She scratched her head and she looked at the docile goblin on her bed.

“What the hell do these things eat, anyway?”

He looked pretty human so it couldn't be that different from the average person’s diet, could it? It worse comes to worst she could heal his poisoning (If she could recognise he was being poisoned in the first place).

But another priority outweighed even food. Clothing.

This entire time, the little fella had been walking around naked. No loincloth, no clothes, just au naturel. And yes, it was visible. This wouldn't be surprising in most hominids but goblins naturally weren't like this.

Their extremities could retract into them and be invisible to the naked eye. Her best guess why he was always like this was due to his parentage.

She quickly got up and left the unconscious goblin, soundly sleeping. She retreated downstairs and began looking around. She found a knitting kit she had been gifted by a friend of hers but scoffed at it. She was no granny (in her mind at least) and wouldn't take up the hobby for a goblin of all things.

(“Where the hell am I gonna find clothes for it? I can't just have that thing walking around like that.”)

She continued looking around her house until she turned to her kitchen. She grabbed one of her wash clothes and lifted it up.

“Oh right.” She blankly commented as she unfolded it. It wasn't a washcloth at all. It was a shirt for a toddler. She grabbed another and it was a pair of pants this time.

She sighed and placed them over her shoulder. “I did want a use for them since I didn't want to keep around garbage.”

They were covered in a multitude of stains, some plant-related, others from meat.

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She found herself in the backyard and began washing the former washcloths in a basin.

As she scrubbed, she saw a name embroidered on the top. “Norris… that was the smallest one, wasn't it? Pft, I'm sure that bastard probably hates me like the other two. He was barely five when they took him, I can't imagine he isn't as much of a bitter bastard as his older brother.”

She chuckled after saying this but his face told a different story. It looked like she was doing her best to hold back tears.

(“Kids…. What are they good for? They're a pain to deliver, they do nothing but mooch off you most their lives, they're ungrateful little shits who don't appreciate the reason they could even criticise and call me a monster was because I gave them unbiased education, no matter how'd that look on me. Fuck em, fuck them al-”)

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

She noticed something drop on her head.

“Ugh, is this some bird shit? No this is too solid, did a motherfucking dragon drop a load on me?”

It had the warmth but it felt a bit too solid. Was it dehydrated?

After it started moving she quickly pulled it off and saw the culprit which left her worried. It was the goblin.

She looked up and noticed the window in her room was open. He must have crawled towards her without considering the consequences.

“You're a real asshole, you know that?” She said to the goblin. He tried to reach out to her. “Sigh What am I saying, you can't even understand me.”

She flicked it on the forehead. “I hear you're supposed to punish dogs when they do something bad to enforce good behaviour, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to instil some discipline in you while you're here.”

After ‘punishing’ him, she placed on the floor and slapped her forehead.

“Gah, I put him on the dirt while he's still like that. I'll have to clean him off again.”

She continued cleaning the shirt. The goblin looked on and reached out to grab it.

“Hahaha, you're already more hopeful than those other brats. Maybe I can have you work in a wash house for some extra dough?”

The little goblin continued 'washing' her clothes, undeterred by her words.

“Sigh I'm trying to talk to and tease a goblin.” She held her head down after saying. She wasn't embarrassed but simply disappointed in herself. “Mothers used to say my name to get their children to behave and now I'm doing this.”

She rested her fingers against her temple and leaned forward. She felt something dragging her dress and looked beside her to see the goblin, clearly focused on her.

“Thanks for the sympathy, but I don't need it. Just sit there while I finish these clothes up.” Like earlier, her words didn't match her actions but this time she held a smile on her face. The goblin wouldn't recognise what it meant so she had no problem letting it show.

And the goblin smiled back at her.

“You making fun of me!?”

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“I guess I've stalled enough,” Colleen said to herself. She watched as the goblin chased after a butterfly wearing the clothes of her former son. Several weeks had passed and except for the occasional bath, he behaved himself pretty well. It was like she was given a child pet pre-raised, considering how easy he was to manage.

But she had no plans of giving him permanent residence. It wasn't through any fault of his, that his kind rejected him but if there was a place a goblin belonged it was the wild.

“Guess I've got to introduce him to some goblins.”

She clapped her hands and soon threw a basket his way when he didn't respond to her. He quickly ran over, basket in hand.

It was finally time to get rid of him. And thankfully she didn't have to kill him.