The riddle of the Labyrinth 4. A father inprisoned

Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw legs appear next to her own jeans clad ones. Stopping her shoegazing, she turned and spotted a stranger sitting down next to her on the low bench, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Sarah hadn't expected anyone else coming to this corner of the garden. Not in the middle of the afternoon, where everyone else was presumed to be in school or at work, save for her, skipping school partly because of not having done her chemistry homework and partly to get some time to think. And the old lady living on the first floor did seldom venture out this far in the garden.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry to cause such a stir," the visiting woman said with a perky smile of the kind that was melting her smart features into the very picture of warmth, her glittering eyes holding a unique, almost iridescent color of verdant green that only presents itself in the new leaves of spring.
"Who are you?" Sarah, having been caught off-guard, had lost her grasp on the smooth charm she tended to use as a weapon. "And what are you doing in our garden? Are you visiting someone?"

There came a buttery-sweet laugh, quiet and subtle, pleasing the very air. Composing herself again, Sarah looked the visitor over, finding her to be very different from the regular people around. Her skin was a pale, rich honey-yellow colour, almost like a Japanese or Chinese and her raven black hair was gathered into a tight knot almost on the top of her head. She had a queenly look to her, with exaggerated yet graceful features. Features which were more Caucasian than Asian in spite of her colouring. Her long, slender body was dressed in a pair of silver-coloured jeans and a white blouse adorned with black patterns, the likes of which Sarah had never seen. Her outer raiment was a classic beige trench coat, elegant in simplicity. And she appeared oddly dry in spite of the light rain which was falling.

"I am Umbrianna, an acquaintance of Julienne Seibe. A visitor to, uhm, this world. And you, dear child, ought to be her daughter, I assume."
"Yes I am, however you might have come on a better day than this," Sara replied tentatively, ignoring the visitor's definitely foreign accent and unexpected choice of words. "Mother'll be working late tonight, and when she get home, she won't be in the mood for guests, I'm afraid." She paused as she moved her eyes up to the large house and the tiled path meandering through the high grass down to the arbour, confused as how to someone may sneak up on her like that without a single sound heard. "Where do you come from?" she finally settled for.

"I come from what can best be described as a hallowed land," Umbrianna replied enigmatically. Several questions raced through Sarah's head at those words, and she tried to sequence them so they might be retorted in the best possible way.
"Then you must be very blessed indeed."
"Some tell me I am. But I'm no more blessed than any others."
"Where is this land, then?" Sarah pried, "as I can hear that you're not from any English speaking part of the world." As those words left her lips she instantly felt ashamed of herself, because it was such an impolite thing to hint at. To her astonishment, Umbrianna let out a hearty, full laugh with deep tones.

"No, I live far from any country where your mother tongue is spoken on day to day basis."
"So, you are a traveler, then? Or shall I be honored by knowing that you only stopped by to visit me?" Sarah asked sweetly.
"Sarah, daughter of Julienne, I am here to offer you something that your acquaintances have of long deprived you."
"In such a case," Sarah said warily, "What do you think they have kept from me?"

"The society of the Celestians, of course," Umbrianna rejoined with ease, standing up and offering her hand to help Sarah up.
"The what?" Sarah breathed in as she accepted the gesture, raising and feeling her jeans edges brush the wet grass.
"The place beyond the edge of the Cosmos of Earth," Umbrianna answered, with the same matter-of-fact voice as if she was mentioning something as mundane as Charing Cross.  
"Say what?"
"The universe where you should've been a welcomed guest ages ago, since you have family there."

The two began heading up towards the house, Umbrianna leading the way and somehow she managed to navigate the narrow path without getting brushed with wetness from the thorny branches of the briar roses. When they reached the patio, Umbrianna rounded it smoothly and guided Sarah with her through the narrow path beside the hedge cutting off their property to the neighboring one. The little place where they kept shovels, rakes and other garden equipment. As they snaked themselves through these things Sarah couldn't help feeling perplex over how peculiarly well bewandered this woman seemed to be with their garden.

"Family," she said as they exited on the other side. "I've no family save for mother. And a father who's remarried and living in Glasgow, Scotland these days. He sends me money for a car when I get older and Christmas cards, that's the only thing I know. I know nothing about anybody called the Celestians. And what do you mean, it's not on Earth?"
"Just what I'm saying. Haven't your mother told you anything of worth? Anything of your family in other places? Glasgow, I mean really!"

