The Darkened Queen

Days Past

Sarah smiled as she straightened up her fictional section and then went about making her rounds of her shop. Though she knew times had changed, she had the earie feeling of being watched and she kept expecting to find Jareth around the corner.

Her memories of the past were beginning to bleed into her present state and it was becoming troublesome. So far, she had always been alone when they took hold of her or she was able to beat the memory down.

Still, if her concentration slipped, even for a moment, she would see things from a past life in her present one. Whether that be a little sister running ahead of her, her childish laughter echoing back to Sarah, and her pig tails trailing behind, or Jareth watching her from the shadows. It was beginning to become frustrating.

She would be in the middle of a conversation only to find that the person she spoke with she had spoken to over a century past. Luckily, no one had yet to see her speaking to seemingly nothing, but Sarah knew it would not be long until she was caught.

Even though it had felt right at the time, Sarah was debating her choice of opening her little shop. Her visions would attack her, viciously, and she would find herself in the past, in her father's bookshop. It would take her a few minutes to come back to herself and, even when she did, Sarah found that she would be shaky.

Then there was the issue of sorting out her past lives. What she once found acceptable in one life, Sarah found horrifying in this one. For instance, she had once lived in Scotland and the food she had once loved now repulsed her. Also, the different styles of fashion and the differences in society. Sarah had been dressing one morning and, after another memory, had found that she had pinned her hear up.

She had been pulled into the memory of when she lived during the first World War. Though times had been hard, one day she had left the house with her hair half pinned, and had gotten her ear chewed off by her mother. The changes in society were also throwing her. It was strange to see how the rules of public affection also had changed.

It was strange to have the memories of a woman who lived in a time when a couple would not dare to walk too close to each other, then she saw a couple kissing in the street. It had nearly given her a heart attack. She had heard a particular aunt who she had never liked, and who had died long, long ago (thank the gods), screaming in her head about the decline of the proper lady.

Then there was all the memories of puberty, gods once had been worse enough, but now she had hundreds of terrible memories. There was also the sorrow of having lived through the loss of loved ones. Though Sarah had never lived to be very old, she had seen more than one pair of her parents pass and every time her cell rang her heart nearly stopped.  

Sarah stood behind her counter and doodled on a pad of paper, business was slow, and she was debating if she should just close up early. She doubted anyone would notice if she did. Still, even if she made one sale it would be better than none.

Ruby had stopped in earlier to chat and gossip, but that had been hours ago and now Sarah had nothing to entertain her...hell she was in a shop full of books. She could never truly be bored, but she had read most of the books in her shop. Whether she had read them in her present life or in a past one, one thing remained constant about Sarah: she detested reading a book twice.

"Good evening, Miss Williams." Sarah began regretting her decision to keep the shop open. Though, Sarah mused, even if she had locked up, he still would have found a way to corner her. It was inventible and she supposed that it better now than later. Even if she would have preferred that it was later.  

"Evening, Mr.Gold." Sarah answered with as much politeness as she could must. The man glanced over the bookshelves overflowing with merchandise and then the few bake goods Sarah had on sale. Sarah had the uncanny and unsettling feeling that he was judging her and finding her lacking.