The trip into Greenvale was uneventful. Emily collected the mail from the PO Boxes along with all the other deliveries of feed and medicine before heading back to the farm.

She’d thought to stop at the Sheriff’s to report the vandalism but she’d run into The Usual Suspects at the feed store and they hadn’t given her any indications that they had been the ones to trash her barn. There was usually some snickering and varying degrees of eye contact among the group whenever they had been up to something and there just wasn't anything this time. Rather than get the Sheriff involved in accusing them needlessly, she decided to let it go. She could get the place tidied up herself and wait until her farmhands came in on their usual day to do the heavy lifting.

“Dammit!!”

She said a couple of much stronger words in her head as she turned off the main road unto her farm. She could see the cows being driven into the second pasture up ahead of her. This was something that she did to keep them from over-grazing in any one field, but it wasn't something that she allowed the other Grannies to do. She couldn’t see who the culprit was, whoever was doing it, was well hidden by the herd. It didn't matter. There was no way they would get back to the house before she parked and got inside.

Emily pulled the truck up to the barn and hopped out, fully ready to run in and catch one of the old biddies red-handed. As she passed the barn a glimpse out of the corner of her eye told her that something had changed. She walked over to the door and pulled it fully open. The entire barn had been put back in order. Emily swore again, her fists tightening on the bags of medicine she carried. The old women were stubborn to their own detriment.

She burst into the kitchen, admonishments at the tip of her tongue, only to be greeted by the sight of the Grannies, still in their pajamas playing Bid Whist and drinking coffee. No one looked like they had moved from their spots since she’d left.

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Emily did a head count. Everyone was accounted for and in their slippered feet. There was nothing to indicate that any of them had been outside in the pasture.

“Very cute, ladies.” She huffed, tossing the totebag filled with their prescriptions on the table, interrupting their game. “Whose idea was it to tidy up the barn? You KNOW you can’t do that type of work.”

The Grannies all looked up at her, genuine confusion on many of their faces.

“We haven’t moved, Shugah.” Abigail drawled. “Well except for Lauren, but she only goes to the window.”

Lauren interjected, “Because the Goblins were moving the herd.”

“Lauren I don’t have time for the games.” Emily was livid, “I’m doing my best to help care for you ladies, but you care making it hard on me.”

“Emily,” Julia looked up from her hand. “None of us left. We knew you were coming right back, and we were expecting you to come with the farmhands. We didn't leave the house.”

Emily opened her mouth to protest again, but Lauren grabbed her hand and pulled her to the window. She pointed at the pasture where the cows were getting settled, as two very short people (??) walked out and closed the fence gate behind them.

“Goblins?” Emily whispered, confusion lacing every breath.

“Goblins!” Lauren exclaimed triumphantly as the other Grannies rushed to the window.

The two creatures walking back from the pasture were about four feet tall, if measured in relation to the pasture fence. They had long arms and large heads which were mostly taken up by their very big eyes. Their pointy ears were also overly large and stuck out from their heads.

They were not wearing clothing that Emily could notice, and were dark colored, but not black. From her vantage point, Emily could not tell if they were furry or had hairless skin like she would expect from Goblins. She was still pondering this when one of the Grannies gasped aloud at the sight.

The Goblins’ ears perked up, their heads swiveled in the direction of the farmhouse and they immediately vanished. This brought about another round of gasps in the room.

The ladies stared at each other, all unsure of what to say. All except Lauren, who walked back to the table and picked up her mug of coffee.

“Mother Herding Goblins.”