Chapter One:

With a clang and a bang, a grubby goblin with a top hat tumbled out of the grimy alleyway and into the dirty streets of the Goblin City.

Looking along the twisting lane, he called out in his singsong voice, "Mimion? Mimion? Wheres are yous?"

But no answer came and so the goblin with the shabby top hat began on his way; tripping over pans and pots and chickens meanwhile persistently calling out that name.

His shouts were not unheard, however, as high on a rooftop sat two little goblins. Stealthy hidden by the shadows of a tower, they both watched the greenish grey goblin tumble about. They both made no sound and both were so still it was as if they did not even breath. There was a strange quietness that hung about them; a quietness that for humans is rarely ever attain; a quietness that could only come from the slight magic that rests within the goblin race.

Unfortunately for them that magic was extremely slight.

From down below, Fifo suddenly let out a mangled yelped and crashed face first into the cobblestone streets. Grumbling, he looked up to glare at the chicken behind him. This chicken, a black speckled hen, clucked merrily at the sight, seemingly amused at the scene she had just caused. Fifo, on the other hand, was far from amused. Taking the nearest pot he could find, he then proceeded in chucking it at her.

From above, the two watching goblins seem to side more with the chicken. Quiet grins cracked onto both faces as they saw Fifo's aim miss terribly, but it was when the chicken had decided to sit upon Fifo that the larger of the two began to giggle.

This was also when the magic had begun to waver.

Aware of this, her friend sharply poked the giggling goblin in the side and hissed, "Mimion would you shut up?"

"Sorry, Ravie! I can'ts!" Mimion said as she continued to giggle even louder, "Fifo is just so stupid some times."

"But this is your training, remember? If you giggle like this now, you'll definitely giggle when you play tricks on humans."

"Hehe, what's so wrongs with tat?" Mimion snickered.

"Because thens the humans will find yous." A sudden voice said behind them.

Screaming, both goblins whipped their heads behind them, their racing heartbeats calming when they saw the kind face of their dear friend Copperpot.

Laughing, the heavier goblin then heaved his way up on the roof and, settling in between them, said, "Boy, you two sures as loud as clucking chickens."

Ignoring the jest, Mimion hissed, "Copperpot! Whats you going here? Aren't you supposes to be in the castle? Doesn't Kingy mad get when you no there when you need be?"

"He don't notice."

"Yeah" Ravie agreed as she picked up a rotten tomato that sat in a basket nearby. "He's never in the kitchens. Just his study. And besides, we all look the same to him." With that said, Ravie then took one look at Fifo (who had successfully pushed the chicken off him), pulled her arm back, and threw the tomato.

Whizzing through the air, it landed with a sickening splat and was rapidly followed by a mangled yell.

Fifo's little shabby top hat was knocked from right under his head, causing the sharp nosed goblin to lunge into a large pot laying nearby. His muddy brown eyes were the only thing that peeked out, scanning the streets with alarm. It quickly turn into a glare, though, as his ears detected the sound of laughter ringing loudly in the air.

Bent over and clutching their sides, his three friends absolutely howled instantly shattering the magic that hid them.

It didn't take long then for Fifo to spot them. He climbed out of his hiding place with his face burning red, his nose scrunched up in fury, and his mouth running out strings of curse words. The little goblin continued to snarl angrily as he picked up his poor sodden hat and tried his best to wipe clean the nasty yellowish juice that drenched it.

Swing it back onto his head, he marched over to them shouting, "You aint' very nice!"

"Aw, come on!" Ravie laughed, "Lighten up a little!"

His mouth wrench open for a reply, but the reply would never come. At that moment, a wild chicken had broken loose from its imprisonment and poor little Fifo just happened to be in its escape route. With a clash, he suddenly found himself on the floor, fortunately unscathed, but his friends found themselves in the predicament of having difficulty in breathing. They laughed so hard, in fact, that Copperpot began to roll. He rolled off the roof and with a boom, crashed onto the street below.

Quickly sobering up, the two girl goblins scrambled down to help the growling Fifo pull a very large Copperpot up to his feet.

