In a strange world as a Doppelganger

Chapter 25 - A Goblin Day

When I wake up in the morning after my talk with the goblin lady, I feel rested and less sore. I stand up and take a few steps in my goblin form. All of my things are lying in a pile in the corner; a part of me expected them to take all of it. The old goblin is nowhere to be seen, though the hut is rather small. Was I using her bed maybe? I step out through a flap in the wall and am greeted by the sun. I recognize the goblin village from what I saw from afar once. Now I am in the middle of it. A few eyes turn in my direction, but no one stops in their day to day business. Not really knowing what to do, I walk around and look at things. Someone is butchering a badger with one of those rusty knives, it looks painful and a lot of meat is lost. There is a bunch of hides on racks being left to dry in the sun. To my big surprise, at the end of the village, there is a plot of land being farmed. Some sort of vegetable is being harvested, they grow in bunches underground by the roots. So much life is on the move here. To think that I considered wiping them all out. Now that I know of their strategy to use numbers and the fact that granny goblin knows how to make paralyze poisons, I am glad that I didn't. I actually feel a little guilty. 

When I return to the hut, the old goblin is there. She's working again. "Feeling any better?"
"Yes. Sleep always seem to refresh me", I walk over to my things and start picking through them.
"Are you leaving?" she look over to me with a grin.
"No, sorry, am I using your bed?" she shakes her head.
"It's for the sick and you were sick."
"Ah, can I use it again tonight? I had an idea for how to help out around here while I am around. In another day or two I should be back to full health, then I might leave", I find my sharp knife and strap on my pouches; they fit a lot better on a goblin. 
"You may use it, yes. Just don't cause any trouble", she turns around and starts working.

I walk up to the goblin who is in the process of stripping meat from a strung-up badger. At first, the goblin makes itself seem busy and turns it back to me. So I wait for a moment of attention. It takes a handful of minutes before the goblin turns around. It's wearing an apron of sorts and is covered in blood and gore. 
"Can I help you?" the voice is very screechy and high-pitched. 
"I have a proposition for you", I puff up my chest and do my best to smile, "If you let me observe your butchering technique, I'll let you borrow my knife." I hold out my knife and I look from it to his own knife. 
His eyes widen as he looks at my, somewhat clean but very sharp, knife. 
"Deal!" he exclaims, puts his knife down on a block of wood and holds his hand out to me. I hand him the knife and watch him get to work. He does a few small cuts, testing the knife's edge and then he gets to it. The tool did not represent the butchers' skill. He works very fast and with a sharper knife there is a lot less waste. I ask a few questions here and there and it turns out to be a very nice way to pass the time. When there isn't much left to do, having worked so much faster now, he shows me how to do it and I get to take off the last few chunks of meat. This is bound to come in handy. 

Granny goblin greets me when I return. The sun is setting and i am feeling a little bit tired after a day of new experiences. 
"I hear what you did today, Der must have appreciated that", Der is the name of the butcher.
"Yes, and I learned a lot of things about preserving meat", my excitement must be showing, as the granny grins even wider. 
"Well I have work to do, try not to make too much ruckus", she turns away again.
I place my knife back among my things. The butcher gave it back to me when we were done. I made the promise to show him how I sharpened it tomorrow. 

I stroll back out into the village as the sun is giving room for the night. This is when I make a huge discovery; I can see in the dark. As light is fading, the world loses color but I can still see. Is this an effect of being a goblin? Amazing, can I find other abilities by taking the shape of other creatures? The goblins are gathering in one of the larger huts and I can't help but follow. As I get close, I can hear music! Inside there are torches lit and several goblins are playing unusual instruments. So many goblins are drinking and dancing. Der comes up, a bone cup in one hand. 
"Hey! I didn't know if you'd show up. We're having a small harvest celebration today. Here", he gives me the cup, "Drink, it's made from the potatoes we harvest in the field."
The drink is very strong and Der laughs at me as I cough and grimace. It takes but a moment and I feel a buzz in my head and my legs. For some reason I can feel my eyes tear up. I am overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude. It feels like I have been longing so hard for this without even knowing it. I completely let myself loose and let the evening and festivities take over.