Hey guys! A huge thanks to my first two reviewers: Redwood Manning and Guest 2019! Redwood Manning, I left a note for you at the end of the story. Remember, guys! More reviews = More chapters! ^_^ I'm holding them hostage. Muahaha!
As always, my disclaimer is that I own nothing by Jim Henson or Pixelberry, namely "the Labyrinth" or "Choices". No money is being made by this fanfiction.
"Such a pity…"
I agree Jareth. I totally agree. Now, on with the show!
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Chapter 3 – Flashback 1
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10 years ago...
The Autumn sun sifted through the trees as Sarah followed her best friend deep into the woods. The trees were preparing for winter, changing their leaves to golden oranges and fiery reds. The smell of Fall was in the air; a spicy aromatic smell that could only be described as...magical. It was Sarah's favorite time of the year.
"Jess, where are we going? Your mom's going to kill us if she finds out we're going this far into the woods by ourselves." She grumbled as they navigated through the twisting trees.
They climbed over roots and dodged branches with glistening spider webs. Sarah didn't really take the threat of Jessica's mom seriously, and neither did Jessica. She just wanted to get some of that strawberry cheesecake before Jess's older brother, Taylor, ate it all.
"I know but you've got to see it! Just a li'l further." Jess turned to beam at her excitedly, not breaking pace.
Sarah rolled her eyes but it's all in good fun. Jessica's long spiraled hair glinted in the sun like rubies, ahead of her. She looked like Ariel from the Little Mermaid, they liked to imagine. And while the two friends shared green eyes, it was there that the similarities stopped. Sarah felt like she was stuck with straight, ebony hair while Jessica got her beauty from her Scottish heritage. Whenever Sarah complained to her dad about how lucky Jessica was, he just chuckled and said, "I dunno Sarah…. they say the Irish have more luck! Besides, I like your hair better." Then he'd look up at her mother and wink.
"The Scotts and the Irish, making peace." Aunt O'Connelly said once while she was visiting.
Jessica lead Sarah to the edge of a clearing, pointing to a crumbling stone building on the other side. "We're here!"
Sarah stopped in her tracks. She'd never seen a house built like this before. It looked as old as time itself, with a seemingly dead tree trunk growing from the outside, into the side of the building. It's dead branches reached back out through the open windows like a parasite growing from a beetle off of Animal Planet. The doorway seemed to be held up by stone pillars. There was no door.
"Woah…what is this place?" Sarah couldn't help but feel impressed.
It was like something out of a fairy-tale her mother would read to her. Like a place where a witch would live or something of that kind.
"Dunno! But watch this…" Jess bounced excitedly.
She scooped up a pebble and tossed it at the house. It sailed over the threshold then stopped… in mid-air.
"No way!" Sarah's mouth opened in shock.
The pebble hung in the air for a moment, then dropped straight down.
Her shock quickly turned to delight. She and Jessica had always gone on little "adventures" searching for magic. And finally, it had allowed them to find it…
"Magic?! We FOUND it! That is so awesome! What the heck is doing that?" She asked Jess with wide eyes. It was a little freaky too, if she was being honest with herself...
"Weird right? I threw all kindsa stuff in their yesterday, but it all just stops!" Jessica whispered to her, drinking in her reaction with pride. "By the way, I found it!"
They threw a couple of more pebbles inside, watching entranced as the pebbles were stopped by the invisible barrier.
Sarah turned to Jessica, not content with this trick. She wanted MORE. "I wonder what's inside?"
Jessica caught on, and turned to her in wide-eyed fear, "Inside? W-we can't go inside!"
Sarah felt disappointed. "How come? It's not as if anyone lives here anymore. Look! There's holes in the roof."
Jessica looked back over at the ruins, at war with herself.
Sarah lowered her voice excitedly and her pale green eyes sparkled with adventure and a 7-year old's greed, "What if there's more magic inside!?"
