Happy Valley 5/8

Jennifer Jane climbed back on her broom and wished the man good luck in his new home. She flew off thinking that it would probably be just as well to keep out of his way for some time.

She flew further into the mountains looking for any villages or places that might be of interest. She was just thinking it must be about time to go back to the Home, when she noticed a rather nice looking valley opening up on her right.

She turned towards it and flew lower. The valley was very steep sided, a waterfall fell into it at the far end, feeding a stream that flowed the whole length of the valley floor, before disappearing into the ground. To her surprise there appeared to be a small village in the middle, with several houses scattered over the rest of the ground, though there were no people to be seen.

There were some fields but they didn’t look very well tended, especially comparing them with those at the cottage she’d just left.

She made up her mind to land near the village and make some enquiries at the local inn.

She landed at one end of the main street and looked about her as she walked towards the pub. The place wasn’t nearly as attractive as it had appeared from the air. All the buildings were shabby and badly in need of a coat of paint. Many windows were broken, rusty bits of metal and broken glass lay in the road and she still couldn’t see any one about.

The whole place looked as if it had been deserted. In her experience of alternate world habits, if there was any life at all, it was sure to be found in nearest bar.

The building, when she eventually found it, was just as shabby as all the others and proclaimed itself to be ‘The Happy Valley Saloon.’

She had to smile. Although she had no idea what she’d find inside, the whole atmosphere of the village was like the scene of a Western film. Except for the lack of tumbleweed blowing down the street and the fact that the ‘saloon’ had an ordinary door, then everything else would have fitted into any cowboy story.

After the bright daylight outside, it seemed quite dark inside the pub. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she could see quite a lot of customers, but no one was talking or singing and none of them took any notice of her. Strangely there didn’t seem to be a barman either.

When she could see properly, she realised that all the customers were goblins and a more scruffy dirty looking lot she’d never seen in her life.

Nearly all of them seemed to be asleep, although one of them was sitting on a barstool and watching her with one eye.

“Could I have a drink please?” she asked politely.

“Help yourself, we’ve got ‘moonshine’, ‘firewater’, ‘mothers ruin’ or ‘gut rot’. Take your pick it’s all free, that’s why this place is called Happy Valley, everything’s free. Just take what you want and be blowed to all the others. There’s only one problem with this place, no one can get out.”

The bar goblin looked at her strangely before going on. “The valley sides are too steep, you can’t climb the waterfall and the hole where the water runs out is only just big enough for small fish.”

“Haven’t you got any ginger beer?”

The goblin opened his other eye, “Huh?” he said, while all the other customers sat up and began to take notice. “What kind of a goblin are you?” he asked.