Drabble #80: Surprise

[jalenstrix]

...we had a quieter response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 79, with an entry by me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix).



For this prompt, we continue with our one-word drabble roots, relying on a word with so many possibilities:

Surprise

What's going on? Who's surprised about it? And who isn't? Tell us all 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 (June 7).

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

[idunn]

Holy crap, how did I miss this community's move to DW. Hi! Am I glad to see you on here.

[jalenstrix]

Zomg, it’s so good to see you here! :D I love your writings so much.

[idunn]

Thank you! It's so nice to hear from you again, it's been a while. What are you working on?

[jalenstrix]

Just one-offs at the moment -- for this community or the Harry Potter community. Worklife has picked up a bit, so my fun writing time has dwindled some. But I can manage two drabbles a month. ;)

What about you?

[idunn]

Just finished 3 years of elder care and a frivolous lawsuit, then buried my grandmother in January, then last month I moved across the country and started a new job. Nbd, right? Looking forward to getting back into writing for pleasure.

[jalenstrix]

Yup, you haven’t been busy at all. So sorry to hear about all the unhappy things, though, especially the elder care and grandmother burial — it’s difficult stuff. But yay for new job, hopefully? A new job is what got me from the east coast to the west coast 12 years ago, and I do love it.

And double yay for you having pleasure writing time!

[jalenstrix]

Word count: 384
Drabble:

Jareth walked into the throne room and froze with the preternatural stillness that clearly signaled “not human”. If you blinked, you’d assume he was an actual statue. A statue dressed to kill, with rock star fashion and the occasional devastatingly functional weapon, but a statue nonetheless.

His expression was priceless, too. Rarely do you get a chance to see an immortal being completely gobsmacked. The eye-watering mishmash of the throne room, liberally interspersed with highly decorated chickens and “hapee birfdey” banners, had had its intended effect.

“I thought you needed cheering up,” I said, by way of explanation.

Jareth’s single raised eyebrow was eloquent.

I grinned. “It’s not every day your favorite Faerie Lord turns...how old was it again?”

“Older than dirt!” supplied one goblin with more heart than brains.

“Older than rocks!”

“Than bog water!”

“Than air!”

“Than glitter!”

That last one brought a collective “oooooh” from those assembled. Glitter was by far and away the most eternal substance they knew.

By this point, Jareth’s face had begun twitching involuntarily.

I shrugged. “At least they settled on something shiny. Consider yourself lucky. Wait, is that the hint of a smile I see?”

He attempted a very impressive glower. “Why do you insist on barging into my life like this?”

“Would you believe for the lolz?”

“The what?”

“How about because you needed it?”

“And that’s your concern why? Don’t you have better things to disrupt?”

I crossed my arms, completely unfazed by his growl. I’d heard worse. “How about because your mood is intimately tied to the climate of the Labyrinth, where many of my dearest friends live, and they haven’t seen the sun in months. Someone had to do something.”

He huffed out a disdainful breath. “Always the hero.”

“Damn right. And everyone needed rescuing, so here we are. Now hush while we do a nice round of Happy Birthday. I made cake.”

He started at me, unblinking. “Your cruelty is boundless.”

“Cake. With lemon frosting. Which is your favorite. Now, hush.”

I raised my arms to conduct the obedient goblin horde. “Happy birfday tooooo yoooooooouuuuse…”

And if Jareth’s mouth twitched up ever so slightly, no one really noticed but me. The first sun ray broke through the overbearing grayness of the Labyrinth’s sky outside, and it looked just like heaven.

[redwolf]

I think I'd rather avoid the horror of goblins singing, but cake! Cake is always good 🦊🧡

Reveal

[redwolf]

Word count: 500
Drabble:

Sarah had spent the week eagerly awaiting the results of the vases that she had glazed, but was disappointed each time she learned her items had been bumped for a bisque firing. She still had no idea what Jareth had been working on at the metalsmith, but he and Rook had been back and forth throughout the week as they continued to work on their project.

Resigning herself to waiting another week for a firing slot, Sarah smiled at Jareth’s enthusiasm, even if the intricacies of lost wax casting were a mystery to her, as he walked her up the stairs that led to the gallery. She laughed as he dragged her across the space to a new display showing five abstract sculptures. They were identical aside from their wildly different colour schemes.

Sarah hesitantly reached out and looked to Jareth. “Can I touch them?” He nodded, watching as she ran a finger over the sinuous curves of one of the pieces. “I thought it was stone, but this feels like metal.”

“They’re bronze, this is what I’ve been working on at the foundry with Rook this week.”

“That place with the dirt floor?”

Jareth nodded. “That’s actually a safety precaution when working with molten metal rather than an oversight.”

“You designed these?” Sarah found herself still fondling a sculpture, it had a shape that invited your touch.

“No, but me and Rook do all of the metal casting and finishing for everyone else.”

“Don’t get me wrong, but I thought bronze would be, well bronze.” Sarah waved a hand at the series of bronzes that ranged through a spectrum of colours.

“We’ve been working on different patinas and I’m quite pleased with the outcome.” Sarah had to agree that the colour graduations on each piece were as pleasing as their organic shapes.

“I take it these will end up in a gallery Above?”

“Yes, I expect these will do well.” Jareth took Sarah’s hand and led her around a false wall showcasing abstract paintings. He grinned broadly when he heard Sarah’s gasp of delight.

“These are my vases, aren’t they?” Sarah gazed open mouthed at two shelves showcasing several dozen pottery items arrayed in a graduated colour display. She could easily pick out the first few she’d done that were banded colours, that then progressed to more ambitious decorations as she got more comfortable with her process. “Will they go to a gallery too?”

“Not these ones.” Jareth lifted Sarah’s chin with a finger as she tried to hide a look of disappointment. “That’s nothing against your work, love. Only the big ceramic pieces go to the galleries. These are more affordable, custom items that will be sold via one of our other outlets. I’m sorry you couldn’t see all of your work because some have already been sold.”

“Really?” Sarah swallowed, embarrassed that her voice had gotten unexpectedly squeaky with emotion. “People bought my work? Well, mine and Bishop’s,” she amended.

“I’ve been informed that they’re quite popular.”