Together We Can Make It

Sarah felt the pull of a wish and had just enough time to set her work aside before she materialised into a room that was comparatively darker than the one she’d left.

Knowing that it was always best to stay quiet and let people make the wrong impression, Sarah waited for her eyes to adjust to the light difference, parsing the information dump of data the Labyrinth had placed in her mind as she was transported Above.

Keeping her expression neutral, Sarah took stock of her surroundings. A wall of glass was all that separated the restaurant from a pool. Sunlight filtering through the water was the cause of the peculiar lighting. As she watched, people dived into the pool and turned somersaults for the diners.

Turning back to the table at the end of the people aquarium, Sarah took in the sallow complexion of a young woman who returned her look with open wonder. Before anyone spoke, Jareth stepped forward to pull out a chair for Sarah, before he took a seat beside her. It was unusual for them both to be called, as odd as it was that they were both dressed in Above fashions suitable to the establishment rather than Goblin armour.

“Thank you for coming, Your Highnesses.” This was not the typical greeting they encountered.

“Mama! Can I swim too?”

Sarah barely restrained herself from startling at the child’s voice. She was definitely the one wished away, and yet not only had the goblins not taken her, they were currently in the pool pressed against the glass where the little girl looked up at them in delight.

“Perhaps later, darling.” She smiled sadly, then looked at Sarah. “Will she be taken care of?”

“She will be treasured,” Jareth answered in a gentle manner, reaching across the table to take her hand. “She will have a long, healthy life and will be raised in a loving family.”

The woman almost collapsed in relief and Sarah suspected she was barely holding herself together. The Labyrinth had informed her that the woman was suffering from a malady that had already claimed the child’s father, which seemed unlikely to be coincidental and raised questions of an environmental concern.

Jareth produced a crystal and held it out to the woman. “I am obligated to offer you your dreams.”

She shook her head and returned a soft smile. “You’ve given me my dreams.” Taking a deep breath she pulled her daughter into her arms and hugged her tightly. “I love you more than anything, darling, but the King and Queen will take you to play with your friends in the pool.”

“Okay, Mama. Love you too.” She hopped down and held her arms up to Jareth who stood and lifted her into his embrace.

Just as she felt the tug of the Underground, Sarah had a brief glimpse of the woman as she collapsed. Her final act of finding a loving home for her child had been all that had sustained her.

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labyfic — drabble #212: underwater
Part of the Balance!verse

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.

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labyfic — drabble #211: long
Part of the Balance!verse