Drabble #211: Long

[redwolf]

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

Long

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

Knack

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Goblins were exceedingly good at breaking things and, as not everything they encountered succumbed to being pushed off a ledge or beaten with a blunt object, they had a talent for finding the fastest way to take anything apart. Conversely, those skills at destruction also served them well as creators.

One of the major export streams that the Goblin Kingdom supplied to the Underground was the bulk of people’s everyday wares. While other realms specialised in high end luxury goods, their works were narrow focused and couldn’t compete with the huge array of household linens, ceramics, cookware and furniture, along with larger equipment like farming equipment and tools. There would be few people who didn’t own at least one of the many well made and ubiquitous products that left the Kingdom.

Trades didn’t always follow family tradition, with Goblins tending to gravitate towards endeavors that suited their individual talents, but there were occasional outliers.

Sarah shared studio space with the goblins who designed the domestic ceramics. They were a colourful, gregarious bunch who were currently tied up with a commission that was causing them headaches. She’d seen the specifications and wasn’t certain it was possible for anyone to create something elegant from a clashing colour scheme that looked like the pavement outside a pub at closing time, but she wished them the best.

With the design team otherwise engaged, it was left to Sarah to figure out what to do with a young goblin who had a shown passion for ceramics. When he’d started his training, he’d so far proven incapable of colouring within the lines to produce identical items. He hadn’t been able to articulate what he wanted and Sarah was at a loss as to how she could help him.

Ignoring the good natured background cursing of fae with poor taste, Sarah watched the young goblin tentatively reach up to the shelf where she kept her owl shaped glazing samples. As he stroked them reverently, it gave Sarah an idea.

She had him select the glazes he wanted to work with while she retrieved a tray of bisque fired mugs. Setting the tray down on a workbench, Sarah asked him to decorate the blanks however he saw fit.

With an excited grin that showed far too many sharp teeth, the apprentice potter dived into the project with enthusiasm.

Sarah watched in delight as each mug was treated differently. There were splashes and drips on some and clever, precisely painted geometric designs on others, all of them unique.

Admiring his ambition when the glazes bore no resemblance to their fired states, Sarah followed his work, ensuring a clean base to each mug. She slotted letter blocks into a holder and neatly stamped the artist’s name underneath, before returning them to the tray for a later firing.

If his work was as impressive as she expected, this was a goblin whose talents may not be appreciated when it came to Underground dinnerware, but they would definitely find an audience Above.