Jessica looked back at Sarah, and her eyebrows pulled together, worried. "But what if you're wrong? What if we get in trouble? What if something bad happens?" her eyes turned shiny with unshed tears.
Sarah looked at Jessica who stood with her hands balled in fists, her lower lip trembling. She felt compassion.
"Hey," She wrapped her arm around Jessica, "You got your birthday present with you?"
Sniffling, Jessica nodded, reaching under her collar to pull out an old whistle hanging from a necklace chain.
"You got yours?" She asked Sarah hopefully, eyeing her neck.
Sarah grinned and pulled out the strange heavy locket Jessica had given her for her birthday. The two girls' birthdays were one month apart, with Sarah being the oldest.
"Do you remember what I said when I gave it to you?" Sarah asked.
"Th-that if I ever get scared, I should blow on the whistle, and you'll come and protect me." Jessica's lip still trembled but she tried to hide it as she ran her fingers over the smooth metal of the whistle. She raised the whistle to her lips and blew a high trill that rose and fell as it echoed through the clearing.
"He hee…" She scrunched up her face with a smile and giggled at the sound, making her freckles pop.
"Best Friends always keep their promises." Sarah said earnestly, "You're my best friend, 'Princess Jessica'! I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."
Jessica's eyes lit up like they always do whenever Sarah got into her story-telling. 7 years old and they were out conquering their imaginary world. Even though they had never found magic before, they turned everything, even a dingy locket and whistle, into something magical. Jessica wanted to be the 'Princess of Magic' and Sarah, since she lost the coin toss, was dubbed the 'Warrior Princess'. It was an adapt description, even though the two didn't realize it.
Glancing back at the ruins, Sarah could almost hear the stones calling, reaching out for her. Her feet shuffled in place, itching to close the difference. However, a princess also put her friends first. She frowned, and then heaved a sigh. If Jessica didn't want to, then Sarah wasn't going to force her.
"But…but if you're too scared, we can just go ho—"
"I'm not scared!" Jess glowered at Sarah and put her hands on her hips, offended that she would even 'go there'. Her anger was gone just as fast as it came though, and her face turned timid and worried again.
"Just…promise me, you'll watch out for me?"
"Promise!" Sarah agreed excitedly, "I'll even go first!"
Heart thrumming in her chest, she walked straight up to the doorway. She hesitated for a moment, then... reached out with her fingertips to feel the space inside.
Jess's worried voice came from behind her, "I-is there something there? Does it hurt?"
"It feels…tingly" Sarah said in awe, wiggling her fingers, feeling strange.
As she stepped onto the threshold, the tingling feeling spread over her whole body…then suddenly stopped. Sarah had never felt this way before. Smiling triumphantly, she continued into the dark room beyond...
Cool darkness greeted her, thick as fog, almost thick enough to touch. A shiver rolled over Sarah's shoulders. The house didn't feel empty. Suddenly, she was certain that something was in there with her. Watching her.
"H-hello?" She called out, feeling the need to check.
Her words echoed strangely in the hollow space. The darkness was stifling…and the voice that returned didn't seem entirely her own.
"…hellLOoo…?"
"Is…someone there? What's your name?" She asked, biting her lip.
"…nnnnaaaame…?"
Sarah waited, unsure. She wondered if it is just a strange echo…but suddenly the leaves at her feet blew aside, revealing a patch of smooth grey stone underneath. As she watched, letters were crookedly scratched into the stone one at a time. She gasped and took a step back, hardly believing her eyes. Maybe this isn't such a good idea…?
J…A…R….E…T…H
The name was then underlined briskly.
JARETH
"Jaaarrreeeth?" Sarah sounded out the letters, knowing how to read since she was five years old. "Is that your name? Jareth?"
Something shifted in the atmosphere, almost like a POP, and then a sigh filled the room. As if the occupant was finally able to breathe again.
"Sounds cute." Sarah giggled, "Like a teddy-bear! Hee Hee!"
