A.N. I wrote this story for Marysia's Laby-List for some years ago, under the pen name Lys. I still don't own Labyrinth or any character from the film.
The forgotten melody
The attic was warm and dark after a hot summer day. Grains of dust were dancing in the beam of light. Carrie opened the window and stood there for a moment, took in her surroundings. There was silence and calmness in this part of the city. Old-fashioned, victorian houses stood there, dreaming about slower and more dignified times.
Already she felt comfortable here. She had moved to her grandma a month ago to care for her. She had time for everything: she cooked, backed cookies from the old book, discovered the attic full with strange things, or they sat in the garden under the trees and listen the old tales about the times when her grandmother had enchanted the world .
Her grandmother was a famous actress, a living legend with such fire and passion, wich you could sense even from the last row. She retired because her voice wasn't able to fill the stage anymore. Time was merciful to her, her beauty was untouched. Her once raven hair became snow white, fine spiderweb of little wrinkes fell on her face. She lived in the old house with her memories.
Really, she was not ill physically, only the internal fire started to burn out. She just sat in her armchair immersing in her memories, didn't noticing that Carrie was around.
" What's the matter, grandma? " asked Carrie one day.
" I don't know. " she answered slowly. " I have the feeling I had lost something. "
" What was that? "
" I don't remember. It was so long ago. " she sighed deeply and lowered her head.
Carrie couldn't answer just stroked her hands. From that conversation her grandmother became more and more sad and anxious. Carrie didn't even dare to think about, but she knew somehow in her heart, that her grandmother was dying.
The promise of a storm hung in the air, out the window the trees swayed, the wind chased dark clouds on the sky. She turned away from the window and switched the light. The dim light wasn't able to defeat the darkness. Old furnitures, boxes and chests were dusting there, things of generations were sleeping in them. Grandma's old costumes were lying everywhere, the gems shimered in the light.
Thunder rolled, lightning crashed with blue... Something flashed in the furthest corner. Carrie walked across the floor searching for it. It was not easy to fight her way. A trunk stood there, half in shadow and light, beneath yellowed curtains of lace. Pulling off them of the trunk, she sent cloud of dust into the air. To her surprise it was not locked. Opening it slowly she held her breath. The small amount of light from the setting sun helped her to see what lay inside. She decided to get the trunk down.
She found her grandmother sitting in front of the fire-place wrapped in a blanket.
" Look, grandma, I have found something! " Carrie put down the trunk at her feet.
Grandmother turned her face to Carrie , and she furrowed her brown at the sight of the old, old trunk.
" Where have you found this? " she straightened out.
" At the attic. " Carrie sat down on the carpet and opened the trunk. "Look, how funny things are there! "
She put out a book-end carved in a dwarf-like shape and showed it to her grandmother. Grandma's eyes were wide, as her dream bubble suddenly burst, her lips parted and without voice formed the name, what emerged out of the deepness of the past.
" Hoggle! "she managed to say it loudly.
" There are another things in the trunk." Carrie was happy, that she managed to wake up her grandmother from the sadness. " A little, fox-like puppet. "
" Sir Di...Didimus! " stammered her gandmother and reached out for the puppet." The bravest of all the knights."
" A hairy creature..."
" Ludo. My friend. " Grandmother stroked with trembling hand the fury monster with kindly grin.
Reaching further into the trunk Carrie pulled out another thing.
" Oh... It's wonderful! What is this? "
Her grandmother eyes were misty with unshed tears as she hold the crystal ball very tightly.
" It's a crystall. Nothing more. But if you turn it this way, it will show you your dreams." the tears rolled down on her face.
" Grandma, what's the matter? " Carrie was frightened and jumped up.
Grandmother reached out a quavering hand toward her, Carrie took her hand and knelt beside her chair.
" Everything is allright. " grandmother's smile was weak, but so beautiful from the found peace. " I had buried them so long ago ... Please, go on! "
Carrie's heart was beating so fast. She understood, that she found at the attic what her grandmother has been searching for long. Maybe in her entire life.
Carrie gently took out a sculpture of a strangely clothed, wild-haired but intoxiatly beautiful man. Placing the sculpture at grandmother's feet she reached into the trunk once more. Grandmother closed her eyes and hold the ball to her chest.
" Jareth... " she whispered.
The bottom of the trunk yielded the most important item though. Carrie found a little music-box. She opened it, and the music-box started to play a sweet, little melody. The chords of the gentle waltz filled the air, surpassing even the thunder.She looked at her grandmother, just to tell her that it was the most romantical music she had ever heard, but she frozed. Her grandmother's head was tilted at one side, her eyes were closed, as if she was just sleeping. Perfect peace was on her face, and not even the death was able to wipe away the smile from her lips.
Fighting with her sobs Carrie leaned her forehead against the chair. The crystal ball felt down from grandmother's limp hand. She stared with unbelieving eyes as it remained floating in the air like a soap-bubble. She heard the waltz again and suddenly a male voice singing something about mornings of gold and Valentine's evenings. The voice came from the bubble what was close enough now for her to see movements within. The man, whose sculpture she found in the trunk, was singing and dancing with elegance, holding gently a young girl in wonderfull white gown, never to let her go again.
The face of the girl... Carrie's heart stopped for a moment and fought her sob back... she knew this face from photos... it was her grandma, Sarah at the age of 15.
The window had blown open,the wind broke into the room and caught the bubble. Then it drifted through the open window and away through the darkening sky. Carrie watched as it floated against the moon, till it disappeared. Only the forgotten melody was crying in the wind.