*SLOW BUILD-UP, BUT I PROMISE IT GETS GOOD*
Peter never was a social guy.
He was remarkably average in High School. His grades were honor roll worthy, but his drive and ambition to go to college just wasn't there, and he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life; he just knew he had to make money. He didn't have a lot of friends to hang out with, but the ones he did have all raved about working in a potash mine in a nearby state.
Having freshly turned 21, Peter decided to uproot what little life he had left in Arizona and traveled to New Mexico to work away in the mines.
'I could always move back if it doesn't work,' he repeated to himself as he drove his beat-up Honda Civic across state lines.
The mine desperately needed workers, so Peter had no issues getting hired. He was put on a shift with his friends Gavin and Bill.
While Bill was much like Peter in that he kept to himself, Gavin was a lot more social. That had consequences that were both good and bad. Gavin could meet someone at the start of the evening at a bar and either end up friends with them for life or getting thrown out of a bar. There was no in-between.
It certainly made life interesting for Peter and Bill, who were often tasked with helping Gavin out of another situation. That said, Gavin had seemed to behave himself since he got to the mine.
About a month into working at the mine, Peter was astonished at how much he had made already. He thought he had made the jackpot, and working alongside his friends made it even better. Bill, Gavin, and Peter had all grown closer that month together.
The three boys were joking around during an evening shift. Under the ground, in tunnels as massive as you could imagine, there were a lot of ways to get into trouble. Gavin, Bill, and Peter were racing through the various tunnels in underground company vehicles. What should have been harmless fun turned into a catastrophe, as Peter missed a turn and crashed into a wall.
Well, he actually crashed THROUGH a wall.
Peter fell several hundred feet through a dark cavern, screaming as he fell. But after a while, Peter stopped screaming, even though he was still falling.
'Am I already dead?' He wondered.
He felt his descent slowing down. 'How is this possible?' He asked himself. He looked down, saw the level ground, and felt himself falling slower and slower. It was like he was landing a helicopter, not that he'd ever done that.
His feet hit the ground softly. Peter rubbed his arms, legs, and torso to ensure he was still alive.
He was lost and couldn't see the hole he had fallen from.
"Hello?" Peter called, causing his voice to echo through the cave.
Peter didn't hear an answer immediately and chalked up what he thought he heard in reply as a figment of his imagination.
Peter decided to explore this cave to see if it led anywhere. He had no idea where he was or whether he was still in the United States. For all he knew, he fell through the earth.
A narrow path caught Peter's eye as he walked through the dark cave. As he continued exploring, it was just big enough for Peter's thin frame to slide through. Through the rocks, Peter thought he saw a fire flickering. He decided to follow the light, even though something in his mind warned him against it. He figured he had nothing to lose and that he'd die if he just stayed where he was.
The fire turned out to be accurate. It was small but still burning bright. Peter approached it and put his hands against it, not realizing how cold he actually was.
He saw some movement out of the corner of his eye, which made him flinch.
"Anyone there?" He asked, getting scared.
About 20 creatures slowly trotted out into Peter's vision. None of them were more than a foot tall, and all of them were a shade of olive green with long, triangular ears and giant orbs for eyes.
"We are goblin-kind," one of the older goblins said, looking up at Peter. "You must be one of the humans we read about in legends from our ancestors."
"Um, yeah, I have no idea how I got here, but I don't mean to bring you any harm," Peter said. "I'll just warm my hands and try to be on my way."
"Stay as long as you like," the old goblin insisted. "We are honored to have a human as our guest. It has been over 3,000 years since goblin-kind and humankind crossed paths. This is quite the historic event." The rest of the goblins murmured amongst each other excitedly.
"Oh, well, sorry to disappoint," Peter said. "I'm not exactly the most interesting of humans." The excitement quickly turned to dismay, and even shock, among the goblin kind. "It's not like I'm a politician, philosopher, or even a doctor, and I'm just a nobody from Arizona."
"This, AIR-IZZ-OH-NAH, sounds like a magical place," the old goblin sighed, making sure to sound out the name of the state Peter was from. "And believe me, young traveler, by the time your travels here are through, you will not feel like a nobody. Join us, teach us about the humankind, and we will repay you with a gift that's surely not available anywhere in your world."
"How will I get home?" Peter asked.
