Finding Friends

*Story by Ingred Phifforn, 5 Rain 2114*

*Written in a tidy goblin font. Some words are underlined. Notes about pronunciation can be seen in the margins of the page, along with poorly-drawn doodles of a minotaur playing his own horn as a flute. Really. I can’t stress enough how bad these look. It’s like stick figures drawn by a drunk toddler.*

Late in the year, a darkly lit town nestled within a valley of pines and snow awaited the arrival of new inhabitants. A mossy-topped cabin had seen many births that winter, but none so odd as the one that came with a blizzard. A half-breed entered the world beside a roaring fire and a collection of stale books. As the dark days passed and the ice began to melt, word of a blue skinned child spread throughout the valley.

"I heard they share the claws and eyes of the father. They must be goblin!", the seamstress mused.

"No", the musician shaked his head, "the babe has hair. All the goblins here are hairless."

"The child may be humanoid, but there's no doubt that they are of goblin kin", said the preacher.

All knew of the goblin apothecary that lived up on main road, for he was the town's sole source of medicine. Despite his heritage, the secluded man was beloved in the valley.

Many had not yet seen the babe, nor the mother. Nonetheless, news of a goblin's daughter was welcomed by the population. As years passed, the child's features developed. She quickly grew taller than the father, her hair became thick and wild, and her skin blushed violet from the sun's rays.

One day, the young mutt left the cabin in search of friends. She was lonely, for her father was far too busy to play with her. First she stumbled across a group of human children. They were throwing big stones into the lake, laughing with delight from the loud splashes they made.

"Wow!" The girl exclaimed, "Can I play with you, too?"

The children looked at her and laughed.

“You can’t join us, you’re much too small!” they teased. “You can’t lift these rocks on your own!”

Embarrassed, the young girl continued her search for friends. She found some halfling kids by the docks, fishing up big, green bass. They wouldn’t turn her down because of her height, she thought.

“Hello!” she shouted. “Can I play with you?”

“Shhh!” one of the children hissed, “you can’t play with us, you’re much too loud.”

“Besides, you’re too colorful. You’ll scare off the fish!”, another chimed in.

Head hung sadly, the girl left the company of the halflings. She scampered off into the woods in hopes of finding someone to play with who was more like herself. She wandered up the valley, looking in hollow pines, under bridges, and around the creek bed for signs of other goblins.

The day grew long, and the little mutt quickly became tired. Crestfallen, she decided to head home for the night. While on the trail, the girl spotted something bright and yellow in the canopy above. A set of beady eyes met hers, and to the mutt’s surprise, a little goblin clambered down to meet her.

“Hello!” the girl whispered, “do you want to play?”

“I’m not allowed to play with you,” said the greenling. “You may be small and colorful like I am, but you are no goblin.”

“What do you mean?” asked the girl.

“Your father is a witch doctor. He is no longer one of us, and neither are you.”

With that, the greenling withdrew into the forest, the lonely mutt left abandoned on the dark trail. Confused by the little goblin’s words, the girl made her way back to the apothecary with new questions for her father. She snuck in through the back door, arriving home just in time for supper. Later that night, the girl told her father of the children she had met in the valley.

“No one wanted to play with me!” she cried, “I am too small, too loud, and too colorful compared to the others. I don’t understand, if I am not a goblin or a valley folk, then what am I?”

“You are you,” the father responded. “and if the children here can’t appreciate that, they don’t deserve you as a friend.”

“But who will I play with if I can’t make friends?” she asked.

The older goblin gestured to himself. “Be like me, young one. You do not need friends. If you work hard instead of playing, you will find happiness eventually. There is plenty of work around here to busy yourself with.”

Although her questions had been answered, the little mutt felt sad. She still didn’t have anyone to play with, and her father’s advice was terribly boring for a young girl such as herself.

The following morning, the girl stayed home. She didn’t want to go back into town, for the other children would make fun of her again. She made herself useful, per her father’s request, plucking weeds and collecting herbs from the garden. Within the tall plants she saw something move. A weird looking cat, a snail, and a praying mantis sat hidden in the flower patch.

The cat looked at her warily, but did not move because it was happy on its warm rock. It was an odd thing, she had never seen a black cat with white racing stripes before! The snail was chewing on a leaf, leaving a trail of goo behind it as it crawled up the plant. It didn’t seem to mind the young girl. The green praying mantis cocked its head at the little mutt. It had stopped cleaning its pincers to see the new guest, but continued its task after getting a good look at her.

“Hello!” she said to them all, “can I play with you?”

The praying mantis plucked an aphid from the flower it sat on and began nibbling at it.

The weird cat stretched and yawned, enjoying the sun’s heat.

The snail didn’t respond. It was a very quiet creature.

Although none of them had answered the girl, they didn’t say no. Happy to have found friends, the little mutt spent the entire day playing with her new companions.

She held a tea party and watched the snail munch away on a piece of fruit. It was a very slow eater. She also took her time so it wouldn’t feel rushed.

She fed her sandwich crusts to the cat, who gobbled them up hungrily. Although very stinky, the girl still thought the creature was pretty.

She shared her favorite story with the mantis, who gazed up at her with a questioning look. The girl guessed that the insect didn’t know how to read, so she tried her best to teach it.

She played with them until the sun set, and found joy among the garden. Even though they couldn’t speak, read, or move very fast, she was happy to make friends with creatures that could appreciate her for who she was. And who was she, but a little blue child who wasn’t lonely anymore. Finding friends is easy, you just have to look in the right spot.

*THE END.*