Nostalgia: Aishe's Mishap

Chapter Two: Aishe's Mishap

The town that Sarah resided in was rather small; having several shops to claim to its name but very few chain stores. Their only claim to fame was their library. There wasn't another around in the towns around, and it was truly an interesting piece of architecture. It was large for a government founded building and provided most of the town's workforce with jobs.

There was a coffee shop out in the back of it, an organization dedicated to wiping out homelessness. Which was exactly were a Miss. Sarah Williams was heading too. Though she did not know the young woman she knew her personality well. Sure enough, there the blonde long haired girl with her hair twisted back in a bun, as it had been at school that day.

Pushing against the base of the table, the girl was testing the limitations of the chair leaning back at an obtuse angle. Aishe small frame shaking with loud boisterous noises that one could suppose would be a laugh.

At the table with her was a tall, red-headed Jewish girl, Abigal. S.W could recall her being at some of the Drama Club's meetings. Sarah chewed on that detail in the back of her mind, wondering where exactly did she see her elsewhere. Abigal had a face that seemed very determined to be seriously set at all times. Her pink leotard, tights and ballet shoes clashed with her disapproving expression and the blunt cut of her hair.

The final person sitting at the table had messy, greasy, long, black hair; Jon. The hair covered most of his other features. His parents had emigrated from Japan from around the time after the Second World War. 'He's a slacker, a fool with big dreams of being a rock star that are never going to happen' a part of Sarah's mind sneered, a part whom had her dreams ripped apart. The champion of the labyrinth silenced her cruel thoughts and glanced again at the boy. He was drumming the table with a pair of drumsticks; in his dark wash ripped jeans and "Metallica" t-shirt.

walked over to the table and cleared her throat, and smiled. Aishe was so surprised that she lost her gripping of the chair and fell back arms flailing. Abigail got up her face a portrait of surprise her hand clutching the place where her heart was. Jon stayed seated but turned his head in a quick fluid motion, flicking his hair out of his face. Silently he extended his hand out to the girl sprawled out on the floor.

As she got up Aishe flashed a smile at her teacher; wisps of her bun escaping around her face.

"Are you okay?" Ms. Williams said her face clear as the blue sky. She had to be careful when handling issues with her students.

"Sure, it's like my gran-mom says 'when one acts foolish, retribution comes.' Half the time all that comes out of her mouth is nonsense and the other half its wisdom…" The long haired blonde trailed off smoothing her skirt and trying futilely to push the wisps of hair out of her face.

The red head shook her and rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if there is anything in your head but foolishness." Tugging the tips of her hair Abigal sneered at the other girl. Added after words when she remembers the English teacher was there "Hello, . I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend the meeting yesterday. I hope you weren't didn't need 'Swooning Girl Number Four' Or 'Gray Dancing Tree.'"

It was then that it dawned on Ms. Williams where she had saw Abigail. She responded slightly embarrassed that she had forgotten. "No yesterday was rather uneventful. Pam ripped the dress she was sewing up; thankfully it was only the sleeve. Just make sure you're ready by next week." The teacher scrutinized the young girl's ballerina get up.

"Well, I suppose I suppose I should go. Your friend is waving me in. See you in the next rehearsal." Sarah glanced over to the door leading inside, where Aishe had somehow managed to slip out of the scene and was studying her nails. Ms. Williams had never quite felt comfortable around Abigal, and was glad to get away from the ballerina.

When Ms. Williams and Aishe walked into the building a cold rush of air greeted them. Sarah shivered slightly, because of the cold and because of something else. The aged champion of the Labyrinth knew that her instincts were a thing to be trusted. A part of her, a rather smart part of her, was telling her to run away. But, after a couple of year's disappointment her soul had hardened. The rational part of her scoffed at the smart part, and so Sarah continued to follow being Aishe.

Aishe too possibly felt something, because her chatter quieted down until they reached the elevator. Walking inside the blond girl gestured her teacher to join her. The ride up was quiet with only sound breathing, until Sarah Williams broke the silence.

"What exactly is the story you are planning on using?"

"Well, as you probably know my brother, Jon, disappeared when he was eleven and I was three. He disappeared in this library, in the reading corner for young adults. Every day we would come here after he came back from school. Johnny, as I called him, would read to me for an hour, the same large book. The book's name was "The Labyrinth". The day that he had disappeared was the day after he finished reading it." The girl paused examining her own intricate shoe pattern.

