Hi everyone. This is my first attempt at a fan fic of any kind, so please
bear with me. I had intended to wait until I had the story completed
before I posted it, but I am throwing caution to the wind and posting the
first chapter. I do have a considerable amount written, so it shouldn't
take me too long to add more chapters.. I just have a few "holes" to fill
in. Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I only own the characters that do not appear in the movie. The rest belong to Jim Henson & company.
Chapter 1
Sarah awoke to the sound of someone trying to quietly ease her bedroom door open. Smiling to herself, she stirred and pretended to still be asleep. Seconds later she leapt off the bed and grabbed her 8 year old brother.
Toby shrieked with delight as his sister furiously tickled his ribs. "UNCLE!" he cried.
"Give up yet?" she asked her giggling capture.
"Yes!" said a near-breathless Toby.
Laughing, Sarah set him down. Noticing a small package he was holding. "Hmm," she purred. "And what have you there?"
Shooting Sarah a sly grin, Toby quickly hid the box behind him. Feigning innocence he said, "What have I where?"
"Why, you little..." Sarah tried to grab for the box but Toby deftly kept it just out of her reach.
A voice called out from downstairs. "Alright you two. Quit goofing off up there! You're going to be late!"
"Oh no! It's the Evil Queen Spoilsport!" Sarah whispers to Toby. He puts a hand over his mouth to smother a laugh and says, "Ok Mom!" Handing Sarah the box he kisses her on the cheek and says, "Happy Birthday, Sarah!" Before she could thank him he was gone. bounding down the stairs to have his breakfast. She marveled at how much energy he had so early in the morning.
Turning her attention to the package in her hand she was a little surprised at its weight, considering its size. She read the card aloud, "Happy 21st Birthday-wow are you OLD!" She couldn't help smiling, for she remembered how all adults seemed ancient when she was his age.
Setting the card aside, she carefully opened the box. Pushing aside the tissue paper that her gift was wrapped up in, she received a shock that made her withdraw her hand quickly with a gasp. 'Static-gotta love it,' she thought. Returning her hand, she removed what was inside. Holding it up to eye level she saw what the object was. It was a clear glass globe, both plain and pretty at the same time. As she looked through it she thought she saw lights dancing around inside it.
She could understand why Toby had wanted to give her his gift in private. Although her stepmother Karen approved of the relationship Sarah and Toby shared, she most definitely did not approve of their common interests involving the fantasy world or anything having to do with it. Karen had thought it to be a waste of time.
There was something vaguely familiar about this crystal. 'Did I just say crystal?' Sarah wondered. With a start, she remembered seeing such an object ricocheting around a room that made no sense. a room that had stairs going in every impossible direction! As the sphere had slowed down she had watched it bounce up a set of these stairs, right into the hands of her baby brother.
Chiding herself for having such thoughts, Sarah chuckled and shook her head. It was just coincidence... that had only been a dream, right? She gently placed the crystal back into its box, grabbed her bathrobe and headed downstairs.
Karen scowled a bit as Sarah walked into the kitchen. "Finally!" Her father Richard got up from his newspaper and walked over to where she was standing. "Happy Birthday, Princess!" he said as he planted a kiss on her forehead. "I would love to spend breakfast with you, but I have to be at the office kind of early today. I'll see you at the party tonight though."
"Ok Dad."
"Come on, Toby!" Karen said, exasperated. "Hurry or you'll miss your bus!"
"Don't worry, Mom. I can drop him off on my way to the university."
"Oh alright, Sarah. But don't you be late either!"
With that, her stepmother playfully swatted at her bottom with the newspaper and left the room. Sarah was glad that her relationship to her stepmother had improved over the past few years. It lessened the tension in the household by a considerable margin.
"Hello? Earth to Sarah?" She looked over at her brother Toby. "Well, did you open it?" he asked excitedly.
Sarah bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I did-and I absolutely love it!" She wasn't just saying that either. She really did love it. "Now get thyself up the stairs, Prince Toby, and get ready for school!"
"Yes, Milady!" Toby, again, took off running. She heard Karen admonish him to not run in the house, but she knew it fell on lost ears. Toby was forever running someplace.
A half-hour later they were in the car. As she drove Sarah's mind was on other things, mainly of the dream she was reminded of earlier as she held Toby's gift in her hands. Oddly enough, even though the dream had been so long ago, the details were still vividly etched into her memory. Before her thoughts could continue, she heard Toby speaking to her.
"So, you really liked my gift?"
"Of course I did. But where in the world did you find such a thing?"
"I found it last week when Mom made me clean out my closet. It was just sitting there in the corner. It was a little dusty, so I cleaned it off. After I did that I looked at it and thought I saw something. It was the neatest thing in the world! That's when I got the idea it would be an awesome birthday present for you!"
"That it did, Toby." After a few moments, she asked, "Toby, what did you think you saw?" She figured he would say that he saw lights as she had earlier. But that wasn't the case.
"Do you remember that toy you used to have? You know, the one where you had to roll the little marble around through a maze without letting it fall into a hole?"
"Yes." Sarah replied with a lump forming in her throat.
"Well it was something like that, only much bigger. And there was a HUGE castle up on a hill. Neat, huh?"
Now, a knot in her stomach joined the lump in her throat. Outwardly she showed no sign of her distress, for fear of scaring her brother. "Yeah, really neat."
