Mitzi was already nervous when she’d come out and seen Dan actually sitting there on the bench. She’d thought he might chicken out. After the van had gone, she’d gotten him up and moving. She tried to walk casually.

  “Where do you live, again?” Dan asked.

  “It’s honestly not far by car, but I figured this would give us time to talk. So here I am, and my bus just left.” She set out toward the upward slope leading to Natchez proper. He matched pace with her. She looked up at him.

  “Thank you for this, Mitzi. This is a big ask of you on my part. I know if some guy showed up at my job and asked to hang out I’d be kinda wigged out. I appreciate it.” He said, looking sincere as the final light of the sun faded.

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “And I know I said this earlier today, but if I make you feel uncomfortable at any point, say the word and I’m gone. Ok?”

  She watched him and he turned to watch where he was going.

  “Actually, thank you for that. That does make me feel better about this.” She said. “So, what are we doing?”

  “You seemed nice and I wanted to know more about you.” He said.

  “Uh huh. Nothing to do with last night at all? Getting accidentally kissed by a pretty goblin girl?” She asked. She kept herself calm, remembering that kiss again. And this time he was here. Beside her. She thought she could smell him. Wood smoke? The comment did make him look back at her, and he smiled.

  “You ARE really, really pretty. But that’s not why I’m here.” Dan said. She looked up in surprise at that. “Well, not completely. It’s like that old saying. Beauty is only skin deep? Well, I’ve met some skin-deep beauties.”

  “Sounds like elves.” She mumbled.

  “Yes! Exactly!” He said enthusiastically. “I don’t even think it’s completely their fault though. They’re immortal. Anything they see as a problem or anyone they hurt won’t be around long enough for them to worry about. What was it my ex said? “You are all fleeting shadows cast by the brief flame of your souls. Soon forgotten.” He said it in a falsetto with a fake accent of some kind.

  Mitzi stared at him.

  “Back up, pink-boy. Are you saying you dated an elf?”

  He looked pained.

  “Yeah.” Was all he said.

  “They never date outside of their own kind. How the hell did you manage that?!” She asked, legitimately curious now.

  “Well it certainly didn’t turn out very well, did it? I always tell people it was her kleptomania that drove us apart, but it wasn’t. I mean, she WAS a kleptomaniac, but, well, it was the way she looked at me. The way she. . .treated me. Less than human. Certainly less than elf.”

  Mitzi was amazed. This elf must have seen something very special to have gifted him her time. He continued.

  “I don’t know. She treated me like a pet. Or a hobby. Just something to while away a few hours of eternity. She-” He stopped and looked at her. “I’m sorry. I’ve gone far afield and this isn’t something I wanted to talk about. Not now. Not yet.”

  “What DID you want to talk about, then?” She asked. She’d gone from interested to very interested in his story.

  “Mitzi, you seemed like a nice person. You apologized for the kiss. You went out of your way to make sure I didn’t over tip you. You’ve been surprisingly friendly with me. Plus, you didn’t throw me out while I finished my po’boy. All the acts of a nice person.” He said, smiling down at her. “I just wanted to know more about you. I need more nice people in my life. I don’t have many friends these days. Maybe you could be one.”

  Mitzi sighed. If she was being honest, she wanted to know more about him too. Like why she kept thinking about him.

  “Ok. That’s fine. You ask a question and I answer. IF I think it deserves an answer. I reserve the right to privacy. But then I get to ask you one. I don’t know why you should be the only one learning here.”

  Every time he looked at her, he smiled.

  “Perfect.” He said. “So the brood. Are they all your family?”

  “Yes. Mostly cousins. Me, my sister Bandy, and our half-brother Talwick were all part of our mother’s brood, but it got culled from the dungeon. Uncle, sorry, KING Runt took us in. He was mom’s brother.”

  “I’m sorry. I saw your sister last night of course. Talwick seems nice.” Dan said, and he looked like he meant it. Then his eyes went wide. “Did you say dungeon?”

  “Yeah. We’re goblins. That’s what we did in the Everywhen. Broods get snatched up or raised to manage dungeons or keeps. Or, there are the wilderness tribes, but that wasn’t us. We basically had to take care of any heroes that came in after the Necromage.” She shrugged. Common knowledge she thought.

  “Have you ever killed someone?” Dan asked her quietly.

  “Yes.” She said, just as quietly. “We got tired of it. Whole generations getting wiped out for no good reason. Having to kill people that came in trying to stop something we all knew was wrong. That’s why Runt approached Tir-Na-Nog and got us sent here.”

  She looked up, and where she thought she’d find horror or judgment, she found sympathy.

