Games
Sarah was lost in thought as she walked the halls of the castle, so it took her a moment to realise that she was alone. It was always a subdued bustle as the morning staff prepared for the day’s meetings, so an empty hallway was unexpected.
Nothing seemed out of place aside from the lack of personnel and a door that had definitely not been there the last time she’d passed.
Frowning at the errant door, Sarah observed that it looked unlike any door she’d seen in the castle. It was beautifully carved in stylised art nouveau floral motifs around a name plate that indicated it was a games room. Sarah knew there was indeed a room that configured itself for gaming, but it didn’t have a door like this one.
Lifting a hand to trace the delicate patterns, Sarah realised that she had never seen another named door, but it was too late.
The moment she touched the door she was elsewhere and found herself curled into a ball. She couldn’t move from her cramped position and the little she could see of her surroundings was filtered through a translucent shell. It looked like a tavern in Goblin City, but the perspectives were off and she couldn’t work out why until a huge clawed hand grabbed her prison and rolled it across the table to collide with a set of wooden pillars.
She wasn’t harmed by the impact, but the rolling was making her queasy. She was rolled several more times, making her stomach revolt, but the magic that held her in position prevented her from being sick.
Just as she expected to be subjected to another roll, she stumbled back into a hallway that was no longer deserted. Jareth caught her and eased her down, handing her a bucket that she violently regurgitated her breakfast into, as he held her hair out of the way.
She gratefully accepted a glass of water from Bishop, rinsing her mouth before taking a long drink. Rook handed her a damp towel and she wiped her face as Jareth led her to sit on a nearby bench.
“There was a door,” Sarah gasped out, glaring at the now solid wall, as she haltingly described her experience.
“I think you were the ball in a round of skittles.” Wrapping an arm around Sarah’s shoulders, Jareth held her tightly. “That was the games room. We suspect that it’s a part of the Labyrinth that’s gone rogue. It gets everybody eventually, but fortunately, just the once and it’s never the same experience for anyone.”
“I got shunted to a pinball machine.” Rook shuddered.
“Ice hockey,” Bishop added.
“Test match cricket,” Jareth grumbled.
Sarah gasped in shock. “That’s awful.” She may not have understood the game itself, but she did know that a test match was played over days. “It seems that I got off lightly.”
“It was not a pleasant experience. You’re lucky that goblins don’t have a need to polish the ball before bowling.”
labyfic — drabble #262: enchanted
Part of the Balance!verse
Nothing seemed out of place aside from the lack of personnel and a door that had definitely not been there the last time she’d passed.
Frowning at the errant door, Sarah observed that it looked unlike any door she’d seen in the castle. It was beautifully carved in stylised art nouveau floral motifs around a name plate that indicated it was a games room. Sarah knew there was indeed a room that configured itself for gaming, but it didn’t have a door like this one.
Lifting a hand to trace the delicate patterns, Sarah realised that she had never seen another named door, but it was too late.
The moment she touched the door she was elsewhere and found herself curled into a ball. She couldn’t move from her cramped position and the little she could see of her surroundings was filtered through a translucent shell. It looked like a tavern in Goblin City, but the perspectives were off and she couldn’t work out why until a huge clawed hand grabbed her prison and rolled it across the table to collide with a set of wooden pillars.
She wasn’t harmed by the impact, but the rolling was making her queasy. She was rolled several more times, making her stomach revolt, but the magic that held her in position prevented her from being sick.
Just as she expected to be subjected to another roll, she stumbled back into a hallway that was no longer deserted. Jareth caught her and eased her down, handing her a bucket that she violently regurgitated her breakfast into, as he held her hair out of the way.
She gratefully accepted a glass of water from Bishop, rinsing her mouth before taking a long drink. Rook handed her a damp towel and she wiped her face as Jareth led her to sit on a nearby bench.
“There was a door,” Sarah gasped out, glaring at the now solid wall, as she haltingly described her experience.
“I think you were the ball in a round of skittles.” Wrapping an arm around Sarah’s shoulders, Jareth held her tightly. “That was the games room. We suspect that it’s a part of the Labyrinth that’s gone rogue. It gets everybody eventually, but fortunately, just the once and it’s never the same experience for anyone.”
“I got shunted to a pinball machine.” Rook shuddered.
“Ice hockey,” Bishop added.
“Test match cricket,” Jareth grumbled.
Sarah gasped in shock. “That’s awful.” She may not have understood the game itself, but she did know that a test match was played over days. “It seems that I got off lightly.”
“It was not a pleasant experience. You’re lucky that goblins don’t have a need to polish the ball before bowling.”
labyfic — drabble #262: enchantedPart of the Balance!verse