~•~
A world was without light when she awoke.
She didn't move. In the darkness of her room, when wakefulness fully came to her, she could lie beneath her cover and envision thoughts and figures, words and memories entering her mind as winding trails of smoke. Falling and lifting. Sped up, recoiled, repeated. White against reaches of soft clouded night.
Crickets chirping inside and outside the building were the only sound. She listened to them, falling back into the void from which she'd briefly emerged. Then a foreign noise. A knock. She sleepily rose from the sofa and made her way to the door, covertly parting the curtains to peer through them.
When she saw who was at the door, she opened it without hesitation. A smile came to her face, and she wondered if she was still dreaming.
"Hello there, Little Lady."
"Hoggle! Oh, come in," she said, standing aside to allow his entrance. He had in his hand a bouquet of wildflowers and weeds that were wrapped in yellowed newspaper. With pride he presented them to Sarah.
"Thank you." As if it were rude not to do so, she inhaled their weak fragrance. The soft petals and faces of daisies brushed against her forehead and cheeks. "They're beautiful. Um, just let me put them in some water. You go ahead and sit down."
Sarah rushed into the kitchen with Hoggle following her. The kitchen was small and not unlike the rest of her apartment. To be in any room of Sarah's was to be in a time period all of her making. Walls were covered with picture frames and tapestries. Dull lamps cast slants of golden light along with shadow. Chalk murals, wicker baskets, dried flowers, Halloween paper chains. There were velvets. There was muslin and lace draped over chairs. Shelves filled with books and assorted wares from the flea market and Goodwill. Her music box was still beside her bed.
Were the world different, matching laws laid out in her mind, she would live in a caravan. No roots other than those spiritually tethered to Toby and her parents. An apartment wasn't roots but shelter, socially acceptable shelter, to come home to after work. Socially acceptable work.
"I love them." She said of the flowers, filling a glass vase with water and placing it on the counter. She arranged the long-stemmed daisies, Black-Eyed Susans and wild mustard plants until their vibrant placings seemed right. "You want something to drink? Are you hungry?"
"Well..." He rubbed his stomach. "I could eat a little somethin' I suppose."
Sarah walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. The interior light surrounded her as though a door to a dreamscape. "Hmm, how about some eggs? A sandwich?" She asked.
"Oh, an egg sandwich. That sounds nice."
"Ok. Egg sandwich it is." Sarah picked up the carton of eggs, a stick of butter and a bottle of orange juice then closed the door with a hip. She went about placing the things on the counter and setting the pan on the stove.
"Could you add some of that stuff like last time? From the jar."
"Mayo? Sure. You'll get that and some cheese. I'll even throw in some potato chips, if you want. I think you'll like them." She poured two glasses of orange juice and handed one to Hoggle. "So how are Ludo, Sir Didymus and Ambrosius?"
"Heh. Off on a quest last I heard. Well, uh, I hav ta say I din't listen all the ways through, though, when they were talking. I-I was distracted like." There was a break in conversation as Hoggle took a seat at Sarah's dining table. There was just room enough for two, though it rarely sat more than one. "Didymus said somethin' about a journey of brotherhood. That's all I can tell ya." He settled in and began to examine the salt-and-pepper shakers that acted as a centerpiece.
"That's nice. I bet they're having a great time." She paused, and as she looked at him, Hoggle could see worry in her eyes.
"Ah don't you be frettin' none. I ain't here cause of no problem. Everything's fine in the Labyrinth. The King is his usual self - and you know how that is." He swept his hand through the air as if to send away a bad memory. "I've stopped by only because I wanted to visit my old friend."
"I'm glad you did." Her face transformed, lightning. Then she caught herself. "Who said I was thinking about Jareth?"
"Eh, that you call him Jareth instead of the names I thinks of is enough proof for the likes of me." He laughed that odd laugh of his, like he was lost in his thoughts and didn't realize his voice was leaving behind a trail of pebbles. "You'll know if anything should happen. You're part of the Labyrinth, after all."
Sarah sighed. There was nothing for it. It was her own fault that she was so transparent. "Hoggle, sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself."
~•~