Drabble #78: Hopeful

[jalenstrix]

...we had a quieter response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 77, with an entry by me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix).



For this prompt, we continue with our one-word drabble roots, with a word evocative of many different scenarios:

Hopeful

Who's hopeful? About what? There are so many possibilities. Tell. Us. About it. Labyfic-style.



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 Friday of next month (Apr 5).

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.)

Comments

Splat

[redwolf]

Word count: 500
Drabble:

Sarah sat on the training room floor and tried to bring her heart rate back under control. Bishop sat beside her looking just as wrung out as she felt.

“So that was the search and rescue team?”

Bishop’s lip curled in a half hearted attempt at a smile as he nodded his confirmation.

“Shouldn’t he have been based Above?”

“He was.”

Sarah’s eyes widened in shock to realise that the sound of distress Jareth had made had called someone from another realm. “That’s just, wow.” With what she’d felt, anyone in Jareth’s vicinity would have been rendered immobile and, if they were assessed as a threat, removed before they could respond. It was equal parts comforting and terrifying.

With a flick of her wrist, Sarah manifested a crystal and looked into it to see three people standing in the throne room, still holding each other. She couldn’t make out what they were discussing, but the throne room horde of goblins started chanting in excitement.

“What’s the splat game?”

“They need to burn off the adrenaline dump.” Sarah nodded in understanding, feeling that if she didn’t do the same, she would crash in the very near future. “They’re going to hunt the goblins through the Labyrinth.”

“Should I be concerned?”

Bishop snorted softly. “They use slingshots and something like paintballs. The goblins love the game. In fact.” Bishop stood and helped Sarah to her feet. “We should get to the throne room as we’ll be scorekeepers.”

They entered a surprisingly deserted throne room, just as a small goblin waddled into the room with a declaration of “King” and a bright purple splash of paint decorating its battered saucepan helmet.

Sarah looked into her crystal again and watched Jareth and the guardians run around the Labyrinth like excited children as they fired at goblins. “Are there rules?”

A goblin bearing a large orange splash to his chest rolled in with a cry of “Puppy”, followed by one who’s entire head was green.

“Pointy puppy?”

“Erich is a Mexican wolf.” Sarah blinked at the explanation, decided it was a question for another day and got down to the task of separating the goblins into colour groups before they licked the paint off each other.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to hunt each other?”

With a laugh Bishop told Sarah that when they’d tried that, none of the paint had stuck to Jareth, despite him being hit repeatedly. This was compounded by Rook bearing traces of all the paint, including colours that weren’t even in play. “We managed to get her to wear white once and an hour later she was decidedly grey, distinctly mud splattered and had a two thumbed handprint on her thigh. We still have no idea where it came from as there are no creatures like that Underground.”

“Is she part goblin?” After her morning, it felt good to laugh aloud.

“Not according to any tests we’ve run, she just seems to attract mess like a small boy.”