Ok, I know it's a week late but I wanted to try and write a story for Father's Day. I'm also hoping it will get my creative juices flowing again so I can continue my Labyrinth-Dark Crystal story. Still, I hope it turns out okay.
Now, for reference, I finally bought Brian Froud's The Goblins of Labyrinth, and will be incorporating some of the goblins mentioned in my story. However, I am hoping to create my own individual characters.
As usual, all characters (excluding my own) are copyrighted, so I claim no ownership.
Happy Belated Father's Day!
Kingy's Day
Chapter 1
June 14th, 1996: Upper Nyack Elementary School:
"Can I have some more glitter?"
"I'm all outta glue."
"Aww, my crayon broke!"
It was the Friday before Father's Day, and getting closer to the end of another school day. As always everyone in the school (teachers and students alike) was looking forward to the weekend and would continue to count down the days leading up to Summer Vacation. But this weekend many of the children were especially excited for the coming holiday, including everyone in the entire Kindergarten class.
The children were all seated at their tables working on hand-made Father's Day cards. Every table was literally overflowing with craft supplies: glitter, glue, paper, cotton balls, etc. As the clock overlooking the classroom got closer to reading "home time," all the children were scrambling to finish their special projects while the two teachers walked around, helping them any way they could.
"Miss Sarah, can I have more glue?" asked one little boy.
"Sure, Colin," said the young brunette as she brought over another glue bottle, "Here you go. But be careful not to use too much."
Then a young girl called, "Miss Katie, I need more glitter." The woman with red shoulder-length curly hair came over, and nearly gaped at the pile of blue glitter in front of the child.
"I think you have too much glitter already, Chelsea" Katie chuckled as she picked up the paper at both ends and gently poured the glitter pile onto a nearby paper plate.
Sarah glanced at the clock before turning back to her busy students,
"Alright, everyone, it's almost time to line up, so let's start cleaning up a bit." She had to bite back a giggle as some kids groaned in disappointment:
"Already?"
"I'm not done!"
"My card's not ready either!"
Sarah held up her hands, "Calm down, children. Even if you're not done yet, you can still try to keep your work areas clean. Now, how many of you are finished?" Sarah and Katie actually laughed as a sea of hands, each gripping their finished cards, shot into the air followed by repeated Me, Me, Me's, "Great job, guys, they all look beautiful! Your dads are gonna love them!"
The children beamed with pride at her praise.
"Now, all of you who are finished must be sure to clean up your supplies, and leave the boxes on the table. If there is someone still working at your table, leave the boxes open until they're finished. Miss Katie and I will put them away later."
~KD~KD~KD~KD~KD~
Half-an-hour later, the students were all heading home for the weekend. After seeing off the last of the children, Sarah and Katie headed back to the classroom to finish cleaning up.
"So, Sar," Katie said as she stacked the craft boxes on the shelves, "Anything special going on this weekend?"
"Well," Sarah replied as she put some forgotten toys in their proper places, "It looks like Daddy…erm…I mean Dad…is going to be home for Father's Day after all." She blushed, after all these years she was still finding it hard not to call her father 'Daddy' anymore. Katie smiled but knew not to mention it.
Robert Williams was one of the most respected lawyers in Rockland County. Unlike most lawyers, he was not moved by money or politics. He offered his services to anyone who needed him, regardless of class or income. He always examined things carefully: witness statements, physical evidence, etc. No stone was left unturned in his pursuit of justice. Everyone in town admired him, both as a man-of-the-law and as a family man.
"Hey, that's great! I guess that means that case he was working on is finally settled? Wasn't it in Westchester County?"
For the past couple of months, Mr. Williams was handling a difficult case in the next county. Sarah didn't know all the details; Robert had a strict "don't ask, don't tell" policy when it came to his job. He firmly believed that there were some jobs that shouldn't mix with family life, especially if they dealt with the law. From what Sarah and her stepmother had heard on the news, it was a child-abuse case that was drawing on too long. Apparently, one of the senior partners in Robert's firm highly recommended him for the job, and Robert had dedicated every waking moment to this case. The day the news reported that the case was finally resolved, the whole family cheered knowing that he was finally coming home.
"Yeah," Sarah sighed, "We've been so worried about him these past few weeks. Every time he called he sounded so tired." Sarah gave her friend a very familiar grin; the kind that said 'I've got a secret', "Irene said that the whole family is going out for dinner on Father's Day to celebrate."
