Return

Sarah heard the whoosh around her, but had closed her eyes instinctively. When the whirring of the wind had passed though, she could hear the absolute silence surround her until Liam had opened his own eyes and simply said "Where are we?"

She smiled to herself. She had crossed the line, she was away from her own world and back into the Underground. Slowly, she opened her eyes, the light adjustment quick since she had dreamed of coming back for so long. She stood on the hill she had first stood on the day that Jareth had taken Toby away from her, only now the ground beneath her was covered in wheat and grass rather than dirt and rocks like it had been. The tree above her stood with blooming leaves, a sign that her last visit had gone well and the Labyrinth was at least thriving.

And there down below the hill, stood the Labyrinth in all it's glory. The maze itself almost seemed to glow at her presence, the wind nearly wanting to push her and Liam towards the entrance.

"Mom?' Liam said in amazement. The scene before him was too much, his mind just trying to cope with the fact they had just jumped through a mirror and were now standing in a totally different world than the one he had always lived in.

"Don't be afraid" Sarah said looking to her son "We are safe here."

"But where is here?" Liam said looking up at the sky that almost was a different hue of blue than he was used to.

"This place is a called the Underground" Sarah said "And it's somewhere I've been many times."

"Then why haven't you ever told me about this place?" Liam said confused.

"Would you have really believed me?" his mother said with a soft smile "Plus, I didn't want to come back, not for a long time."

"Why?" Liam said in amazement.

"Let's not talk about it right now" Sarah said "Just enjoy the moment."

Liam looked at his mother, who had seemed to transform over night. Not only did she seem years younger, but her soul had seemed to brighten up before him. It made him happy and confused all at the same time, but who was he to take what obviously made her happy away from her?

He looked though to the gigantic maze that surrounded what seemed to be a city with a tall spiraling castle in the center.

"Mom, what is that?" Liam asked.

"The Labyrinth" Sarah said "It's what brought us here."

"The Labyrinth?" Liam said in disbelief "But I thought that was just a story."

"Well it was when you were a child" Sarah said staring to walk towards it "I had to let you know about it in some way. It used to be your favorite story."

"So it's all true then?" Liam said walking after her "The goblins? The fireies? The old wise man? Ludo? Even Sir Didymus?"

"All true" Sarah said with a smile "Maybe you'll even get to meet some of them."

"This is crazy" Liam said shaking his head "I must be dreaming. Tim must have gotten in the room and knocked me out cold."

"That's what I thought when I first came here" Sarah said "But it's real Liam. Don't you feel it?"

He did. Liam had felt it the moment he had stepped in through the portal with his mother. His skin felt like it had ignited with something, a sweet tingling that wouldn't stop no matter how hard he tried to calm it down. He felt like he...belonged somehow.

They walked steadily on till they reached the gates of the Labyrinth. Liam watched his mother approach it without hesitation as her hands went to her hips as she looked at the door impatiently.

"Well go on" she said like she was speaking to a child "Open up!"

The doors creaked open at her command, almost like a family member opening up their arms wide for a hug. Sarah looked back at Liam, who stood in awe at the spectacle before him.

"Honey if you keep standing there with your mouth open the fairies are going to come and lay eggs in there" Sarah said with a laugh.

Liam snapped his mouth shut as he looked at his mother in surprise.

"Fairies?" he said.

"There is a lot here that you don't know about" Sarah said "Just keep close and follow me. I know the Labyrinth will guide me, but I'm not too sure about you."

Liam came close to his mother, watching the doors close slowly behind him.

"I don't understand" he said following his mother down the maze path "How come people don't know about this place?"

"Places like this have been forgotten about for years and years" Sarah said "The world has forgotten about the magic that created it, and now it lies here in the Underground."

"So this is where Uncle Toby was kidnapped?" Liam said looking around. The walls seemed to shimmer and glow as Sarah passed them, like warm water had rushed over the stone to reveal the true beauty underneath it.

"Yes, and this was where I rescued him" Sarah said remembering that time vividly.

"But you came back" Liam said still looking around "You said the Labyrinth got sick when you left."

"It did" Sarah said touching the stone, a vine of flowers popping through the cracks and blooming before her "It needed me to care for it, so I stayed here for a little while and the Labyrinth and I almost became one."

"So that means" Liam said quietly as Sarah moved on "That there really is a Goblin King."

"Yes" Sarah said as her head slightly turned to him, her eyes not wanting him to see the pain that dwelled beneath them.

"You think he's here?" Liam said trying to take all of this in.

"I don't know" Sarah said shaking her head "All I know is that I'm glad to be back."

Liam followed her mother for a while, the silence between them comforting as Liam watching the Labyrinth move and breath before him, the walls twisting and turning to guide him and his mother to wherever they needed to be. It was strange, but after a while Liam began getting used to the way the Labyrinth worked, it's magic guiding him as well whenever he felt like he had lost his mother, it always turned so that he ended up by her side.

"It likes you" Sarah said smiling when he walked up to her.

"I can sort of tell, but I haven't seen anyone around. I thought you said their were creatures that lived in the Labyrinth?" he said coming down some steps towards her.

"There are, we just haven't seen them yet" Sarah said as her heart pained at how much Liam looked like Jareth as he walked around the maze like he owned it.

"Do you think we will see some goblins?" Liam said with a smile. He could remember that was the one part of the story he always got excited about. Goblins seemed fun to be around and he imagined as a child running around with them and getting into all kinds of mischief.