Tears sprung up in his eyes as poor Copperpot grimace from the pain. Mimion, snapping into action, went to examine him and upon poking his back, a whimper escaped from the fat goblin.

Hearing it, Fifo snarled "Well yous deserves it!"

"Copperpot didn't do anything!" Ravie quickly defended, her green eyes flashing.

"Oh, its you, huh?" He growled back, his eyes narrowing as his nostrils flared, "Me should guess. It always yous. Causin' rackus every places!"

Ravie opened her mouth but was quickly cut off by Mimion saying, "What is it tats yous wanted, Fifo? You knows. Why yous looking for I?"

With tons of effort, Fifo painfully turned away from Ravie who decided now was the perfect moment to stick her tongue out at him.

Fight the urge to stick his out back, Fifo finally said in his brisk army voice, "Julius wants to sees us! He says its something about new rules..."

Mimion instantly paled, her light brown eyes widening comically, and she quickly cried out, "You shoulds say tat before!"

"Well yous was hiding!" Fifo exclaimed in self-defense.

Ignoring him, Mimion in her panic griped his arm while babbling, "Come on! Go! Gets Go! Go we gets! Oohhh, Julius is gonna kills us!"

She then pulled the protesting Fifo off into an alleyway, leaving Ravie and the sore Copperpot all by themselves.

It was only for a moment, though, as Copperpot soon said "Comes, we better go too."

Ravie, with a sigh and a longing look back at the rooftop, reluctantly agreed and they both started their way to the Goblin Castle.

They walked about the crooked streets in silence, going slow for Copperpot was quite a heavy goblin. Ravie didn't mind though. She loved to watch the strange on-goings of the city.

Strange blasts of wine often burst from a goblin's home drenching any by-passers with the blood red liquid; it was not a strange sight to see chickens jumping down from rooftops in fright; and there was the common commotion of stolen knick-knacks in flight as they were toss around from street to street and home to home. The city was indeed an interesting spectacle only made stranger by its very inhabitants. Goblins of all shapes and sizes raced up and down the streets, clambered over rooftops, tumbled out windows, crashed into doors, meanwhile making the loudest racket that could ever be produced in the universe and Ravie adored every last detail of it.

She and Copperpot found themselves climbing the stone steps that lead to the Goblin Castle when she abruptly asked "How's the kitchens?"

"Good!" Copperpot exclaimed, "Good foods and plenty of its. Hows the Library?"

"Alright" Ravie said with a sigh, "It's just- Marcus won't let me read the books anymore."

"Why?" He asked with bewilderment.

"Cause he says I don't need to. He says it's a waste of my time."

"But he reads all the time!"

"I know!" Ravie growled, "But he reads documents and papers for the King. I, on the other hand, just read history and fiction books."

"Aw, that a shame." He said shaking his fat squashed face, "Its super good you know how to read though, not many of us do..."

"I can teach you."

"No, I don't needs to. I belong in kitchen, and I like kitchen, and in kitchen, you no need read."

"Aye" Ravie sighed, "And you're lucky that you're in the kitchens. It's probably so much more relaxing in there with no one breathing down your neck."

"Marcus breaths downs yours?"

"Yep, all the time."

"Why?"

"Doesn't like me."

"Why?"

"Cause I'm too smart."

"Shouldn't he like you for that?"

"Hm, I don't know..."

"Well, as I sees it," Copperpot said, puffing himself up as he always did when he was bestowing his wisdom, "is that, if want him to like you, just suck up to him."

"You think that'll work?"

"Do it not always work?"

"I don't think for this it will."

"Why? Just start today and sees hows it go."

"Eh, I think it might be a little too late to start today."

"Why?"

"'Cause I was supposed to be in the library two hours and twenty minutes ago."

"Ravie!" Copperpot exclaimed, his clay-brown eyes wide and his green face turning the color of grey cigarette ashes, "Go! Get Runs!"

"Nah, I'm alright. I can-"

But what she was going to say next, she never finished because Copperpot shoved her ahead, making her to race off with a gleeful grin on her face.