Sarah stood, looking out a window into the forest that was near Michel's parent's home,
playing with her engagement ring.
"Sarah! Come on! We're about to eat!" Turning Sarah saw her step brother Toby
looking at her, a scowl on his seven year old face.
Laughing Sarah took his hand and let him into the dinning room where both her and
Michel's family were getting to know each other. Sarah smiled at her reaction when she had
discovered that her fiancee had planned a surprise get together so that their family's could get to
know each other. Her step mother and father where there, along with his parents.
"Sarah, come see, come see! Amber has the coolest thing!" Toby tugged insistently at on
Sarah's left hand, pulling her towards a glass cabinet on the other side of the room. Not
expecting the pull, Sarah resisted slightly. Toby's hand slid down hers, pulling her ring off as it
did.
"Toby! Hold on a second. I've dropped something." Sarah said, trying to stall her
brother, while bending down to look for the ring.
"Whatcha loose?" Toby asked, walking back and sitting down next to his sister.
"Nothing."
"Well than, come see the cool ball." Toby said, standing up, hoping his sister would do the
same.
"Not right now Toby. I've got something I've got to do. You can show me later."
"Promise?"
"Promise." Sarah's said as her hand felt the ring. Standing up she slipped it back on the
proper finger and walked out a nearby door, and into the woods to think.
~I really do need to get this re-sized. I can't believe it feel off so easily. The next time
that happens I might not be so lucky.~ Suddenly an owl hooted above her head, startling Sarah.
Looking up to see her offender Sarah looked into the eyes of a great white barn owl. "Oh, you
are a pretty thing." She said to the owl quietly, holding her hand out. Much to her surprise the
owl flew down and landed on her hand. Stroking it's feathers, she talked to it quietly as she
continued to walk, letting out all of her frustrations and doubts.
"I mean, it's not like he's a horrible person, quite the contrary, he's wonderful. I just
don't feel like we are meant to be. And I do love Michel, I just don't think I could be happy with
him for the rest of my life. I feel as though I should be with someone else at this moment, but
cannot figure out why! It's just a persistent feeling that there is someone else out there for me."
The owl hooted comfortingly, giving Sarah the feeling that she wasn't alone. ~As if an owl
understands what I'm saying~
"Sarah! Come on!" perturbed, Sarh turned to look at her fiancee. The owl, at the sound
of another voice flew into a near by tree, where he watched silently.
"Michel, may I talk to you for a moment, alone?"
"Sure, what is it?" Michel said, stepping down from the porch and going over to where
Sarah stood.
"Michel, I- well, we only meet five months ago, and, well, I feel like I am rushing into
something." Sarah said, looking down at the ground.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I would like to give this back to you. I'm sorry Michel, but it's too soon.
Maybe if you ask again later..." Sarah trailed off, not knowing what to say. Putting the ring in his
hand, Sarah turned around and walked back into the house. Seeing her little brother, and
remembering her promise she said "Okay Toby, I think now would be a good time to see this big
thing of yours."
Excited, Toby lead her to a small cabinet over in the corner of the living room. There
wasn't anything in it except for a small crystal orb.
"Isn't it cool? It reminds me of one I saw a long time ago!"
Staring in wonder, Sarah reached over and picked up the little ball, looking into it.
666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
The ballroom had known opulence. Between glittering cornices were
hung many long chandeliers where the wax, dripping for a hundred
years, had formed stalactites. The silk covering of the walls had
faded and, in places, worn threadbare. Bubbles decorated the room,
and the whole of it was contained within the iridescent skin of one
great bubble. A tall, gilt, thirteen-hour clock stood in a corner. It
was almost twelve o'clock.
Sarah watched the dance, and the dancers watched her, from behind
their masks. The men sported silken shirts open to the waist and
tight velvet breeches. Some of them wore wide-brimmed, plumed hats;
others had capes or carried staffs. The women's gowns left their
shoulders bare and dove low between their breasts. They had their
hair coiffed high, and many wore long gloves.
The dancers moved in a ring around the ballroom, with a kind of
lethargic brilliance, as though the party had been going on all
night. Men who were not dancing lounged indolently against the
columns, or in a cushioned pit in the center of the ballroom, in the
company of women. Maids and footmen, with skin the color of old
parchment, served them trays of fruit and refilled their goblets from
decanters. And always the dancers were watching through the eyeholes
in their cruel half-masks, from which snouts projected and horns
sprouted above. Moving together or elegantly reclined, they watched
Sarah, or watched each other watching, and beneath the masks the
mouths smiled at each other like knives.