"What are you implying?" Sarah shot back quickly. "That there's something peculiar with my father? Besides being absent of course!" There was a brief moment of silence and then Sarah relented. "I would rather not come across as rude, but please tell me what this is all about!" She glanced at Umbrianna to see the reaction.
"No need to feel ashamed of anything you need to ask, dear one." Umbrianna had a humble, soft smile on her face.

"Are you trying to tell me that my mother has been lying to me?" Pulling her brows together she reluctantly followed the stranger out from the garden, curiosity taking over her discomfort – at least for the time being.
"Not lying," Umbrianna replied as she turned and they began walking towards the upper end of the street past fenced in gardens with townhouses like Sarah's own. "Merely withholding the truth."
"I can hardly believe you. Do you not know my Mother?"
"I know her very well, thus I grasp why she has chosen to spare you from the secrets of her earlier years, including the real reason why she left your father. But you're fifteen years of age now, Sarah, nearly on the brink of adulthood. It's time for you to learn a bit about yourself. Including your birthright as a Celestian."

"And just what is a Celestian?"
"A Celestian is a member of the race humans has called everything from Angels to Elves. Your precursors have been known as the gods of the ancients, the ones who taught the Egyptians and the Mayans to build the pyramids and to gaze up in the sky, trying to understand the ways by which your universe is working."
"Our universe?" Sarah asked, abandoning all attempts to regain her intellectual footing. "As in opposite of what? Your own?"
"Yes, you might say that. Tell me, what did your mother impart when it comes to your father?"

Sarah was itching to ask Umbrianna what she could possibly mean by the former statement, but supposed she might answer a question or two herself first, simply to gain trust.
"She told me we used to live together in Scotland before she and father divorced when I was three."
"What do you remember of that time?"
"I don't quite remember because I was very little. All I can recall is a large townhouse – a villa even, and that it was near the water. Not water like the ocean, but something like a river or a lake or something."
"Did you live by the water? Or did you just have a view over it?"
"Perhaps we lived by it, yes. I remember the boats, I could see them from the kitchen window. White boats with large chimneys belching out smoke. And perhaps a sailboat or two," Sarah said softly, trying to summon up more about it. Umbrianna gave her very little time to ponder before the next question came.

"And how about other people? Beside your parents I mean? Anyone coming to your mind?"
"Not really. I only remember the people we met when mother and I moved here to the London area and Chelsea. Father stayed behind, and later remarried. However I've never met any of his new family."
"That's because they do not exist," Umbrianna hesitated briefly, as if figuring how to continue. "Your father never remarried, your mother left him because he was sent to jail. As a matter of fact they are still married. At least according to the laws where your mother and I come from. How it works here in the United Kingdom I do not know."

"In prison?" Sarah stopped dead on the pavement, gazing at Umbrianna in bewilderment. "What did he do?"
"He tried to dethrone a king. The High King of Eralda. Sure you must have been told about Eralda at least."
"Uh, no?" Sarah was thinking fast now. Her father in prison for being a revolutionary. For instigating a coup which obviously failed. A political prisoner – was this what Umbrianna was trying to imply? Was Sarah expected to take up some kind of gauntlet and follow in her father's doubtlessly bloody footsteps? "Mother never told me a thing about these places or who my father was – what he did. Sure, I can almost understand now why mother kept this for me, I'm pretty sure she felt threatened – or at least ashamed, feeling the need to run away."

"Yes, it explains why she ran, why she hid here on Earth, where it's possible to easily disappear among the billions of humans. But it does not explain why she didn't tell you about the Celestians – about who you really are."
"She never mentioned them to me," Sara suddenly felt sadness colouring her voice.
"That is very unfortunate for a young girl like yourself!" Umbrianna shook her head. "I wouldn't be surprised if it were even detrimental. Well, you need not worry, for I shall be your guide.

The rain picked up to some extent as they walked further on and Sarah folded up her hoodie to cover her hair and face. Umbrianna seemed unbothered though. As a matter of fact she wasn't even wet, her trench coat looked perfectly dry and her raven hair was still flawless. That slight oddity was what made Sarah beginning to believe that this stranger really had something to back up her words with. That the things she was saying wasn't totally bollocks.

They turned corners twice and descended a small flight of stairs in a gulch between two lots, the steps worn and nearly destroyed by growing weed, and above them branches reached out, forming almost a tunnel, banishing most of the rain, even if some large drops found their way between the leaves, splished and splashed down and wetted Sarah. These were places Sarah seldom went, simply because she never had any errant in this area. Everything of interest lied in the opposite direction. The stairs led them down to the end of a quiet side street. On the other side of an unkempt hedge of wild roses, the woods began.

