Disclaimer: I do not own any of Jim Henson's creations nor do I own Labyrinth. Only the character's I make up are mine.
Labyrinth: The Day the Music Died
By Sarah Parro
Chapter 1: Awakening
It had been so long since the sun had risen. The Goblin city was darker than ever. Thick black clouds, filled the skies with pure sorrow. The Goblin King himself had never felt so alone. To feel so betrayed. He loved her, he did everything to meet her expectations of him, and still it was not enough. Jareth rose his right hand and moved his long blonde bangs from his eyes. "It's such a sad love really..." He quietly stated. "Come back to me." He whispered. His right eye was blue and his left was green. Together they had great powers about them. He concentrated completely on the focus of the sky, he could only move so much of the clouds for his power was weakening slowly and he did not yet know why such a thing was happening.
Sarah was now seventeen and walking her baby brother home from grade school. Her hair had grown a little and she dyed it a lighter brown. Both her eyes were as blue as the ocean and she had gained a little height. Little Toby had brown eyes, and was just cute watching him walk. She looked down to her baby brother and thoughts came through her mind of her childhood. 'I wish you could've met mom... she wouldn't have taken both me and you for granted like Karen does...' Sarah thought in the back of her mind. Not long ago, Sarah had discovered that her baby brother could possibly be autistic all of his childhood, and Karen his own mother would not hire anyone to tutor him out of it. Toby looked up to his big sister and reached for her hand with a huge adorable smile on his face. As if he were trying to tell her everything was going to be all right.
Jareth starred out the window of his castle. He usually sat out on the window sill, but his balance was not entirely with him. She was the only thing he could ever think about. 'I am the king, and I will get what I want.' As he took one of his crystal balls, he watched Sarah's daily life unfold. "Is this the life she prefers?" A pain struck him in the chest as he seen her fading farther and farther away. "What... no... I've lost sight of her..." 'Has she truly forgotten everything?' Jareth had tried everything and anything, but Sarah was the only real girl he had truly known to love for her passion to never give up. All of the other women just wanted to be the kings toy... which he thoroughly despised. Not once had he come across a girl with such pride in herself that she remained innocent all the time he had known her. "I will not give up on her... I don't care what it takes..." He whispered as he slowly came to the ground, dropping the crystal. 'Whatever it takes...'
Sarah was almost home with her little brother. They only had two more streets to go until they reached it. Toby was getting tired of walking so he began nudging her sister for a piggy back ride. "Oh, Toby, you know it isn't far." As she picked him up. Finally, she was able to see the house. "There you see, I told you we were close." A little cute grin came to his face. As Sarah stepped closer to the house, she could not help but notice the note that was left on the pole to the front porch. Sarah rolled her eyes. 'What is Karen going to complain about this time.' Once she made it, she ripped the note from the pole and began to read it silently. On the note, Karen had written:
Sarah, I asked you to walk Toby home by three o clock, you are fifteen minutes late. Your father will be home soon so if you're not there by the time he comes back, you are in big trouble little missy. When you finally make it back, don't go feeding yourself about, I'm making chili tonight and that's about all we have to eat because feeding you two can be a real pain sometimes... I'll be home before your father gets back and Toby better be in bed or else.
'What kind of mother rights complaints to her children on a note?' Sarah thought to herself as she ripped the notes to threads. Once she walked inside, she checked to make sure no one was already in the house. "I am in big trouble if Karen seen you walking down here." She joked to her little brother. Just as she looked out the front window, she noticed her step mothers car pulling into the drive way. "Oh no, I really am going to be in trouble... come on Toby." She picked her little brother up and ran as fast as she could up the steps and placed him on his bed, since of course he was too old for the crib. Toby noticed his sisters distress and fell asleep right away. Just then Karen barged into the house. Karen had short brownish red hair, but always seemed to have it up in a bun. Her dress was a sin to be wearing and only she was fit to be the fairy tale monster of every girls story. Sarah heard the annoying voice from Toby's room. "Sarah! You'd better be home! I'm coming up to check on Toby!" She practically yelled at the top of her lungs. Sarah heard Karen walking up the stairs and ran to her room. 'I wish I was anywhere but here... I wish I was anywhere but here.' She chanted in her mind. Little did she know, that little scheme would have worked three years ago. A knock came to Sarah's door. "Go away." She calmly stated. 'I don't have time for this...' She thought in her mind. Karen on the other side began pounding the door. "Sarah, I want to talk to you, this is important." Sarah practically flew the door open in anger. "I know what you're going through, I had a step mother myself when I was growing up, and I despised her. But years down the road I learned to respect her." Karen tried to talk but Sarah was getting fed up. "What kind of mother, rights complaints to her children on a note?" Karen walked away without a second word and Sarah once again slammed the door.
