The Goblin at the Grocer's

Curl up to this enchanting bonus episode, where we unravel the magical tale of "The Goblin at the Grocer's." Discover the whimsical life of a student living in an attic and the grocer below him, connected by the unseen strings of poetry and music. The goblin, fiercely loyal to the grocer, initially rebels against the student's poetic indulgence but finds himself irresistibly drawn to the transformative power of the written word. As he peeks into the student's attic, the goblin's heart begins to waver, questioning his loyalties and embracing the magic that poetry brings.

The music in this episode is Tempus Legendi by Franz Gordon. 

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Dreamful is produced and hosted by Jordan Blair. Edited by Katie Sokolovska. Theme song by Joshua Snodgrass. Cover art by Jordan Blair. ©️ Dreamful LLC

Transcript

Jordan: 0:21

Welcome to Dreamful Podcast bedtime stories for slumber. In this bonus episode, I will be reading the Goblin at the grocer's. So snuggle up in your blankets and have sweet dreams.

Jordan: 0:39

Thank you.

Jordan: 1:13

There was once a student, a proper student. He lived in an attic and owned nothing at all. There was also a grocer, a proper grocer. He lived on the ground floor and owned the whole house, and so it was with the grocer that the goblin chose to make his home. Besides, every Christmas he was given a bowl of porridge with a great lump of butter in it. The grocer could manage that easily, and so the goblin stayed at the shop. There's a moral there somewhere, if you look for it.

Jordan: 2:03

One evening, the student came in through the back door to buy some candles and cheese. His shopping was quickly done and paid for, and the grocer and his wife nodded good evening. The wife could do more than nod, though. She was a chatterbox. Talk, talk, talk. She was a chatterbox, talk, talk, talk. She had what they call the gift of gab. No doubt about that.

Jordan: 2:32

The student nodded back, and then his eye fell on something written on the paper wrapping the cheese, and he stood there reading it. It was a page torn from an old book, one which should have never been torn up at all, an old book full of poetry. There's more of that book if you want it, said the grocer. I gave an old woman some coffee beans for it. You can have the rest for six pence if you like. Thank you, said the student. Let me have it instead of the cheese. I can do very well with bread. It's a shame to use such a book for wrapping paper. You are an excellent man. A shame to use such a book for wrapping paper. You are an excellent man, a practical man, but you have no more idea of poetry than that tub over there. Now, this was a rude thing to say, especially the part about the tub. But the grocer laughed and the student laughed. After all, it was only a kind of joke. But the little goblin was annoyed that anyone should dare to speak like that to the grocer, his landlord too, an important person who owned the whole house and sold the best quality butter.

Jordan: 4:04

That night, when the shop was shut and everyone but the student had gone to bed, the goblin tiptoed in and borrowed the grocer's wife's gift of gab, for she had no need of it while she was asleep. Then, whatever object he put it on in the room was able to voice his views and opinions quite as well as the lady herself. But only one thing at a time could have it, and that was a blessing, otherwise they would have all been chattering away at once. First the goblin placed the gift of the gab on the tub where the old newspapers were kept. Is it really true? He asked, that you don't know what poetry is? Of course I know, said the tub. It's something that you find at the bottom of the page in the newspaper. People cut it out. I rather think that I have more poetry in me than the student has. Yet I'm only a humble tub compared with the grocer. Then the goblin placed the gift of the gab on the coffee mill. Goodness how it clattered on. After that he put it on the butter cask, then the cash till. They all echoed the views of the tub, and the views of the majority have to be respected. Now I can put that student in his place, said the goblin, and he tiptoed softly up the back staircase to the attic where the student lived.

Jordan: 5:53

There was a light inside and the goblin peed through the keyhole and saw the young man reading the tattered book from the shop. But how bright it was in the room. Out of the book rose a shining beam of light. It became a tree stem, the trunk of a noble tree that soared up and spread its branches over the student. The leaves were fresh and green, and every flower was the face of a lovely girl. Some had dark, mysterious eyes, some had eyes of sparkling blue, every fruit was a shining star, and the air was filled with an indescribably beautiful sound of singing. The little goblin had never seen or known of such wonders, he could never have imagined them even, and so he stayed at the door, standing on tiptoe, peeping in, gazing and gazing, until the light in the room went out.