Oh! Listen," Umbrianna cut herself off as they came to a stop, straining their ears. Sarah could hear it. Even the wind was different for it struck trees and not buildings. It whipped through vehicles, fencing and leaves, which were swept off the trees and came dancing towards them, yellow and red as the season designated. In the far distance, a train was blowing its whistle. The overtones of speech and the constant noise of the cars had taken another, different  cadence, as if heard through a funnel, so faint that the ear might be turned away, to instead listen to the rhythmic thrumming of the heart.

The light was different too, and Sarah realized now that they were standing just where the inhabitations ended and the town turned into countryside, into wilderness. In front of them was a small lake, not much more than a glade to be true, and it was oddly still, and filled partly with water lilies, reed and fallen orange leaves. She wasn't familiar with this place, and it all made her feel so odd. Daring a glance behind her shoulder she realized they must have walked quite a bit during the time they had been conversing, because she didn't recognize a thing. There was hardly any sign of the town, instead they were surrounded by a neat and park-like forest.

It was now Sarah became scared for real, she was lost – out with a stranger in a place she did not know. A stranger who might not be right in her head, taking in mind what she just had been telling. Suddenly it hit Sarah that this Umbrianna might very well be making these oddities up. Her mother had warned her about following strange men, but never said anything about women. But wasn't that just prejudices, a crazy woman might well be as treacherous as a crazy man.

"Where have you taken me – and why?" Sarah asked, trying to keep her voice levelled.
"I'm just trying to feel around the edges of your life," Umbrianna answered, "It becomes rather noisome to hear rumor upon rumor of Julianne's children." Sarah flinched and whipped her head around to pointedly stare at Umbrianna,  who went on. "And never finding a single trace of them. I can arrest my own curiosity when it has been sated, so do tell me more about how you have been living."
"'Rumor upon rumor of Julianne's children'? My mother never mentioned I have a brother or sister."

"If you treat every horse you come across like a brother, then you will have shown true sisterly love," Umbrianna said enigmatically. Sarah stared at the older woman with loathing and horror. "You can just barely tolerate the truth about your jailed father and yet you are his daughter. Imagine why she has always kept the truth about him hidden." Sarah felt that she was done asking questions for now, and let silence lapse between them.

"So what did you come to me for?"
"To awaken your curiosity. To make you yearn for learning about the real you in earnest, the real truth about your heritage."
"How can I find out more?"
"Did you ever have a mentor of any sort?"
"I go to school. Here in the burb."
"Then Julianne has seriously broken with tradition," Sarah felt slighted and Umbrianna could sense it. "However, if it makes you feel any better, perhaps you haven't had one yet because the future has something else in store for you."

"And just what should that be?" Sarah was not yet ready to lower her guard.
"There are certain things that prevent me from being able to reveal more than this," Umbrianna responded simply and Sarah's spirits sunk. "I'm sure, though, that things will change very soon. Now listen, we should get you back before your mother learns what happened."
"She won't be back from work until..." then Sarah's eyes fell upon her watch – and she saw that more than four hours had passed since they had left the garden. "What have you done with the time? And..." she stared around among the trees "... and where are we?"

"In a safe place – where we could discuss these things in earnest, and without eavesdropping ears."
"What... ears?"
"You never know how many people there are out there who might be listening in on things. And other beings than people also. I may sound like your mother when I say this, but there are truly some people that you should be concealed from. You have an entirely different destiny than most others, one that's never likely to formed again. By keeping you away from your destiny, your mother is playing right into fate's hands! We must go back now."

With those words, Sarah was much more willing to return home. They retreated from the forest clearing, then all of a sudden, they were back in the burg again and merely five minutes later did they finally come back the red brick house where Sarah and her mother lived.
"Here is where I take leave of you, dear Sarah," Umbrianna said. "We shall meet again soon, but until then, take this," she held out her hand to Sarah.

The gift was nothing but foreign coin, which both confused and disappointed Sarah. When she looked up, Umbrianna had already disappeared. Sarah sighed and walked back to the house, hiding the coin in an inner pocket of her jacket.

Julianne called her just as she got to her room and found a safe place for the coin. She went back down the stairs and into the kitchen to help with whatever task her mother had for her, yet she had a new hope that someone would come for her, so menial tasks were a little more bearable.