Sarah's gown was silvery, the color of mother-of-pearl, with puffed
short sleeves. She had a pearl necklace on, and her hair was braided
with strings of pearls. Her eyes were wide. She was the picture of
innocence in that setting, a picture that excited the dancers, who
never took their masked eyes off her, while they moved with weary
grace to the cadence of the sinisterly beautiful tune.
She walked slowly around the room. Two gorgeously gowned women
snickered behind their fans at her. Sarah paused beside a tall mirror
and looked at her image.
The people passing behind her, in the mirror, were watching her like
ravishing birds of prey. The dancers swayed and swirled. Then Sarah
saw something in the mirror that made her gasp. She had caught a
glimpse of Jareth, entwined with a voluptuous woman, dancing past.
She whirled around, but he had vanished. She stood there, peering
through the throng for him so intently that she did not notice the
young man leaning against the column beside her. He had his head held
back and was staring brazenly at her. He relished her face, then her
white shoulders, her breasts, hips, and legs, and moved closer to
her. He murmured into her ear, "You are remarkably beautiful, my dear
girl."
Sarah spun around to face him, her mouth open. At the mixture of
surprise and pleasure on her face, the young man threw back his head
and laughed. She smiled back at him nervously.
Hidden behind another man's cape, Jareth had watched it all, but
Sarah had not seen him watching. His eyes were following Sarah
wherever she went in the corrupt ballroom.
She was tense now, self-conscious, among people she could not
understand but who behaved as though they knew something that she
didn't know. She moved hurriedly around the ballroom looking for
Jareth. She did not know why she wanted to find him, or what she
would say to him. She just knew that it was vitally important that
she should find him.
When she saw him, he was whispering something to his beautiful
partner, who responded by smiling knowingly from beneath her mask and
licking her lips, slowly, with the tip of her tongue.
Sarah blushed and turned away in embarrassment. She found herself
looking into another of the tall mirrors around the room. Behind her
she saw Jareth, standing alone. He was a resplendent figure, upright
and blond, in a midnight blue frock coat, diamante at the neck,
shoulders, and cuffs. Ruffs of pale gray silk at his throat and
wrists set off the pallor of his skin. On his legs he was wearing
black tights and black, shiny boots. He was holding a horned mask on
a stick, but he had lowered it now, to look straight at Sarah in the
mirror. Behind him, dancers were whirling. He held his hand out.
She turned around, not expected that he would really be there. He
was, and he was still holding out his hand to her. She took it,
feeling dizzy.
Her dizziness ceased when she went spinning around the ballroom in
Jareth's arms. She was the loveliest woman at the ball. She knew it,
from the way in which Jareth was smiling down at her. All his
attention was on her. The touch of his hands on her body was
thrilling. To dance with him seemed the easiest and most natural
motion. When he told her that she was beautiful, she felt confused.
"I feel ... I feel like ... I -- don't know what I feel."
He was amused. "Don't you?"
"I feel like ... I'm in a dream, but I don't remember ever dreaming
anything like this!"
He pulled back to look at her and laughed, but fondly. "You'll have
to find your way into the part," he said, and whirled her on around
the room.
She smiled up at him. She thought how handsome he was, but one didn't
tell a man such things, did one? More than that, there was something
in his face that was openly enjoying the moment, without the mocking
or secretiveness that she had seen on other faces here.
"And when you've found your way in, stay in your dream, Sarah."
Jareth's eyes were looking straight into hers. His smile was serious.
"Believe me. If you want to be truly free, wholly yourself -- you do
want that, don't you?"
Sarah nodded.
"Then you will find what you want only as long as you stay in your
dream. Once abandon it, and you are at the mercy of other people's
dreams. They will make of you what they want you to be. Forget them,
Sarah. Trust to your dream."
Sarah was spellbound.
"Trust to me," Jareth said, moving his face close to hers. "Can you
do that?"
She nodded, and looked up at him with anticipation. He was going to
kiss her. She shut her eyes. That was the way to do it.
Something made her open her eyes again. It was the silence. The music
had stopped. She saw that they had been surrounded by all the other
dancers. They were leering and nudging each other. She saw them
biting their lips to hold back their laughter. Jareth seemed to be
unperturbed, but she turned her face sharply away from his,
horrified. He held her more tightly, and insistently sought her lips
with his. Suffused with disgust, she wrenched herself free of him.
The clock struck twelve.
666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
Sarah looked up with a start. Over in the corner a small clock chimed the hour.
"Sarah, are you okay? You look bad." Toby said, looking up at his sister worry etched in
his face.
"Yes, I'm fine. I've got to go now. Tell Karen and Dad that I love them." Sarah said as she
dropped the little ball, as though it had bitten her.
"Okay. I love you Sarah."
"Love you too." And with that Sarah rushed to her car, and towards home.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Once again I've borrowed from the book. This time it is between the "6's". You can still e-mail
me to get a copy.
playing with her engagement ring.
