Sarah: The Mirror
Where was that stupid door? She'd looked all over, but so far all she'd found were piles of old rags. Not even a torch, though she didn't know how she'd light one anyway.
"Oh," she muttered, "I wish Hoggle was here."
"I wish Hoggle was here," a voice replied.
Sarah leaped to her feet, badly startled. "Who's there?"
"Who's there?"
"Dammit, who's repeating me?"
"Dammit, who's repeating me?" the voice replied inexorably-it sounded so much like her own that it almost could have been an echo, but the tone was different. Mocking. She dug around, giving brief, one-word comments so that she could home in on it. Finally, her hands touched something cold and smooth.
"Finally!" she said, pulling the mirror out from its ragged sheath.
"Took you long enough," her reflection agreed, its arms crossed as it gazed at her.
Sarah was so surprised that she dropped the mirror, watching anxiously as it bounced across the hard-packed earth. It did not shatter, and she let out a sigh of relief.
The mirror sighed, exactly as she had.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Just going to echo me again?"
"Just going to echo me again?"
She retrieved the mirror, glowering. The moment her fingers closed on the glass, her reflection spoke again, "Wanna try that again?" Sarah yelped but did not lose her grip this time. The reflection smiled merrily. "Oh, come on, I know you can't be that scared. Not of your own reflection!" It made a teasing face, wagging a finger at her.
"Um, ok. Sorry," Sarah replied lamely. Did she really look like that? The reflection was gaunt, dirt-smudged, her dark hair a wild tangle like a mad woman, a wicked looking bloodstain on her wrist.
"Nope," it replied, "That's what you think you look like. You look different to everyone, you know."
"I.I do?"
"Sure," the mirror said. Rapidly, she saw the reflection change to a perfect image of herself twelve years ago. "To Hoggle you are frozen in time." The image altered again, and she saw her own face gazing out of a high tower, pale hands wringing. "Didymis sees a damsel he might rescue." Again the image changed, the lines of her face becoming a simplistic smile. "Ludo just loves you." The reflection settled back to the gaunt countenance she'd first seen. "You are many Sarahs to many people."
Sarah shook her head slowly. "What does Toby see?"
The mirror went blank. "He doesn't"
Her face fell for a moment. "Karen?"
The image shifted to a picture of her own mother. "A threat," the image said.
Sarah drew a breath. "And...and Jareth?"
The reflection changed several times, barely settling on an image long enough to identify it before sprinting off to the next; she focused on the rapidly changing images, trying to separate them. She was wearing a crown on her head. Then she was a young girl in a silvery ball gown, eyes filled with wonder. Then an image of her naked, welcoming, reclining on a bed, quickly replaced by her own face twelve years ago, lips forming the words, "You have no power over me."
"That doesn't make sense!" she said, gazing blankly at her reflection as it returned to the gaunt original.
"I never said it would! I'm a mirror, I can't help what I reflect!" The reflection looked quite annoyed.
Sarah sighed. "This is pointless. Look, how about you reflect a way out of here?"
"Hey, I can reflect anything; just tell me what you want to see. And," it paused dramatically, "ask nicely."
"Fine, fine. Will you please show me the way to the center of the Labyrinth?"
"Nope."
Sarah gaped. "No! You said you'd show me anything!"
"Anything you want to see. You don't want a way to the center. You don't want to win." And the reflection laughed.
"You!" she spat angrily, throwing the mirror down. She stood over it, looking at her reflection-it was the way she normally looked; hair long, face thin but rounded, a few smudges of dirt on her face and arms, nothing more.
"You" the mirror replied.
"Show me something I do want!"
"Show me something I do want!"
She picked up the mirror, intending to smash it against the walls.
"No! Don't break me!"
Sarah sneered at the reflection. "Oh, you're talking again?"
Her reflection glared, "You act as if I have some control in this situation. I'm just a mirror, what do you expect?"
Sarah sighed. "Fine. Show me what I do want." She stared into the mirror. Her reflection disappeared, replaced by an image that brought the blood racing to her cheeks, her stomach twisting with humiliation and desire.
She smashed the mirror against the stone wall, satisfied by the shards of glass clinking against it. As she watched the fragments fall, her eyes caught sight of a rough plank of wood. She propped it against the wall, opened it and walked through without a backwards glance.
