Drabble #135: Broken

[redwolf]

...we had a nice response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 134, with entries by redwolf.

For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:

Broken

While broken generally carries a negative connotation, it may also imply the potential for repair, healing or renewal with the right care and attention. Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.

Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit 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
$your_beautiful_drabble

I'll be running weekly challenges in the space around jalenstrix's monthly challenges.

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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

Broken

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah’s interactions with the neighbouring kingdoms had given her the impression that they were very homogeneous, with fae in positions of power and other races and species shoved to the sidelines.

On the other hand, aside from teeming with goblins, the Goblin Kingdom had a population that was almost as varied in species as the goblins were in appearance. Those who didn’t fit within the strictures of other kingdoms seemed to eventually gravitate in their direction and were happy to submit themselves to judgement by the Labyrinth.

It wasn’t just those that wanted to escape a life of servitude, it was just as often people who wanted to step outside the traditions of their family to follow their hearts as an artist or a healer.

Then there were those who arrived because they looked different. It wasn’t until Sarah attended a formal event in another kingdom and had difficulty telling the attendees apart that she noticed the issue. They were all breathtakingly beautiful, but in a way that suggested they either shared the same cosmetic surgeon or there was a disturbingly long history of inbreeding. It was creepy and weird.

The Goblin Kingdom was a haven for those who were a little bit broken. The shapeshifters who served as guardians to the kingdom would have been slaves without the interference of the Labyrinth. Rook’s friend Doug was a textbook case for PTSD, but there were many more people who slid under the radar, such as the owner of Sarah’s favourite patisserie, who was wished away as a child due to her blindness. Sarah was still uncertain if the woman had cultivated her other senses over time or if the magic of the Underground compensated in some manner, but her lack of sight was not obvious in her everyday interactions.

One of the NGOs that Sarah had worked with was involved with neurodiversity awareness and, based on what she’d learned during her tenure, she was fairly certain several of the guardians were on the spectrum.

Based on her avoidance of physical contact with people she wasn’t close to, her discomfit in crowds, narrow focus and astounding lack of social skills, Sarah suspected that is was likely that Rook was autistic or had ADHD, but when she had attempted to explain this to Jareth, it did not go as expected.

“You mean that the traits that make Rook one of the best hunters in the Underground and a superb soldier, who has not only fought at my side, but saved my life on many occasions, is regarded as disabled by those from Above?” Jareth’s voice had taken on that very quiet, overly polite, formal accent that she recognised as a sign that he was seething.

Sarah reached out to try and assure him that things were slowly improving and that people were no longer locked away for their differences, but he vanished with a growl. She just hoped that he had gone to find Rook and wasn’t planning on torturing humans Above.