A/N: I'm still working on the multi-chapter fanfic I mentioned in my first posted Labyrinth fanfic (9 chapters, 40 pages and still going strong!), but I wanted to take another break. This has been floating around in my mind for a week or so, so I figured I should probably jot it down. Now that this story is finished, I feel I should mention that this story was not supposed to be anywhere near this long. I had estimated about 1500 words, or 2-3 pages. The idea that inspired this is almost the entirety of chapter three, but I decided to write an intro leading to it and, well, I lost control. I do like how the music box worked its way into the story, though, and I hope you do, too. Lastly, this is pre-movie.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Jim Henson. I borrowed them for the entertainment and amusement of my audience.

SUMMARY: When her father had first mentioned the impending trip to visit Karen's widowed mother, Sarah had argued at every possible opportunity.

GENRE: Fantasy

RATING: G

DATE: March 22, 2013

::~*~::

Sarah frowned as she stared out the car window, the countryside flying past in browns and greens, interspersed with the occasional blue. She held a red leather-bound book in her lap, but the book was closed at the moment, its gold embossed title reflecting the increasing sunlight. To anyone who may have looked at her, she appeared to be entranced with the landscape outside, but that was as far from her mind as could possibly be.

Sarah's father, Robert, was driving; his wife, Karen, was seated in the passenger seat. Sarah was crammed into the backseat next to Toby in his car seat with Merlin lying asleep on the floor under Toby's feet. Sarah was envious of the dog. If only she could sleep as easily in the small car with all the noise that was present, but she had given up on that an hour into the drive. Robert and Karen were carrying on an animated conversation in the front seat and Toby was gurgling happily as he kept bouncing his feet up and down, trying hard to reach Merlin's shaggy body and squealing in delight every time he managed it. Sarah gritted her teeth as she tried to focus on her thoughts. She gripped the book tighter in her hand.

She knew the book backwards and forwards so now she was trying to imagine the story played out in her mind, like a movie, since reading in a moving vehicle had started to give her a headache, but she couldn't focus. "Dad," she cried exasperatedly, "can we stop, please?" She didn't care that she had just interrupted their conversation and she didn't care that they were only an hour from their destination. She just knew that if she didn't get a few minutes of peace and quiet…well, she didn't want to think about it.

Believing she was going to have to argue for the stop, she was mildly surprised when Karen said, "I think that's a good idea. Toby is probably due for a diaper change anyways. There's a turnoff about five miles up the road." She turned to look at Sarah, but Sarah was already back to staring wistfully out the window. Karen sighed and turned back to the front, ignoring Robert's concerned expression. Someday, she'd get through to her stepdaughter.

::~*~::

Sarah stood on the side of the road, staring out across the vast valley open before her. The sun was climbing higher and higher in the sky, bathing the scene in golden light. She could faintly hear the sounds of her family behind her. Karen was changing Toby's diaper as she cooed gently to him and her father was studying the map he had spread out across the hood of the car.

She walked a little bit farther, finding a nice tuft of soft grass to sit on. She watched as Merlin bounded down the slight slope of the hill they were on, chasing a rabbit he had found in a bush while relieving himself. She laughed as the rabbit fled down a narrow hole, Merlin howling at the escape of his quarry.

Breathing deeply, she relished the few minutes of solitude she could grab. When her father had first mentioned the impending trip to visit Karen's widowed mother, Sarah had argued at every possible opportunity, but she quickly discovered that their minds wouldn't be changed. Resolving herself to the inevitable, she decided she didn't have to be happy about it.

"Sarah!" her father's voice called to her from the car. Groaning, she pretended she hadn't heard him and continued watching the light playing across the valley. Far off in the distance, the sunlight glittered over a small pond, illuminating it like a treasure trove. She smiled at the beautiful sight. Her smile faded as her father called, louder and more insistent. Climbing to her feet, she whistled for Merlin to follow her. He seemed offended at the very thought of leaving his prey and he howled his indignation. Sarah whistled again and started walking away. Merlin looked from the hole, to Sarah, and back to the hole. Howling once more in defeat, he trotted after Sarah, completely missing the two long ears that poked out from the hole behind him.

::~*~::

Sarah suppressed a yawn as they pulled up the long winding drive of the country cottage where Karen's mother, Lydia, lived. Karen's father had passed away several years ago, and Lydia eventually took up permanent residence in the small cottage that had previously been just a vacation property for their family.

