Drabble #142: Collect

[redwolf]

...we had a nice response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 141, with entries by redwolf.

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

Collect

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.

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. Authors generally write for love.)

Comments

Nest

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah had been sceptical about Jareth’s suggestion to introduce Ada and George to Doug as a prospective parent. Most of the times she’d encountered the man, it was when he was coping with the effects of PTSD, but she was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

They had escorted the Labyrinth’s newest subjects to a cottage on the outskirts of Goblin City. Ada had been delighted to ride on Rook who, in her wolf form, was significantly larger than George. With his big feet and gangly limbs, Sarah guessed the wolf was still an adolescent, but she wondered if life Underground would see him grow as large as the Guardians.

The introduction had gone well, with Doug showing Ada around his workshop and pointing out several in progress projects. While Sarah would have expected a typical six year old to be excited by the intricate automata that Doug created, Ada was fascinated with how they were made and her curiosity found a balance in an engineer who patiently explained things for her.

Jareth and Rook excused themselves while Sarah joined the new family in the yard, to allow Niamh give a tour of her lovingly tended garden and vegetable patch, when they were startled by a flurry of fairies bursting from the base of a shrub. The naiad started shooing them away with frantically waving arms, which was enough to encourage Ada and George to join her efforts.

The swarm may not have been concerned about waving arms, but the young wolf soon put the fear of George into them, as he snapped at the pests and they swiftly departed for shrubbery in a less bitey neighbourhood. Niamh gratefully thanked her young assistants and was showing them the damage the fairies caused when Jareth called everyone back into the house.

The cottage was comfortable for two people, but a little cramped for four, so Jareth had magicked an additional room onto the cottage for the youngsters. He’d recruited Rook to assist in adding wolf friendly accommodations to the room.

Ada and George bounded into the room, inspecting every detail and showing each other their discoveries. The room was utilitarian, allowing plenty of scope for personalisation over time, but it was well thought out.

To maximise space, a large bed was elevated in a loft with a desk below it, but instead of the expected ladder, it was accessed via steps that provided copious storage options. The largely open floor space had a large depression filled with pillows that would make a cosy sleeping spot for a wolf and a girl. They dove into the pit to test it for size and comfort, vanishing from sight aside from George’s fluffy tail.

With a brief discussion on the details of where Ada and George would need to be in the upcoming days as they commenced their education, the new family was left to settle in.

In the end, Sarah realised she should have trusted Jareth’s experience in housing children.