The pregnant pause had given Sarah chills. Her mind raced wildly and she clutched onto the railing for support. Memories of her adolescence flooded her, taking over her every sense. The smell of peaches made her want to dispose of what she had previously eaten. The feeling of his hands on her as they danced together was there as a ghost. Her taste buds still remembered the different taste of the air there.

Aishe eyes were closed so she couldn't see her teacher. Ms. Williams subconsciously clenched her fists and forced a smile. Like it or not, the rest of the story was going to be told. Besides, despite all of the other feelings, Sarah felt a tiny bit curious as well. Was the girls similar to her own, what exactly had happened. For second Ms. Williams felt glad that she had someone to share her secret with, until it dawned on her.

The girl with long blonde hair might not have witnessed the Labyrinth for herself. The thought flashed through the teacher's mind and quickly took over. So Sarah Williams took a deep breath cleared her mind and smiled. Reaching out she tapped the girl on the shoulder to get her attention. When Aishe looked back her eyes were muddled and sleepy. Blinking a couple of times, she let a ghost of a smile creep back onto her face and continued.

" He made me so angry, he said he didn't want to read it again. Said, the book was and he didn't want to. My brother said he wanted to read another book, one that wasn't a 'baby book'. So I told him the only insult that I knew 'I wish you away to the goblin king. My older brother laughed and told me it was time to go home. So we did go home and while my parents were in the living room watching t.v, he disappeared while he was in his room. I was sleeping in my room and I found out in the morning after. Never saw him again."

It was then that the possibly the longest elevator ride ever stopped. When the bell dinged, Sarah let out a sigh of relief. The quicker she could get out of there the better. Aishe led the way like a zombie, though, right up until they reached the reading area near the children's books. Aishe dragged her feet over to a large red leather chair, sitting down with her head in her hands. Ms. Williams stood awkwardly next to the girl, her hand hovering above the bun on the girl's head. Quickly the blonde girl whipped her head up, hitting her teachers hand back in the process.

"Anyway, I'm thinking of just going all out fantasy on this project. Like everything is going to be ok until Jon and I walk outside. Then a bunch of different mythical creatures attack my brother and I when we go outside. But, I'm having some trouble figuring out what would happen after that."

"Maybe, the Goblin King could come around and kidnap your brother." The champion of the labyrinth, chucked a little at her own joke.

Aishe was puzzled though, and she scratched the back of her head.

"Why?" She said, eyebrows knitted together.

"Well, because, you wished your brother away, isn't that the way the story goes? I can hardly remember the book. After all I read it when I was about your age and now I'm 38." Sarah chuckled again at her little joke.

The jokes her teacher was making sounded forced in Aishe's ears. But, she decided not to say anything about it. After all, already seemed tense.

"Right.,I tried finding the book yesterday, and it didn't even seem to be here. Isn't that weird?"

"Very."

It was then that the girl got and looked her teacher in the eye and replied:

"Maybe the Goblin King didn't want anyone finding out about his misadventures. So he sent a gobin out to steal it." If Aishe Kristin was to be honest, she would say that she could scarcly remember "The Labyrinth". Then again, her teacher seemed to at the end of her rope.

"Some people actually believe in that sort of thing." Sarah stated dryly.

"Oh, I know. My grandmother is always warning of shape shifting devils minion's goblins. 'Never eat their fruit' she tells me." She smiled and shook her head.

"To each their own." After that last comment, Sarah's hands were now clenched behind her back.

"Yeah, I guess. But, it's really silly though."

"Hm" Ms. Williams was cut off by Ms. Aishe Kirstin.

"I mean it's not like I can say: Goblin King wherever you are, take my English Teacher far away."

At that note, Ms. William's eyes flew wide open. Her heart raced again and her breath felt ragged. She held her hands up to her face, rocked gently back and forth. It was like before in the elevator, except instead of flashes of her trip, it was flashes of what happened after.

The failed book deals and the dozens upon dozens of manuscripts sent back. It was the paintings that her brother never seemed to sell. The very paintings of the places that haunted Sarah's memory, the very setting that sometimes thrown into one of her short stories. It was her moving far away from the home she grew up in. She saw herself moving to a painfully small town, devoid of any old phantoms from her past. Worst of all she saw herself as she was now, a teacher, with hardly any friends.