Drabble #192: Found

[redwolf]

...we had a nice response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 191, with entries by apachefirecat and redwolf,

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

Found

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

Corymbia

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah’s plans for working on her ceramics project came to a halt when she couldn’t find the glaze to match the sample that she’d chosen. Pocketing her colour reference, she went to see if she could get some more. Anything pigment related was Thadie’s specialty and Sarah hoped that whoever had used the last of the glaze had ordered more at the time.

The Labyrinth helpfully directed Sarah to Thadie and it was no surprise that she was in her preferred habitat of the greenhouses. As she entered the space, the humidity enveloped her like a cloak and she followed the sound of conversation to a large workroom.

“That’s a lovely selection, Gronk. Corymbia.” The small goblin holding out an armful of leaves for Thadie’s inspection nodded in agreement. “Put them in the green bucket, please. Your haul from yesterday has been prepped and is ready now if you’d like to be my assistant.”

Sarah smiled as the goblin almost vibrated in excitement at the offer.

“How can I help you, Sarah?” Thadie asked as she stirred a large pot.

Passing her a small owl sculpture, Sarah asked if the matching glaze had been ordered.

Thadie nodded. “Bishop asked me a couple of days ago. I have a couple of batches ready, but I’m in the middle of a dye job, if you don’t mind waiting.”

“Now it’s my turn to ask how I can help,” Sarah grinned in response.

“Thank you.” She turned and fished a wet lump of fabric from the pot, squeezed the water from it and dumped it on one of the long benches. “We need to stretch this out flat.”

Sarah and Thadie worked to get what was a long length of wet pale silk laying flat on the surface. She then took another pot of wet leaves and placed it on the table.

“Gronk, these are your leaves, so hop up here and show me what you can do with them. But you know the rules.”

With a bounce, Gronk landed on the table and looked up at Thadie with his hand on his heart. “No stepping on pretty.” He looked pleased at having gotten the admonition correct, but then to Sarah’s shock, he thrust his hands into the container of wet leaves and started throwing them on the clean silk.

As Thadie’s reaction was to start stretching out another length of silk, Sarah moved to assist her. “What’s he doing?”

“The fabric’s been soaking in a mordant and Gronk is now spreading leaves out to create a print. When he’s done, I’ll roll it up and steam it and then,” Thadie handed Sarah a bound bundle of damp fabric. “You can untie that and see what we’re making.”

Sarah carefully cut the string and started to unwind the bundle, gasping at the delicate patterns of bright orange leaves that were revealed. “It’s gorgeous, but those leaves are green.”

“It’s the tannins in the leaves creating the colour.” Thadie explained. “Welcome to my world.”

The Goblin King Finds

[apachefirecat]

Word Count: 500
(WARNING FOR CHILD ABUSE!)



Jareth sighed as he looked down at the tiny baby whose ribs were so clear to see even through his striped pajamas, the traditional set Jareth had placed him into when he'd first taken him from his mother. The system needed to be tweaked, and for a change, not because of or to better serve him. That bitch should not have been able to beat the Labyrinth. Yet she had, and had still tossed the child in a back alley in her own world rather than take care of him.

Jareth's fingers curled. His people surrounded him, but not even the biggest Troll dared make a noise. Of them all, it was the Dwarf who moved first. He walked, head lowered, solemnly to his King's side and knelt on one knee. Jareth didn't need to check the babe to know life had left the poor thing. This was why he was so grateful to the Goblins. His own mother had not wanted him, but they had. They had taken him in, raised him, and then made him King when it was time for the old King to retire into the Cavern of Talking Heads.

Jareth held tight fists at his sides. He would not show emotion, not here, not now, not in this world of true monsters, or in the world below of so many misunderstood creatures. He stared straight down, unseeing, unmoving, as Hoggle looked up.

Tears were in the Dwarf's eyes. His mouth opened, then shut. Sorrowfully, he shook his head. "Do what needs doing," Jareth instructed to which Hoggle nodded. The King turned his back on one of his most loyal servants. Despite the part of betrayer he placed in every routine Labyrinth game, he knew Hoggle was far too afraid of him to ever betray him. He knew most of his servants were loyal out of their fear, but nonetheless, they had taken him in when he'd been an unwanted child not unlike that boy.

Thunder cracked. Jareth soared with the lightning that followed. He'd find the mother, and tonight's visit would be the last any ever paid to her. In the meantime, the Goblins would take the boy home and bury him with the rest of the discarded children this world didn't want. His kingdom was becoming too much of a graveyard, Jareth thought, but the boy's body would be cared for better than he was in life. He could not say the same for the mother.

These were true monsters, he thought, and for once, he was thankful to not have a place Above Ground. He was still pulled to this world. He was fascinated by it for many reasons, but in the end, it was a far crueler and colder place than the Labyrinth would ever be. He heard his people weeping for the young life who had never held much of a chance. They wept for every one of them, no matter how many. No wonder these people had such short lifespans.


The End

Re: The Goblin King Finds

[redwolf]

A haunting tale. I would imagine that Goblin King vengeance is not going to be a basket of puppies and rainbows visited upon the abusive human 🦊🧡

Re: The Goblin King Finds

[apachefirecat]

You can bet it won't!