The Goobers
Paul Jenkins
During the ancient times, this world was not the same as we know it today. There was a time when cars, planes, internet, and cell phones were not a part of daily life. The Magical Age, as some would call it, was the place in the world’s history where magic and the extraordinary ruled. It was also during this time that a Great War ruined the lives of many. This Great War was like all great wars. It was between those who wanted power to do evil and those who wanted to stop them.
The goblins of this age were not kind. They were a miserable bunch who had been pushed out to live in the wastelands of the north. During their time there, they assembled, they formed plots, and they waited for just the right time to bring destruction to all of those who were happy. As their patience ran thin, they began to put their plans into action. It was up to those who were still good to put an end to the goblins and their evil.
Far away from the goblins headquarters, in a tiny forest, there lived a kingdom of creatures. These creatures were very small in stature, but not small in kindness. They lived rather happily alongside other forest critters, such as squirrels, badgers, chipmunks, and deer. They were furry with flat smashed faces and small round noses that looked like a raisin on a plate. Their paws were like miniature bear paws that they used for gathering berries and nuts. On occasion, they would use those tiny paws for protecting themselves in a fight. However, fights were rare for this happy and forgiving species.
The goobers were so happy and carefree that they had no idea a war was about to begin. That is until a strange man entered their forest on a particularly fine afternoon. He walked briskly and with purpose. He was short and had speckled gray flecks on his longer than average beard that he kept twirling around his finger as he muttered to himself.
The goobers began to gather themselves in the trees and bushes to watch the man. He kept spinning in circles and pointing at invisible objects as he thought. Finally, he plopped down on the ground and began writing in the dirt with his finger. Many of the goobers had no idea what to do with the strange man. It was very rare that a human would enter their forest. It was even more rare for one as strange as him to make their selves at home on the forest floor.
After some quiet murmuring from the goobers, it was agreed that someone should go and fetch the king. A small and skinny goober was chosen by the others to alert the king of the strange intruder. The scrawny little fellow may have been smaller than the others, but he was twice as quick. He was off like a bolt of lightening, only faster. He scrambled through the trees and bushes. He almost stopped once to talk to his best friend, who was holding a couple of acorns and a small rope, but thought better of it, and continued. Soon, he arrived at the foot of a large bush.
“Your highness, your highness!” The small goober yelled.
“Who dare bother the king during his royal nap? Skip, what are you doing here?” A blustery fat glob of a goober came waddling out of the bush.
“I’m sorry Mr. Rajin, but there is someone in the forest.” He responded firmly.
“Humph.” Mr. Rajin grunted at the goober. “I will go and see if the king is awake, and if he is then I will let him know. But if he isn’t, you can wake him, because it will not be my funeral!”
“Yes, sir.” Skip responded as he watched the plump Mr. Rajin walk away haughtily. However, the stout goober did not make it far. For, at the entrance to the bush, there stood a mighty looking goober. He was twice as tall as Mr. Rajin and his fur was a deep black that made him seem like a huge shadow. Skip and Mr. Rajin bowed immediately at the sight of the goober they immediately recognized as their king.
“What is this all about Mr. Rajin?” The king asked.
“Sire, Skip brings news of a man in the forest.” Mr. Rajin cowered.
“Is this true, Skip?” The king turned his attention to the tiny goober.
“Yes, sire. He is sitting in the middle of the path drawing in the dirt.”
“Well, let’s go see what this is all about.” The king gave a laugh that brought his two loyal subjects to ease.
Skip led the way for the small group as they headed for where the strange man was. The king had no problem traveling side by side with Skip. Mr. Rajin on the other hand, was far behind. His fat little legs could not carry him nearly as fast as the other two. The king looked back and just laughed at his assistant. Skip smiled broadly as the king continued in laughter. This was the first time that he saw someone as old as the king was laughing at Mr. Rajin. He and his friends did it all the time.
“Let’s leave him behind. He’s had a few too many acorns to keep up with us. Shall we pick up the pace? I hear you’re pretty fast.”
