Like all my other stories I've been posting, it's old stuff...but it's been long enough I figure a few of you may not have read it before.

Illusions of Reality

 By Kitty (Night Flights)

niteflytes@hotmail.com

Chapter One: The End is Just the Beginning

Hallucinations define the universe

Perception and emotion blends

Endings are beginnings

Illusive sanity to defend

What's real becomes fantasy

Illusion transforms the mortal mind

Dreams and reality coalesce

The Underground is what you find

Searching, seeking forever

Losing what's been found

Lost among the universe

An angel's musical sounds

Together for eternity

Only One can stop the pain

Believing is reality

I long for love again

After Sarah defeated Jareth and returned home she discovered that her

friends and her adventure, were real and not just figments of her

imagination.   She rationalized that figments don't trash your room. 

Unfortunately, Sarah's parents couldn't see Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus and

the others.  They just saw Sarah laughing and dancing wildly around her

once neat and tidy room.  Neither Sarah, nor her parents saw the owl

perched in the tree outside Sarah's window.  A white owl with piercing eyes

stared into her room and watched and listened.

"Sarah", her father almost yelled, "What is going on in here?"

"Uh, nothing Daddy", Sarah replied nervously.  She didn't know they

couldn't see her friends.  "Just rehearsing for, uh, the play my mom, she,

gave me.  To rehearse for her.  I mean, for her to see me."  Sarah bit her

lip and glanced around her room.  It really was a mess.  Her friends were

all frozen in place, as they had all been quite shocked when her parents

opened the door.  They almost didn't look real, more like dolls.  Maybe

that's why her parent's hadn't said anything about them, Sarah thought.

"Oh, Sarah, look at your room", her stepmother chided.

As if I don't know what my room looks like, Sarah thought, as she flopped

down on her bed.  "I'll clean it up, I promise", she said breathlessly.  By

now Sarah's friends had quietly began to gather behind her bed, as if

trying to hide from her parents.  Sarah looked expectantly at her father,

while ignoring her stepmother as best as she could.

Her father sighed and said, "It's not the mess Sarah.  When we knocked you

didn't answer so we opened the door and saw you laughing and dancing.  And

your room." his voice trailed off in frustration.  He took a deep breath

and rubbed his eyes.  "You were just rehearsing?" he asked incredulously.

Sarah rolled her eyes and fell back onto her bed.  What is with this we

stuff, she thought.  You're married to her; you didn't get your brains

sewed together.   She sat up again and said, "Yes.  I was rehearsing.  I'm

going to be an actress someday.  Just like my mother.  So I have to

practice.  I'm sorry I made so much noise and such a mess.  But it is MY

room and I always clean it up", Sarah made a point to look at her

stepmother during that last statement and continued to glare at her.

Karin put her hand on her hip and said, "Well, I never.  When I was your

age I would never have spoken to my mother in that tone of voice!"

"Well, you're not my mother", Sarah yelled, "so I guess I can use whatever

tone I want."  Sarah glanced at her father, realizing that she may have

said too much.

"While you're living in my house you will treat Karin with the same respect

you give me and your mother", her father said very quietly.  Then he turned

to Karin and said, "Let's just leave her alone now, Dear.  I'm sure

everything will be just fine in the morning."  Having said that, he led his

wife out of Sarah's room and closed the door.  She could hear

Karin whining at her father about his parental responsibilities.  Sarah

cringed and thought her voice is just like fingernails on a chalkboard.  I

don't know how he can stand to listen to her, or look at her.  Behind her,

a voice quietly called her name.  Sarah had almost forgotten about her

friends, and when she heard her name she jumped and spun around.

"Oh, Hoggle, you startled me!  Hoggle, they can't see you, can they?" she

asked.

"Well, you're quite the observer." Hoggle said playfully.  "Of course they

can't sees me.  They don't believe."

"Oh, I didn't know that's how it works", she replied, as she began to

straighten her room.  After a few seconds of silence she turned around and

saw that her friends had vanished.  Only then did she notice the owl

intently watching from outside her window.  The owl, seeing he had been

discovered, unfolded his elegant wings and took flight into the night.