Where was that stupid door? She'd looked all over, but so far all she'd found were piles of old rags. Not even a torch, though she didn't know how she'd light one anyway.
"Oh," she muttered, "I wish Hoggle was here."
"I wish Hoggle was here," a voice replied.
Sarah leaped to her feet, badly startled. "Who's there?"
"Who's there?"
"Dammit, who's repeating me?"
"Dammit, who's repeating me?" the voice replied inexorably-it sounded so much like her own that it almost could have been an echo, but the tone was different. Mocking. She dug around, giving brief, one-word comments so that she could home in on it. Finally, her hands touched something cold and smooth.
"Finally!" she said, pulling the mirror out from its ragged sheath.
"Took you long enough," her reflection agreed, its arms crossed as it gazed at her.
Sarah was so surprised that she dropped the mirror, watching anxiously as it bounced across the hard-packed earth. It did not shatter, and she let out a sigh of relief.
The mirror sighed, exactly as she had.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Just going to echo me again?"
"Just going to echo me again?"
She retrieved the mirror, glowering. The moment her fingers closed on the glass, her reflection spoke again, "Wanna try that again?" Sarah yelped but did not lose her grip this time. The reflection smiled merrily. "Oh, come on, I know you can't be that scared. Not of your own reflection!" It made a teasing face, wagging a finger at her.
"Um, ok. Sorry," Sarah replied lamely. Did she really look like that? The reflection was gaunt, dirt-smudged, her dark hair a wild tangle like a mad woman, a wicked looking bloodstain on her wrist.
"Nope," it replied, "That's what you think you look like. You look different to everyone, you know."
"I.I do?"
"Sure," the mirror said. Rapidly, she saw the reflection change to a perfect image of herself twelve years ago. "To Hoggle you are frozen in time." The image altered again, and she saw her own face gazing out of a high tower, pale hands wringing. "Didymis sees a damsel he might rescue." Again the image changed, the lines of her face becoming a simplistic smile. "Ludo just loves you." The reflection settled back to the gaunt countenance she'd first seen. "You are many Sarahs to many people."
Sarah shook her head slowly. "What does Toby see?"
The mirror went blank. "He doesn't"
Her face fell for a moment. "Karen?"
The image shifted to a picture of her own mother. "A threat," the image said.
Sarah drew a breath. "And...and Jareth?"
The reflection changed several times, barely settling on an image long enough to identify it before sprinting off to the next; she focused on the rapidly changing images, trying to separate them. She was wearing a crown on her head. Then she was a young girl in a silvery ball gown, eyes filled with wonder. Then an image of her naked, welcoming, reclining on a bed, quickly replaced by her own face twelve years ago, lips forming the words, "You have no power over me."
"That doesn't make sense!" she said, gazing blankly at her reflection as it returned to the gaunt original.
"I never said it would! I'm a mirror, I can't help what I reflect!" The reflection looked quite annoyed.
Sarah sighed. "This is pointless. Look, how about you reflect a way out of here?"
"Hey, I can reflect anything; just tell me what you want to see. And," it paused dramatically, "ask nicely."
"Fine, fine. Will you please show me the way to the center of the Labyrinth?"
"Nope."
Sarah gaped. "No! You said you'd show me anything!"
"Anything you want to see. You don't want a way to the center. You don't want to win." And the reflection laughed.
"You!" she spat angrily, throwing the mirror down. She stood over it, looking at her reflection-it was the way she normally looked; hair long, face thin but rounded, a few smudges of dirt on her face and arms, nothing more.
"You" the mirror replied.
"Show me something I do want!"
"Show me something I do want!"
She picked up the mirror, intending to smash it against the walls.
"No! Don't break me!"
Sarah sneered at the reflection. "Oh, you're talking again?"
Her reflection glared, "You act as if I have some control in this situation. I'm just a mirror, what do you expect?"
Sarah sighed. "Fine. Show me what I do want." She stared into the mirror. Her reflection disappeared, replaced by an image that brought the blood racing to her cheeks, her stomach twisting with humiliation and desire.
She smashed the mirror against the stone wall, satisfied by the shards of glass clinking against it. As she watched the fragments fall, her eyes caught sight of a rough plank of wood. She propped it against the wall, opened it and walked through without a backwards glance.