Sarah had to admit that it was actually quite beautiful. Her eyes surveyed the property as they drew closer to the building. Flowers of every shape and color bloomed everywhere. They grew in little plots of land scattered around the cottage; they grew in window boxes hanging off of every window; they even grew in carefully manicured plots around the bases of several fruit trees. Vines crept up the white-washed exterior of the cottage, giving the building an appearance of being at home within its natural surroundings. Immaculately pruned bushes guarded the doorway. Even a wreath of summer greenery hung proudly on the front door.

Despite how against the trip she had been, upon seeing the grounds now, she felt it might not have been such a bad idea. Her eyes flicked over to Robert and Karen before returning to the window. She'd never admit that to them, though.

Failing to hide another yawn, she tried to keep her exhaustion at bay, but once the car stopped and the doors opened, the heavy perfume of fresh flowers overpowered her and she felt like she could happily sleep amidst their colorful petals forever. In the words of Anne of Green Gables, there was so much "scope for the imagination" to be found here. Sarah grinned in spite of herself.

Merlin had bolted from the car the second the door opened, almost tripping Karen with his hasty departure. It seemed like he had finally gotten tired of Toby's antics, despite the fact that the baby had fallen asleep twenty minutes before. Sarah struggled to make her sleepy limbs cooperate, stumbling tiredly out of the vehicle. Lydia had appeared in the doorway of the cottage, happy to see the new arrivals. Sarah closed the car door behind her and stood awkwardly next to it as Lydia rushed forward, catching up Karen and a sleepy Toby in her arms.

Sarah had only met the woman once before. She had come to stay with them right after Toby was born, helping out around the house while Karen recovered from the birth. Sarah had been in one of her rebellious stages, angry at the arrival of her new sibling and angry at Robert and Karen for making it happen. She had spent so much of her free time locked in her room when the weather was bad, or outside in the park near her house when the weather was pleasant. She had barely spoken five words a day to Lydia during that time and Lydia, to her credit, never bothered Sarah at all. After she had departed, Sarah had resented her. Even though she knew it was mostly her own fault that Lydia never interacted with her during her stay, she still resented her, convinced that Lydia didn't care about her at all because she wasn't her own flesh and blood. Now that they were thrust into one another's company again, Sarah wasn't sure how to feel about it.

She never really got the chance to think much about it as Lydia wrapped her in a bear hug after greeting her father. Sarah stood frozen, unsure of how to respond. Lydia broke the embrace and grabbed some bags that Robert had pulled out of the trunk. She started to haul them to the house, ignoring her daughter's pleas that she not strain herself. Sarah watched her disappear inside before stuffing her book into her pocket and grabbing a couple of bags that still sat on the ground. Her father shut the trunk and picked up the last of the luggage, flashing a small smile before leading the way up the path. Sarah hefted the bags more comfortably in her hands before following him.

::~*~::

Sarah walked slowly around the lounge, examining the trinkets and figurines that seemed to be everywhere. She was amazed at how uncluttered it all looked, considering how many objects were there, but Lydia had tastefully arranged everything around the room, making it pleasing to look at, instead of painful.

Sarah's eyes alighted on a bookshelf in the corner and she moved over to peruse the books lining its shelves. She could hear Toby's tired cries drifting down from the second floor. Lydia had taken Robert, Karen and Toby upstairs to show them to the room she had prepared for them, looking to settle them in before she showed Sarah to her room.

Sarah's lips silently read the titles as she scanned the book spines. There were lots of books on historical fiction present, so Sarah assumed Lydia enjoyed those types. Her concentration was broken by the soft tinkling of musical notes coming from behind her. Thinking Lydia had come back down, she turned around, expecting to be shown to her room. Instead she was greeted with an empty room. She frowned in confusion, before her attention was captured by the source of the noise. A small porcelain doll, dressed in the most beautiful dress Sarah had ever seen, stood on a pedestal within a golden frame. Her fragile arms were covered by white gloves that went up past her elbows and a miniscule diamond necklace graced her throat. She turned slowly on her pedestal and Sarah watched as the sunlight filtering through the windows glittered off of her dress. Tiny jewels in her raven hair sparkled against the dark backdrop as she turned. Sarah held her breath in rapture as she watched the figure continue to turn. The music stopped abruptly, and so did the doll, but Sarah stood transfixed by the sight. The doll looked a little bit like her.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Sarah jumped at the voice behind her, almost causing the music box to fall to the floor. Quick reflexes prevented that from happening. Lydia was standing under the arch that separated the room from the hallway. Sarah merely nodded.