  “Over there, we have to do what’s expected. That’s how the Everywhen works. It’s all stories. And in most stories, goblins do that sort of thing. Then we came here. I can be something else here.

  Me and Bandy don’t have to worry that one of us is going to get killed, or starve to death.”

  “Jesus, Mitzi. I had no idea. I’m glad you got out of all that.” He said.

  “Thanks. What about your family? Are they here?”

  “No.” He said, and there was a hollowness to the word. “No, my family is still in Memphis, and Tennessee in general. I come from what you might consider a brood for humans. I’m one of seven kids. Me, two brothers, and four sisters. Mom’s been alone for ten years now.”

  “What happened to your father?” She asked. Maybe it wasn’t appropriate but if she was going to dig up pain for his curiosity, then he could take the shovel every now and again.

  Dan shrugged.

  “We woke up one morning and dad didn’t. Mom is still single. She never remarried.”

  “Do you still see them?” She asked him.

  “No. We had a falling out. My mother is very religious and has “old south” ideas. I found other ways to think as I grew up. Ways that don’t make me feel like a piece of shit.”

  Mitzi just nodded.

  “I came down here for work. There was a very generous job offer after college, and I’d been bumming around, working dead end jobs. I took the offer and got out. Mom’s still angry about it. I haven’t seen my brothers and sisters since, well, the unpleasantness.”

  “That’s terrible.” Mitzi said. Goblin families held kindness amongst themselves highly. Even Runt, in his weird, blustering way, was extremely kind. He’d sacrificed a lot to get them to the wide world so they could live. But this? The poor guy.

  “It’s terrible, but it’s also life. I heard the term “found family” a while back. That’s what I’m doing here. Finding a family. People that I can care about. That might care about me. Building something to replace what I lost.”

  Building his own family. Humans were more resourceful than most goblins gave them credit for. Who else would build a family from spare parts?

  “Ok.” Mitzi said. “Before you do your next question, you know what I do for a living. What do YOU do? You said you’re here for work.”

  “I work for a local magazine in advertising and graphic design. We have a lot of outside clients that we do work for to bring in extra cash.”

  She had a basic idea of what all that meant, she thought. But not what he DID.

  “Right. So what do you actually do at work?” She finally asked.

  “Oh! I’m an artist.”

  Mitzi’s eyes lit up and she scampered ahead and turned to walk backwards in front of him.

  “You’re an ARTIST?!” She shouted. “Like, you draw things and stuff?”

  He was grinning again. Good.

  “Yep! I do ads, I have a side hustle doing digital commissions for people, and I’m trying to get all the bad physical paintings out of my system again. I want to be in a gallery one day. I don’t think I’m there yet. Well, not any more.” Even with a dampening at the end, he seemed happy to see her reaction. She couldn’t stop staring.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Well, she DID stop staring when he grabbed her shoulders and stopped her. He turned her around to face forward. She’d almost walked into an intersection. There weren’t many cars out in downtown Natchez on a Sunday night, but there were a couple. She was very aware of his hands on her bare shoulders. She was suddenly glad her back was to him. Her ears were probably pink.

  “Uh, thanks.” She said.

  He carefully guided her back to his side. He was STILL smiling. He was smiling at her. Always at her. He turned to watch the traffic lights.

  “But yeah. I do art. It’s what I went to college for, which is why I didn’t really have a job before now. It’s a hard industry to feed yourself in, especially in the south. I’m extremely fortunate, and I know it.” The light changed and they continued on their way.

  Art was one of those creative things she adored that had always been akin to magic to Mitzi. People took stains on paper and made them into something beautiful. She’d only seen it on rare occasions in the Everywhen. It was for the rich. And then she’d come here and found that anyone with spare time could do it! ANYONE could have art!

  She got a grip on herself. It didn’t mean he was any good. It didn’t mean she’d ever see his art.

  “Ok. What’s your next question.” She asked, taking on a more business like demeanor.

  “What do you do for fun?” He asked. “Do you have any hobbies?”

  Mitzi looked at him from the corner of her eye.

  “Not really? Kinda? Even after we came here, everything in our lives has just been trying to survive. This is the first time any of us have had the luxury of, well, luxury.”

  She thought about it some more.

  “Does reading count? I’ve always loved reading.”

  “Yes! Yes it does! I’ve read some. What do you like?” he asked.

  “Everything.” She said, honestly. “In the Everywhen it was hard to get books, but here it’s a whole other thing! I got a hold of some books when we moved into Goblin House. I didn’t care what they were. I read them. I go to this nice woman at one of the antique malls and she’ll trade books with me so I have new ones to read.”

  Dan frowned.

  “Do you know about the library yet?” he asked.