A warm chuckle echoed throughout the dark house in response, bouncing off the stone walls and onto her, making her skin crawl.
"….hHeee heEee…"
"Nice to meet you Jareth. I'm Sarah!", She stepped further into the room.
"…Saraaah…"
Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Squinting, she saw what looked like stairs in the far corner, disappearing into a jagged hole in the floor. It looked foreboding. What's down those stairs?
"Sarah? Is it safe? Who are you talking to?"
She turned to Jessica who's come up to the doorway, suddenly remembering that she was here too, "Hang on a sec… I think there's something—"
Suddenly, a huge gust of wind howled up through the hole in the floor, knocking Sarah off of her feet!
"Aaahhhh!" She cried as she fell to the stone floor with a SMACK!
The wind then suddenly reversed direction, dragging her towards the abyss! Sarah dug her fingers into the crack in the floor, just barely resisting. The wind blew all around her, loud and deafening.
"Sarah?" Jess softly asked, worriedly from the doorway, "What's going on?"
Huh? Can she not feel or hear this wind?!
"Jess!" She cried out, reaching a hand out to her, "Help me!"
Through the door, she could see Jess come closer and reach for her hand. But then the wind snatched Jessica and knocked her to the floor as well.
"Yiieeeeee!" Jessica shrieked as she slowly slid past Sarah, scrambling for purchase on the uneven floor.
"Jessica!" Sarah yelled, reaching for her hand. Jess's necklace chain broke with a sharp SNAP, and the whistle vanished down the hole into the floor, which seemed to have a faint light coming from it. Through all the terrifying fear Sarah felt a strange morbid curiosity. I wonder what…
Jess screamed, "Sarah! I c-can't hold on! I'm slipping!" and she started to cry.
Suddenly Sarah's fear ignited to anger! Furious, she screamed into the howling darkness, "Stop it, Jareth! Stop it right now, or else…or else my friends are going to come and burn your stupid house down!"
"…Saraaaah…" Jareth called out to her softly.
And just like that…
…the wind died, and the house fell still…
Shaking, Sarah cautiously pushed herself up. Jess sobbed quietly a few feet away, still clinging tightly to the floor.
"Jess, c'mon! Let's get out of here." Sarah glanced around the darkness. Searching for what, she didn't know.
"M-my whistle…it took my whistle…" Jessica cried, patting at her neck.
"I know," Sarah said sadly, glancing towards the jagged hole, "But we gotta go before it changes it's mind and takes us too!"
Nodding, Jane let Sarah pull her up, and the two of them sprinted out the front door.
At the edge of the clearing Sarah couldn't resist looking back one more time. The ruins were still and quiet, showing no signs of life…
"Sarah, come on!" Jess called to her, already in the woods a few feet away.
"Coming…" Sarah responded.
She turned away, hurrying after Jess. Behind them, a soft whistle rose and fell as it echoed through the clearing…
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Redwood Manning, I totally noticed that! It does have a sort of "Steven King IT" vibe to it, doesn't it? I guess that would make sense because it was the only horror story I've ever actually watched without leaving before it ended XD. I watched the older version when I was 13 (I'm too chicken to see the new one). It was divided into Part I and Part II on two VHS tapes, lol. I found it at my grandma's house and watched it ALONE. And I remember that afterwards I was so scared that it was hard to go to the bathroom for 2 months! I kept hearing "Blup blup blup" in the drain pipes XD
I didn't even finish the second VHS to find out the ending until I was 17 and braver, lol. Don't worry, Jareth doesn't eat kids. That's gross. And too scary for me to write anyways. XD Besides, he's a Dark Jareth, not an Evil Jareth. Haha!
Remember! More reviews = More chapters! ^_^
Hey guys! I know a lot of people are reading this story, but for some reason not commenting. If you like the story let me know! If you don't, let me know as well! Hope you enjoy the suspense of this chapter! I really liked how it turned out. Tchau!