"Sarah! Come on! We're about to eat!" Turning Sarah saw her step brother Toby
looking at her, a scowl on his seven year old face.
Laughing Sarah took his hand and let him into the dinning room where both her and
Michel's family were getting to know each other. Sarah smiled at her reaction when she had
discovered that her fiancee had planned a surprise get together so that their family's could get to
know each other. Her step mother and father where there, along with his parents.
"Sarah, come see, come see! Amber has the coolest thing!" Toby tugged insistently at on
Sarah's left hand, pulling her towards a glass cabinet on the other side of the room. Not
expecting the pull, Sarah resisted slightly. Toby's hand slid down hers, pulling her ring off as it
did.
"Toby! Hold on a second. I've dropped something." Sarah said, trying to stall her
brother, while bending down to look for the ring.
"Whatcha loose?" Toby asked, walking back and sitting down next to his sister.
"Nothing."
"Well than, come see the cool ball." Toby said, standing up, hoping his sister would do the
same.
"Not right now Toby. I've got something I've got to do. You can show me later."
"Promise?"
"Promise." Sarah's said as her hand felt the ring. Standing up she slipped it back on the
proper finger and walked out a nearby door, and into the woods to think.
~I really do need to get this re-sized. I can't believe it feel off so easily. The next time
that happens I might not be so lucky.~ Suddenly an owl hooted above her head, startling Sarah.
Looking up to see her offender Sarah looked into the eyes of a great white barn owl. "Oh, you
are a pretty thing." She said to the owl quietly, holding her hand out. Much to her surprise the
owl flew down and landed on her hand. Stroking it's feathers, she talked to it quietly as she
continued to walk, letting out all of her frustrations and doubts.
"I mean, it's not like he's a horrible person, quite the contrary, he's wonderful. I just
don't feel like we are meant to be. And I do love Michel, I just don't think I could be happy with
him for the rest of my life. I feel as though I should be with someone else at this moment, but
cannot figure out why! It's just a persistent feeling that there is someone else out there for me."
The owl hooted comfortingly, giving Sarah the feeling that she wasn't alone. ~As if an owl
understands what I'm saying~
"Sarah! Come on!" perturbed, Sarh turned to look at her fiancee. The owl, at the sound
of another voice flew into a near by tree, where he watched silently.
"Michel, may I talk to you for a moment, alone?"
"Sure, what is it?" Michel said, stepping down from the porch and going over to where
Sarah stood.
"Michel, I- well, we only meet five months ago, and, well, I feel like I am rushing into
something." Sarah said, looking down at the ground.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I would like to give this back to you. I'm sorry Michel, but it's too soon.
Maybe if you ask again later..." Sarah trailed off, not knowing what to say. Putting the ring in his
hand, Sarah turned around and walked back into the house. Seeing her little brother, and
remembering her promise she said "Okay Toby, I think now would be a good time to see this big
thing of yours."
Excited, Toby lead her to a small cabinet over in the corner of the living room. There
wasn't anything in it except for a small crystal orb.
"Isn't it cool? It reminds me of one I saw a long time ago!"
Staring in wonder, Sarah reached over and picked up the little ball, looking into it.
666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
The ballroom had known opulence. Between glittering cornices were
hung many long chandeliers where the wax, dripping for a hundred
years, had formed stalactites. The silk covering of the walls had
faded and, in places, worn threadbare. Bubbles decorated the room,
and the whole of it was contained within the iridescent skin of one
great bubble. A tall, gilt, thirteen-hour clock stood in a corner. It
was almost twelve o'clock.
Sarah watched the dance, and the dancers watched her, from behind
their masks. The men sported silken shirts open to the waist and
tight velvet breeches. Some of them wore wide-brimmed, plumed hats;
others had capes or carried staffs. The women's gowns left their
shoulders bare and dove low between their breasts. They had their
hair coiffed high, and many wore long gloves.
The dancers moved in a ring around the ballroom, with a kind of
lethargic brilliance, as though the party had been going on all
night. Men who were not dancing lounged indolently against the
columns, or in a cushioned pit in the center of the ballroom, in the
company of women. Maids and footmen, with skin the color of old
parchment, served them trays of fruit and refilled their goblets from
decanters. And always the dancers were watching through the eyeholes
in their cruel half-masks, from which snouts projected and horns
sprouted above. Moving together or elegantly reclined, they watched
Sarah, or watched each other watching, and beneath the masks the
mouths smiled at each other like knives.
Sarah's gown was silvery, the color of mother-of-pearl, with puffed
short sleeves. She had a pearl necklace on, and her hair was braided
with strings of pearls. Her eyes were wide. She was the picture of
innocence in that setting, a picture that excited the dancers, who
never took their masked eyes off her, while they moved with weary
grace to the cadence of the sinisterly beautiful tune.