  “I do. I can’t always use it. There’s a guy that lets me in and he’ll let me read there, but a lot of the folks don’t want “mob races” near their books.” She remembered being run off once and having the police called. The police hadn’t shown up due to jurisdiction, of course, but they’d also threatened to call a knight.

  “Fuck.” Dan said, staring ahead. His expression was one of disgust. “I forget how badly you guys are treated. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “I dunno.” Mitzi shrugged. “I think they’re starting some small protests and marches in bigger cities. That’s what Larry says. That’s Mr. Short by the way.”

  “I met him.” Dan said. “I’d like to attend some. Maybe I can get Rob involved in it. He’s always down for activism.”

  “I hope you’re not trying to impress me with that.” She said, smirking at him. He shook his head.

  “Mitzi, you could tell me to get out of here right now, but that still doesn’t mean what is happening to you is right. I’ll help if there’s some way I can.” He looked at her then. “Sorry. That sort of stuff pissed me off when I was growing up and now Rob’s kinda radicalized me on top of everything.”

  “It’s ok. I don’t know if there is anything to be done here, but I’m sure it’s appreciated.”

  She tapped him on the arm and pointed them down another street. The buildings were tall and opulent. It felt like a man made valley every time she passed through. It was a section of high dollar real estate. It made her feel extremely small.

  “Maybe I can help with the books, at least.” He said.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it.” Though she had to reign in her excitement at the idea. “What about you, then? What are your hobbies? Or is it just art?” She said quietly. Her voice echoed easily in the canyon of ancient, white buildings. She could feel centuries leaning over her. Judging her here. She didn’t like it.

  “I play games.” He said.

  She blinked in surprise at that.

  “What kind of games?”

  “Video games mostly, but Rob, you really need to meet him, Rob runs a gaming night thing at the local gaming shop. They play board games and tabletop RPG’s like Mazes and Monsters.”

  For the second time, her eyes lit up.

  “Really? Like Monopoly and stuff? You know people that actually want to play games with you?!” She had to lower her voice again. Damn the buildings.

  “I mean, yeah. Mostly through Rob. Mitzi, would you like to come out one night and play games with us?”

  “I, uh, I don’t know.” She said, turning back to face forward. She desperately wanted to play games. Especially if these people wouldn’t lose all the pieces. “It’s very brave of you to assume I’m going to see you again.”

  He laughed. It was the first time he’d really laughed that night, and it was loud and clear. It echoed off the buildings and it seemed to force the oppression she felt back. Any form of happiness seemed to steal their power.

  “Well,” Dan said, “even if I don’t, you should see about gaming with them. They’d love to have you I’m sure.” His expression changed. It softened. ‘Thank you again for letting me walk with you.”

  She looked up into his face and something about the way he smiled made her start to blush, so she turned away. This was ridiculous. She’d just met him.

  “You’re welcome.” She said. “It’s honestly nice to not be surrounded by everyone, for a few minutes at least.” She hadn’t heard quiet in so long, she’d almost forgotten what it sounded like.

  “Mitzi?” He said, turning to her.

  “Yes?”

  “What do you want to do with your life?”

  She watched the ground as she walked, and tried to think.

  “I don’t know. Like I said before, our whole lives have been survival for so long, I never thought about goals other than not starving.”

  When she looked back up at him, the sympathy was plain, even in the dark stretch of street they found themselves on.

  “Maybe now you can.” He said. “I hope you can, anyway. Maybe if you get out more you can find something that moves you.”

  “Is that a not so subtle hint?” She asked, smiling.

  “Not really.” Dan said. “Just something I realized about myself this weekend too.”

  They continued on quietly for several streets. Mitzi would catch Dan looking at her sometimes but he didn’t speak. They weren’t far from her home when she thought of something.

  “You’ve done a very good job of not being a serial killer, Dan.” She said. He laughed again, more quietly this time though.

  “Thank you. I try my best.”

  “You seemed like a nice person. You’re nicer than I’d hoped.” She said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

  “And you’re as nice as you seemed.” He said. “Can I ask you another question?”

  “Sure.” She said, and shrugged.

  “I noticed something last night, and then again today, and I need to ask. If it’s offensive I apologize. Did you know you smell like spearmint?”

  She blushed and her ears fluttered.

  “I-I did. Yes. Every goblin has their own scent. It’s like a name tag that’s unique to each of us. It’s not supposed to be detectable to humans. But I’ve been nervous. Maybe that’s why you can smell it. I’m sorry if it bothers you.”

  “No! It doesn’t bother me at all. I li-I mean, I was just curious.” He fell silent with a small smile on his face.

  They rounded the bend and she saw home ahead. One of several houses in serious need of work. There was the aged old black man still on his porch as they passed. He stared after them. She stopped in front of her house and turned to face him.

