Drabble #62: Apples

[jalenstrix]

...we had a very quiet response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 61, with an entry by me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix). We were also sadly quiet on the commenting love -- oh, labyfic collective, come back to us! We miiiiiisssssss you! Comments are the lifeblood of fan writings.

I retain optimism and soldier on -- I believe in you, my dear labyfic collective!



For this prompt, we continue with our one-word drabble roots, taking inspiration from the autumnal season:

Apples

So many possibilities -- from delicious treats to associative games to symbolic temptation. Tell us all about it.




I continue to enjoy the 300 word limit, so let's continue with it for this month. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble



I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (Dec 1).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.


Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Comments

[jalenstrix]

Word count: 300
Drabble:

“Truth.”

“Okay...why not an apple?”

Jareth blinked slowly. “Instead of a peach?”

“Mmmhmm. Apples are traditionally symbolic of temptation.”

“Honestly?”

“You picked truth, didn’t you, your majesty?”

He smiled. “It just seemed so cliché. I had to have a little freedom. Your subconscious didn’t give me all that much room to maneuver.”

“That’s it?”

“Does there need to be more?”

“I suppose not.”

“My turn, then. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“So boring.”

“Says the man who just picked truth himself.”

He smiled again. “Why were you so fixated on David Bowie as a teenager?”

It was my turn to blink. “What?”

“I mentioned I had little room to maneuver? There was no room at all on appearance. Not one whit, right down to the mismatched eyes. Do you have any idea how disorienting it is to have one eye permanently dilated?” He leveled those eyes right at me. “Well?”

I blushed furiously. “I’m taking a pass on this one.”

He looked pointedly at the drinks in front of us. “You know the penalty.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I picked up the toe-curling concoction he’d put together for me and took a swig. It burned all the way going down with that particular alcoholic fury which guaranteed a serious hangover in the morning. I squinted at him. “How come you never pass on any of my questions?”

He took a hearty swig of his own concoction and leaned into me. “Perhaps you just haven’t found the right ones.”

I blinked muzzily. “You didn’t have to drink. You didn’t pass on a truth or dare.”

“True.

“Are you trying to purposefully join me in drunken splendor?”

His smile was like wildfire as he leaned even closer. “Could be.”

I touched my nose to his. “Cheater.”

“All in the eye of the beholder.”

[3iggy]

I feel like we are alone out here in the Labyverse. It makes me sad. Where has everyone gone? It was lively before.

Anyway, this was satisfyingly adorable. Cozy, hygge-like! Put me in mind of blazing fires and cozy blankets. Autumn perfection! I hope you are well!

Shaped

[redwolf]

Word count: 500
Drabble:

Sarah was not at all surprised to discover that Angel was a sculptor who worked in ceramics. She had set up her workspace for the day with Bishop and as they settled back into the meditative task of glazing tiles it gave her the opportunity to watch Angel at work.

Angel had twisted wet scrap paper into lumps and then rolled out sheets of clay to overlay the primitive frame. Sarah was gobsmacked that it only took a few minutes for a stylised fox to appear. It took a little longer for Angel to finesse the sculpture and finish it to her satisfaction, but it was still quick enough to seem like magic to Sarah.

After slicing the piece off the board and setting it aside, Angel wiped her hands down her thighs leaving streaks of clay on her overalls. Sarah had so far been using a heavy twill apron while she worked and, while it had been adequate for her glazing work, if she was to start working directly with the clay, overalls would be a sensible option if she didn’t want to return to the castle looking like she’d been ringside at a mud wrestling tournament.

While Sarah had been pondering the relative merits of protective garments, Angel had created a second smaller version of her fox sculpture.

“How did you do that so quickly?” Sarah set her glazing bottle aside and walked around the bench to admire Angel’s sculptures.

“Years of practice.” Angel shrugged. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to get my hands dirty, but I’ve been sketching out ideas while I was Above.”

“What happens next with these guys?” Sarah waved a hand towards the foxes.

“Once they’re fired they’ll be the masters. Moulds will be created and they’ll have a limited run of castings in bronze and ceramics. Jareth is involved on the metal side of things, he has a way with patinas, but Erich knows metal like nobody else.”

Angel led Sarah out of their studio and into the much larger pottery it neighboured to show her the many goblins diligently at work. She pointed out the different production stages from the slip being poured into moulds, drained and then the leather hard clay being removed from the mould and the join marks being removed before it could then dry and be fired.

“You’ve worked with enough decorative glazing to be familiar with the rest of the process.”

Sarah picked up a finished plate and admired the delicate fruit motif around the rim. She carefully flipped it over and saw a stamp with a Goblin Kingdom sigil and other pottery marks. She’d seen a lot of the tableware in passing and had never given much thought to its origins, but was delighted to learn that it was a local industry.

“Is this just for use in the kingdom?” Sarah handed the plate back to a goblin.

Angel smiled broadly. “Goblin Kingdom tableware is highly prized and exported throughout the Underground.”