Jordan: 7:06

The student must have blown out his candle and gone to bed, but still the goblin could not tear himself away. His head rang with the marvelous music which still echoed in the air, lulling the student to sleep. This is beyond belief, said the goblin to himself. I certainly never expected anything of the kind. I think I shall stay in the attic with the student. And then he pondered a while. And then he sighed One must be sensible. He said the student hasn't any porridge. And so, yes, he went down again to the grocer's shop. It was a good thing he did, because the tub had nearly worn out. The gift of the gab, what with telling everyone all the news and views of the paper stacked inside. It had done so from one angle and was just about to turn over and gabble it all again from another. When the goblin took the gab back to the sleeping wife, and from that time the whole shop, from the cash till to the firewood, took all their opinions from the tub. They held it in such respect that ever after, when the grocer was reading out criticism of plays or books from the newspapers, they thought that he had learned it all from the tub.

Jordan: 8:52

But the goblin could no longer sit quietly listening to all the wisdom and good sense that was uttered down in the shop. No, the moment the light began to shine through the attic door, he seemed to be drawn there by powerful strings and he had to go and station himself at the keyhole. And each time he did this, a sense of unutterable grandeur would sweep through him, the kind of feeling that we might have at the sight of a stormy sea whose waves are so wild that God himself might be riding over them in the blast. How wonderful it would be to sit under the tree with a student. But that can never be. Meanwhile, he was grateful to have the keyhole. Meanwhile, he was grateful to have the keyhole. He gazed through it every night, standing there on the bleak landing, even when the autumn winds blew through the skylight, making him nearly freeze with cold. Yet he felt nothing of this until the light went out in the attic room and the music faded away in the howling of the wind. Then he would realize how cold he was and would creep down again to a secret corner of the shop where it was so snug and warm. Soon there would be a Christmas bowl of porridge with his great lump of butter. Yes, the grocer was the one to choose after all.

Jordan: 10:36

But late one night the goblin was woken up by a frightful commotion. People were banging at the shutters, the watchman was blowing his whistle, the fire had broken out and the whole street seemed ablaze. Which house was burning, this one or the next? Where was the fire? What screams, what panic, what a fuss. The grocer's wife was so flustered that she took her gold earrings from her ears and put them in her pocket, so that she might at least save something.

Jordan: 11:21

The grocer dashed after his bonds. The maid after the silk shawl that she had bought with her wages made after the silk shawl that she had bought with her wages, everyone ran to collect the thing he or she prized most highly, and the little goblin did so too. In a bound or two he was up the stairs and in the room of the student who was standing quite calmly at the open window looking out at the fire in the house across the road, the goblin seized the wonderful book from the table, put it in his scarlet cap and hugged it with both arms. The most precious thing in the house was saved. Then he rushed up to the roof, right to the top of the chimney stack, and there he sat, lit up by the flames of the house on fire over the way, still firmly clasping the red cap with the treasure inside. Now he knew where his heart lay Student grocer. His choice was clear. But when the fire had been put out and the goblin had time to think more calmly well, I'll divide my time between them he decided I can't give up the grocer because of the porridge. Just like a human, really, we too like to keep on good terms with the grocer because of the porridge.

Jordan: 13:17

There was once a student, a proper student. He lived in an attic and owned nothing at all. There was also a grocer, a proper grocer. He lived on the ground floor and owned the whole house, and so it was with the grocer that the goblin chose to make his home. Besides, every Christmas he was given a bowl of porridge with a great lump of butter in it. The grocer could manage that easily, and so the goblin stayed at the shop. There's a moral there somewhere, if you look for it.

Jordan: 14:07

One evening, the student came in through the back door to buy some candles and cheese. His shopping was quickly done and paid for, and the grocer and his wife nodded good evening. The wife could do more than nod, though she was a chatterbox. Talk, talk, talk. She had what they call the gift of gab. No doubt about that. The student nodded back, and then his eye fell on something written on the paper wrapping the cheese, and he stood there reading it. It was a page torn from an old book, one which should have never been torn up at all. An old book full of poetry. There's more of that book if you want, it, said the grocer. I gave an old woman some coffee beans for it. You can have the rest for six pence if you like. Thank you, said the student. Let me have it instead of the cheese. I can do very well with bread. It's a shame to use such a book for wrapping paper. You are an excellent man, a practical man, but you have no more idea of poetry than that tub over there. Now, this was a rude thing to say, especially the part about the tub. But the grocer laughed and the student laughed. After all, it was only a kind of joke. After all, it was only a kind of joke. But the little goblin was annoyed that anyone should dare to speak like that to the grocer, his landlord too, an important person who owned the whole house and sold the best quality butter.