"Oh I'm sure we will at some point" Sarah said "they like to run around when Jareth is busy doing something."

"So that's his name?" Liam said "Jareth the Goblin King?"

Sarah seemed to grow still at the sound of his name out loud.

"Yes" Sarah said "That's his name."

"You act different when you mention him" Liam said "Did he do something to you?"

Sarah gave her son a soft smile "He did nothing and everything to me. Let's keep moving."

The Labyrinth kept twisting and turning until a very familiar voice shouted out her name.

"SAYWRAH!" she heard a voice bellow out her name. Sarah turned and smiled wide as she turned around and around.

"Ludo?!" Sarah said as she heard the ground beneath her tremble at his approach.

Liam watched as a hulking figure turned around a corner of the maze, it's furry body nearly fitting through the sides as it's kind eyes fell on the two.

"Saywrah!" it said as it's ears perked up like a dog happy to see it's owner "Been gone! Been gone long time!"

"Oh come here Ludo!" Sarah said running towards him. The creature bounded towards her and buried his body against Liam's mother, watching it make what he guessed were happy noises.

Sarah broke away from her dear friend and looked over to Liam "This is Ludo, the one I told you about in the story remember? He called to the rocks."

"Oh" Liam said with a smile "Hi Ludo."

"Who that?" Ludo said sniffing at him.

"That's my son Ludo" Sarah said "That's my baby."

"Baby?" Ludo said looking at Liam confused for a moment "Big. Big baby."

"Hey!" Liam said but Sarah just laughed.

"Well you are a big baby too!" Sarah said tickling the creature "Now where is Sir Didymus and Hoggle?"

Ludo grumbled and pointed in a direction that they followed steadily. Liam could tell Ludo was a creature of few words as his mother simply followed the lumbering creature until they came upon a garden maze that seemed to stretch out forever and a day. It was beautiful, even to Liam, as flowers bloomed at the presence of his mother, their colors so vivid and bright it amazed Liam that they were even real.

Soon though they heard a small voice calling out along the flowered hedges.

"Sir Ludo! Thou forgotten our engagement nearly a hour ago! Where has thou been?" a small fox like creature said as he came up to the party on a shaggy dog. Suddenly the creature looked at who was behind Ludo and a small gasp escaped it's mouth "My Lady! Could it be! After all these years you have returned to us?"

"Hello Sir Didymus" Sarah said "It's good to see you."

"And I you my lady" Sir Didymus said " But why has thou returned? Surely the Labyrinth cannot be in danger again? Although surely it's power has dimmed since you last left us. And who is this strapping boy I see behind you?! Let him come over so that I may inspect him!"

Sarah laughed as Liam moved forward towards the fox thing that stood a few feet below him.

"Sir Didymus this is my son, Liam" Sarah said introducing the two.

"Hmmm" the creature said looking him over "He resembles the king too much for my favor. Let us go on then my lady, Lord Hoggle will be anxious to see you!"

Sarah and the group followed as Liam came up beside his mother confused as all get out "What does he mean I look like the king?" he said in a whisper as Sir Didymus carried on.

"You just look like him is all" Sarah said avoiding the real answer "He's a valiant sort of thing, just be polite towards him and you won't have any trouble."

Liam took the answer with a grain of salt as they continued to go through the Labyrinth. There Liam passed by the old wise man with the bird hat, who nearly squawked at Liam before they moved on. Finally they came upon a large courtyard that for some reason was empty except for a lone fountain in the middle. The sun was beginning to set as well, the night sky opening up to reveal sparkling stars that seemed almost too bright for Liam.

"I think the Labyrinth has a surprise for us" Sarah said quietly. Soon the stone and ground beneath them started to shift, the rocks and stone forming a figure in front of them as each mineral was put in a place of purpose until finally the Labyrinth had constructed a tiny cottage of stone and glass.

"I guess this is where we are going to stay" Sarah said turning to Liam.

"A fine house for the Lady me thinks" Sir Didymus said as he turned to the group "I will return to my own home with Sir Ludo, and come morning we will return to visit with you once again."

"Sounds good" Sarah said "Goodnight Sir Didymus."

"Goodnight my lady" the fox said "Come Ludo! Leave our lady be for the night!"

Ludo grumbled his goodbyes and disappeared with Sir Didymus before Liam finally turned to his mother with an expecting look.

"Why don't you go to bed honey?" Sarah said "I'm sure we will see more tomorrow."

"Alright" Liam said "What are you going to do?"

"I'll just stay out here for a bit" Sarah said "It's been a long time since I've been back. I'd like to just have a moment to myself."

"Alright" Liam said unsure of everything at the moment "You promise this isn't a dream?"

"I promise" Sarah said smiling at him "We are going to have a new life here, just you see."

Liam nodded and disappeared into the cottage, exhausted from the trip and the walk through the Labyrinth.

Sarah sat by the side of the fountain, her thoughts swimming around like the crystal clear water that flowed beside her. It was then she noticed it, a silver glass ball sitting next to her, it's presence a reminder of who's kingdom she was really in.

She felt his presence, even though she couldn't see him and simply took the glass ball in her hands, the past swimming up into her just like water.

"I knew you had something to do with this" she said out loud.

A figure dropped down from the stone wall and came towards her, it's hood covering the face but Sarah knowing who it was just from the air that shimmered around him.

Slowly, the figure lifted the hood, and the one person Sarah was afraid to see stood before her in all his glory.

"Jareth" she said softly.