Labyrinth: The Beginning

Miranda

"Once upon a time, in a world quite separate from ours, there resided a vast empire. This empire was ruled by Harod, lord of The Above. His thundering voice shook the clouds and his hands meticulously sculpted every breath of air that was taken in. The skies, the dusty red clouds that streaked them and the cool breeze that blew through everything, was his.
His wife, Cassandra, a beautiful woman with dark earthy brown hair and glistening emerald stones for eyes, ruled the Flat. She painted every orange and read leaf, every bright stone that shone on the bottoms of the rivers, and every flower that bloomed at midnight and glowed in the light of the silver moon.
They had only one son: Jareth. He lurked below The Flat in a place known as The Underground. He controlled everything unwanted, like him.
Jareth was supposed to be the missing piece of the puzzle. He was meant to create life.
Instead of creating the things that his parents wanted, like the majestic unicorn or even a simple horse, he created something that was beautiful in his eyes: the Goblins.
Harod and Cassandra were disgusted by the small creatures that roamed The Flat like bugs, with their small shriveled bodies and oily hair and skin. They, together, created The Underground, a place where their son and his disgusting creations could live without disturbing the peace above.
But Jareth was too smart to be content for long. He expanded The Underground until it was larger than both The Above and The Flat combined. Somewhere along the way, he stumbled upon a Tear, a tear in reality. And through it, the only thing he could hear, was children crying, sobbing. His heart broke.
From that day on, whenever he heard a child cry, he would send his goblins up to investigate. If the child was unwanted, they were taken back to The Underground and transformed into a Goblin. So they could be loved.
After a while, they just began waiting for a member of their family to wish them away. They knew that once the people who were supposed to love them most turned on them, the child was truly unwanted. Although, Jareth, or The Goblin King as his parents had started to call him, learned that almost immediately after the child was taken, whoever had wished them away would try to wish them back. So, for those special times when a wisher was just too stubborn to leave him alone, he created The Labyrinth.
The intricate maze spread from the palace at the center of The Underground outwards in all directions. It only stopped when it got too close to a Tear. Jareth enchanted The Labyrinth to change and tailor itself to the specific wisher that was trying to reach its center. The more closed minded the wisher, the more confusing The Labyrinth became. The more open and resourceful they were, the easier it became. This way, only those who Jareth deemed worthy were able to re-obtain their family members, for he prized creativity above all things.
This is how the infamous Goblin King has lived since the beginning of time itself, and he will continue to until the the end."
I closed the cover of the tiny red book in my hands and looked down at my sister, Claire. Her brown eyes were as wide as saucers and her mouth hung open in a perfect 'O'. "Can we read more, Mira? Please?" She asked, tugging on the hem of my pale blue dress. Her favorite game was titled 'Beautiful Princesses and Their Life-Long Struggles', a game the required us both to dress like princess and complain about tea for several hours. Naturally, as an 18 year old girl, it was difficult for me to be content doing this for so many hours so I brought my favorite book along to see if, by some miracle, Claire would enjoy it.
I raised a corner of my mouth in a smile. "Sorry, Stinker, we have to head back home for dinner. It's getting dark." I got up off the brown park bench and held out a hand to my sister. She made a face at being told 'no' before accepting my hand and getting up off the grass, where she'd been sitting at my feet.
"Turn," I instructed. She let out a small huff before turning her backside to me, allowing me to brush the grass off the behind of her white princess dress. "A princess must never have a dirty bum," I chided in a very proper British accent, making her giggle.
"Never!" She echoed, good mood restored as she ran to my old Chevy truck. "Never never never!"
~
When we reached home, my parents were still out on their date(as expected) so, I started boiling spaghetti for dinner. I sat Claire down on our oversized brown couch and put Barney on for her. It was the only way she wouldn't whine about food taking a long time.
After about thirty seconds I heard a long, loud whine come from the living room. "Miraaaaaaa!"
I sighed and turned the stovetop down so the spaghetti wouldn't boil over. "Yes, Claire?" I asked, dangling the wooden spoon lightly in my hand.
"I want ice cream," The four year old demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
Her princess crown was askew on top of her nest of brown curls. She insisted that we continue to play Princess while I cooked. My floor length blue dress dragged on the carpet as I walked over to her so as to straighten her tiara.