She walked slowly around the room. Two gorgeously gowned women
snickered behind their fans at her. Sarah paused beside a tall mirror
and looked at her image.
The people passing behind her, in the mirror, were watching her like
ravishing birds of prey. The dancers swayed and swirled. Then Sarah
saw something in the mirror that made her gasp. She had caught a
glimpse of Jareth, entwined with a voluptuous woman, dancing past.
She whirled around, but he had vanished. She stood there, peering
through the throng for him so intently that she did not notice the
young man leaning against the column beside her. He had his head held
back and was staring brazenly at her. He relished her face, then her
white shoulders, her breasts, hips, and legs, and moved closer to
her. He murmured into her ear, "You are remarkably beautiful, my dear
girl."
Sarah spun around to face him, her mouth open. At the mixture of
surprise and pleasure on her face, the young man threw back his head
and laughed. She smiled back at him nervously.
Hidden behind another man's cape, Jareth had watched it all, but
Sarah had not seen him watching. His eyes were following Sarah
wherever she went in the corrupt ballroom.
She was tense now, self-conscious, among people she could not
understand but who behaved as though they knew something that she
didn't know. She moved hurriedly around the ballroom looking for
Jareth. She did not know why she wanted to find him, or what she
would say to him. She just knew that it was vitally important that
she should find him.
When she saw him, he was whispering something to his beautiful
partner, who responded by smiling knowingly from beneath her mask and
licking her lips, slowly, with the tip of her tongue.
Sarah blushed and turned away in embarrassment. She found herself
looking into another of the tall mirrors around the room. Behind her
she saw Jareth, standing alone. He was a resplendent figure, upright
and blond, in a midnight blue frock coat, diamante at the neck,
shoulders, and cuffs. Ruffs of pale gray silk at his throat and
wrists set off the pallor of his skin. On his legs he was wearing
black tights and black, shiny boots. He was holding a horned mask on
a stick, but he had lowered it now, to look straight at Sarah in the
mirror. Behind him, dancers were whirling. He held his hand out.
She turned around, not expected that he would really be there. He
was, and he was still holding out his hand to her. She took it,
feeling dizzy.
Her dizziness ceased when she went spinning around the ballroom in
Jareth's arms. She was the loveliest woman at the ball. She knew it,
from the way in which Jareth was smiling down at her. All his
attention was on her. The touch of his hands on her body was
thrilling. To dance with him seemed the easiest and most natural
motion. When he told her that she was beautiful, she felt confused.
"I feel ... I feel like ... I -- don't know what I feel."
He was amused. "Don't you?"
"I feel like ... I'm in a dream, but I don't remember ever dreaming
anything like this!"
He pulled back to look at her and laughed, but fondly. "You'll have
to find your way into the part," he said, and whirled her on around
the room.
She smiled up at him. She thought how handsome he was, but one didn't
tell a man such things, did one? More than that, there was something
in his face that was openly enjoying the moment, without the mocking
or secretiveness that she had seen on other faces here.
"And when you've found your way in, stay in your dream, Sarah."
Jareth's eyes were looking straight into hers. His smile was serious.
"Believe me. If you want to be truly free, wholly yourself -- you do
want that, don't you?"
Sarah nodded.
"Then you will find what you want only as long as you stay in your
dream. Once abandon it, and you are at the mercy of other people's
dreams. They will make of you what they want you to be. Forget them,
Sarah. Trust to your dream."
Sarah was spellbound.
"Trust to me," Jareth said, moving his face close to hers. "Can you
do that?"
She nodded, and looked up at him with anticipation. He was going to
kiss her. She shut her eyes. That was the way to do it.
Something made her open her eyes again. It was the silence. The music
had stopped. She saw that they had been surrounded by all the other
dancers. They were leering and nudging each other. She saw them
biting their lips to hold back their laughter. Jareth seemed to be
unperturbed, but she turned her face sharply away from his,
horrified. He held her more tightly, and insistently sought her lips
with his. Suffused with disgust, she wrenched herself free of him.
The clock struck twelve.
666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
Sarah looked up with a start. Over in the corner a small clock chimed the hour.
"Sarah, are you okay? You look bad." Toby said, looking up at his sister worry etched in
his face.
"Yes, I'm fine. I've got to go now. Tell Karen and Dad that I love them." Sarah said as she
dropped the little ball, as though it had bitten her.
"Okay. I love you Sarah."
"Love you too." And with that Sarah rushed to her car, and towards home.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Once again I've borrowed from the book. This time it is between the "6's". You can still e-mail
me to get a copy.