“Yes, sire!” Skip said with enthusiasm, but did not dwell on the king’s friendship too long as he saw the black mass of a goober speed a head of him. Within seconds he was on the tail of the king as they zipped through the forest.
“I’m glad you caught up, little one, now I can show you what speed really is!” The king yelled back at Skip. But Skip just smiled. He knew that he was not trying that hard to catch up with the king, and the king had not seen him really turn on the quickness. The king sped up a bit, and skip waited a few seconds. He was not sure if he should try to embarrass the king, but that decision was made quickly.
“You are slower than my grandmother, Skip. Come on!” The king roared.
That was all the motivation that he needed. He began to move his legs with some real speed. He caught up to the king who was really working hard. Sweat was pouring down the royal face. Skip, however, still had not begun to really work hard. When he was side by side with the king, he gave a small smirk and then he was gone. Skip became a blur to the king as he took off through the forest. The king tried to keep up, but gave up the hopeless effort after he realized there was no chance. He slowed his pace to conserve a bit of energy. After a minute had gone by he reached Skip. Skip was sitting next a tree, looking a bit bored.
“Nice run, Skip. I have to hand it to you. You are the fastest goober I’ve ever seen.” The king said as he panted heavily.
“Thank you, your highness.” Skip bowed his head a bit to show that he still knew his place as subject to the king.
“Now, where’s this man?” The king asked with his breath under control.
“Over there.” Skip said quietly. He pointed through the bush. The king could see the whole of his kingdom trying to hide in the bushes and trees. He slowly walked to the bush and looked through. There, sitting on the pathway, was the strange looking man. He was still running his pointer finger through the dirt and playing with his beard with his free hand. He was still muttering to himself.
“What are you going to do, sire?” Skip asked cautiously.
“Find out who our visitor is.” He replied.
The king was not a coward, and never hid from danger before. However, the strange man made him feel a bit uncomfortable. It took a few seconds for him to collect himself enough to approach the man. He straightened up his fur with his paws and walked out to the path on his hind legs.
“Welcome to Goober Forest. My name is King Edward. What is your business here?” He said in a stately manner.
“Ah, King Edward. You are the goober I have been waiting to speak to.” The man sat up and stopped drawing in the dirt. He reached out his hand and took the small paw of King Edward in his hand and shook it heartily.
“You have been wanting to speak with me? But who are you?” The king asked.
“Sorry, where are my manners? My name is Maxinius. And I have come very far to find you, your highness. I’m afraid there is some bad news. You see, the goblins have begun their offensive attacks and are making their way here through this forest.”
“Through our forest? Why our forest?” King Edward asked.
“Because they are on their way to Solicaterra to destroy the warriors who live there. The High Council and I must know on whose side you are.”
“The goobers will always be on the side of good. But what can we do? We are just simple creatures. We have no warriors, no special powers. Nothing that could be of use to the High Council, I’m sure.”
“Not true. Well, at least not after I give your people a gift. But you must promise to join us. There is no room for neutrality.”
“I will have to think about it.”
“I’m afraid there is no time either. The goblins will be here in two days. I must know now.”
“Is it as serious as you say? Will the goblins have more of an advantage if we do not assist?”
“I am certain that it is only through your help that we can succeed.”
The king walked away from Maxinius. His subjects watched him intently. King Edward paced back and forth. He was lost in thought, trying to make a decision that would be beneficial to his people and the forest. Many of the forest creatures respected King Edward, and he would not want to make a rash decision that would tear a part his forest and kingdom. As much as he wanted to stay out of the conflict, he knew in his heart that he had to do what was right.
“Maxinius, I agree. We will assist however we can to the cause.”
“Oh, splendid!” Maxinius clapped his hands together. “I will give you and your people some tools that will help to stall the goblins enough so that we may gain the advantage.”
“What would that be?” The king asked.
“These.” Maxinius pulled a large pile of paintbrushes out of a sack he had with him. The king was not impressed.
“What will the paint brushes do?”
“Ah, you will see. Let me demonstrate.” Maxinius stood up from the ground and walked to the edge of the path. He pulled a single brush out and began to paint on the ground. “Do you see what is happening?”