----------------------------------

Chapter Two: Her World Falls Down

During the two years following Sarah's adventures in the Labyrinth, Jareth

had watched and waited.  He watched as Sarah struggled with growing up.  He

watched as her friends from the Labyrinth visited her every time she wished

them to Earth.  He watched as she struggled to explain her strange behavior

when they showed up at the most inappropriate times.  He watched as she

gently tried to tell her friends that just because she wished to see them,

that she didn't mean it literally.  He listened as Hoggle tried to tell

Sarah that it wasn't their fault.  When she wished for them, they appeared,

plucked from their homes and their lives in the Underground, without

warning.  After their first appearance in her room two years ago, only

Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Ambrosious, and Ludo appeared when she needed them, as

they were the ones who had betrayed Jareth.  What Hoggle didn't, couldn't,

tell Sarah was that Jareth was responsible for transporting them there

whenever she wished to see them.  It was better to obey Jareth and lie to

Sarah than to face the consequences of betraying him again.  Jareth had

made it quite clear that they would never see Sarah again if they

defied him.  And they knew he was watching and listening.  Always watching

and listening.

Sarah had changed a lot in two years.  Yes, she was growing into a lovely

young woman, but there was more.  Because of the frequent and disruptive

visits from her friends she had also grown paranoid, always looking over

her shoulder.  Always feeling that she was being watched.  She couldn't

concentrate on anything and her attempts at acting in school and community

plays had ended in embarrassment and humiliation as Sarah fumbled her lines

and missed her cues.  It had been almost six months since she had even

tried out for a part in a play.  Her mother had moved to Europe with

her newest boyfriend, and Sarah had given up any hope of acting without her

mother to coach and encourage her.  Her human friends, the few she had,

were tired of her stories about Hoggle & Co., and avoided her as much as

possible.  She didn't date, partly because word had gotten around that she

was on the strange side and partly because she found the boys her age

immature and boring.

Sarah's loneliness and depression was also affecting her grades.  She

couldn't seem to remember anything she studied, and lately she had stopped

trying since it didn't make any difference.  She knew she was probably not

going to graduate at this rate, but she just didn't care anymore.  Her

Labyrinth friends were worried about her, but they were powerless to help. 

In fact, she had become quite annoyed with them in the past few weeks and

insisted that she had not wished for them.  Hoggle had replied that she

didn't have to actually wish for them, just need them, and they would

appear.  Sarah had yelled in frustration that she didn't need them anymore. 

She told them they were just ruining her life and wished she'd never see

them again.  They had disappeared and she had not seen them since.  She

felt awful now, and missed them terribly.  They were the only real friends

she had and now she feared she would never see them again.  Since that

fateful day, Sarah's life had plunged into despair and darkness.  She

skipped school, refused to eat, holed up in her room like a hermit and was

dreadfully rude to her parents, when she even acknowledged their

presence.  She rarely took care of her personal hygiene anymore, to the

horror of her stepmother.  Her father was mystified by her strange behavior

and didn't know what to do or say anymore.  The only person she seemed to

respond to was Toby.  He was three now, and Sarah still seemed to enjoy

playing with him and listening to him chatter away about nothing and

everything.  She was lying on her bed listening to him now when her

stepmother walked into the room.

"Toby, it's time for your nap", she said sharply.

"NO NAP!" Toby yelled emphatically and stuck out his lower lip at his

mother.

Karin started to count, "One.Two." and before she could say three Toby had

jumped up and ran to his room, slamming his door shut.

"I don't want Toby in here anymore, Sarah", Karin said.  Sarah just stared

blankly at her.  "I'm not trying to be mean.  I just don't want him in

this.this pigpen.  Really, Sarah, you and room stink!"  Karin walked out

and closed the door, not waiting for Sarah to reply.  It was a wise

decision, since Sarah picked up her algebra book and hurled it across the

room to the spot her stepmother had just occupied.  Suddenly, the anger and 

pain welled up inside her and she began throwing everything within reach

and screaming at the top of her lungs.  She heard Toby crying hysterically,

heard Karin run to comfort him, but she couldn't stop.  She continued her

outburst until she fell exhausted onto the floor and cried herself asleep.

Through it all the owl watched and listened outside her window.  And when

Sarah finally fell asleep, he flew home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Three: Daddy, get me out of here!

Sarah couldn't believe it. She felt numb and emotionless, the words of the

admissions counselor bounced meaninglessly off her ears. They were

admitting her to a loony bin! Sarah sighed dramatically, leaned back into

the soft chair, looked up and began counting the holes in the drop-ceiling

panel above her.

"Sarah!" her father said sharply. "Sarah, are you listening?" She ignored

her father and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling very tired and weak.