"Every summer in June, there are traveling merchants who come from all around to sell their wares at a large outdoor market in the village. It lasts about a week and the items for sale vary from stall to stall and even year to year. If you see something you like, you better snatch it up quick, because the chances were, you wouldn't see it again. I bought her at that market last year. It's so strange, but I can envision that stall as though I were just there yesterday." She had moved closer to Sarah and reached around her to pick up the doll. She gazed silently at it for several seconds. "It seemed so magical and mysterious. Most of the items in the stall were crystal spheres, but there were other items on display as well. There were a few other music boxes, in addition to this one; small figurines of inhuman creatures, beautiful and terrifying at once; framed pieces of art showing places you'll never see in this world; but, the spheres were so impressive. They came in all shapes and sizes. There were even different colored ones. In many of them, scenes and images were suspended within their depths. The proprietor of the stall only smiled and said it was his little secret when I asked him how he made them. And, the proprietor? He had the most unusual eyes I've ever seen. One was darker than the other; definitely something anyone would remember who had seen them."

Sarah was staring at Lydia in wonder. "You don't strike me as the type of person who would be interested in this kind of stuff."

Lydia laughed. "Actually, I'm not. But, I was drawn to her," she said, holding the box tenderly in her hand. "She was on a table out at the front of the stall. The sun was hitting her just right and she was…dazzling, for lack of a better word. I was surprised no one else had snatched her up before then. I don't know why I bought her, as she doesn't even fit in with my other trinkets, but," her voice trailed off. She seemed lost in thought. She looked curiously at Sarah and Sarah could only feel confused. Lydia reached out and placed the box in Sarah's hands. "I think she was really meant for you."

Sarah looked down at the music box in her hands, before hurriedly placing it back on the table. "I can't possibly accept this."

"I want you to have her. I truly think she was meant for you. She even looks a lot like you."

Sarah wanted to protest, but she didn't want to come off as ungrateful. Compromising, she replied sincerely, "We're going to be here for a few days. I'll think about it."

Lydia seemed satisfied with that. "Come on. I'll show you to your room." They left the lounge and Sarah picked up her bags from the front hallway before following Lydia up the stairs. She could hear movement from above them as Robert and Karen unpacked in the room they had been given.

"Karen tells me you enjoy reading books about fantasy places and magical kingdoms." Sarah groaned inwardly. Here it comes. She's going to tell me to stop spending so much time with my head in the clouds. However, she was unprepared for what Lydia said next. "I think you would have loved seeing that booth and everything he had for sale." Sarah almost tripped at the top of the stairs. Lydia pretended she hadn't seen and led the way down a short hallway opening a door at the end. Standing aside, she let Sarah enter the room first.

The room reminded Sarah of the ocean, and not just because there was a large framed painting of a sandy coastline hanging above the bed. The color scheme was white, light blue, and tan and the furniture was a combination of wicker and wood materials painted white. A fresh bouquet of blue hydrangeas in a clear vase sat on the nightstand, their faint scent perfuming the air. The bed was covered in white linen sheets with blue accents. Blue curtains covered the window, but they were drawn back enough that Sarah could see a thick window seat looking out over a large green field. She smiled as she saw Merlin running unchecked across the field, scaring birds left and right. She wasn't worried about him running away. He always stayed close by her. She was actually more worried about him destroying Lydia's flower beds, but she didn't seem to mind him running around. At least, she hadn't said anything about it.

She set her bags on the bed and pulled her book out of her pocket, setting it down on the nightstand. Lydia looked over her shoulder and read the title. "Do you like labyrinths and mazes?"

Sarah shrugged as she unzipped one bag. "I've never really been in one. My mom took me to a fall carnival once when I was six. They had rides and games and lots of food, but they also had a corn maze. We didn't end up going inside of it because it scared me, but now I think it would be fascinating. It's just a book, though. Fantasy places and magical kingdoms." She smiled ruefully as she repeated Lydia's earlier words. She started pulling clothes out of her bag and setting them on the bed. As she started pulling the next batch of clothes from the bag, she had to fight back a yawn.

Lydia saw it. "Why don't you rest now? Supper will be ready around seven." With that, she left Sarah alone.

Sarah had only managed to empty one bag into the drawers before she realized she was too tired to continue. Lying down on the bed, she was pleased to see how comfortable it was and before she knew it, she had drifted to sleep.