The king did indeed see what was happening. As the man brushed on the ground, a path appeared. The rocks, sticks, and grass disappeared and a well-worn dirt path took its place. The king was awestruck. He did not know what he was watching. This was obviously strong magic.
“Maxinius, are you a magician?”
“Some call me so. But that is besides the point. Do you like it?”
“Yes, but why don’t you just use the brushes your self? Can’t you create the diversion?”
“No, for the plan to work, we need many brushes to be used by creatures that can not be seen in the forest.”
“But, we can be seen in the forest. And I have heard that goblins have excellent eyesight.”
“Are you afraid?”
“Only for the safety of my people.”
“You are a good leader. That can not be argued. There is more than just the brushes. I will cast a spell upon your subjects to protect them. I will cause you all to be invisible. But my magic is not fool proof. There are stipulations.”
“And they are?”
“If you are captured, you will not be invisible anymore. And I am afraid that you will be subject to whomever traps you.”
“I see. Is this the only way?”
“It is the plan. With so little time, it is the best plan we have. Do you still agree?”
“Yes.” The king bowed his head solemnly.
“Then I will need all of your subjects to join us down here on the path so I can do my spell and hand out brushes.”
“Of course.” The king turned around and waved his hands to let everyone know it was safe to come out and to come closer. They all came hustling down to get closer to the king and the strange man. Skip was of course the first one to arrive. They all gathered and listened patiently as Maxinius addressed them. He showed them all the same brushes and what they did that he demonstrated for King Edward. There were several “ooohs” and “ahhhs” from the crowd. Maxinius seemed to feed off the way they were impressed, and he spoke a little faster as he could see their galvanized faces. When he was finished demonstrating and had drawn a few paths into the forest. He stopped and looked around. They were all getting into line to pick up their brushes. Maxinius’s mood changed. He could now see that this was a trusting and loyal species. He became very happy and excited.
Each goober took a brush and tiny belt to keep their brush in. Several of the goobers began to practice making paths, but the king stopped them immediately. He stood in the middle of his subjects and cleared his throat.
“My goobers. We have agreed to join this war against the goblins. It is up to us to use these brushes to create problems as the goblins come through our forest. Many of you have never seen a goblin and do not understand how mean and horrible they can become. There will be losses. Some of you will not survive. I would not blame you for not wanting to stay. I give leave to all of those who feel they cannot play a part in this war. You will not be punished or looked down upon. There is shelter in the Sedai woods to the south. There you will be safe until the war is over.”
Not a single goober moved. Even Mr. Rajin looked at the king with a determined face. The king’s eyes watered slightly. He was so proud of his subjects at this moment. He had never called them to such a dangerous duty, and they were all willing to give up their lives for him. He turned to Maxinius.
“We are ready and willing. You may now cast your spell to make us invisible.”
“Very well. I am proud of you all. Now hold still. You might feel a slight chill as I perform this spell. Keep in mind you will still be able to see one another, but others will not be able to see you unless you let them or are captured. Understood?”
They all nodded their heads. The king looked around once more to see if anyone had left while he had turned his back. No one had even stirred, except one. Skip was no longer among the crowd. He was now standing side by side to the king. King Edward took his paw and ruffled the little goober’s hair with pride. Maxinius took out a wand from his cloak. It was made of knotted wood that made it look ancient.
He began to swirl the wand in giant circles. While the wand went in circles above the goober’s heads, small specks of blue dust began to fall from the tip of the wand. Maxinius began to mutter words that no one could understand. The dust began to fall slowly on the fur of the goobers. Many of them began to shiver with the cold that the dust brought. Chattering teeth could be heard in chorus as Maxinius finished making large movements and stopped muttering.
“Now, you are all invisible.” Maxinius said.
The goobers looked around, but were confused. The only thing that felt different was the chill that ran through their bones. A small murmuring could be heard. Maxinius nodded his head and smiled. He understood the murmuring.