"You did the right thing, Mr. Williams", the admissions counselor said in a

soothing tone. "You were right to be worried about the safety of your son

and wife."

"I just don't know what to do with her anymore", Bill replied sadly.

"Karin was so upset when she called, and Toby was inconsolable. When Karin

suggested bringing Sarah to Twin Pines Hospital for counseling it seemed

like the only choice I had left." Although Bill had been talking to Ms.

Stevens, the admissions counselor, his comments seemed to be directed to

Sarah. "I didn't realize you would want to admit her. This is such a

shock. I don't want her to think we don't want her, that she's not welcome

in her own home."

"Of course you want her", Ms. Stevens said.

"Would you two stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Sarah suddenly

yelled. "Just get this damn thing over with and lock me in my room, or

whatever it is you do."

Ms. Stevens looked shocked and reassured Sarah and her father that they do

not lock the patients in their rooms. "We do lock the doors to the entire

wing, but that's just for patient safety", she quickly added. "You will

attend school, eat in the cafeteria, and participate in counseling and

other activities, Sarah", Ms. Stevens told her. Sarah rolled her eyes and

yawned. She knew it was happening, yet she didn't believe her father would

really leave her here. Not until Ms. Stevens escorted them to the older

adolescent wing of the hospital and showed Sarah her room. Her father

promised to come back with some clothes and personal belongings and left.

Sarah was alone and suddenly grasped the reality of her situation. She lay

down on her bed and began to sob like a small child with a broken heart.

The staff left her alone until her father returned. They brought her

things to her room and she ran out of the room and down the hallway,

yelling to her father, "Daddy, get me out of here! Please, Daddy. Take me

home!" But when she reached the locked door and looked through the window,

her father was gone. Sarah walked sadly back to her room and sat down on

her bed. Three weeks before I turn 18 and they lock me up in a psycho

ward, she thought.

Outside her window the owl had found a perch in the shrub, and watched her

intently. It won't be long now, he said to himself.

Sarah lay down on her bed and gazed out the window. It was dark now and

she was startled to see a face staring back at her. Actually, she saw the

eyes. Large, piercing eyes staring intently at her. The eyes blinked

once. She quickly sat up, her heart beating loudly in her ears. Oh God,

she thought, a peeping Tom! This place gives me the creeps! Sarah stood

up and slowly walked toward the window, but the face was gone. She reached

out and closed the curtains, sighing in relief when she could no longer see

outside. She made sure the gap where the two panels of the curtain met

were closed as well and got ready for bed.

Sarah lay in bed fighting back the tears. She had never felt so alone, so

abandoned. Not even when her mother had left her had she felt this

unwanted. I wonder how long they'll keep me here, she asked herself. I

wonder what I have to do to get out.

-------------------------

Chapter Four: Almost 18

Sarah woke early, as usual. Another boring day in Twin Pines hell, she

thought. Each day the same old thing. Get up, take a shower, eat

breakfast, go to school, eat lunch, go to group counseling, have a dumb

activity, do homework or have individual counseling if its Tuesday or

Thursday, eat dinner, watch the news because we have to and then go to

bed. Except on weekends. Instead of school we have free time and get to

watch some TV or a movie and have family visits. Too bad it's Tuesday. A

whole week of the same thing. Reminds me of that movie, Ground Hog Day,

she thought. At least tomorrow's my birthday and I'll be 18 and free.

There's no way they can make me stay here against my will once I turn 18.

Sarah smiled gleefully at the thought.

Ever since she'd started going to counseling, which was the second day

she'd been at Twin Pines, she'd decided to tell her counselor everything.

She figured her counselor would eat up her stories of the Labyrinth, Jareth

and her friends from the Underground. Then she'd just go along with

whatever he said and pretend to 'recover' from her 'problem' and they'd let

her out. She had been right about one thing; her counselor was riveted to

every word of Sarah's stories. He'd eaten them right out of her hand.

Sarah couldn't have made up anything to compare. The truth was serving her

well. At least until the counselor, Mr. Dramus, decided Sarah's problems

warranted a longer than usual stay at Twin Pines. That's why she was still

there. He wanted plenty of time for Sarah to explore her inner self and

get reacquainted with reality. He informed her that she couldn't expect to

get better overnight, that it would be a long and difficult journey. Sarah

was dumbfounded. Her plan had backfired and bought her more time in this

depressing place. There was no way she was going to convince Mr. Dramus

that she was getting better until he had decided that she had spent enough

time digging up old memories and airing her dirty laundry, so to speak.

