Author's Note: Who wants to play a game? Each chapter of this story will be based on a letter of the alphabet in, surprisingly, alphabetical order. So today is A, the next chapter will be B, etc. You get it. Rather than write it all in advance, though, I would like to invite you to participate. After you read a chapter, please review and include a suggestion for a single word starting with the correct letter for the next chapter. I will choose one and use that as a prompt to write said chapter, with credit to whoever suggested it. Each chapter will be exactly 300 words and I may not update daily, as with my other story, but it shouldn't be too much less frequently. I hope that you enjoy and play along. :)
A is for Amour
Based on Jim Henson's Labyrinth
Chapter One
A is for Alphabet
Something tickled Jareth's ears and a sense of foreboding washed over him. Something was wrong. Very wrong. He strode to his throne room and found it empty; utterly devoid of any life other than one solitary chicken pecking idly at an abandoned plate of beans. The goblins were gone.
"What are they up to now?" he groaned, anticipating an afternoon of cleaning up whatever had caught their grubby attention. He coalesced his magic into a crystal ball and gazed into it, finding something he did not expect.
xXx
Thirty-odd goblins sat in a rough circle on a colorful woven rug. The couch had been pushed against the wall to make room for them and a young boy lounged on it with a bemused expression. The goblins leaned forward eagerly as a young woman held up a flashcard and said, "A is for…"
"Apple!" they chorused, though a few called out alternatives like, 'fruit', 'crunchy', and 'malus domestica'.
"That's right!" the woman said, happily. "Apple is correct. A goes ah like apple."
The goblins cheered, throwing up their hands, rolling around and some leaping to their feet to perform a celebratory jig. The woman laughed and called them back to their places. "Ready for the next one?" she asked, flipping to another flashcard. "B is for.."
"Balloon!" "Floaty!" "Booger!" "Helium!"
A cool voice cut through the rest, "Buffoon."
The young woman looked up in surprise and the goblins squeaked and fell all over themselves dashing for whatever hiding place they could find. The boy on the couch sat up straight and whispered, "Whoa, he's the biggest goblin I ever saw!"
Jareth cut him a sharp look but didn't dignify that odious statement with a response. Turning to the young woman he said, "Sarah, my pet, what are you doing to my goblins?"
Post Note: Now's your chance! Please submit a review with a word starting with the letter B that you think I should use as my prompt for the next chapter. Make it as easy or tricky as you like, but please only one word per review. Thank you!