The old goblin hesitated before answering. "There is a way right now. But once you leave, you may never be able to return to the way things were. What we're offering you is something much better. We can return you to your life and make sure you never feel like a... "nobody" again," he offered.
Peter nodded. What's the worst thing that could happen? "I'll do it."
The goblin-kind cheered as the old goblin smiled.
====
Peter taught the goblin-kind about various things that happen hundreds of feet above. The goblins clearly knew about fire and water and how to use both elements. Still, Peter brought them up to speed on the wide variety of technology, from cars to phones, to how people spoke to each other above ground. Peter did his best to help the goblins adopt some humankind practices like growing food, but because there was no sunlight, there was no use.
"What do you eat?" Peter asked the old goblin, whose name turned out to be Lenoldo.
"We primarily eat mushrooms and any vegetation we find growing in the caves," Lenoldo said. "You humans are still quite carnivorous, aren't you?"
Peter laughed. "There are a few people that follow the goblin diet right now, but for the most part, you're right."
It felt like days Peter was in the cave helping the goblins. Other goblin tribes came from throughout the cave to see if the legend of a human helping goblin-kind learn was true, and soon, hundreds of goblins flocked around Peter.
He certainly didn't feel like a nobody anymore.
Peter's 6'2" frame made it difficult to sit down, so the goblins assembled a team to ensure there was a clear area for Peter to sit if he needed to. And while Peter never felt hungry, he was constantly fed with mushrooms and various other cavernous vegetation to keep his strength.
Soon enough, Peter ran out of things to teach the goblin-kind. He had no idea how much time had passed since he fell through the hole in the mine, but it must have been at least a week of non-stop teaching.
"Peter, you have granted us the knowledge we can pass down for thousands more years," Lenoldo declared at a feast. "We can never thank you enough, and your gesture must be matched by goblin-kind. I will discuss our token of gratitude with fellow tribe leaders, and we will make sure you get home to your kind."
Hundreds of goblins cheered as Peter waved after Lenoldo's kind words. Peter finally felt important; it had been a long time for him, probably since he was a kid.
He thought about his parents and how they might be missing him. He thought about Gavin and Bill and how they must miss him. He also caught himself thinking about the girls he had crushes on in High School and how he wished he had the balls to ask them out.
Lenoldo, along with five other tribe leaders, gathered around where Peter sat. As usual, Lenoldo did most of the talking.
"Peter, we have decided that, as a thank you to you, we will grant you an incredible set of powers you can use in the human world," Lenoldo started. Peter's eyes widened. "Goblins once used these powers to negotiate with humans long ago, but eventually, humans became too stubborn. You have proved to us, Peter, that good humans still exist, even 3,000 years later."
"These powers grant you the ability to alter or change anything in your reality, Peter," a second tribe leader, whose name was Kennardo, said. "The world will alter to you, all at the snap of your fingers. This power is a huge responsibility, and we believe you will use it for your own good as well as the good of humankind."
"I would also like to add that this magic we give to you today will not harm you. You will not feel different," Lenoldo said. "Do you accept our thanks, Peter?"
Peter was stunned. He could literally change anything he wanted in the world. He considered himself a good person, but the ability to change his life completely took him by surprise.
"I... I don't know what to say," Peter stammered. "This is incredibly generous, thank you. All of you."
Lenoldo smiled. "It is us who are thankful, Peter. Shall we begin?"
Peter smiled. "You may."
The six goblin leaders all closed their eyes, stuck their four-fingered hands in the air, and propelled blue-white magic beams at Peter. The beams hit Peter and knocked him out cold.
====
Peter woke up in his parents' house. He was in his childhood bedroom, where he lived before he moved to New Mexico. His head was sore, and felt like a hangover.
Peter got out of bed and looked in the mirror. He didn't notice anything right away until he saw his biceps. He was jacked all of a sudden. He couldn't believe it! Usually, he was a scrawny yet tall dork that didn't have an ounce of muscle on him.
"Peter! Breakfast is ready!" He heard his Mom yell from downstairs.
Peter slowly made his way down the stairs. He saw his Mom, a caring soul with curly brown hair, freshly removed from chemotherapy treatments, and a smile that warmed a room. Her energy came in spurts, and today must have been one of her better days.
