“To live another life, as a creature that most would call a monster. A second chance at a life I once had, i’d be foolish to pass up the opportunity. I shall regain my throne as the Goblin Queen.”

Stalida breathed easily for the first time. Lu hugged her and Harley just shook her head. “You are putting your family through that again? What about your kids that you have here?”

“My family shunned me all of my life. I know I put them through the ringer but all I ever received was the cold shoulder. No matter what I did. Whenever my two children questioned me about their height and family, when I told them the truth they ignored me. It was my parents and siblings all over again. I didn’t feel like I had any family until Lu came along. Lu always loved the stories I told and believed in me. She gave me the one thing no one else did, love.”

Her mother went silent as Astrid chimed in, “I’ll take my leave now. I’ll be here by six in the evening to pick both of you up. Pack light, I can give you your starter kits and supplies when you get here. As for you Stalida, think about how you want to die and who you want to end your life. I can do it, but if you want someone else to, then have that ready.”

Astrid’s projection soon faded leaving all three of them in the room together. The air soon began to feel just as thick as it was the other day when her father visited.

As time passed Lu’s mother cleared her throat, breaking the silence, “Lu, we should probably get going if we want to prepare you for your trip. Also, we need to inform your father. I am unsure on how he is going to take this.”

Lu nodded and collected her things. She gave her great grandma a hug and a kiss before she and her mother walked out the door.

“Lu, I hope you know what you are doing.”

Her mother said as they got in the car to drive home. Lu looked up at her mother with curiosity in her eyes, “I don’t know what I am doing, but a world full of magic and possibility is my cup of tea. I can also check in on Stalida.”

“All I know is your father is not going to be happy about this, even if he did give you the rod.”

“I know he only gave it to me because of you. Part of me would like to think that he gave it to me because he wants me to travel, wants me to explore. Though, I know that is not the case, I still would like to think it is.”

“Well, don’t get your hops up, dear.”

“I know, mother.”

Once home, it was around one in the afternoon. Lu and her mother went up to her room and started packing a bag.

“Remember, Astrid said to pack light.”

Lu’s mother nodded as she started to take some clothes out of Lu’s closest. “How about two outfits for each type of weather then?” Lu’s mother asked as she placed two pairs of jeans, two pairs of leggings, two pairs of shorts, two tanks, two short sleeves, two long sleeves, a coat and a hoodie on the bed.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Mom! Light. One set each.” Lu said as she began to pick from the outfits that her mother had in front of her. “I can buy or have clothes made there. I think.”

“What about feminine products? Do they have those in other worlds?”

Lu shrugged, “I can figure that one out when I get there.”

After about thirty minutes of packing and unpacking things her mother thought she needed, Lu was satisfied with what she had in her pack.

“Thanks for helping me mom,” Lu hugged her mother tightly.

“Of course. I hate to see you leave, but I know if we force you to stay, you will grow to resent us and that is not what I want at all.”

Lu kissed her mother’s cheek and hugged her a bit longer. Her mother may have been hesitant at the start in letting Lu go and learning about the other worlds, but Lu knew she was only doing that because she loved her. She knew that it had to have been hard on her mother watching her daughter leave and possibly never come back.

****

A few hours had passed since then and Lu had decided to help her mother fix her father’s favorite dinner. Something, she hoped that he would appreciate and remember always.

They both looked at the door as they heard the click and creek sound of the door as her father’s voice echoed through the hall.

“I’m home!”

Lu ran to her father and gave him a big squeeze. “Hi daddy.”

Lu’s father looked down at her suspiciously, “Daddy? You haven’t called me daddy in years, is something wrong?” Lu’s father looked into the kitchen and saw that his favorite dish was prepared, “Okay, something is definitely wrong.”

Lu went and took her seat at the table and waited for him to take his. “Now, Daniel, please do not overreact with what Lu has to say.”

Her father stared at the two of them, “Okay, now you have me worried. Just get out with it please.”

“Father I am leaving tomorrow and so is Stalida.”

Her father went silent. She could tell that he was trying to process what she had just said, as Lu knew that she spoke it fast.

“I thought you promised me-”

Lu cut her father off for the first time as this was something that she dared not to do, “I did, but that was me promising that you won’t lose me. You knew I would go rift jumping. You gave me the scroll and the rod in the first place. The rod only made me more curious.”

He went silent once again before he said what he said next, “I know, a father can hope that his daughter would listen to the whole sentence. When do you leave again?”

Lu knew her father was irritated and a bit hurt. She just hoped this last night with him will fix any issues they may have.

“Tomorrow, and dad. Stalida is coming with me too.”

“I heard that part. I just choose not to acknowledge it.”

“Daniel, she has decided to be reincarnated again. She wants to be a goblin again.”

As soon as the words left her lips, he got up from the table, took his plate and drink and went into his office closing the door behind him.

Lu understood that her father was hurt, she just hoped that she could find time to spend some time with him.

***

A few hours later Lu knocked on her father’s office door, “Come in!”

“Hey, dad I know you are upset but I was hoping for some time with you before I leave tomorrow.”

He took a deep breath, “I would love to spend time with you. What did you have in mind?”

“Some family game night and movie? Like we used to do when I was little.”

“Alright, let’s go pick a game.”

After two hours of playing some classic family games and a movie of Lu’s choice later, Lu went to bed with a smile on her face as her last night with her folks was one of the happiest ones yet.