Jareth was now beginning to stir. "What is this pain I am feeling?" He asked himself. He looked to to his crystal ball and noticed Sarah had reappeared. 'It doesn't have to be like this my love, just remember me...' His mind was taunting him with memories. 'I should have held on to Toby longer... perhaps that would have changed her mind.' 'Then again, she would have hated me for causing her the trouble.' All these thoughts were rushing into his mind at once. Jareth looked deeply into the core of his crystal to find Sarah's heart. "What is it you prefer than me?" His eyes began to turn a faded green colour. 'I will always be there for you Sarah... even if your world falls down.'
That night, Sarah lay awake thinking of her passed. She remembered the first day her father had brought Karen home. It was like introducing a young child to a vicious dog. "Why would you choose a women over your children father...?" She questioned. The only good thing that came from Karen was Toby, but she didn't even mother him. Toby was a young child thinking Sarah was his mother. 'This is ridiculous.' Sarah could not remember how she had gotten her motherly instincts for Toby. All she remembered was a little while back she hated both him and Karen. She got up, out of her bed and looked into her mirror, where she was sure she had just seen something. 'Must be my imagination.' As Sarah turned around to go back to her bed, she noticed a strange action figure doll on her dresser. 'I could have sworn I threw out all my toys when I was younger.' She walked over to it slowly, and then noticed her old music box had appeared behind it. "What is going on." Sarah suddenly felt pressure all over her as she heard numerous voices in her room. 'Come back Sarah... Should you need us... Yes milady, should you need us, we'll always be there for you...' Everything became dizzy and that's when all turned black.
Sarah awoke several minutes later to find her father looking over her. "Sarah, are you all right?" He asked. She noticed Karen was playing the worried role... not that a woman of her type would care. Karen looked to Sarah's father asking foolish questions. "I wasn't to harsh on her earlier was I? She'll be okay right?" If Sarah wasn't so weak she would have told the old hag to shut up. Sarah slowly got up on her knees and stood up. Her father still asking questions, she just replied by saying "yes I'm all right." Sarah felt something different about herself, she felt younger than what she was. She almost felt as if she fourteen again. Something in her was telling her she was missing something.
Chapter 2: Aging the Perilous folds of Time
The next day, Sarah got ready for school. On her way, she met one of her friends waiting for her at the end of the street. "Hey Vivian." Sarah yelled. Vivian had light brown hair, but had dyed it a bright purple. Her eyes were the strangest shade of brown which made them look red. Everyone in grade school made fun of her for it. She often wore punk clothes since she never wanted to be seen as a prep. "Hey Sarah, what's going on?" She asked. Sarah replied with "nothing." They walked over half a mile until they finally reached the street their school was on. "So, do you have anyone....?" Vivian teased as she winked in the direction of the new guy. Sarah had to think about the question. "I thought I did... a long time ago." She mumbled. Her imagination was blinded by the reality surrounding her of her everyday boring life. "Well, make a move and get someone before their all taken..." Vivian teased once again.
Jareth looked straight into Sarah's eyes. "So you want a boy..." He grinned wickedly as he chanted one of his spells. The entire room went black as the chanting started:
To the one I love, make not mine... but the image she sees should be fine,
For my age is hers and her age is perilous
For the aging of time shall not be seen for back I go
Back I go, to her time through my life
The man I am, is now a boy, a boy who will see
What she means to be
He stopped and collapsed to the floor. He awoke to notice his long hair was shorter and not as eccentric. His hair was not as wild, in fact, he would blend in with the crowd. "Now it's just a matter of getting there."
