Summary: Not long after arriving home from the Underground, Sarah develops PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and becomes clinically insane, according to the doctors. Years after being sent to an institution, Sarah slowly recovers and finally begins to understand the Goblin King. Now she must confront the past, present, and future.
Disclaimer: I am pathetic; do you really think I own ANYTHING? If you do, you are even more pathetic.
Toby Williams walked down the long white corridor to his half-sister's room.
He was now in his early twenties and set to marry the love of his life in just a few short months.
The day was the second Tuesday of the month; his day to visit Sarah.
It had happened so long ago, Toby barely remembered it.
He had been young, only around two or three when it happened.
But sometimes he would receive flashes of memories of the Underground.
It was always so hazy though, so unclear, just out of reach.
Poor Sarah, she suffered the most.
The excitement, the danger, the stress; it was all just too much for her.
She had always been strong, but even the strongest mountains crumble against the beating of the winds.
It really had happened so sudden. She had just awoken one night screaming at the top of her lungs.
Her father and step-mother had run into her room to see what was wrong; just a nightmare.
Just a foolish nightmare.
Who had ever heard of goblins and faes?
No one.
Just a story out of a book.
The nightmares began to get more livid, appearing even when she was awake.
The haunting mismatched eyes boring into her very soul.
The owl screeching just outside her conscious.
The babble of the goblins.
Always taunting her, never letting her rest.
She began having episodes in public where she would just loose control and freak out.
She became a "danger to society".
So Karen had her locked away.
Her father thought that Sarah would get better if she were in a loving environment, if she was home, but Karen wore the pants in the family.
Karen had all of Sarah's belongings packed up and was going to throw them out, but Toby took them. Toby saved them for his beloved sister.
He was the only one who believed her. He knew. He knew that the Labyrinth took a toll on all.
Toby kept all her belongings safe, packed away where they couldn't be ruined before Sarah could take them back.
He kept them all packed, save one, small little book.
Just a simple red leather-bound book with gold letters spelling The Labyrinth. That was all.
He kept it on his person all the time. Just tucked away in a pocket, always there.
He read it often.
It was his escape.
It was the first book he had learned to read.
He read it before and after visiting Sarah.
Poor Sarah.
He read it after every meeting with the doctors when they said Sarah was still insane, a victim of PTSD.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Four simple words caused his sister to be all alone in a cold room in a mental hospital.
Heaving a quivering sigh, Toby motioned for the guard to unlock his sister's door.
After hearing the lock clank behind him as the guard re-locked the door after he passed into the room, Toby glanced about the room.
It would be completely bare, save for the cot (on which was a single pillow and dull gray blanket) placed on the far wall, the occupant (who sat in the center of the room curled into a little ball), and the walls.
The walls, which had originally been white like the ceiling and floor, were now covered in drawings and words on both paper and the wall itself.
Pictures of owls, goblins, fairies, dwarfs (or rather just a particular one), a great orange monster, a (rather comical) small dog with an eye patch on another dog, and of course, the two eyes of the Goblin King; one brown, one green.
Sarah was sitting in the center of the room drawing more pictures, her tongue hanging out the corner of her mouth.
Toby sighed sadly as he walked over to the wall and ran his hand over one of the creatures. It was drawn on the actual wall. It was just done in pencil, but he knew that it was originally a red orange.
It was a Fiery.
"Good morning Sarah," he smiled as he turned back around and walked over to her.
She looked up.
"Little baby Jareth," she whispered, her eyes going wide.
"Sarah, My name is Toby."
"To-by," she said slowly.
"You're little brother?"
A smile crept onto Sarah's face.
"I won! I won, I won, I won. He couldn't keep you, I won," she grinned as she bounced up and down.
"Sarah, you need to calm down. The nice doctors have said you have been a little rude to the other residents here, doctor and patient alike. Is this true?"
Sarah's expression changed.
It became one of distaste.
"The Goblin King have them all!"
Jumping up Sarah cast her arms out and looked up at the ceiling.
"Goblin King, Goblin King! Wherever you may be, take these humans of mine far away from me!" she shouted before cackling.
"Sarah!" Toby reprimanded as he shot to his feet. "Enough!"
Sarah started twirling around.
"Goblins, goblins everywhere!" she laughed.
Toby sighed and looked down at what she had been drawing on a piece of paper.
This was one she had never drawn before; it was Jareth's emblem, the insignia of the Goblin King.
Startled Toby went to pick it up bur Sarah snatched it before he could grab it.
"Mine!" she stated as she held it to her chest.
But the process of Toby's bending over caused the little red book to drop out and land on the floor with a thud.
The silence in the room felt as thick and tangible as pea soup.
But then Sarah broke it with a scream.
"NOOO!" she screeched as she clambered to the far wall, dropping the picture as she forgot it; the only thing in her mind now was the red book.
She tried to shrink back against the wall, wailing the whole time.
Toby snatched up the book and hid it in his pocket again as the guards flung open the door to calm down their distraught charge.
Toby rushed out of the room, looking back over his shoulder, as he silently bid fare well to his older sister.
Her screams could still be heard throughout the hospital long after Toby had left.
Ok, I am sorry it is so short; it is really just a prologue; just to set y'all up. I always suck at making the first chapter longish. But whatever.
Ok, seriously now, how do you guys take to the whole "Sarah's crazy" thing?
AND; if you have any good ideas for people who would be in mental hospitals, I would appreciate some ideas. Like, maybe someone who thinks they are Sean Connery…or…something.
SEAN CONNERY'S VOICE IS SEXY AND I WISH I OWNED IT AND HIM BUT I DON'T! (Sobs)
Well now, (Sniff), don't forget to give me some crazy people ideas.
Maybe I should use my mother as a character…hmmm