“You must remember. You can still see each other, but I assure you that I can not.” The murmuring stopped. “Now, to be seen, you must will yourself to be seen by a particular someone. If you would like me to see you, just focus on being visible to me.”
One by one, the goobers appeared again to Maxinius. The king and Skip were the first be seen, where as Mr. Rajin was the last. When he appeared, it seemed he was still not sure he wanted the man to see him.
“I have no more time with you. The goblins will be here by evening tomorrow. You must make yourselves ready. I will leave the plans with King Edward who will direct you. I hope to see you all once again after this unpleasant war is through.” And as he said his farewell, he disappeared. The goobers were all very impressed, but a sense of foreboding had moved in like a fog among the kingdom of the goobers.
That night was much more quiet than usual for Goober Forest. The other animals in the forest had sensed the danger and promptly disappeared. Many of them moved further east passed Solicaterra, a nearby town, while others headed south to the Sedai forest. Most of the goobers spent their evening with their families or quietly by themselves. Skip was the grand exception. He had no family to speak of, so spent his evening going through the forest, working on his brush strokes. He was amazed at how quickly he picked up the ability to make a nice looking path. In the middle of brushing a path that looked a little like Mr. Rajin, he heard a voice that made him stop what he was doing.
“Nice path, Skip.” King Edward said as he walked quietly near a tree.
“Thanks. Do you think this will really work, sire?” Skip looked at the king with uncertainty in his eyes.
“I do. If the rest of the goobers can do half as good of a job as you, we will all be fine.”
“Thank you, sire.” Skip bowed and blushed a little.
“Now, go home and get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow.” The king said heavily.
“Anything you say, sire.” Skip sped off in a blur, leaving the king to watch a cloud of dust rise up to his face. The king looked around for a moment. He took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale this one last moment of peace in his forest. He exhaled gently and walked back to his royal abode. He spent the rest of the night trying to get some rest, but failed miserably.
The next morning started with great excitement. Skip blazed through the forest even faster than usual towards the king’s home. Those who saw the blur running by them tried to follow the path. For the second straight day, Skip showed up at the king’s door yelling.
“Your highness! Your highness!” Skip yelled with abundant amounts of panic in his voice.
“Yes, Skip what is it?” King Edward said as he walked out of his door, busy eyed and a bit groggy.
“They’re coming, sire. They are nearly here.” Skip said.
“What? Did you see them? Where were they?” The king demanded.
“I saw them. I went out early this morning, and there they were. There are at least a hundred of them. They are about a mile away.”
“A hundred? That must be a scouting party of some sort.” The king stopped talking out loud and put his paw on his face as he paced the ground for a few minutes. When he awoke from the conversation in his head, he looked up to notice his surroundings. The entire kingdom was now they’re watching him. He knew it was time for action.
“My loyal subjects. Now is the time! We must be ready to follow the plan that Maxinius has set forth for us to do. Take your brushes and do your duty. We will be triumphant today!”
The crowd cheered loudly. Each taking a brush from their belts and hoisting them high into the sky. Without command, each went off into the forest to execute the plan. Skip was about to speed off again, when the king grabbed his shoulder.
“I want you to stay with me Skip. I may need you.”
“Yes, sire.” Skip bowed.
The two goobers took off like the rest into the woods. It would not be long before they met the enemy. Two large goblins were making their way through the woods in the distance. It looked as if they had a map of sorts in their hands, trying to make their way through the thick forest. The king gave Skip a wink, and they went to work.
“It’s this way.” The largest and much uglier goblin shouted to the other goblin.
“No. It is this way. Look at the map.”
“Well, this is where the path is leading. I think the path would be more accurate than that map!” The ugly goblin was getting angry very quickly. The other goblin could sense the anger, and backed off immediately.
“Okay. Whatever you say.”
But as the goblins started following the path, something strange happened. Dark clouds moved in above the forest. These were not ordinary fluffy clouds that kids watch while laying in the grass on a summer afternoon. These clouds were dark, heavy and looked like they were bringing a bad storm along with them. Within seconds, the bright morning in the woods became as black and dark as a cave.
