round face and teased playfully down her body finally stopping to rest at her hips all the while highlighting her womanly curves. Her skin was so creamily white it was almost translucent which only saw to accentuate her startling dark green eyes which, though they were the colour of a shallow pond, shone full of passion and fire.
Their romance had been fast-paced consisting of equals amounts of lust and frenzy as they seemed drawn to one another through pure animal instinct. Linda was a vain and haughty woman who regarded herself highly compared to others, she believed that she was destined to become a great actress and that her future should consist of a celebrity status, awards and various trysts with handsome men. Adam's apparent passion for her is what drew her to him; she revelled in how she could, just with a single look, make him tremble with desire. Their relationship was tumultuous at best; she enjoyed taunting him, calling him foul names just to know she could and then just as quickly reducing him to a heavy-lidded daze when he showed any signs of protesting. The power she held over him was intoxicating to her.
All of this changed with the arrival of Sarah. Their daughter had not been planned but had been regarded by Adam as a happy accident, as he delighted in the prospect of becoming a father Linda gloried far more in the attention that pregnancy seemed to bring her. As her bump grew, people would coo over her, showering her in gifts and wishes of good-will all of which fanned the flames of her vanity. Linda never felt the maternal bond which arises so naturally in mothers, she regarded Sarah as an irritating burden she must endure. On Sarah's head laid the blame of her failure as an actress, Linda believed and Adam had, on many occasions watched his beloved daughter beg for the love of her mother and only feel steely resentment being shot back at her.
Sarah, as a repercussion of this had adopted an old head for her young shoulders. During break time at her school she would spend her recess wandering the playground by herself, staring absent-mindedly about her. When Adam would question Sarah about this she would merely shrug in her small jaded fashion and answer that the other children could see things she could not. That they would battle dragons and ride horses and have fantastical adventures but she could not see any of the things they could. She could only see bushes, twigs and children galloping around chattering wildly at the air.
Horrified at such news Adam had been trying to give Sarah back the child-like innocence and magic that she was entitled to and had made sure that he, of late, had been filling her mind with fantastical stories. Every evening he had taken the time to read magical fables and tales to Sarah of princesses and enchanted kingdoms just to rile up her imagination and it finally seemed that his efforts were paying off.
He turned to the old lady standing in front of the till and motioned towards the book he was holding.
'How much is this?'