Jordan: 16:08

That night, when the shop was shut and everyone but the student had gone to bed, the goblin tiptoed in and borrowed the grocer's wife's gift of gab, for she had no need of it while she was asleep. Then, whatever object he put it on in the room was able to voice his views and opinions quite as well as the lady herself. But only one thing at a time could have it, and that was a blessing. Otherwise they would have all been chattering away at once. First, the goblin placed the gift of the gab on the tub where the old newspapers were kept. Is it really true? He asked, that you don't know what poetry is? Of course I know, said the tub. It's something that you find at the bottom of the page in the newspaper. People cut it out. I rather think that I have more poetry in me than the student has. Yet I'm only a humble tub compared with the grocer. Then the goblin placed the gift of the gab on the coffee mill. Goodness how it clattered on. After that he put it on the coffee mill. Goodness how it clattered on. After that he put it on the butter cask, then the cash till. They all echoed the views of the tub, and the views of the majority have to be respected. Now I can put that student in his place, said the gob goblin, and he tiptoed softly up the back staircase to the attic where the student lived.

Jordan: 17:57

There was a light inside and the goblin peed through the keyhole and saw the young man reading the tattered book from the shop. But how bright it was in the room. Out of the book rose a shining beam of light. The tattered book from the shop, but how bright it was in the room. Out of the book rose a shining beam of light. It became a tree stem, the trunk of a noble tree that soared up and spread its branches over the student. The leaves were fresh and green, and every flower was the face of a lovely girl. Some had dark, mysterious eyes, some had eyes of sparkling blue, every fruit was a shining star, and the air was filled with an indescribably beautiful sound of singing. The little goblin had never seen or known of such wonders, he could never have imagined them even, and so he stayed at the door, standing on tiptoe, peeping in, gazing and gazing, until the light in the room went out.

Jordan: 19:15

The student must have blown out his candle and gone to bed, but still the goblin could not tear himself away. His head rang with the marvelous music which still echoed in the air, lulling the student to sleep, which still echoed in the air, lulling the student to sleep. This is beyond belief, said the goblin to himself. I certainly never expected anything of the kind. I think I shall stay in the attic with the student. And then he pondered a while, and then he sighed. One must be sensible. He said the student hasn't any porridge. And so, yes, he went down again to the grocer's shop. It was a good thing he did, because the tub had nearly worn out. The gift of the gab, what with telling everyone all the news and views of the papers stacked inside. It had done so from one angle and was just about to turn over and gabble it all again from another when the goblin took the gab back to the sleeping wife. And from that time the whole shop, from the cash till to the firewood, took all their opinions from the tub. They held it in such respect that ever after, when the grocer was reading out criticism of plays or books from the newspapers, they thought that he had learned it all from the tub.

Jordan: 20:54

But the goblin could no longer sit quietly listening to all the wisdom and good sense that was uttered down in the shop. No, the moment the light began to shine through the attic door, he seemed to be drawn there by powerful strings and he had to go and station himself at the keyhole. And each time he did this, a sense of unutterable grandeur would sweep through him, the kind of feeling that we might have at the sight of a stormy sea whose waves are so wild that God himself might be riding over them in the blast. How wonderful it would be to sit under the tree with a student. But that can never be. Meanwhile, he was grateful to have the keyhole. He was grateful to have the keyhole. He gazed through it every night, standing there on the bleak landing, even when the autumn winds blew through the skylight, making him nearly freeze with cold. Yet he felt nothing of this until the light went out in the attic room and the music faded away in the howling of the wind. Then he would realize how cold he was and would creep down again to a secret corner of the shop where it was so snug and warm. Soon there would be a Christmas bowl of porridge with this great lump of butter. Yes, the grocer was the one to choose after all.

Jordan: 22:40

But late one night the goblin was woken up by a frightful commotion. People were banging at the shutters, the watchman was blowing his whistle, a fire had broken out and the whole street seemed ablaze. Which house was burning, this one or the next? Where was the fire? What screams, what panic, what a fuss. The grocer's wife was so flustered that she took her gold earrings from her ears and put them in her pocket, so that she might at least save something. The grocer dashed after his bonds, the maid after the silk shawl that she had bought with her wages.

Jordan: 23:33

Everyone ran to collect the thing he or she prized most highly, and the little goblin did so too. In a bound or two he was up the stairs and in the room of the student who was standing quite calmly at the open window looking out at the fire in the house across the road, the goblin seized the wonderful book from the table, put it in his scarlet cap and hugged it with both arms. The most precious thing in the house was saved. Then he rushed up to the roof, right to the top of the chimney stack, and there he sat, lit up by the flames of the house on fire over the way, still firmly clasping the red cap with the treasure inside. Now he knew where his heart lay Student grocer. His choice was clear. But when the fire had been put out and the goblin had time to think more calmly well, I'll divide my time between them he decided I can't give up the grocer because of the porridge. Just like a human really no-transcript.