"Not before dinner, your highness," I curtsied to try and please her. It didn't work. Her nose wrinkled, bringing out the freckles that sprinkled her cheeks, and her tiny mouth turned down in a harsh frown.
"No! Now! I'm the princess and I say we eat ice cream first!" She spoke forcefully as she stood up on the sofa and began to stomp her feet against the soft fabric. "Now now now now!" She screamed.
My jaw began to clench. Not now. Not this time. Every time I babysat her I tried so hard to get her to behave better. But she whined and she pouted and she screamed her little head off until I gave in. But not today. No more being a pushover.
"Claire, if you don't sit down and start behaving I will wish for the Goblin King to come and take you away!" I waved my spoon at her menacingly. Or, as menacingly as you could with a wooden spoon with a polkadot handle.
"Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!" She began to chant, stomping her feet on each word and punching her fists in the air.
"That's it! No dessert at all! I wish the Goblin King would come and take you away right now, Claire Marie Rhodes!" I screamed at her and marched back through the kitchen door.
I could her her earth shattering screams literally bounce off the walls and follow me all the way to the stove. I turned the heat back on high with a soft click of the dial.
Wait. Why could I hear the dial click? Why did Claire stop screaming? Oh my god.
Thousands of thoughts immediately flooded my head. Call it superstition if you want. I turned the heat all the way off and gripped my wooden spoon tightly in my hand. "Claire?" I called through the door that connected the living room to the kitchen. "Claire answer me!" I yelled a bit louder.
My teeth bit down harshly on my lip and my grip tightened even more, if that was possible, on my spoon. The door that connected the two rooms was just a simple swing door with no knobs or handles so, I did what any person would do.
I karate kicked the door open.
The living room was exactly as it had been a few seconds ago, minus one important detail: Claire.
A saw I figure out of the corner of my eye and spun to look at it, thinking it was Claire just trying to scare me. The second I faced the bedroom hall, the figure disappeared. "Claire?" I shouted down the hall. "Claire this isn't funny! Come out!"
Another dark figure was jumping around behind me, or so it looked from the shadow in the opposite wall. I spun on my heel and caught a glimpse of something disappearing into the side table drawer.
I dove for it but was immediately distracted by a banging on the window. A snowy white owl slammed against the glass repeatedly.
What the hell is going on? I thought, as I ran towards window to be sure it was locked.
Again, a shadow in the hallway caught my attention but as soon as I even turned to look at it, it disappeared. The side table shadow came back. Then the owl. Then the side table. Then the owl agin. Then the hall.
I kept whipping my head around, but to no avail. Finally, the window swung open and the white snowy owl shot through. I could feel the wind from its wings as it flapped dangerously close to me. I raised my hands to shield my face from the force, still gripping my trusty spoon tightly in my hand.
I watched, scared out of my mind, as the shadow of the owl on the tan carpet grew into that of a man, and a tall one at that. Before I fully comprehended anything. I screamed loudly and swung my spoon as hard as I could at the man; and that was pretty hard considering I played softball and golf my whole life.
The figure emitted a low groan as he rubbed the back of his, from what I could see, blonde head. "What the bloody-"
I cut him off with another hard swat with my spoon, this time aimed at his knuckles.
"Jesus-" He grunted, clutching at his pale hand. I swung again, aiming for a 'lower region' but this time, he caught my spoon with his good hand and yanked it from my grasp.
He swatted at my shoulder, but definitely not as hard as I swung at him; just enough for it to sting. He held the spoon to my face and wagged it in front of my nose. "That was very stupid, young lady," He told me in a very condescending tone. Was he scolding me? Was the intruder actually scolding me?
He tossed the wooden spoon off to the side where it collided with the wall. Now that he was staring me head on, I got a far better look at him. His bleach blonde hair was close cropped on the sides and little bit longer at the top. He wore a black button up shirt with faint silver stripes running vertically at half-inch intervals as well as a pair of black skinny jeans and black shoes with silvery laces. Other than that, the only thing that really differentiated him from the average man on the street, was a long black cloak draped about his shoulders and billowing out behind him like an inky sea.
But his eyes, they were most intriguing. One was a bright, glistening blue and the other, dark, earthy brown. They compelled me to keep looking back at them as I stood, slightly open mouthed before him.
