Lu sat at her desk and typed the tile of the second chapter after writing the first one. She found it hard to believe that her family went hostile on her for just being curious about her great grandma, about her history. Lu looked at herself in the mirror. For a sixteen year old human she was short. She stood about four foot six. She had muscle though she lacked the strength to work out. Her teeth were also a bit more pointer teeth than most. Though, she didn’t mind as her smile was perfect. Or so she thought. Her skin was also more tanned than most girls she has talked with. Some often commented on how well built she was despite being short.

Lu grabbed her computer, charger, and recorder after typing the introduction paragraph as she wondered if her build had anything to do with goblins. She placed them in her bag and hurried out the house before her parents had a chance to stop her. Lu had one destination in mind, that was her great grandma.

She ran to the nursing home that was about six blocks away from her house. Upon entering she went straight up to the desk, “Is Stalida awake yet?” It was eight in the morning. Lu was early, but she was just eager.

Lu waited patiently as Piper called down to Stalida’s room. “Stalida, your great granddaughter is here to see you.” There was a brief pause as Lu couldn’t help but let a smile creep on her face. “She seems very excited to see you.” Piper told Stalida, who was murmuring something on the phone. After a few more seconds pass, Piper hangs up the phone and looks at Lu with a straight face, “You can go see her.”

“Thank you!” Lu rushed off as she waved that brief moment of anxiety away as she was worried that she was going to get denied to see her.

Lu knocked three times and cracked open the door. Her great grandma sat up in her bed with the tv on low volume. “Hi there my dear.” She patted the edge of the bed for Lu to sit next to her. To which, Lu did.

Lu pulled out her laptop and hit the record button on her recorder. “Nana? Can you tell me more about Tut-Man?”

Lu saw her great grandma’s face light up once again. “Yes dear, what would you like to know?”

“How did you two meet?”

Lu was curious. If Tut-man existed and if he was a goblin, how did her great grandma meet such a character?

Stalida held her smile as she began her tale. “You see dear, that is very complicated. I hope you are ready?” Lu nodded with excitement, “Very well, long ago, when I was around your age, I found a mysterious rift in the world. The rift shimmered with silver, as it cracked and glowed. I was the only one that saw this shimmering rift, and I was curious. Curious enough to stick my head in the rift and what I found was another universe where it was bright, colorful, magical, a true fantasy.”

“I cautiously stepped through the rift and as I did, the rift closed shut. I was frightened. I had no idea where I was and I had no idea how I would get back home. That was until an adventuring party of rather short humanoid creatures came stammering out of the woods. Their language wasn’t ordinary common, like how you and I speak. Somehow, I was still able to understand them. And they were able to understand me. The lead of the party spoke. It was another goblin by the name of Jit-Hit. Though they called him Jit. Jit told me I was in a forest called Uproot. The forest contained species I have never seen before. That was because I wasn’t in our world any more.”

“Upon telling me my location. Jit tied my wrist with rope.” Stalida paused briefly as she rubbed her wrists, as if still remembering the feeling of the tight rope against her skin. “He then ordered me to follow them to the King. As the Fey Trap as he called it worked. They got dinner.”

She fell silent for a bit and Lu thought about stopping her right there but if Stalida wanted to continue she wasn’t going to stop her nor was she going to force her.

She watched as Stalida’s chest rose and fall as she let her nana have a moment. “Thank you dear, I needed that, it has been a long time since anyone listened to me.”

Lu hugged her nana carefully, as she didn’t want to break her. “You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to. This sounds tragic.”

“It’s not dear, trust me. It’s a story that should be told. That needs to be told.” Stalida was confident when she said this. “Let’s see, ah yes, Jit took me to the King. The palace was, well, more of a lavish rock cropping that overlooked a valley of trees. It definitely was not what I was expecting at all. However, for goblins, they had made some decently crafted furniture out of wood and stone. They sat me down on a cold stone chair as one of the helpers got the King.”

“As the King entered they all bowed, and I did the same. I wasn’t ordered to, it just felt right. As I rose I met nose to nose with the King. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t squirm. I didn’t gag. I was transfixed. This man was truly unique. He was short. Like you.” She poked Lu’s nose. “He had sharp teeth, tanned, rough skin, and was well built. I must say. For first impressions, I blushed as I looked upon him. However, that blush caused the whole lot of them to cackle.”

Stalida looked away from Lu, as if she was ashamed. She fell in love with a monster, for heaven’s sake. And all it took was one look.

“It’s okay Nana.” Lu said as she held her hand. “It’s okay.”

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“It wasn’t. I was held captive for days, before the King decided what he wanted to do with me. As I made a fool of him. Someone who was deemed tough, shouldn’t have made a captive blush.” Stalida shook her head.

“Nana, I mean it, it is okay.” Lu soothed her further.

“After three days of no food. The King brought me a portion of meat. He was curious as to how a human child can be attracted to him.” Stalida closed her eyes and breathed heavily. Upon the last breath release, she continued, “I told him, I didn’t know how I felt. I knew it wasn’t fear. That I could never fear him. And upon that testament, he released me, but I was ordered to stay at the camp.”

