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Drabble #161: Scared
For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:
Scared
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.)
Scared
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
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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.)
Interference
“Did you have a good day, my love?” Jareth ran his fingers lightly down the length of Sarah’s arm. She wasn’t quite certain if he was using magic to cause the delightful sensations that rippled out from his touch or if it was just their bond at play, but she sighed softly and melted further into his embrace.
“Mmm…” Sarah’s brain finally engaged enough to bypass her husband’s cunning distraction techniques to respond. “Yeah, it was nice to spend a day Above as a tourist. Angel found the coolest rooftop bar.”
Jareth snorted. “Of course she did and I’m sure she was on first name terms with the staff five minutes after walking through the door.”
Sarah grinned into Jareth’s chest, not denying his assessment. “She does have a way with people, but she may have outdone herself this time.”
“So how did Angel endear herself?” He looked down, tipping Sarah’s chin up with a finger to grace her lips with a gentle kiss.
Sarah chuckled as she recalled the sport of watching frat boys trying to pick up young Italian women. A pair of trust fund nepo babies ran through every terrible pickup technique in their playbook. If only they’d understood the language, they might have realised that the young ladies were commenting on the uncouth behaviour and tiny penis size of loud Americans.
“A couple of backpackers were bothering other patrons and being rude to the staff.”
“There’s no need for that,” Jareth whispered against her temple.
“They kept demanding brewskis.” Sarah managed to inject enough venom into the word that the finger quotes were more than implied.
“A sure sign they were serial killers.”
“Right,” Sarah gestured dramatically. “It’s a good thing the Italian girls made a quiet exit via the kitchen, because the boys were making plans that did not have the ladies best interests at heart.” Jareth didn’t reply, but Sarah could feel the growl that rumbled through his chest.
It had taken a good half hour before they noticed their prey was not returning and it might have been amusing if they hadn’t started to make plans to go hunting.
“Angel thought it best to run interference.” An easy task when they couldn’t resist the lure of a pretty girl. “It didn’t help their case when they asked why two hot chicks were hanging out with a black, British fairy. Misogyny, racism, classism, xenophobia and homophobia. It was a bingo card of terrible behaviour, so Angel and Bishop staged an intervention by dangling them off the roof.”
Jareth laughed loudly. “Subtle.”
“Once they finally grasped that threats weren't having the desired effect, they switched to begging and crying.”
“She made them apologise to the entire bar, didn’t she?”
“Yes, she did. Then she lifted their phones and enlightened their parents about their wayward offspring's behaviour and strongly suggested the boys leave the country before they offended the wrong people.”
“All while giving them the impression that she was the wrong people.”
“It was glorious.”
Re: Interference
Re: Interference
Re: Interference
Just a labyrinth
There's a moment, a pocket of time, some ticks on a 13-hour-clock, where the labyrinth's very name is written in stone and it becomes its firmest version of itself, and Sarah is stuck with running left, right, then back because that was a dead-end, then left, right, right, left, right, left.
There are no breaks. No space for anything other that blank stone walls. No fancy decorations, no little creatures crawling beneath stone, no song or colors.
Just an normal labyrinth's twist and turns. Endless.
Sarah pants, reflects on which way is the right one, then miserably realizes it doesn't matter. She sticks to the right.
Right, right, right, left, back, right, left, left, left…
She runs faster, yet the walls around her do not change. Only Sarah's weakening muscles and the sweat clinging to her shirt is proof that she's moving forward.
Moving somewhere.
Right, left, right, left, left right left right right right rightleft…
Sarah's heart beats loudly. It's hard to discern the exact time. For how long has she been running? It's all spinning now, and she almost stumbles around the next corner.
leftrightleftleftrightrightrightleftrightrightleftrightleftleftleftrightrightright-
The turns of the labyrinth seem closer together. It almost feels like Sarah is spinning around in circles from how fast she has to take a new turn. Her face feels wet. Tears?
She tries to climb over one of the walls but only falls down again. Scrapes up her knees. Continues running.
and she turns rightleftleftrightrightleftrightleftleftrightrightrightleftrightleft
The labyrinth continues on, and on, and on. In the distance, over her heavy sobbing, Sarah imagines she can hear the low sound of distant laughter.
Re: Just a labyrinth
Re: Just a labyrinth