Vivian walked around for a while with Sarah. "So you have a spare first too right?" She asked. Sarah nodded her head. "I was hoping to get a spare fourth so I could go straight home though." Sarah simply stated. Vivian pushed playfully. "And who doesn't?" Just then, Vivian spotted another newcomer. "Hey Sarah, check that guy out." Sarah looked at the new guy. "I could have sworn I've seen him before." Vivian pushed Sarah to the side. "Nice try, I got first dibs on this one." Vivian teased. She walked up to him. Sarah felt a large pain floating through her heart. Something was wrong and she knew it. She felt something for this boy, and seeing her friend take him made it even the more difficult not to get jealous of her. Vivian came back squealing. "Sarah, I asked him out to the formal and he said yes... isn't that great?" Sarah felt some discomfort as she noticed the boy the starring at her. "I have to go." Sarah said as she walked away. 'I don't care, I only have a few days of school left... I'm already a graduate... I don't see what skipping a few days would do...' Her thoughts interrupted as she fled.
Everything was going according to his plan. Sarah would become jealous of her best friend, and her best friend would soon break the friendship. Thus would give Jareth the perfect opportunity to show what he could give Sarah. 'No matter what my darling... no matter what.'
Sarah's first thoughts were to run home. Once again, she had made a devastating error in her life. Once again, Sarah seen a note on her front porch. Sarah was not even half way down her street yet and she was yelling. The next note was not a simple reminder, this time it was a true warning. Karen was fed up and had wrote:
Sarah, your school phoned today. Don't you dare think I don't know what you're up to. What has gotten into you recently? You are grounded and will not be leaving this house at all this week. Do you understand? You are grounded from everything. TV, movies, books, school, music, video games, board games. You are to go up to your room and explain to your father why you skipped school.
Sarah ripped and stomped on the note in anger. 'I might as well get my death sentence over and done with.' She thought to herself. "Why does my life... no one else's just mine!
Why does my life, have to be a living hell!" As she tore the notes to pieces. Sarah stormed her way up to her room and cried on her bed. 'Maybe it's a good thing I won't be going to school. Vivian can have the damn guy, I don't care anymore.' Sarah drifted off into a deep sleep. For some reason, a strange feeling came inside of her as if telling her that she should care. Those eyes, his eyes... starring straight into hers. She knew she had felt the feeling before. She wanted to melt in his gaze... but every time she turned around, his eyes would disappear. She began chanting out familiar words "Deep in your eyes, there's a pale jewel... open and closed within your eyes..." 'What does it mean.'
Vivian spent the night at the mall trying to find a dress for the first Formal happening that very night. Her time was running out, so she grabbed the black dress and ran out of the store without paying. "No one will know..." She said as she jumped onto the bus outside. When the bus made it to the building the formal was being held at, she walked inside but didn't see her dream date anywhere. She walked around for a half an hour until she spotted the security officers starring at her. 'Oh no...' She thought. "Hey you!" They walked up to her but Vivian couldn't help it. Her instincts told her to run. Half way down the hall, they had almost caught her, but she slipped away since the dress she picked was practically all silk. "Get her!" She heard voices coming from behind her. Just when she thought she had gotten away, an officer pulled out of the corner in front of her and picked her up, over his shoulders. As Vivian was being dragged away, she noticed the boy she had asked out was laughing at her. Never had she been brought to so many tears.
As Sarah tried to cope with the hardships her life was facing, her phone rang. Afraid to pick it up, she slowly took the hand set and brought it to her ear. "Sarah? Is that you? I need help!" Right away, Sarah knew it was Vivian. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked her friend in concern. "I'm stuck in jail... I need someone to come down and bale me out... please... I don't want my parents to know..." "What happened? What did you do to end up in a cell?" Sarah questioned. Vivian took a few deep breaths in tears. "I stole a dress from one of clothing stores at the mall." A huge pain of guilt wavered over Sarah, as if she had been hit with one hundred bricks. All this time, she had been friends with Vivian, never did she know her friend would ever pull something like this. "I hate to break it to you Vivian... but I can't help... I'm grounded." Sarah felt rather stupid. Vivian was in an even stickier situation than what she was in. "This is all because of that stupid boy isn't it? Please bale me out and I'll let you have him!" Vivian practically screamed in tears. "No it isn't that at all, I'm grounded." Just then, Sarah lost all contact with Vivian. As Sarah turned around, she noticed Karen was starring there, unhooking the phone plug. "When I say you're grounded, I mean you're grounded!" "I hate you... GET OUT!!!!" Sarah yelled to her step mother. Karen slowly exited keeping her eyes on Sarah.
