DISCLAIMER: If it's a character, setting, idea, scene, etc, from Labyrinth, it's (c) Henson, Lucas, Froud, Bowie, Connelly, etc and NOT MINE. In thanks for typo-spotting elsewhere, Tess is actually tmwillson3 on deviantArt and I believe belongs to her. (see link in my profile)
Oh, and there might be references to other books / movies / shows / etc in this story. See if you can spot them!
It was a bright and sunny day at Sarah's favorite park. She was always glad to go to her park, even though it didn't have the swings that were at the other one. Plus the bigger kids were always on the swings anyway.
Today was going to be extra fun because her friend Tess was going to be there, too! Lots of Sarah's friends were going to get-together for what her Mom called a "play date." But she hadn't seen Tess in the longest time of everybody.
The raven-haired five-year-old was getting impatient to get to the park, and kept darting about the house. She bounded up the stairs into her parents' room, to repeat a question for the sixth time.
"Is it time yet, Mommy?"
Linda smiled at the bundle of energy, and gave up the thought of focusing on her upcoming audition, at least for the afternoon. At least the role was that of an over-whelming optimist.
I'll just think of my own daughter while I'm reading. It'll be a cinch, a breeze, a piece of cake!
"Well… what time did I tell you we'd go, Poppet?"
Sarah paused, mid-bounce, concentrating.
"Half-one, but I don't know what that looks like, Mommy."
Linda's laugh lit up the entire house. Sarah loved her mom's laugh, and wanted her own to sound just like it someday.
"It looks just the same as one-thirty, because it is just the same as one-thirty."
Sarah's mouth crinkled up in one corner, as her brow wrinkled up.
"Why are there two names for it?"
"There's actually more than two names for it. For lots of things. But especially for time. Time is a special thing. It's sometimes like those dolls at your great-aunt's house. Remember, Sarah? They're oh, so pretty, but you can't play with them."
Sarah's confusion wasn't resolved on this point, but she was looking at the clock that she knew how to read. And it was almost time!
By the time Sarah got to the park with her mom, some of the other kids were already there.
And there was Tess!
It is sometimes a mystery as to what makes a friendship between children. Sarah and Tess were the same height, and both wanted to get a dog. Once they discovered that, they were friends.
But there were lots of friends at the park today, even some boys that weren't there just because they were older or younger brothers of Sarah's friends.
They played hide and seek and freeze tag and finally regular tag.
Well, kind of regular tag. Somehow there were three people who started out being "it." Sarah and Tess had lots more fun with tag because they didn't have to try to be quiet. They didn't stay hidden well during hide and seek because they kept on talking and whispering and laughing.
But during the game of tag, one of the boys was "it," and he was fast. He was taller than the other kids. Not by a lot, but a couple of inches. He had crazy messy blonde hair and needed a haircut. It was weird though. His hair didn't seem to get in his eyes.
Sarah was trying to figure that out, and she almost forgot to run away when he came close!
Tess yelled, "Run," and that startled Sarah into moving. The blonde boy reached and reached, and just barely missed tagging Sarah. He was reaching so hard that he fell onto the ground.
Sarah was concerned, so she came back a little closer, but still out of reach. When she saw that the boy was okay, and sitting up, and concentrating on brushing off his hands and knees, she was a little bit relieved. He looked up at her and grinned.
And Sarah remembered something that Tess had told her, and that made them both giggle.
She told him, "Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!" She started giggling again and turned to start to walk away. After all, the boy was still "it" and she didn't want to get tagged!
"Sarah, wait just one minute. Please! I promise that I won't tag you to make you 'it,' okay?"
Sarah faced him again, and nodded her head. She was still giggling just a little bit. "Okay."
As she watched him walk toward her, she wondered where she met him. She'd have thought that she'd have remembered, because his eyes didn't match. But he was really smiling, and he did promise. Sarah had great faith in promises. And wishes.
He kept walking closer until he was right in front of Sarah.
And he kissed her. Three times! Once on the right cheek, once on the left, and ONCE on her mouth!
She stared at him. He was grinning!
"Why did you do that, Jareth?"
"You said 'gotta kiss me,' so I was just following directions, Sarah. You said it, and there's no take-backs! What's said is said."
Sarah looked at him for a minute and tried to figure out why she and Tess had laughed over that saying. It wasn't funny. It wasn't good or bad, but it wasn't actually funny.
"Oh… okay. Well, count to ten before you start to chase me again, okay?"
"As you wish, Princess Sarah."
When Sarah heard him start to count, she started running, trying to find Tess. And she tried to figure out how she knew that that boy's name was Jareth. She found Tess, who saw the kiss, and also knew his name.
Sarah shrugged off the mystery, and rejoined the game.
A/N: Thanks for the read. You know the drill: if you spot typos, I want to know! Reviews (concrit, squee-ing, gripes, questions, are wellcome.)