Katie cocked an eyebrow at her friend's announcement, "Really? Where?" She watched as Sarah stood up and sauntered over slowly, before bending and whispering in her ear. What she heard caused her to gasp in wide-eyed shock, "No!"
"Yes," Sarah grinned at her friend's reaction.
"B-b-but that's one of the most exclusive – most EXPENSIVE – restaurants around! You need to get reservations practically MONTHS in advance!"
Sarah huffed, "Believe me, I know. Irene and I made the reservation after New Year's, and we've been saving up some of our money each month since then to cover the bill! When Dad took this case, we were afraid we'd have to cancel it since it was taking so long."
Katie laughed, "Well, Williams, I guess you're just too damn lucky."
Suddenly a small voice piped up from the classroom door, "Oooo, you owe me a quarter!" Both women looked towards the door to see a ten-year-old blonde boy standing there, looking at Katie with a cheeky grin on his face.
"Hey, Toby," Sarah greeted him.
Katie bit her thumb nail, "Dang it…"
"Make that two quarters."
"Hey, I said dang that time!"
"She's right, Tobes," Sarah said, "I'm a witness."
Toby crossed his arms and gave his best mock frown. "Traitor," he grumbled. Everyone started laughing as Katie walked to the teacher's desk to fetch her purse.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Katie asked as she handed him a quarter, "I thought you went home on the bus."
"Sarah and I are going home together," Toby replied, "We're all gonna spend the weekend together with Dad."
"Yeah, I just need to get things settled at my apartment first," Sarah added as she grabbed the cleaning supplies from the closet, "Want to help with the clean-up, bro? We'll get it done much faster."
Toby wrinkled his nose; he hated cleaning, even at home. But he did want to get back home in time to see his father. Heaving a big sigh, he walked over and said, "Sure, why not."
~KD~KD~KD~KD~KD~
"So, what are you giving Dad for Father's Day?" Sarah asked as she steered her car down the road. Even though the family house was closer to the school, her apartment was a little further away (by only ten minutes). Her bags were already packed, but she had other things to take care of: a little light cleaning, wrapping her dad's gift, and making sure her cat had food and water.
Toby looked up at her from where he sat in the front passenger seat, "We made something cool in Art Class this week. I just got it back today!" He reached for his backpack on the floor and gave it a hearty pat.
"Really? What is it?"
Toby grinned at her the same way he did Katie, "It's a secret."
Sarah had just stopped at a stoplight when he said this. She turned her head and was instantly reminded of another face with a similar smirk. Sarah shook her head to clear her mind, and regarded her brother.
"Secret?" she asked in mock disbelief, "I thought we shared everything together!"
Toby shook his head, "Not this time; I worked really hard on this and I want it to be a surprise. So no one's gonna see it until I give it to Dad."
"Okay, okay," Sarah chuckled as they turned onto the street where she lived, "As long as you didn't take anything of your mom's to make it."
Toby flinched, "Yuck! No way! Mom's stuff is too girly!" They both laughed as Sarah parked in front of her building.
As they got out of the car, Toby spotted a familiar face over by the basketball court, "Hey, Sar, can I play with Brian for a bit?" Brian was one of the local children who lived in the same building as Sarah. Toby had made friends with the shy boy the first time he stayed over with her, and the two became very close.
Sarah looked over and saw that Brian's mom was nearby. "Sure, just be mindful of Mrs. Daniels and don't leave the court without them. I'll try to finish up quickly." She watched as he headed across the grass to the court and the two boys started shooting hoops, and then entered the building.
Luckily her apartment was on the ground floor, so Sarah was able to keep an eye on him as she cleaned up. After setting up feeders for her cat, Puck, she went to her bedroom and opened the closet. Rummaging around she finally found the little box that contained a specific cologne he had really liked the last time they all went to the mall together. Sarah grabbed the wrapping supplies and a gift bag and proceeded to wrap her gift.
As she finished, Sarah suddenly felt a familiar tingling along the back of her neck. The sensation was followed by a loud thump coming from the living room. Sarah sighed; she knew what that sound meant. She braced herself for the inevitable, grabbed her gift, and walked out of the bedroom.
~KD~KD~KD~KD~KD~
"Ouch!"
"Shhh!"
"Huh? But no one-"
"Shut up!"
