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" 'Ask Goblin what they mean,' said Aunt Queen

"I did as she asked, and Goblin explained everything silently by putting the thoughts in my head Stop meant to stop the car, Yield o sloe were near the children, bah! ich! and Ruby River was the name of the water over which the car drove ent to school or shopping

"An unforgettable expression of seriousness came over Aunt Queen's face 'Ask Goblin how he learned these things,' she said to ed his head fro

" 'I don't think he kno,' I told her, 'but I think he learned the ¡¯

"She seelad Her soleood deal of sense,' she said 'And I'll tell you what Why don't you have Goblin teach you several neords every day? Maybe he can start noith some more for us ¡¯

"I had to explain to her that Goblin was through for the day He never liked to do anything very long He ran out of steam

"Only now as I tell this do I realize that Goblin was talking coherently in my head When did that start? I don't know

"But in the ht es of coht it was a good thing And the kitchen croatched in awe as this process unfolded

"In jerky letters, I spelled out 'Rice,' 'Coca-Cola,' 'Flour,' 'Ice,' 'Rain,' 'Police,' 'Sheriff,' 'City Hall,' 'Post Office,' 'Ruby Town Theater,' 'Grand Hardware,' 'Grodin's Phar these words as Goblin defined the came not only with the pronunciation of the words, which Goblin gave me, but with pictures I saw the City Hall I saw the Post Office I saw the Ruby Town Theater And I made an immediate and seminal link between the audible syllables of the word and its

"As I revisit this curious process, I realize what it rossly inferior to me and devilishly a troublemaker, had learned the phonetic code to written words and was ahead oftime The explanation? Just what he had said He watched and he listened, and given a so quite far

"This is what I mean when I say he is a fast learner, and I should add he's an unpredictable and uncontrollable learner because that's true

"But lettoldme all these words, they still didn't believe in him

"And one night when I was listening to the adults talk in Aunt Queen's rooain I heard it, and finally the third time I interrupted and asked what it meant

"Aunt Queen explained that Goblin lived in o away I mustn't worry about it now But later I wouldn't want so much to have Goblin and the 'situation' would take care of itself

"I knew this rong, but I loved Aunt Queen tooaway Her travels were calling her Friends of hers were gathered in Madrid at a palace for a special party, and I could only think of this with tears