Well, she was right. Sarah was extremely popular from the very beginning. She didn't look bad for a goblin – she still had her long hair (but it was gray-green), she was quite tall and slim. When she saw herself in the mirror for the first time, she almost had a heart attack. She avoided all glass for some time, but soon got used to her new appearance.
And then they realized she could read! All the words! And fluently! It was great, it was amazing, and they all were excited. At first Sarah expected some of the "more educated" goblins to be jealous at her, but they weren't - they were simply too kind and friendly for it. Luckily she succeeded in steering the conversation away from her age. She felt younger, it was like being a child again.
The boys showed her all around the castle. They ran through the Escher room, they took her to the throne room, then the gardens. Climbing walls and jumping from high places was not dangerous at all - their bodies were almost unbreakable. And it didn't hurt at all. For a moment she was scared, but then she liked that new and strange freedom. She didn't have to be careful anymore. And they ran further to the gardens. The boys were very proud that they had the chance to show this new girl everything, so they paraded and tried to amaze her with their knowledge and experience.
When they came to the Bog of Eternal Stench Sarah was surprised. As a goblin she didn't mind the smell at all! OK, she felt it, but it was not so horrible. Things are not what they seem in this place... she thought, climbing the wall. Then her foot slipped and she fell down... headfirst, of course. |
