"Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past."

Chapter 1 - Time Present and Time Past

Sarah woke up slowly when the light filtering through the window fell across her eyes. She was disoriented for a moment; she had slept away most of the previous day and on through the night. Once or twice her aunt Morna had come to bring her food or check to make sure she was well, but for the most part Sarah was left alone to sleep of the jet-lag, for which she was grateful. She still felt a little weary from traveling, but she forced herself to sit up anyway not wanting to spend all of her time sleeping.

She gazed around the room, really seeing it for the first time. When she had arrived early yesterday morning all she had noticed was that there was a bed, and then all she wanted to do was sleep in it. Now she slowly took in its appearance. The room was small, but cozy. It, like the rest of the house, was somewhat rustic looking: the bed she was sitting on had a carved wooden headboard and had been made up with white sheets and covered with a soft quilt. The quilt was faded but still beautiful, a blend of autumn reds, oranges, and yellows. Sarah suspected it was hand-made, propbably by Morna. A desk and a chair of the same type of wood as the bed sat in the opposite corner of the room, and beside it was a large window facing east, hung with dark dark grey curtains. The light glowed through the space between the two curtains.

Quaint. That was the word that came to Sarah's mind. It was very quaint, and a welcome change from the cinder-block walls and hard to open windows of the dorm that she had been waking up to for the past two years. It was so nice to wake up to the sound of the breeze and the birds as opposed to the loud bass music of the person living above her or the sound of the couple next door occupying themselves in other ways.

Sarah pushed back the covers and walked to the window. Her dark blue nightgown rustled around her feet as she walked, she was amazed that she had stayed awake long enough to even change into it. She pulled the curtains aside and looked outside. She could clearly see the deep blue morning sky, and the grass; the grass was so very green. Back at home in upstate New York the grass was its tired October brown, but here the grass was still green. There was a very large maple tree just to the right of her window, and the way the branches reached out, almost draping themselves over her window, made her think of warm comforting arms.

A movement on the ground drew her attention. She glanced down and saw Aunt Morna moving up the path towards the door, pausing every now and then to check on the progress of the flowers and vegetables growing in the garden patches around the path, the nodding or shaking of her head indicating whether or not she was pleased. She was wearing a simple grey skirt with a purple sweater and her white hair was loosely done up in a bun, little strands blowing around her face in the breeze.

Sarah smiled to herself. Aunt Morna. When Sarah met her at the Cork International Airport Aunt Morna had immediately wrapped Sarah in a deep hug and began talking quickly, inquiring urgently about how comfortable Sarah's travel was, and how hungry and tired she was. Sarah was only able to catch bits and pieces of these questions as Aunt Morna's accent was very thick and Sarah was so unbelievably tired. She was then quickly whisked off to Morna's home in a village called Tarnathy, which was about forty minutes from Cork. Sarah dozed most of the way there and only woke up long enough to be shown to her room where there was the bed she longed for.

Aunt Morna wasn't technically her aunt. She was some sort of relation of her step-mother, Karen, and was really some sort of great distant cousin or something of that sort, but she was called Aunt Morna by the family. It had been Karen's idea for Sarah to visit. After such a rocky start to their life as a family Sarah had grown close to Karen, ever since that strange night. Karen had been there for her when she was upset, while she couldn't understand the full pain that Sarah was feeling - the fear that she was going crazy, that she had lost something that never really existed - Sarah was grateful for her concern and she formed a deep bond with Karen. Her own mother didn't ever return her calls, and she had stopped trying to contact her at all by the time she was eighteen.

Her father and Karen were amazed at the transformation that, to them, had come suddenly out of nowhere. They had left an angry drama queen of a girl that night to watch her baby brother, and had come back to find a young woman who was calm and loving towards her new brother and step-mother. Her father couldn't resist joking "Who are you, and what have you done with Sarah?" Things did go well for awhile: Sarah did better in school than she had done in ages, and she even started to make friends and go out on dates, but as time moved father away from that night she began to find real life harder. As hard as she tried to be involved with everything going on, part of her was still trapped in the labyrinth. She dreamed about it at night and thought about it while she was awake, then berated herself for not letting go of childhood fantasies.

When Sarah was accepted at an excellent liberal arts college she thought that she might finally be able to sort herself out and move forward. She'd finally be free from public high school and at a place where she could work on her art and writing with other like-minded people.

