Chapter One: Remember
Created by-Death in Jude
She could not remember the last time she had been here. The little room of jaded memories. They all flooded back to her in a whirlwind of blurred fogginess. Her childhood. The golden years of youth. Sarah Williams was back at home.
College had been fun. The guys chasing after her, hoping for an erotic moment at the latest beer bash; the last minute study sessions with people she hardly knew; the cramming before the final; and the cute professor who seemed to make class worth the while. She would miss it all, but Sarah would have time for that later. She was home and it felt good to be back.
Her father and stepmother greeted her with open arms. 'We miss you,' they had said. In, truth, Sarah missed them too, but she longed to see her baby brother, Toby.
She missed the blue-eyed, blonde hair lad deeply and the angst of him being apart from her, drove Sarah into craziness. The two had grown close over the years, despite of the age difference between them; Sarah--twenty-two, Toby--seven. But neither cared; they had each other and a dream world.
Sarah tried to hide her disappointment when she was told that Toby was with a friend when she inquired about her brother's whereabouts. She later learned that it was her stepmother's fault, for the simple woman never told the child about his sister's sudden visit away from college wildlife. Evil glares were exchanged over a wordless dinner of steamed pot roast and red-skinned potatoes, then Sarah hastily retreated to her sanctuary; her old bedroom.
It was in there she now stands, dazed and somewhat confused as her childhood come hurdling before her very eyes. Sighing, she starts to rummage threw her long-forgotten belongings.
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After hours of weary search and rescues, Sarah stumbles across a large cardboard box marked 'Play Things'. Curiosity gets the best of her, and she awkwardly pulls the hulking box from the shadows of her closet.
Unknowing what to do next, Sarah numbly stares it with a perplexed look upon her face. Shakily she brushes away the layers of dust covering the box's taped surface. The dust fills her nostrils and she rapidly beginnings to sneeze like there is no tomorrow. Coughing she continues on with her quest to figure out what is within the box's shelter.
Sarah carefully unfolds the box's flaps after dropping the sticky tape away from her fingers. She cautiously peeps inside.
"Oh my gosh!" And she pulls out a faded dress of white cloth. The dress is water stained, yet still beautiful as the day she bought it. Grinning from ear to ear, Sarah shoves herself to her knees and runs to her vanity mirror.
Looking pass the shoddy photographs of her juvenescence, she dreamily gazes at her overjoyed reflection in the smooth glass. She giggles and places the gown to her slim body. Swaying like the treetops in the wind, her giggling stops and her smile fades.
Can she still wear it?
Hurrying to her bed, Sarah throws the frock onto it and tears away at her clothing with trembling fingers.
She removes her shirt, then pants and ponders about her bra. Laughing warmheartedly, Sarah unclasps the designer bra and it tumbles to a heap on the floor. Heart beating wild with anticipation, she reaches for the costume.
Her hands grew cold and numb as she unzips the back and fingers the softness of the fabric. Knowing that she has nothing to gain or lose, Sarah quickly steps into the folds of cloth. She quickly zips the back with easy and carefully trots back before the mirror. Her eyes glow with triumph.
It still fits.
She allows her deep raven-colored locks to fall free from her lose ponytail and they cascades into a sea of darkness upon her shoulders. Her hazel eyes cannot contain their excitement as she twirls in front of her vanity with the mother of all smiles painted across her face.
Giggling, Sarah falls to the floor. Breathlessly she cries out,
"I am a princess!" And more laughter follows.
Getting herself under control, she reaches again toward the box. Sarah grips the edge and roughly tugs it toward her person. The tattered edge tears, then rips into pieces, allowing the box's contents to explode onto the floor.
"Oh shit," and she throws the ripped piece of cardboard away. Her eyes rapidly dart from item to item and then stop.
With shaking fingers, Sarah reaches toward the object that captured her fancy. It is a red leather bound book with gold imbedded letters. 'Labyrinth' they read. Her hand stops in midair and her breath catches in her throat.
Should she pick it up?
Uneasiness soars though her and goosebumps tingle at the surface of her flesh. Her heart thuds in her ears and her mind heeds the warning, 'Don't'!
"I am not afraid--" Sarah whispers aloud, "--it's only a simple book." Her reasoning goes unnoticed and her mouth is parched. Sarah numbly runs her tongue across her lips and her hand swiftly falls onto the book's cover.
Demons seem to be dancing around as she draws the play book neared to her. Sarah shivers, trying in vain to knock the feeling away. She failed.
The book feels hot in the palm of her hand and Sarah, herself, begins to feel feverish.
What is happening?
Her blank mind allows her no answer, but she finds comfort in knowing that memories lay nested in the book's pages. A smile breaks onto a placid face as the cover is flipped open. The pages are flipped. A gasp and the book plunges back into the pile of junk.
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Sarah is perched on her bed. Her body quivers and breathing is shallow. 'Labyrinth' now lays on Sarah's lap and it's pages are wide open. Disbelief is the only emotion that Sarah can muster. Her heart rate slowly begins to fall.
"This is not real. This is not happening." Sarah repeats the words over and over. But they are foreign to her and provide little comfort. Her spellbound eyes leisurely drift to the book on her lap.
Her favorite story, the one which changed her very life, lay blank as the yellowed paper before her.
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I don't own the Labyrinth, but characters and events not in the film I do own. Please leave a review. Thank you for reading.