I wrote this for fictober on Tumblr, and I wanted to share it here cause I think it's cute.


Bog looked at Marrianne incredulously. "What?"

"What do goblins think about cooking?" Marianne asked from her odd perch of sitting upside down on the couch, her wings curled under her. "I mean, all we fairies are taught was that you hunted fairies, elves and brownies, but didn't go into specifics on how you ate them."

"The last time that happened was over two hundred years ago, do you think anyone would be willing to share their recipes nowadays?" He set the tray of fairy snacks on the table and sat next to her, an arm stretched on the back of the couch so his hand could rest on her shin.

"So you did cook them." She reached for a tomato seed and took a bite out of it. "What's a socially acceptable recipe now?"

"Well, we usually eat fungi, small animals and various plants." His thumb brushed against her leg. "A common dish is to take a slab of meat, add the family's specific seasoning, wrap it in bog lily leaves and roast it."

"Families have specific seasonings?" Marianne looked up at him curiously.

"Yes, each goblin family has a specific patch of the Dark Forest where they'll harvest herbs and such, and each one has different tastes. And they guard them with their lives, so don't think about asking anyone about theirs. Most don't even tell son- or daughter-in-laws until several years into matehood."

That made Marianne freeze briefly, before her head fell back against the cushions. "Your mom offered to teach me the spice mix for your favorite chipmunk roast so we could make it for your birthday."

Bog looked down at her, his mouth slightly open in shock, then sighed and reached a hand down to run through Marianne's hair. "Looks like you're going to be sticking around for a long time, Tough Girl, cause once you know that, Mother will never let you leave."

"Wasn't planning on it," she said, smiling and raising an arm to brush her fingertips against his chin. He smiled back and leaned down a bit to kiss her hand.