NPE | Chapter 13
The North Pole Epic
More in this series: Prologue, Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8, Ch. 9, Ch. 10, Ch. 11, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 14, Ch. 15, Ch. 16, Ch. 17, Ch. 18, Ch. 19, Ch. 20, Ch. 21, Ch.22, Ch. 23
“Where are the elves?”
Goblins sputtered and let shouts resound.
“Worksites are empty all across town.”
Goblins wondered at the stillness and bare shop shelves.
Now,
A large goblin comes running.
Something they are unaccustomed to seeing.
Out on the street goblins cry, “What is the meaning?”
“They come! They come!”
Calls the running one.
The goblin stops, panting,
“A mob marches, singing and chanting!”
Another goblin, not paying attention
Angrily shouts, “Where is my shipment?”
Then,
All stops as eyes catch something in the distance.
The goblins watch and silently listen.
“It's a parade I say!
A mob on the way!
“The elves and all sorts
Who’ve abandoned their chores,”
Cries the goblin who ran.
“Get inside where you can.
“Lock your doors.
Stay safe from the hoard.”
Mostly, the goblins ignore
What the one crying warns.
Instead, they stand in confusion
As the mass gets closer to them.
Next,
Seeing more clearly what comes their way
Goblins stumble and murmur in dismay.
Eight reindeer precede the parade.
Klasina and her bear close behind.
Yetis at the rear and along the sides.
Four odd figures at the front of the ride
Leading this wave that they’ve made.
Shurshkenmöch the yeti
Beside Tomten the elf
Both riding steady
Confident in themselves.
Nicholas the herds person
With his faithful caribou,
An intimidating person
In his blood red suit.
But strangest of all
Is a young goblin girl.
She looks so small
In this icy world.
Yet, it is her call
Both singular and plural
That rallies the gall
Of the collective churl.
Snihurońka leads chants and songs
As the North Pole Parade goes on and on
To the Capital Bank like a musical throng.
Goblins in homes peek out their windows
All along the street.
Some come out to see
What is this disruptive crescendo
Of song and beat
Hindering productivity
And confusing business as they do so.
It is like a worker’s flood.
No wonder nothing's getting done.
The goblins look on in bewildered disbelief.
Leading the mob are a bunch of reindeer?
But who rides on them is what causes fear.
A herds person and an elf
Is normal in itself
But a yeti! For ice sake!
And a goblin! This must be a mistake!
Goblins begin to worry.
Some rush around in a flurry.
“Call the trolls!
Get this under control!
“They’re heading for the bank. Look!
They’re a mob full of elf crooks!”
The yetis deter the growing goblin crowd
From becoming physically violent for now.
The situation grows tense,
But the parade does not relent
In their march to the goblin’s heart—
The bank at the center of Central Pole Park.