  “This is it. I’m home.” She said, not really sure how to end this little walk. “Mission accomplished, I guess. Did you learn what you wanted?”

  “Mitzi,” he began, but stopped. He was looking down at her and gave his head a slight shake. He knelt. She tilted her head and studied him. She felt her ears twitch.

  “Is this ok? It’s not condescending to kneel like this to a goblin, is it?” He asked with a worried frown.

  “No.” Mitzi said. “It’s perfectly fine. You’re just the only human who’s ever done it for me.” She wished her ears would stop twitching like that. He nodded.

  “Mitzi, I actually have one more question, if that’s ok.”

  She gave a sigh, as if this were the final straw.

  “If you just have to.” She said.

  “Well, it’s more a confession AND a question. Is that too much?”

  “Good lord, pink-boy! Ask your question already! You still have to walk home!”

  He swallowed. NOW he seemed nervous? Here at the end? Lovely. She felt jittery now.

  “I’ve had you on my mind ever since last night. I know that’s got to sound strange, and I’m sorry. I just wanted to know if maybe you’d thought about me at all, or if I was being weird.”

  She could hear the crickets in the grass somewhere behind the house. There was a single sodium light shining down on them. She thought that, for a moment, everything seemed to freeze. He had thought of her, too.

  “Yes.” She said, very quietly.

  He smiled. It was a very different smile than before. She didn’t know what to make of it. It was. . .boyish?

  “Thank you. I just. . . I just needed to know.” He said. “I should probably go. I’m sure you need-”

  “Can I ask you one more question then?” She didn’t have a question. She couldn’t think of a question. She just didn’t really want to go inside yet.

  “Sure.” He said. She still couldn’t think of a question, but she wanted an answer to something. Before he could stand, or do something foolish, Mitzi stepped closer and kissed him again. This time it was on purpose.

  The kiss lasted longer. She felt like something fell into her as she fell into something. Her head felt like it was spinning and she felt a warmth spread from her lips through her body. She’d wanted to know something very important, and as she pulled back, she had her answer. She stepped carefully back and tried to keep her knees straight.

  “That,” Dan said in a whisper, “wasn’t a question.”

  “I’d never been kissed before.” She said. “I needed to know if it would be the same a second time. Thank you.” A part of her was having trouble believing she’d just done that.

  Dan took a deep breath and seemed to calm himself. She thought he was flushed, but the light was that sickly pinkish-orange of rural street lights.

  “For scientific purposes,” He said with that crooked smile, “it felt the same for me.” His expression changed then. She could only describe it as hopeful. “Can I see you again, Mitzi?”

  “Yes. I’ll get my schedule tomorrow.” She said. “I’ll let you know when I’m available, somehow.”

  He reached out and took her hand. He lifted it to his mouth and kissed it very lightly. He very gently placed it back at her side and she felt light headed all over again. Then he stood.

  “G’night, Mitzi. Have a good day tomorrow.” He kept smiling as she backed up the short stairs to the porch and fumbled her way inside, watching him watch her. She got the door shut and peeked out the window. After a moment, Dan turned and walked back down the street. She saw him burst into a run and then she put her back on the door.

  “Well.” Bandy’s voice broke in from the bedroom door to her left, causing Mitzi to jump. “You’re not dead and it’s before ten. I guess things went well with your talk?”

  Before Mitzi knew what she was doing, she burst into an uncontrollable fit of the giggles. Every time she thought she had them under control, she remembered kissing Dan and the way he kissed her hand, and then she was off again on another fit. Bandy just shrugged and went into the bedroom.

  Dan picked himself up off the sidewalk. He’d decided he could do a cartwheel, he was so excited. 25 was beginning to be too old for him to attempt cartwheels. He’d busted his ass and laughed about it. He took a much more leisurely pace home.

  He had never in his entire life experienced a kiss like that, and he found himself wanting to run back to the house and stay up all night talking with her. He wanted to hear her voice again. He shook his head.

  He pulled his phone out and started browsing for something. Her talk of her problems with books had given him an idea. Maybe this was a terrible idea this early in things but he could just imagine her face when she found out, and that sold him on it.

  Dan realized he’d felt happy around her. More than that, there was a sense of safety he hadn’t felt in over a year. Even when he had talked about Bethella. Now that he was alone, the shadows of the city felt ominous again. Especially with the ancient bones of the old south surrounding him. Anything could be there. Waiting.

  He finished his order and went back to watching every street he passed and tried not to flinch at movements in the corner of his eye. Maybe this was happening because he was damaged. He didn’t know. He just knew that Mitzi made him feel normal again. She was like being with his friends, but just her.

  God, was he broken. Maybe he could start putting the pieces together again.