Sarah had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. Weren't goblins supposed to be stealthy? From the sound of their 'whispering', they were about as discrete as a soprano singing opera in a library. She craned her head around the entryway that separated the hallway from the living room to see exactly who was visiting this time. While Sarah wasn't entirely familiar with all of the Goblin City's inhabitants, she was lucky to know a few by name – some even by profession.
Thankfully, she knew all four visitors.
Røem Bååbå, whom she affectionately nicknamed "Roe", had landed on his head upon arrival and was currently shaking his head to get rid of the painful sensation. Sarah just shook her head; for one who was supposed to be the Goblin Prime Minister, he wasn't all that bright. In fact, she was certain he wouldn't even be able to last one second in Congress! So far, his only claim to fame was that giant flea (…yick…) he always carried with him. Sarah hoped to God that he would keep 'Betsy' away from her cat.
Next to him was Dogsthörpe – or "Doggie", as she called him – who was holding up his magnifying glass and looking around the room. Despite the other goblins' boasts that he was 'the greatest detective in the Underground', no one could get him to say anything intelligent; what he did say only made him sound like an actual dog! Sarah herself was only just barely able to teach him to communicate using body language.
About a foot away from the other two was Little Grüempy. Sarah didn't know much about him except that the others called him a 'Snatter Goblin'. She didn't have a clue what 'snattering' was, nor did she wish to. However, when they told her that these particular goblins lived within the bricks of the Labyrinth, Sarah suspected that Grüempy and his…friends…had something to do with her lipstick marks being changed during her run (though she didn't have any way to prove it).
Finally, there was Böegiböe, who always carried his staff in his hand. He was currently wandering around the room, picking up objects in his free hand and putting them down again. The others had tried to explain his strange behavior to her, but she found their stories and explanations to be quite...well...pointless.
"Awwww," Roe whined, "There ain't nobody here."
Grüempy turned to glare at him, "'Course there is, I felt something when we came."
Böegiböe huffed from where he stood near the TV, "Probably too much grit cake." This statement caused all the goblins to laugh. Sarah gave a little laugh herself as she stepped into the room.
"Hiya, guys!" The goblins all turned at once.
"Lady!" cried the goblins (Doggie just yelled 'arf, arf'). Sarah crouched down as they ran toward her, and she enveloped them all in a big hug.
"So," she asked after settling them down on the floor again, "what brings you all here?"
Roe looked confused, "Uhh, our feet?" Grüempy whacked the back of his head.
"No, Stupid, with magic!"
Sarah cleared her throat, "Now, Grüempy, that's not nice. You don't like it when others make fun of you, do you?" The little goblin looked properly chagrined as he shuffled his foot on the floor. Sarah had to admit, their antics made them no different than the children she taught at school.
"Sorry, Lady,"
"The one you should apologize to is Roe," Sarah reminded him, "Besides, he's the Prime Minister; you're supposed to respect him." This made Roe puff out his chest with pride, until Böegiböe suddenly spoke up:
"Ha, we'll respect him when Betsy grants us a nosefull of gold!" All the goblins (except Roe) gave a raucous laugh hearing that. Roe, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes at his spear-wielding companion.
"Watch it, Buddy," he growled, "I could always have Betsy bump into you!" This caused the others to freeze. From what Sarah tried to understand, goblins that were bumped by the large flea were forced to stay in bed all day. She didn't think this was such a big deal, but to her confusion the goblins considered this an 'execution'!
'These guys sure have the strangest customs,' she thought. Suddenly, Roe's warning sunk in and she quickly jumped in before he made good on his threat.
"That won't be necessary, Roe. Besides, you know the rules: Betsy has to stay on you when you visit here. Remember what happened last time, when she tried to go after Puck?"
The goblins chucked. They remembered how the poor cat ran and jumped all over the apartment trying to avoid the giant insect. The resulting commotion nearly got her in trouble with the landlord. Sarah was able to placate the man by saying that Puck had been chasing a bird that had gotten through the open window. Thankfully, she got off with a warning, but Roe was forbidden from letting Betsy loose while Aboveground.
"That was funny," Grüempy chuckled. Sarah gave him a deadpanned look.
"Maybe for you," she grumbled as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Honestly, I don't understand how your king manages to keep his sanity with your shenanigans." It was then that she remembered her earlier inquiry, and caught the guilty looks on their faces. "Which brings me back to my question: why are you guys here?"
"Huh? That's not what you–" Roe stopped when he caught the stern look on her face.
Sarah could only sigh as she realized what happened: goblins only came to see her when they got in major trouble. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to ask the big question:
"What happened?"