Drabble #256: Swollen

[redwolf]

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

Swollen

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

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Comments

Undine

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah awkwardly held a blossom, maneuvering it to give the fat bumblebee on her hand better access. While the insect was carefully inspecting her offering, she quickly sketched it. With a buzz of its wings, the bee departed, bonking into a fairy as it headed for another flower with complete disregard for the disgruntled creature who was threatening it in a shrill squeak.

The bees were much the same as their Above counterparts, but larger and they changed colours like chameleons.

She looked up from her sketch to see Jareth and Rook were still working away. Much like when they painted, there was a lot of silent communication as they made decisions on their work. They had clamped jigs to a table and were using them to wind short pieces of wood with the twisted wire they had earlier created.

Jareth had shown her a blank with a hole drilled through the length and explained that it would be wrapped with wire for a secure grip before being attached to the hilt of a knife or sword. Coils of twisted copper, bronze and silver wire were being used, sometimes in tandem to create pleasing bands of alternating colour.

There was a growing basket of completed handles on the table. Sarah knew they tended to work in batches and that some of the handles would be used for future projects, but it did seem like a large number of potential weapons. Having seen a few of their finished blades, Sarah wasn’t surprised they were sort after items in both worlds.

“Have the girls been settled yet?” Bishop asked as he set aside a sketch of an angry fairy.

“Yes, Charlie’s asthma was successfully treated.” Both children had also shown signs of malnutrition, thanks to the combination of low paying work and poor quality food being cheaper. It was a societal issue that the Labyrinth saw often.

“The girls asked to stay together and a suitable match was found with a quad of water sprites.” Sarah was pleased that the cousins would be raised as sisters. “They were unfazed at having four parents and were more interested in whether they’d be living on land or in the water.”

“A fair question,” Bishop chuckled. When everything in your new world was so different it was a steep learning curve. Even when those Above had some knowledge of Underground races, tales of water sprites occurred across many cultures with vastly differing descriptions.

“Hazy was more concerned about books swelling up in the damp than she was about the possibility of living underwater.”

“Nice to know she has her priorities right.” Bishop turned to a blank page in his sketch book and eyed off a fairy who was sitting astride a flower, threatening a bee with a clenched fist.

“It’s a good thing kids are resilient,” Sarah sighed. “Compared to the horrors many of them went through Above, unexpected living arrangements wouldn’t even rate a raised eyebrow if you showed them a safe living environment.”