Chapter Six
Sarah woke and stretched. It was still dark. Still half-asleep, she moved her hand along the sheets, seeking Jonathan's comforting presence. She felt around and touched...nothing. The bed was empty except for her. Perhaps he was showering, she thought sleepily. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Then taking her hands away, she gasped. She wasn't in her room! Her bed wasn't even her bed. She hopped off it quickly and tried to adjust her sight in the dim room. She was still in her nightgown, she knew as she slid the material through her fingers. Her bare feet were standing on cold stone. Her hands were brushing stonewalls, dirty with cobwebs and goodness knew what else. She walked around the room in a circle, touching the walls as she went. She found a bed, a chamber pot, and a small table, but no doors. But where was the light coming from? Her eyes had adjusted now, and she noticed the light appeared to come from a hole in the ceiling. She came and stood underneath it, trying to see something. The light shone dimly through small bars. It almost reminded her of...Sarah sat down on the bed suddenly as her feet gave way and her breath came in short gasps.
She was in an oubliette.
* * *
Jonathan rolled over and nudged Sarah.
"Hon, what time is it?" Sarah didn't answer. Jonathan shook her again, and then sat up. He had been shaking a pillow. The bed was empty.
"Sarah, you up?" he yelled towards the bathroom. Sarah never stopped peeing since the baby. No answer. Jonathan sat up and yawned. Dawn was filtering through the curtains over the French doors, and he pulled them back to light up the room. He stood up; wearing only his pajama bottoms, and went off to the bathroom to find Sarah.
The bathroom was empty, too. Hm. Jonathan ambled on downstairs, assuming that she had been snacking, something else she never stopped doing. It was microwave popcorn, popcorn, popcorn all the livelong day. But Sarah wasn't in the kitchen. Jonathan stood in the middle of the kitchen, confused. He wasn't sure where else she would be. He called her name several times, hearing the empty rooms echo it back to him. He wasn't scared yet, just confused. He decided to begin systematically. He began at the basement, and worked his way up. Sarah also had a thing for tidiness. Everything had to be exactly where it was supposed to be; otherwise it would drive her crazy. Maybe she had been cleaning somewhere and had fallen asleep. He checked the basement, the downstairs closets, the den, the living room, the kitchen, and the downstairs bathroom, with no success. He began upstairs. She wasn't in their room, or the bathroom, so he moved onto the nursery. He was about to exit, when something out of place caught his eye.
Lancelot, or what was left of him, lay in shreds on the floor. Jonathan knelt down on one knee and picked up the pieces in his hands. What was this? He knew the bear was one of Sarah's prize possessions, especially since she had gotten pregnant. Jonathan thought for a split second that the cat, Myrtle, had gotten to it, but as he looked closer he realized that this was the work of something bigger than a cat. No cat could have destroyed the bear so thoroughly. Jonathan knew that Sarah certainly wouldn't have done this. Who could have done this?
Then Jonathan remembered Sarah waking him the night before, saying she had heard something. Had someone broken in? He hadn't noticed anything missing. Who would break into a house, steal nothing and rip up an old bear? And where was Sarah? Jonathan looked down at the bear. He was beginning to get scared, because he was beginning to think of something he hadn't wanted to think of. He was beginning to suspect a connection between Sarah's disappearance and the destroyed bear. He squeezed Lancelot tighter in his hands. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.
Jonathan remembered Sarah playfully saying that Lancelot had opened to door to the Labyrinth for her, which was true, since it was really the bear that had begun the whole adventure. What if she hadn't meant it figuratively? Jonathan looked closer at the tatters. His fingers touched a slender red ribbon that lay among the shreds, and he pulled it away to get a better look. The ribbon was short, about five inches long, and slender. It was frayed on one end, as if it had broken away from something. And gold dust was scattered across its surface. It looked vaguely familiar. Where had he seen it before?
It was like trying to find one word out of a speech. He knew had seen it twined around Sarah's fingers, and tucked...between the pages of a book! What book? Jonathan rocked back and forth with his head in his hands, in frustration. What book?!? A flash of inspiration came to him, followed immediately by one of despair. Jonathan's heart began to beat as he felt the panic overtake him. His wife, his child...Jonathan felt as though he would burst. He had no doubt now where they were, but what could he possibly do? Dry eyed, but sobbing anyway, Jonathan ached.
"No!" Jonathan stood up, chest heaving. He wasn't going to play the helpless one this time. He had done that once before and it had almost destroyed him, as well as Sarah. He couldn't afford to stand around agonizing when Sarah, when their child, needed him. But what could he do? Jonathan went into their bedroom and tried to calm himself, tried to formulate a plan of attack. Obviously, Sarah was in the Labyrinth, that was certain. She wouldn't go of her own accord, Jonathan was pretty sure about that. That meant that someone had brought her there...or sent her. Jonathan grabbed his jeans and was ripping off his pj's as he ran out the door of the bedroom. He almost fell down the stairs trying to pull them on as he ran, but he didn't slow. Jonathan had a pretty good idea as to just who had been in the house with them last night.
