“What the –”
“Welcome to central Goblin Town,” their guide exclaimed, obviously used to the rhyme and rhythm of giving a tour through the tunnels. “Where full pockets can be wisely spent.”
Maggie’s eyes couldn’t get any wider. What they saw from outside of the caves could not begin to explain how much space lay within. The singular tunnel Maggie and Peter entered expanded to form a wide room, where the walls concaved and opened up into a series of more caves. Wooden doors, similar to the one they first entered, stood at most of the caves along the wall, with railed pathways leading back down to the large floor beneath. Makeshift ceilings from different kinds of fabrics forged a sort of covered market. Stone stairs led upwards in all sorts of directions, leading to the taller levels before back into the market area.
“If this is only central Goblin Town,” Maggie murmured out the side of her mouth, “I wonder how big it allreallyis.”
Peter leaned closer to her ear, whispering so low that the words tickled her skin. “Non-goblin minds can’t even begin to understand it, so we don’t bother to ask.”
They were led onto one of the top floors before their guide stepped down on one of the long and winding staircases. Maggie was quick to notice how there wasn’t a bit of railing in sight, only the narrow pathway erected plenty of feet in the air. The guide paused and looked over his shoulder.
“What’d it be you said you two was looking for?”
The goblin spoke in an odd manner, the words jumbled and misconstrued. Maggie blinked before glancing at Peter, who didn’t seem to notice.
“A carved copper eye,” Peter replied. “Maybe you’ve heard of it?”
The goblin let out a low whistle as he rubbed the back of his rolled neck. His expression, however unreadable, had an obvious twinge of uncertainty to it. “Gots to say,” the goblin murmured, “I might’ve.”
“Can you show us where?”
He nodded a few times before actually moving. “Name’s Grimsby. Will show the way. Through the market was where we gotta go, alright with you?”
Maggie snatched Peter’s hand as her anxiety swelled.
“Don’t worry for a minute, Magpie,” he whispered as he turned back to her. “Goblin’s have got their own language, you see? It doesn’t translate perfectly, but it’s good enough. There isn’t anything to fear.” Peter reached, pinching the soft skin of her button chin. “Not when I’m here.”
Maggie wasn’t sure how it was possible for confidence to be passed through people, but it happened more often than not in Neverland. Peter Pan’s words were almost enough to let the fear trickle out her bones, to let it sink to the floor as if it hadn’t existed at all. It was the certainty behind his words, the firmness in his touch, the glint in his eye, that spoke more words than anything else. In the matter of moments, Maggie was ready to face off the world, as long as he was by her side.
Maggie nodded. “Let’s go.”
Their goblin guide, Grimsby, waddled as he went down the long staircase. The stone steps were as firm as can be, without a crack in sight. Maggie let her eyes wander in every direction, not letting the great height and tremendous fall distract her from moving forward.
“Grimsby,” Maggie called out. The goblin’s pointed ears twitched and trembled in recognition. “This structure is quite the marvel. Are goblins natural architects?”
“Stone is breakable,” Grimsby responded in a gruff voice. “Breakable is moldable. Moldable is home.”
Maggie pressed her lips together.Simple enough.She was suddenly curious as to how the native goblin tongue was perceived, how it sounded to a human’s ears. From their height on the staircase, handfuls of goblins could be seen lingering about in the marketplace. They dressed rather similarly, with simple strips of fabrics threaded together haphazardly. Some wore wide brimmed hats and others showed off their characteristically wispy hair. Green, earthy colors lit up the underground world, delicate against their forestry skin color. They were peculiar creatures, ones who drew Maggie’s curiosity the more they walked through Goblin Town. It only brought to question what other creatures called Neverland home, and how many secrets the magical land truly held.
The staircase went on for minutes, until there was a sudden stop, and Grimsby waved them toward the covered market. Shops and taverns were carved into the walls of stone. Lights burnt from roasting flames, most from torches that hung from a plethora of sconces on every possible spot. Signs were erected above the shop openings, the names written in a garish language that made Maggie’s eyes hurt. It made sudden sense as to why Peter did not seem at all in a rush to ask about the goblin’s secretive language. Even then, as the crowd around themgrew, Maggie found that her ears naturally toned down their conversations, until there was only a loud murmur echoing all around them.
“Hang close, friends,” Grimsby said as they neared the covered marketplace, the shadows within far greater than the warm firelight. “Tricky within, far too easy to be lost.”
Peter grasped Maggie’s arm before twisting it around his own.
Everything changed once they passed over the threshold. What was once a place that looked primarily run by goblins, was suddenly full of all sorts of creatures. Humans, fairies, and elves alike lurked on every corner, slipping by with darkened cloaks drawn over their heads. Goblins stood in front of their wooden stalls, bellowing in their fragmented English about their discounted prices and rare wares that could be found nowhere else. A butcher eyed them closely as they passed, a glinting blade shrieking as it sliced through the air above his head. Across the way, another goblin tossed freshly caught fish over the narrow walkway, to customers on the opposite end.
Maggie flinched as seawater dripped onto her forehead, the salty tearstain trickling all the way down her chin. She wanted to ask Peter about everything she was seeing, but something about it all stunned her into a speechless silence. There were no human markets like that one, where everything was so up-close and personal, where everything was for sale and there was always someone willing to buy. The sounds were overwhelming enough, but as the masses grew, Maggie didn’t have any idea of how she could stomach any more of it.
“Out with you!”
Commotion came from Maggie’s left. A tumble of bodies came from one of the opened doors, the loud chaos of a tavern echoing out into the market. The sounds were all too familiar, immediately bringing Maggie back to a time she had almostforgotten. One goblin, obviously drunk and incapacitated, stumbled around as he struggled to regain his footing. The drunk must’ve been kicked out by the barman.
Maggie jerked backward just as Peter stepped in the drunk’s way, stopping the stumbling goblin from backing directly into her. The goblin barely noticed any intrusion and went along his way, still relentlessly shouldering anyone who passed him by. Peter tucked his arm around her shoulders, steering the way forward while making sure Grimsby wasn’t lost to them. The short goblin was a quick mover, despite his odd little waddling limp.
“You’re alright,” Peter said, no longer able to simply whisper. He practically shouted, but no one other than Maggie seemed to notice. “We’ll get past it.”
Maggie could only nod and keep moving, never once stepping out of line with Peter. Eventually, the stalls thinned out until there weren’t anymore, only the shops carved into the stone walls themselves. The crowd lessened, most goblins sticking to the busy area for their usual shopping. By that point, as the tunnel narrowed and thinned, there were only shrouded figures lurking mysteriously in the shadows, their eyes carefully tucked away. Maggie took care to keep out of their way – for her own piece of mind.