They had pulled up to the front of his school. Toby undid his seatbelt and got out. "Ok Sarah. I'll see you tonight then!"
Disclaimer: I only own the characters that do not appear in the movie. The rest belong to Jim Henson & company.
Chapter 1
Sarah awoke to the sound of someone trying to quietly ease her bedroom door open. Smiling to herself, she stirred and pretended to still be asleep. Seconds later she leapt off the bed and grabbed her 8 year old brother.
Toby shrieked with delight as his sister furiously tickled his ribs. "UNCLE!" he cried.
"Give up yet?" she asked her giggling capture.
"Yes!" said a near-breathless Toby.
Laughing, Sarah set him down. Noticing a small package he was holding. "Hmm," she purred. "And what have you there?"
Shooting Sarah a sly grin, Toby quickly hid the box behind him. Feigning innocence he said, "What have I where?"
"Why, you little..." Sarah tried to grab for the box but Toby deftly kept it just out of her reach.
A voice called out from downstairs. "Alright you two. Quit goofing off up there! You're going to be late!"
"Oh no! It's the Evil Queen Spoilsport!" Sarah whispers to Toby. He puts a hand over his mouth to smother a laugh and says, "Ok Mom!" Handing Sarah the box he kisses her on the cheek and says, "Happy Birthday, Sarah!" Before she could thank him he was gone. bounding down the stairs to have his breakfast. She marveled at how much energy he had so early in the morning.
Turning her attention to the package in her hand she was a little surprised at its weight, considering its size. She read the card aloud, "Happy 21st Birthday-wow are you OLD!" She couldn't help smiling, for she remembered how all adults seemed ancient when she was his age.
Setting the card aside, she carefully opened the box. Pushing aside the tissue paper that her gift was wrapped up in, she received a shock that made her withdraw her hand quickly with a gasp. 'Static-gotta love it,' she thought. Returning her hand, she removed what was inside. Holding it up to eye level she saw what the object was. It was a clear glass globe, both plain and pretty at the same time. As she looked through it she thought she saw lights dancing around inside it.
She could understand why Toby had wanted to give her his gift in private. Although her stepmother Karen approved of the relationship Sarah and Toby shared, she most definitely did not approve of their common interests involving the fantasy world or anything having to do with it. Karen had thought it to be a waste of time.
There was something vaguely familiar about this crystal. 'Did I just say crystal?' Sarah wondered. With a start, she remembered seeing such an object ricocheting around a room that made no sense. a room that had stairs going in every impossible direction! As the sphere had slowed down she had watched it bounce up a set of these stairs, right into the hands of her baby brother.
Chiding herself for having such thoughts, Sarah chuckled and shook her head. It was just coincidence... that had only been a dream, right? She gently placed the crystal back into its box, grabbed her bathrobe and headed downstairs.
Karen scowled a bit as Sarah walked into the kitchen. "Finally!" Her father Richard got up from his newspaper and walked over to where she was standing. "Happy Birthday, Princess!" he said as he planted a kiss on her forehead. "I would love to spend breakfast with you, but I have to be at the office kind of early today. I'll see you at the party tonight though."
"Ok Dad."
"Come on, Toby!" Karen said, exasperated. "Hurry or you'll miss your bus!"
"Don't worry, Mom. I can drop him off on my way to the university."
"Oh alright, Sarah. But don't you be late either!"
With that, her stepmother playfully swatted at her bottom with the newspaper and left the room. Sarah was glad that her relationship to her stepmother had improved over the past few years. It lessened the tension in the household by a considerable margin.
"Hello? Earth to Sarah?" She looked over at her brother Toby. "Well, did you open it?" he asked excitedly.
Sarah bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I did-and I absolutely love it!" She wasn't just saying that either. She really did love it. "Now get thyself up the stairs, Prince Toby, and get ready for school!"
"Yes, Milady!" Toby, again, took off running. She heard Karen admonish him to not run in the house, but she knew it fell on lost ears. Toby was forever running someplace.
A half-hour later they were in the car. As she drove Sarah's mind was on other things, mainly of the dream she was reminded of earlier as she held Toby's gift in her hands. Oddly enough, even though the dream had been so long ago, the details were still vividly etched into her memory. Before her thoughts could continue, she heard Toby speaking to her.
"So, you really liked my gift?"
"Of course I did. But where in the world did you find such a thing?"
"I found it last week when Mom made me clean out my closet. It was just sitting there in the corner. It was a little dusty, so I cleaned it off. After I did that I looked at it and thought I saw something. It was the neatest thing in the world! That's when I got the idea it would be an awesome birthday present for you!"
"That it did, Toby." After a few moments, she asked, "Toby, what did you think you saw?" She figured he would say that he saw lights as she had earlier. But that wasn't the case.
"Do you remember that toy you used to have? You know, the one where you had to roll the little marble around through a maze without letting it fall into a hole?"
"Yes." Sarah replied with a lump forming in her throat.
"Well it was something like that, only much bigger. And there was a HUGE castle up on a hill. Neat, huh?"
Now, a knot in her stomach joined the lump in her throat. Outwardly she showed no sign of her distress, for fear of scaring her brother. "Yeah, really neat."
They had pulled up to the front of his school. Toby undid his seatbelt and got out. "Ok Sarah. I'll see you tonight then!"