It was great at first, she made friends with other writers and painters, went to parties, and was free to work on her own writing; but even with such people she found she was still absorbed by thoughts of the labyrinth and all the creatures there. Occasionally she would drop some subtle hints that only another who had traversed anything like the Labyrinth would understand, but all she got was a few strange looks and laughs. By her second year she began to feel her old loneliness creeping in again. She lost interest even in the things she enjoyed; writing, painting, reading. She tried, but she would look at a blank sheet of paper or canvas and feel no inspiration, nothing. She didn't want to do anything but sleep and dream. She dreamt of her friends, adventures, and him...the one with those eyes...those beautiful eyes, and that voice...Her grades suffered and she was sent to the psych services at her school to talk to some old jaded psychiatrists used to hearing the mutterings of art students, ready with their long lists of medications. Sarah hated the pills, they always made her feel really tired or really edgy, sometimes to the point of paranoia. The only happiness she felt was when she was far from the world of academia and able to come home and play with Toby, who had grown into a bright little boy. Even though he obviously wouldn't remember the Labyrinth, or anything he would have seen there, she found a comfort in spending time with the only other person who had been involved in her adventure.

Her father and step-mother became more and more worried about her until finally Karen suggested that Sarah take a year off from college. Her grades were suffering to the point where if she continued she would almost certainly fail. Sarah felt torn, the thought of trying to slouch her way through another semester exhausted her, but what else could she do? Where else could she go? She didn't want to stay home, that would be even worse. Karen came up with the idea. Karen had a relative, an old aunt of sorts who lived in a small village in Ireland, and she would almost certainly welcome having Sarah's company in her home, she was always telling Karen that her family needed to come visit her. A change of scenery might help and, after all, Karen said, Sarah had so loved old fairy tales when she was younger, and what better place for fantastical tales that Ireland? Perhaps it would help to inspire Sarah's old imaginative side to emerge again. After a long talk with her advisor it was decided that Sarah would officially do something like a semester abroad and independent study together. While she was over there she would write three lengthy essays about the area of Ireland where she would be staying and a long creative piece. She would have to send work regularly to her advisor as if she were in a class and he would decide on the amount of credits she would have earned.

The door downstairs opened and closed as Aunt Morna entered the little house. Sarah closed the curtains again and searched around the room for her suitcase. The cool breeze that came in through the window felt deliciously good, and as Sarah pulled on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve black shirt she felt better than she had in a very long time. She glanced quickly into the mirror hanging on the wall and headed to the stairs.

She hesitated before the door to the kitchen. Even though she had met Aunt Morna yesterday, and had been in her home for a whole day now, she was still a stranger to her, and she felt suddenly shy. She stood uncertainly for a moment or two but finally found her courage, there certainly wouldn't be any point to hiding on the stairs during her whole time in Ireland just because she was nervous about talking to a step-relative. After all, she had once managed to befriend much stranger creatures than old ladies with accents. She smiled to herself in silent amusement. Then again she did meet one old lady that scared her a whole lot more than the giant rock-summoning monster, talking hands, or the crazy fox knight with a sword had.

Her smile faded. Once again she had caught herself confusing dreams and reality. She sighed and massaged her for-head for a moment. This inner conflict exhausted her mentally, but she pulled herself together and walked through the door to the kitchen.

Aunt Morna gave Sarah a warm smile when she entered.

"So you are awake! I was beginning to worry you had fallen into an enchanted sleep from which only a great hero in full armor on a noble white steed would be able to come and wake you."

Sarah smiled.

"Unless jet-lag has fallen under the category of enchantment I'm pretty sure normal exhaustion was to blame."

"Well that's a relief. Those white steeds always trample my garden, and the heroes never remember to take off their filthy boots before rescuing damsels from my tower. Very inconsiderate of them I must say."

Sarah laughed and felt herself relax.

"Have a seat, dear, there's tea if you want it, or I can make you some coffee, I know how you Americans like to have your coffee. I think there's some in the back of the freezer."

"I'd love a cup of tea." Sarah said, and as Morna busied herself with the kettle Sarah took a long look around the kitchen. It was a very bright room, there were several windows in the wall along with the front door and the morning light was spilling in through the glass. Most of the kitchen was taken up by a large wooden table that looked from the deep scratches on its surface as if it was used for cooking as much as dining. The kitchen connected directly to a living room that had a chair and a couch, both shabby but comfy looking, facing a fireplace. The mantle contained some framed photographs and various knick-knacks, mostly little stones and little carved figures. Sarah was looking at a little carved owl when she realized that Morna was speaking.