Sarah woke and stretched. It was still dark. Still half-asleep, she moved her hand along the sheets, seeking Jonathan's comforting presence. She felt around and touched...nothing. The bed was empty except for her. Perhaps he was showering, she thought sleepily. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Then taking her hands away, she gasped. She wasn't in her room! Her bed wasn't even her bed. She hopped off it quickly and tried to adjust her sight in the dim room. She was still in her nightgown, she knew as she slid the material through her fingers. Her bare feet were standing on cold stone. Her hands were brushing stonewalls, dirty with cobwebs and goodness knew what else. She walked around the room in a circle, touching the walls as she went. She found a bed, a chamber pot, and a small table, but no doors. But where was the light coming from? Her eyes had adjusted now, and she noticed the light appeared to come from a hole in the ceiling. She came and stood underneath it, trying to see something. The light shone dimly through small bars. It almost reminded her of...Sarah sat down on the bed suddenly as her feet gave way and her breath came in short gasps.
She was in an oubliette.
* * *
Jonathan rolled over and nudged Sarah.
"Hon, what time is it?" Sarah didn't answer. Jonathan shook her again, and then sat up. He had been shaking a pillow. The bed was empty.
"Sarah, you up?" he yelled towards the bathroom. Sarah never stopped peeing since the baby. No answer. Jonathan sat up and yawned. Dawn was filtering through the curtains over the French doors, and he pulled them back to light up the room. He stood up; wearing only his pajama bottoms, and went off to the bathroom to find Sarah.
The bathroom was empty, too. Hm. Jonathan ambled on downstairs, assuming that she had been snacking, something else she never stopped doing. It was microwave popcorn, popcorn, popcorn all the livelong day. But Sarah wasn't in the kitchen. Jonathan stood in the middle of the kitchen, confused. He wasn't sure where else she would be. He called her name several times, hearing the empty rooms echo it back to him. He wasn't scared yet, just confused. He decided to begin systematically. He began at the basement, and worked his way up. Sarah also had a thing for tidiness. Everything had to be exactly where it was supposed to be; otherwise it would drive her crazy. Maybe she had been cleaning somewhere and had fallen asleep. He checked the basement, the downstairs closets, the den, the living room, the kitchen, and the downstairs bathroom, with no success. He began upstairs. She wasn't in their room, or the bathroom, so he moved onto the nursery. He was about to exit, when something out of place caught his eye.
Lancelot, or what was left of him, lay in shreds on the floor. Jonathan knelt down on one knee and picked up the pieces in his hands. What was this? He knew the bear was one of Sarah's prize possessions, especially since she had gotten pregnant. Jonathan thought for a split second that the cat, Myrtle, had gotten to it, but as he looked closer he realized that this was the work of something bigger than a cat. No cat could have destroyed the bear so thoroughly. Jonathan knew that Sarah certainly wouldn't have done this. Who could have done this?
Then Jonathan remembered Sarah waking him the night before, saying she had heard something. Had someone broken in? He hadn't noticed anything missing. Who would break into a house, steal nothing and rip up an old bear? And where was Sarah? Jonathan looked down at the bear. He was beginning to get scared, because he was beginning to think of something he hadn't wanted to think of. He was beginning to suspect a connection between Sarah's disappearance and the destroyed bear. He squeezed Lancelot tighter in his hands. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.
Jonathan remembered Sarah playfully saying that Lancelot had opened to door to the Labyrinth for her, which was true, since it was really the bear that had begun the whole adventure. What if she hadn't meant it figuratively? Jonathan looked closer at the tatters. His fingers touched a slender red ribbon that lay among the shreds, and he pulled it away to get a better look. The ribbon was short, about five inches long, and slender. It was frayed on one end, as if it had broken away from something. And gold dust was scattered across its surface. It looked vaguely familiar. Where had he seen it before?
It was like trying to find one word out of a speech. He knew had seen it twined around Sarah's fingers, and tucked...between the pages of a book! What book? Jonathan rocked back and forth with his head in his hands, in frustration. What book?!? A flash of inspiration came to him, followed immediately by one of despair. Jonathan's heart began to beat as he felt the panic overtake him. His wife, his child...Jonathan felt as though he would burst. He had no doubt now where they were, but what could he possibly do? Dry eyed, but sobbing anyway, Jonathan ached.
"No!" Jonathan stood up, chest heaving. He wasn't going to play the helpless one this time. He had done that once before and it had almost destroyed him, as well as Sarah. He couldn't afford to stand around agonizing when Sarah, when their child, needed him. But what could he do? Jonathan went into their bedroom and tried to calm himself, tried to formulate a plan of attack. Obviously, Sarah was in the Labyrinth, that was certain. She wouldn't go of her own accord, Jonathan was pretty sure about that. That meant that someone had brought her there...or sent her. Jonathan grabbed his jeans and was ripping off his pj's as he ran out the door of the bedroom. He almost fell down the stairs trying to pull them on as he ran, but he didn't slow. Jonathan had a pretty good idea as to just who had been in the house with them last night.