labyfic | Drabble #191: Twinkle

...we had a nice response to my last posted drabble prompt of Drabble 187, with entries by

apachefirecat, and commenting by both of them and me (one of your intrepid drabble proposers) as well. Huzzah!

As always, special labyfic love to

redwolf for adding entries and comments for several previous drabble prompts. You are the light that keeps us going strong!

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

Twinkle

What (or who) is twinkling? How exactly? Why? Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.

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
$your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get my next drabble challenge out on the first Thursday of next month (Feb 7).

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. Authors generally write for love.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Word Count: 500

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star. I wonder where you are?" Sarah murmured, drawing her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. She stared up into the night beyond her bedroom window, up into the stars where, for so long, she had ached to see the silhouette of a certain owl who was so much more. She knew he was out there somewhere, but after his subjects, even Hoggle, had suddenly stopped visiting, she had had to come accept that he was not returning for her.

She had rebuffed him. She had had no choice, not with Toby's future at stake, but she should have found a way to communicate with him, to explain that she wasn't turning him away because of him or the future he offered but for her brother's sake. Toby, for all the pains he was, had only been a baby at the time. He was still a kid, which was why, when she wasn't at university, she was still coming here. She could afford to get her own flat now, but if she did, who would be here to protect him against his mother's wiles? He'd never build a future for himself if it was left up to her stepmother, and Sarah had fought too hard and sacrificed too much for her brother's future for him not to have one now.

He didn't see it that way, of course, not yet. His mother could do no harm while her father could do little right. Both males were completely wrapped around the egotistical bitch's pinky, but one day, one day, Sarah thought, lifting her mug of hot chocolate and warming her hands against the porcelain, they would see it, or at least Toby would. She was sure of it. There'd come along a girl one day who would break her stepmother's spell and make him want to be the man of whom he was so capable of being. When that day she'd help him escape, just as she'd helped him escape the labyrinth.

Until then, it didn't hurt to come here when she wasn't at university anyway. It was a good way to save money as she studied ancient worlds and mythologies. She was going to find the way back into the Labyrinth. She was going to find her way back to Jareth. When she did, she'd make certain he knew she'd never forgotten him -- she could not forget him, no more than she could help loving him. She'd make it all clear then.

"If only you could see me now," she murmured, "in those crystal balls of yours..."

"Ah, Sarah, Sarah, I can, my love, but you've got to rescue yourself this time. I tried to set you free." He had tried to free her, but now, only she could free herself. He'd be waiting when she did, but she'd have to fight her way home to him. That was the way it was written, the way it must be.

The End

That has some interesting overtones. Giving Sarah a mission to save both herself and her brother. 🦊🧡

Drabble #191: Twinkle

One Day

Re: One Day