The Goblin (Cypriot tale)

 

 

Near an isolated village a poor family was living in a small house. In the house were living a couple and their two kids. The boy was 6 years old and his little sister was 4. They two of them were getting along very well and could not stay apart from each other. During the holidays of Christmas the little girl has gone missing while they were playing in their backyard. The little boy was shouting his sister name, but there was no repsonse. The boy run inside and told his parents about what happened. His parents were not that shocked because they knew something. He was asking about what had happened to his sister, but his parents told him that one day she will return.

 

After one year the boy was still waiting and  wishing for his sister to come back. The kid was playing outside of his house, when he lost his ball in the dark woods. At first the boy hesitated to go after his ball, but then he found the courage to go. He was walking on the tips of his toes trying to find the ball. Then he heard a voice calling his name from deep inside the woods. He was shocked and couldn’t move. The uknown voice was calling his name a second time. He then replied with fear: “Who is there?” There was no response and then his ball was thrown in front of him. Scared and confused as he was, he went running back to his house.

 

On the next day the small boy wanted to go in the dark woods and find out who was calling his name. After calling out for the uknown voice he got a response and they started talking. This was happening everyday for the next couple of days and they became friends. The mysterious voice didn’t show itself although the boy wanted to see who it was. On the same day his mother made the Cypriot traditional sweet. When they all went to sleep the boy heard a noise in the kitchen. At first he was afraid to get out of bed but then he was curious about who was there. He went to the kitchen and at his surprise he saw a strange looming shadow behind the door. He shouted ”Who is there?”. The mysterious voice replied “It’s your friend but dont look at me”. His mother heard the the screams and went to the kitchen. She found her son shocked and looking behind the door. She realised what was behind the door because of the shadow and the messy kitchen and she called her husband. He came down holding a cross and a knife and tried to scare it away. The mysterious voice had finally revealed itself. The boy was surprised and shocked to see it was a goblin. Then the golbin shouted “Please dont leave me mamma and papa, it’s me your daughter”. The boy asked his mother “What happened, why the goblin said that she is your daughter?” Then his mother and father explained to him what is going on. His mother then told him that every child that’s born on Saturdays is abducted by goblins and turned into one. This was his sister’s fate.