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labyfic2018-10-05 12:01 am
jalenstrix) wrote in labyfic2018-10-05 12:01 am
Entry tags:
Drabble #73: Treat
...we had a stronger response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 72, with entries by the tremendous
3iggy and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix). 3iggy and I also represented the labyfic collective with commenting love — huzzah!Mwah to my labyfic collective!
For this prompt, we continue with our one-word drabble roots, with a word inspired by a Halloween pastime:
Treat
Trick or...? Whose treat is it? What kind of treat? Oh, do tell us exactly what kind of treat....
Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the 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
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble
I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Thursday of next month (Nov 1).
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.)
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I banged my head gently against my desk. This creeping tide of email just wasn’t getting any smaller. For every one I sent out, three more seemed to spring up in its place like a damned hydra.
My eyes were starting to cross. I needed a break. I needed a treat, dammit, or I was going to lose it completely and run screaming from the room. Okay, maybe more like shamble mumbling from the room, but still.
I folded my arms on my desk and dropped my head onto them. Just a few blessed moments of reprieve, of not staring at a goddamned screen, of just letting my mind wander...
In the darkness behind my eyelids, there were shoes. Supple derby laceup shoes in a brilliant purple scaled leather, shiny as hell and gorgeous as sin. Men’s shoes, in fact, attached to some very fine masculine legs encased in tailored grey pinstripe trousers and stretched out sensuously on a familiar leather ottoman.
Sometimes I really loved my subconscious.
As do I, Sarah mine. Jareth’s voice cascaded through my mind like liquid velvet. Wherever did you find these shoes?
I think they’re based on some John Fluevogs I saw. They suit you.
We shall have to order some. He crossed his legs, bobbing one purple shoe up and down. Now, when are you coming home?
I sighed, holding the long, lean shape of him in mind. You know I have to finish this email up before I can. Just like always.
Something I’ve been meaning to discuss. Exactly why must you finish that, hmmm?
We’ve been through this. You know the Labyrinth can’t hold a reliable wireless or cellular signal. Hence, no email access.
Mmhmm. But why must you finish it now?
A whisper of breath heated the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.
Stop that! I’ll be home soon. The more you distract me, the longer this will take.
The heat ran slowly along the length of my shoulder, along with the phantom press of lips. You will come home now.
Jareth, I can’t!
Another breath of heat along my neck, just below my ear. Tell me, Sarah mine, what exactly would happen if you simply couldn’t finish those emails right now. If you had to wait till tomorrow for them.
I’d be behind. People waiting for me wouldn’t have an answer.
Mmm. Heat along my jawline now, with the barest hint of sharp teeth. So other people would have to wait a little longer for you. Do tell why you prefer your beloved husband to wait instead of other people you care less for.
Oh, hell...when you put it like that…
I surely do. Phantom hands caressed along my collar bone, moving lower with achingly slow precision. Come home, love. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.
I smiled despite myself. I love you, you know. You manipulative bastard.
Your manipulative bastard.
Oh, most definitely.
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Treat
Shopkeepers greeted them as they passed, before getting on with their business. The usual hubbub of the citizenry as they went about their day providing a background to their conversation.
It was a pleasant afternoon for a stroll and Sarah was enjoying hearing about Jareth’s day. She was not yet fully acquainted with the intricacies of metal casting and finishing, but she delighted in his passion for the subject. As she queried him on unfamiliar points, she appreciated his talent for explaining things in a manner that made it simple for a novice to understand.
A small goblin scampered by, performing a complicated somersault as it passed to wave at them before it ran on.
“That was the same goblin who was helping you dismantle the Beetle, wasn’t it?” Sarah was certain it had been Rook’s surprisingly attentive assistant.
“The car?” Sarah nodded. “Yes, it was.”
“That can’t have been the same glove he was given that day?” The goblin had been munching on a black nitrile glove the last time she’d seen him too.
“No, love.” Jareth shook his head with a laugh. “Rook was wearing a pair today when she was sharpening blades.”
Sarah wondered at the goblins' love of eating something that was not food, but they had a palate that was far more indiscriminate than hers and they didn’t seem overly concerned with whether or not an item offered sustenance or if it was even edible.
“They seem to treat the things like chewing gum.” She shuddered at the thought of the potential for mess in that scenario, recalling the wads of hardened gum that decorated the underside of school furniture and any other public venue frequented by children and teenagers. The toffee incident in the castle had been enough of a disaster without adding gum to the mix.
“They prefer them to gum.” Sarah lifted a questioning eyebrow, looking up at Jareth as he pulled her aside to allow a gaggle of young goblins to tumble past. “They don’t understand why you would chew on something only to throw it away, so when they do get hold of gum, they just eat it. The gloves give them more of a gum experience, but they’ll eventually get eaten too.”
Sarah nodded in understanding. “When I spoke to Irene recently she mentioned a friend who runs a cafe that has suddenly become popular with the after school crowd.” Jareth nodded to a goblin who was sweeping the doorway of her establishment, before turning his attention back to Sarah as she described the woman’s gum under the table problem.
“You’re wondering if goblins would be of use as cleaners.” Sarah nodded. “You could give it a try. You shouldn’t have any problems convincing a goblin to eat old gum deposits, but there’s no guarantee the table would escape without teeth marks.”