The goblins were not oblivious to this; they were having a hard time making their way in the dark. The shorter one lit a lamp that he was carrying. Now, they could only see the path in front of them. And without speaking, they followed the path. Little did they know that the path they were on, was not the real path.
With great skill and precision, Skip was dashing in front of the two dumb goblins making a new path of his own. He was leading all through the forest. He took them in circles, around trees and even over rocks. Skip was starting to have some fun. He was so fast that he was far ahead of the goblins. He began to slow a little, so he could watch the goblins more closely. He could see their green faces look dumbfounded as they followed each ridiculous curve in the path. Finally, after he felt he could not hold in his laughter any longer, he led them right back out of the forest from where they came.
When the goblins came back out of the forest to where the other goblins sat waiting, Skip decided to stick around and see what happened. The first reaction of the goblins nearly brought Skip to tears.
“Hey, how did you guys get through the forest already?” The big, ugly goblin asked the group of goblins.
“What are you talking about? You moron, you’ve come back to where you started.” Another goblin asked. His name was Rus, and he was the commander.
“How could I? I followed the path and it led me here.”
“I have no time for this. Your stupidity will not be unpunished. Len, Ren, kill them.” He commanded two other tough looking goblins. Before the goblins could run or respond, they were dead.
Skip’s whole demeanor changed immediately. He had never been so frightened in his life. Fear held his body prisoner. He could do nothing but watch as the two goblins he tricked were now dead. Rus walked to the edge of the forest and looked down the path. The dark clouds made it impossible to see anything, so he grabbed the lamp and held it up to his face. He took a deep inhale as he tried to think of what to do next. As he took a deep breath, he picked the scent of something. King Edward was wrong, Goblins did not have great eyesight. They had great sense of smell. Rus could smell Skip.
Rus slowly lowered the lamp as Skip watched, not knowing what to do. Then, with a quick snap, Rus had reached down and picked Skip up off the ground. Skip was helpless in the giant hands of Rus. Skip screamed for help. Rus laughed with a deep laugh that only a goblin could muster.
“What do we have here? A spy?”
Skip did not respond.
“The only thing we can do is kill spies. Even if they are invisible.” But as he said this, Skip became visible to him. “Oh, I see your invisibility is gone. I can see your ugly form. Now, I know what I am crushing, a lonesome little goober.” The other goblins laughed, though none could see what Rus was talking about. They just all feared Rus’s anger.
Fortunately for Skip, he was not alone. King Edward had followed Skip, and brought the entire kingdom along. As Rus was bringing his other hand up to crush poor Skip in his hands, he heard a shout, but did not see where it was coming from.
“Now!” King Edward screamed, and the entire kingdom swarmed at Rus with speed and fury.
Rus could not see the other goobers, as they were still invisible to him. They began to jump on him. Rus kicked and flung his arms as the unseen creatures climbed up his body. The other goblins watched in confusion.
“Help me! You idiots.” Rus pleaded, but the other goblins just backed away slowly. The goobers clung, bit, and scratched all over Rus’s enormous body. As they covered him up, he began to disappear from the regiment of goblins. Without anyone stepping up as their leader, they began to run. Each of the goblins dropped their things and sprinted away as fast as they could.
The goobers did not give up once the other goblins were gone. They did their duty with Rus, and ended his reign as commander. He now faced the same fate as the two goblins he mercilessly had killed moments earlier. With no more strength, he fell to the ground, never to get up again.
The goobers cheered at their first victory of the war. They cheered and yelled and danced, that was until they saw what was in Rus’s hands. King Edward walked slowly to where Skip was still clenched in the dead goblin’s massive hands. Skip was not moving, and as King Edward came closer, he saw that his worst fears had come true.
The king cried openly. Several of the other goobers took Skip’s body and the entire kingdom walked back to their kingdom in a slow procession. A funeral was held, but there was no time to mourn. Maxinius returned to congratulate the goobers, but warned that the war was still going on. When he saw their sadness, he offered to remove the spell and keep them from fighting anymore, but the goobers refused. In Skip’s honor, they continued the fight in the Great War.