Drabble #56: Falling and Trust

[redwolf]

Digging up an old challenge from Livejournal:

This prompt comes courtesy of maq_moon -- a quote from Robin Skynner:

"To walk, we have to lean forward, lose our balance, and begin to fall. We let go constantly of the previous stability, falling all the time, trusting that we will find a succession of new stabilities with each step."

Mmmm, can you just imagine the possibilities? Falling and trust and instability and assurance. Tell me all about it. All the falling. All the trust. All of it, I say!

Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit for this month of 500 words. 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

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. Authors generally write for love.)

Comments

Trial

[redwolf]

Word count: 500
Drabble:

There was an undercurrent of impending unrest, not unlike the heavy atmosphere of an approaching storm. With this mood making everyone in the Kingdom restless, the Labyrinth had insisted quite strongly that she needed a test run of her rescue team.

Sarah was feeling slightly disconnected from reality as she stood in the middle of the training room. She nodded to Jareth in his place by the door, Rook and Erich at his side in their wolf forms, and closed her eyes as she prepared herself.

Jareth had asked her to feel her connection to the Labyrinth and use it to call her guardians. She took a deep breath, feeling the steady thrum of the structure in her mind and then, as if a switch had been flipped, it was gone. She dropped to her knees in shock.

Before the echoes of her scream had died down, a pair of huge voids appeared in the room. In a blink they had shed their shadow forms and Bishop and Angel pulled her into their arms. They clung to each other, Sarah sobbing in relief as she felt her connection to the Labyrinth return. She may have been imagining things, but she felt a subtle hint of apology.

With unnaturally loud footfalls, Jareth approached her and quietly suggested they retire to one of the gardens. Bishop nodded and, before she could respond, he ported them from the room.

Sarah had a brief moment of fierce love for Jareth as saw a marquee erected over a mound of cushions and gratefully collapsed into their plush comfort. Not only had Jareth prepared her a sanctuary, but she smiled at the decadent treats that he had ensured were within their easy reach.

Her breathing was still erratic and she wasn’t the only one suffering a bad case of the shakes in the aftermath. While she’d seen Jareth’s team perform a rescue drill, as she didn’t yet have the history of performing under fire, Sarah assumed her test would be much easier. She was both right and wrong on that count. While she was certain that they were missing the traumatic element of a live incident, she didn’t anticipate the loss of connection to the Labyrinth or how the adrenaline spike would impact her guardians and the pain she’d feel about causing it.

Once the shakes had subsided, they laughed as they recounted their first trial, until Angel had rolled aside to stretch out for a pastry. All three of them had gasped in distress and made a panicked grab for each other, realising that their recovery was going to be a work in progress as they figured out what worked for them. It seemed that their initial need for physical contact post trial was much the same as Jareth’s team.

In the end their comedown was much briefer that Jareth’s had been and Sarah did have to wonder if that was due to their ridiculous intake of sugar thanks to indulging in a baking marathon.

Re: Trial

[jalenstrix]

It’s so good to have a supportive, forward-thinking (and forward-baking) team when disaster strikes (even if only in practice)!

Re: Trial

[redwolf]

The Labyrinth can be quite demanding, so it does help that there are people around to offer support. And pastry 🦊🧡