Jareth had transformed himself back into his own state and pondered in his throne room. Every day, the Goblin city was getting darker and darker. Even the king himself was so week he had to give up his disguise. "It seems she was not meant to be with me in the real world after all."
Chapter 3: Requiem
As Jareth pondered in his throne room, a goblin entered his quarters without warning... or even knocking. "Jareth milord!" The goblin ran up to the king hugging his knees. "Please milord, you must stop this... you need to stop and keep your power!" The goblin pleaded. Jareth kicked the fool off to the side. "Do you have any idea what I could have the authorities do to you?" He slyly remarked as he picked the goblins head up by the hair. "Please milord, hear me out!" The goblin begged. "Fine say... but get to the point and do it quickly." The king yelled. "The more you think of her, the more your powers will drain... this world can not exist without you..." "Don't be ridiculous, it's my power and her imagination that make this place run." Just then, Jareth noticed three distinct characters in the back round. "Wait a minute, I remember you, you three befriended Sarah in the Labyrinth!" Jareth stated. Hoggle walked up slowly to Jareth. "As much of the monster you are... our city cam not continue without your powers. She has forgotten about all of us... she's not coming back." Jareth picked up Hoggle by the throat. "You dare say what?" He threw Hoggle across the room almost breaking the small dorfs neck. Sir Didymus stepped up to the plate and looked the king straight in the eye. "My gracious, you must be more careful. Milord, you are... well... you see..." It was difficult knowing the truth, but telling it was whole different league. "Milord, you are dying." "What? That is ridiculous." The king only laughed as Hoggle stood up. "You are a fool to think Sarah would remember... she has to many problems in her life... her step mother controls everything in her life... I wouldn't be surprised if that woman took over her imagination." Hoggle always hated to be the right one... but this time he needed to straighten out a point. "But of coarse, this city, can not live without a King... so I give you Sir Didymus, my position... watch the city carefully. And know it's no picnic." Jareth threw a crystal ball at the pup and gave everyone a wicked laugh goodbye. 'This time I know where to get her... at what ever cost.'
Sarah slept that night, her dreams turned to nightmares, nightmares turned into her real life, and her real life became a complete disaster. She was in a deep sleep. Karen peaked in to make sure she was all right. Karen thought it to be rather odd for her to be so quiet after such a harsh grounding. Sarah turned in her sleep and Karen left the room. In Sarah's dream, she was running from something... something unknown but it was not pleasant. Out of the core of her dream, she could have sworn she seen an angel. His long blonde hair floated the wind. His eyes were fading into a green shade. "No one can blame you for walking the way..." He stated. Her eyes felt peace and serenity when she looked into his glare. Again he spoke to her. "No one can blame you... It's only forever... not long at all..." He lent out his hand to her. When she touched his hand, all the memories came back to her... the doll in her room was him, her music box was almost a sculpture of herself. She remembered searching, dancing, finding hope in the pits of the unknown. She found her love for her baby brother there... She too loved and always loved the king... but was afraid of the unknown. "Come with me Sarah..." He whispered gently in her ear. "But what about Vivian, Toby or even father?" She asked him. He looked into her eyes once more and held her other hand. "Everything will be fine. I will be there for you when the world falls down." He hugged her deeply and asked her once more. "Will you come with me?" For once in her life, she felt her heart take over her senses. "Yes, I will." Together they faded away into her dream. She came to a place she had never seen before. Almost like a haven. She met knew friends, old friends and most importantly she fell in love with the only man who would truly love her.
The next morning, Karen walked into Sarah's bedroom. "Sarah, it's time to get up." Karen became very agitated stripped the blankets off of Sarah's bed. To Karen's worst nightmare, Sarah was not moving. When Karen got closer, she noticed she wasn't sleeping either. She had no pulse. Just a peaceful expression on her face and note in her hand that said,
Don't worry Karen... after all I've been through, no one will blame me for walking the way. It is only forever... not long at all.
Together Sarah and Jareth lived happily ever after in the land of dreams. ~The end~
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