Until then he wouldn't let her get better. But, she thought, tomorrow it

won't matter. I'll leave AMA (which she had learned means against medical

advice) and they can't stop me.

That afternoon Sarah almost skipped down the hallway towards Mr. Dramus'

office. Her father and stepmother were already there waiting for her.

Sarah sat down across from her parents and smiled smugly at them. Oh, you

just wait, she thought, wait until tomorrow.

When Mr. Dramus finished with his little speech, Sarah just sat there, her

face drained of color, her hands cold and clammy in her lap. Had she heard

him correctly? How had he known? She hadn't said a word about her plans

to anyone. It's not fair! The thought rang through her brain over and over

again. They can't do this to me. I'll be 18 tomorrow; they have no right.

It's just not fair.

Somehow, Mr. Dramus had been one step ahead of Sarah and predicted that she

would try to leave AMA. He had convinced her father to sign some papers

that allowed the attending Psychiatrist at Twin Pines to petition the court

to allow her father to remain her legal guardian for six months after she

turned 18. They had based all this on her elaborate tales of the Labyrinth

and subsequent visits from Hoggle & Co. and decided that she wasn't

emotionally ready to be an adult and set free from the hospital. She heard

him say something about a court review in six months, but she wasn't really

listening anymore. Her thoughts whirled around in her head as if caught in

a cyclone and there was a loud buzzing noise in her ears. Tears began to

run down her cheeks. She thought about getting mad and screaming.

Hitting, kicking, throwing and threatening suicide all crossed her mind.

But she knew from watching the other patients that acting like that just

made matters worse. So she just sat, motionless, not listening to a word

being said in the room.

That night Sarah lay in bed and cried. She was so distraught that she had

forgotten to close the curtains and the owl, sitting carefully in the

shadows, watched, unblinking. Soon, he thought, so very soon.

------------------------------

Chapter Five: Unexpectations

Sarah stretched out on her bed and looked at the clock. Eleven fifty-five.

In five minutes I'll be 18, she thought bitterly. Happy freakin birthday

to me.

Outside her window the owl began flapping his wings, faster and faster,

beating them against the window. Sarah sat up, frightened, and looked

toward the sound. She saw that the curtains were open and feared that the

peeping Tom was trying to break into her room. Her stomach churned and

although she wanted to run from the room, her limbs felt weak and heavy and

she could not move.

The owl beat his wings furiously against the window and seemed to grow

larger and larger. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light, a gust

of wind swept through Sarah's room, rustling the open curtains and blowing

her hair across her face. Sarah shivered and instinctively turned her

head, shielding her face with her arms. She tried to scream but all that

came out was a whimper. She was shaking uncontrollably now, as she

realized that someone or something was in the room with her. Then she

heard a sound, so familiar, yet unfamiliar, a sound she hadn't heard for

a very long time. The sound of a thousand bells quietly, yet insistently

tinkling.

She slowly lowered her arms and turned her head to look at the intruder.

He looked exactly as he had looked the first time he appeared to her in her

parents' bedroom.

"Hello, Sarah", Jareth said. He smiled just like he did the first time.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered.

"You're coming with me, Sarah", he replied quietly, as he walked toward

her.

"You can't." Sarah began, but Jareth cut her off.

"At the stroke of midnight you will be neither child nor adult, and you

will be both child and adult. It is only at that time that I can take you

as a child and keep you as an adult. And since your parents have abandoned

you to this miserable place, I can take you away." Jareth said with a

satisfied look. He continued to walk toward her. All at once she saw the

numbers on the clock change to midnight and felt Jareth's hand on her arm.

In an instant she was free from her Twin Pines prison to find herself

standing in front of Jareth's throne. Jareth, of course, was lounging very

unceremoniously in his place of honor, looking down at her with a very smug

smile on his face. The room was unusually free from goblins, and actually

looked as though it had been cleaned. Sarah's face turned ghostly white

upon noticing her surroundings and Jareth could see that she was about to

faint. As she began to fall, Jareth was instantly by her side and caught

her, laying her gently on a pillow he pulled from the air. Jareth had a

feeling of gratification wash over him as he waited for Sarah to wake up.

This was well worth the wait, he thought. Soon you will understand why I

have brought you here. But this time, you can not leave me. This time I

do have power over you. Before she woke up, Jareth touched his lips gently

to hers.