“You don’t have to say more right now.” Lu told her as she kissed her grandma’s cheek.

“Thank you dear. I think I am going to rest, maybe come back after lunch and I can tell you more.”

Lu nodded, “Of course Nana. I should get going to school anyways.”

Lu hugged her great grandma one more time, turned off the computer, and stopped the recorder. “I’ll be back.” Lu left Stalida’s room before she had a chance to really say anything else. She stopped at the desk to inform Piper that she will be back around lunch time, to which Piper noted down. Lu darted off to school. Thankfully, today was going to be a half a day for her and she can just stay at the nursing home until four.

After school was released, Lu darted straight over to the nursing home. “Hello Piper!” Lu waved as she moved past the front desk. Piper nodded and went back to work.

Lu knocked three times, “Come in!” Stalida’s cracked voice yelled through the door. Lu opened the door and let it close as she entered her great grandma’s room. She did her usual routine with the computer and recorder and sat next to Stalida.

“Ready to tell me more Nana?” Lu spoke with a smile as she embraced herself for what was to come next.

“Of course my dear.” Stalida took a deep breath and began where she left off. “Let’s see I was ordered to stay at camp but I could roam freely. Of course, he would have a few guards watch me. However, this freedom didn't last long. As the other goblins did not like a human teenager roaming about the camp.”

“They were worried that the humans would come after me. Despite me telling them that I don’t think anyone would notice that I was gone. As I wasn’t even part of their world. No one, of course, believed me. Well, except the King. He figured that was why I was open to someone like him. He believed my story of the rift, as he explained to me that the wizards had been messing with portal dimensions and rifts. He was trying to stop them from opening the most recent ones but the wizards had killed half his tribe.”

“They had to pull back but then his scouts saw me come through the portal. They figured they could hold me hostage against the wizards. Well, jokes were on them, I had no one in that place looking for me.” Her face held a soft smile.

Lu comforted her as she spoke. Lu could tell the story and bothered her to tell. “Now, that was when the offer came up, an offer I couldn’t refuse.” Stalida continued, “I was in a strange world, with no way back. The King had offered me the chance to become a part of their tribe. I, however, couldn’t not stay a human. I had to transform into a Goblin.”

Lu looked confused. As she did not understand any of this world that Stalida was speaking of. Magic and wizards. Portals and extra dimensions. This sounded too familiar to that of stories that Lu had read in fantasy books. However, she was keeping an open mind. As Lu knew she needed this. She needed her story to get out and Lu was that outlet.

“I know that look of confusion all too well,” Stalida spoke as she shook her head, “There is a spell the Goblins stoll from the Wizards. A True Resurrection Spell scroll. Tut-Man said I had to cast it myself as none of them was capable of reading it. He gave me the option, I turn Goblin and become his wife or I die. Well, I didn’t know I was going to have to die for the spell to work. Well, upon the agreement, Tut-Man killed me with a rusty dagger, stabbing me in the back. It took him five days to realize he needed someone to speak the spell and cast it over me.”

“Did he find someone?” Lu couldn’t believe that her great grandma had died once already. Not only that but was killed by the monster she loved.

“Tut-Man was actually able to figure out how to cast it himself. And that was the first time I was reborn into another creature.”

Lu looked at her confusingly. “The first time?”

“I’ll get to that later, I promise. But let me finish this first.” Lu nodded, “Upon coming back to life and as a Goblin, I had many Goblin features and traits. I was short. At three feet tall. I had sharp teeth. Tanned skin. And well built. And I had never been well built in my life before. Though I may have lost a few intelligent points”

“Is that where my genetics came from?”

Stalida nodded, “Part of the Goblin form still resides within me. They were passed down between generations.”

Lu stared in space, “Interesting, so our blood has Goblin in it?”

“Yes. Well, faint traces of it.”

“Huh, I would have never guessed.”

“No one would. It stumped your mother. Though, she never would have believed me anyways.”

“I believe you.” Lu gave her Nana a pat on the shoulder and a soft hug. I looked at the clock and time had flown by. It was already almost four o’clock. “Stalida, I am going to have to come back tomorrow.”

She looked at me excitedly, “I can’t wait my dear.” She waved me goodbye after I collected everything. Lu raced home in hopes of getting home before my father got there.

To Lu’s surprise, her father was waiting for her at the dinner table. “Lu, we need to talk.” His voice was firm and something about it, sent a shock wave of fear through her. She was worried that her father was going to punish her for talking to Stalida. However, there was something else hidden in his voice but Lu couldn't put her finger on it.

She sucked in a deep breath and approached the table as she closed the door behind her. “Of course father.” She took a seat across from him and looked up at him. His face spoke volumes, stern and his posture, well, her father never slouched anyways.

“Your mother and I have a concern, we would appreciate it, if you would stop talking to Stalida.”

Dang it. Lu knew this was coming, she just hoped she would get an explanation this time. She moved her hand to her pocket and pressed the record button on the record hidden in her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she began to question her father.

“I want to know why, and don’t beat around the bush this time.” Lu’s voice was just as firm as firm as her father’s posture. She wanted her father to know that she was serious.