"...take you myself of course but you'll have more fun with them than my old bones could provide, I imagine."

"Sorry, what?"

Aunt Morna came over to Sarah's seat and handed her a steaming cup of tea and a plate with a hunk of bread and fried egg. Sarah began to eat gratefully and sip the hot tea. It was marvelous, it tasted fresh and rich, not like the boxes celestial seasonings tea Karen always kept in the cupboards back at home. This was real tea.

"I was just saying since you're finally up and about Bridget and Ronan will be wanting to show you whats what in Tarnathy, and it'll give you a chance to get to know some others or your own age."

"Bridget and Ronan?" she asked pausing after swallowing a mouthful of the delicious bread.

"Neighbors. They live down the road a ways. Bridget is about your age I think, and her brother, that's Ronan, is sixteen. Bridget's a sweet girl, a little too serious at times, but a very sweet girl. She's attending the University of Cork, but she lives at home so you'll see her on the weekends and some evenings. And Ronan..." here Morna chuckled quietly. "Well, I reckon you'll get to know that little rogue well enough."

Sarah wondered what Morna meant by that, but she continued to drink her tea and answered Morna's inquiries about how the family was doing back at home and how big Toby was by now.

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Just as Sarah was finishing up her third cup of tea and Morna was just in the middle of explaining to Sarah how to keep Rosemary hearty indoors during the winter when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Morna called cheerfully to the door.

The door swung open to reveal a girl with chin-length brown hair and light blue eyes. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a light blue turtle neck. A bag was slung over her shoulder which she set down on the floor by the door in order to hug Morna. She then saw Sarah and she smiled happily and moved across the room quickly to shake her hand.

"You must be Sarah!"

"And you must be Bridget." Sarah said with a grin shaking the girl's hand.

Bridget laughed.

"I am indeed, and my brother is..." she looked behind her for a moment, confused for about a second, and then simply rolled her eyes. "...around here somewhere." she finished with an exasperated sigh.

Morna chuckled and Bridget gave her a wry smile.

"Is this something he does a lot?" Sarah asked.

"Not this specifically...but it's the sort of thing he likes to do." Bridget explained with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"He's a mischievous little imp, a little leprechaun." Morna said fondly. "He'll appear soon enough. Have a seat, Bridget, there's tea and this bread needs to be before it goes stale."

Bridget sat down and accepted a steaming mug from Morna and cut herself a slice of bread and spread a generous amount of strawberry jam on it.

"So...umm...what do you study.?" Sarah asked lamely feeling the need to strike up some sort of conversation with this girl.

This topic obviously pleased Bridget a great deal. She launched into an explanation of her scientific studies in which she was studying the plants and geological features and how they resembled other areas of the world and what that meant about the development about the earth. Sarah paid attention at first, making polite sounds of interest and giving the right questioning looks at the various moments where they were expected, but soon she found it hard to listen to why this sort of rock was so different from that and her mind began to wander. She watched the sun playing on the glass in the window, and examined the flowers and herbs that Morna had hanging to dry.

Sarah suddenly realized that there was a fourth person in the room sitting to her right. She nearly jumped out of her chair, startled to see a boy with red hair and the same brilliant green eyes that Morna had. His face was speckled generously with freckles and he had the look of someone who grinned and laughed almost constantly. He looked as if he had been sitting there for quite awhile.

"Boo." the boy said, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Sarah, meet my brother, Ronan." Bridget said matter-of-factly, finally halting her explanation of the type of earth found in that area of Ireland.

"Where did you come from?" Sarah asked, still trying to recover her wits.

He spread his hands out dramatically. "I came from the very wind, I was summoned by the rain and the stones. I existed in the world of the spirits and emerged onto this plane of existence through a shimmering door of sunlight."

"He came in through the window." Bridget explained.

He shrugged and graced them with another one of his wicked grins. "Same thing really."

"Well, since you've finally decided to appear." Bridget said testily. "We can show Sarah Tarnathy." she finished the rest of her tea with a quick gulp and stood up. "Thanks for the tea, Morna."

"You just make sure Sarah enjoys herself today."

"Oh we will...we will..." Ronan's eyes glittered with the promise of plenty of mischief from him.

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