"We don't have any money," I whispered. It was a lie, there was plenty of expensive antique jewelry hidden in our safe in the attic, but I was willing to try anything to make him leave.
The man smirked, using his height to its fullest advantage. When he stood straight, he was about a head and a half taller than I was. A light chuckle passed his pale lips. "We both know that isn't true, Miss Miranda Elizabeth Rhodes."
I could feel the color drain from my cheeks at the mention of my full name. He must have been watching the house. I thought darkly, flinching at the mere idea of someone observing my family.
"But that's not why I'm here," He finished, beginning to circle me. I could feel his mismatched eyes looking me up and down, finding every one of my faults and filing them away in his brain. I swear I heard him laugh as he observed my blue gown matched with all black converse high tops.
"Then why are you here?" I asked softly, wishing that I had kept my phone in the pocket of my jeans under my dress. I could picture it laying face down on the kitchen counter.
"Because you called me, of course, Miss Miranda," He smirked again, stopping his circle of doom as he stood directly in front if me. He was obviously enjoying the torture, the sheer terror that he was putting me through.
"I didn't call anyo-" I began to say back before freezing mid-sentence. My eyes had caught the cover of my little red book lying face up on the glass coffee table. The embossed, golden title shimmered in the soft light coming in through the window. The Labyrinth.
"No," I whispered under my breath, panic now growing at the prospect that I'd have to do the impossible. If what he was saying was true...
"Oh, yes," He replied with a slight chuckle. He took a step closer to me so I was fully in his shadow. "I bet you're regretting hitting me with that spoon now, aren't you?" His voice was dark with just the slightest hint of light, like he was planning all the ways he could torture me if I intended to try and complete his Labyrinth.
I took in a sharp intake of air as I imagined for myself what he could be coming up with. "Please," I said plainly, shocked into near paralysis. "Please, give me Claire back." I began to chew at the inside of my cheek, an old habit from whenever I'd gotten nervous in the past. My tongue awaited the salty taste of my own blood that I prayed would come.
He chuckled again, slightly more amused at my pitiful plea. "You'll have to do better than that if you want a shot at completing my little maze."
He wanted me to beg.
I swallowed hard when the skin finally broke in my cheek and the saltiness filled my mouth. Tears dropped from my eyes and landed on the front of my dress. "Please. Please. Please," I asked again, collapsing to my knees in utter despair. I buried my face in my hands and choked back bitter sobs that strangled my throat like snakes.
All he did was laugh. "Are you sure you want little Claire back?" My head shot up at his mere suggestion. King or no, how dare he?
"I'm sure." My jaw clenched harshly after I said my words. "I need her."
His eyes danced. He was going to play with me I just knew it. "Such a brave young lady," He whispered just loud enough for me to hear.
The normal scenery of my living room slowly faded around me until I was standing on top of a dry hill of dirt. The Goblin King was nowhere to be seen. All I could do was stare at the daunting task before me, a huge Labyrinth with very little time. To say I was scared would be an understatement.
"Scared, darling?" A voice whispered a few inches from my ear. I spun around to see the Goblin King standing next to an ornamental clock with the numbers 1-13. I didn't even really stop to think about the significance of the numbers.
I swallowed my terror and iced my eyes over. "No," I stated as confidently as I could. "I can do it."
He raised an eyebrow, as if surprised at my resolve. "We'll see," He stated with a smirk. One of his long fingers pointed to the clock which said it was just past 13:00. "You have thirteen hours to solve my little maze before your sister becomes mine forever," His smirk deepened. "Still think it's possible?"
"I think I'm smarter than you think I am. I'll beat your Labyrinth you prick." With that, I turned on my heel and took off at a run down the side of the hill. For once, the Goblin King was stunned to silence.
•••
Okay so... I never quite know what to put here but hello. I basically grew up with this movie so my love of it runs very very deep. I'm trying not to guck everything up too bad, but I might. The pictures at the top may seem completely irrelevant but they're just to kinda help you picture the characters and stuff. Mostly they'll just be David(the man who possesses my heart) and variations of Miranda just so you can get a feel of her sorta(?) This is how I personally picture her but the variations are for you guys!!! I'll tell you if they're of someone else but yeah! I'm excited and wanting to know what you think! Comment, vote, follow or whatever!