‘Fancy Believing in the Goblin King’
My friend told me a story he hadn’t told anyone for years. When he used
to tell it years ago people would laugh and say, ‘Who’d believe that? How can
that be true? That’s daft.’ So he didn’t tell it again for ages. But for some
reason, last night, he knew it would be just the kind of story I would love.
When he was a kid, he said, they didn’t use the word autism, they just
said ‘shy’, or ‘isn’t very good at being around strangers or lots of people.’
But that’s what he was, and is, and he doesn’t mind telling anyone. It’s just a
matter of fact with him, and sometimes it makes him sound a little and act different,
but that’s okay.
Anyway, when he was a kid it was the middle of the 1980s and they were
still saying ‘shy’ or ‘withdrawn’ rather than ‘autistic’. He went to London
with his mother to see a special screening of a new film he really loved. He
must have won a competition or something, I think. Some of the details he can’t
quite remember, but he thinks it must have been London they went to, and the
film…! Well, the film is one of my all-time favourites, too. It’s a dark,
mysterious fantasy movie. Every single frame is crammed with puppets and
goblins. There are silly songs and a goblin king who wears clingy silver tights
and who kidnaps a baby and this is what kickstarts the whole adventure.
It was ‘Labyrinth’, of course, and the star was David Bowie, and he was
there to meet the children who had come to see this special screening.
‘I met David Bowie once,’ was the thing that my friend said, that
caught my attention.
‘You did? When was this?’ I was amazed, and surprised, too, at the
casual way he brought this revelation out. Almost anyone else I know would have
told the tale a million times already.
He seemed surprised I would want to know, and he told me the whole
thing, all out of order, and I eked the details out of him.
He told the story as if it was he’d been on an adventure back then, and
he wasn’t quite allowed to tell the story. Like there was a pact, or a magic
spell surrounding it. As if something profound and peculiar would occur if he
broke the confidence.
It was thirty years ago and all us kids who’d loved Labyrinth then, and
who still love it now, are all middle-aged. Saddest of all, the Goblin King is
dead. Does the magic still exist?
I asked him what happened on his adventure.
‘I was withdrawn, more withdrawn than the other kids. We all got a
signed poster. Because I was so shy, they put me in a separate room, to one
side, and so I got to meet him alone. He’d heard I was shy and it was his idea.
He spent thirty minutes with me.
‘He gave me this mask. This one. Look.
‘He said: ‘This is an invisible mask, you see?
‘He took it off his own face and looked around like he was scared and
uncomfortable all of a sudden. He passed me his invisible mask. ‘Put it on,’ he
told me. ‘It’s magic.’
‘And so I did.
‘Then he told me, ‘I always feel afraid, just the same as you. But I
wear this mask every single day. And it doesn’t take the fear away, but it makes
it feel a bit better. I feel brave enough then to face the whole world and all
the people. And now you will, too.
‘I sat there in his magic mask, looking through the eyes at David Bowie
and it was true, I did feel better.
‘Then I watched as he made another magic mask. He spun it out of thin
air, out of nothing at all. He finished it and smiled and then he put it on.
And he looked so relieved and pleased. He smiled at me.
‘'Now we’ve both got invisible masks. We can both see through them
perfectly well and no one would know we’re even wearing them,' he said.
‘So, I felt incredibly comfortable. It was the first time I felt safe
in my whole life.
‘It was magic. He was a wizard. He was a goblin king, grinning at me.
‘I still keep the mask, of course. This is it, now. Look.’
I kept asking my friend questions, amazed by his story. I loved it and
wanted all the details. How many other kids? Did they have puppets from the
film there, as well? What was David Bowie wearing? I imagined him in his lilac
suit from Live Aid. Or maybe he was dressed as the Goblin King in lacy ruffles
and cobwebs and glitter.
What was the last thing he said to you, when you had to say goodbye?
‘David Bowie said, ‘I’m always afraid as well. But this is how you can
feel brave in the world.’ And then it was over. I’ve never forgotten it. And
years later I cried when I heard he had passed.’
My friend was surprised I was delighted by this tale.
‘The normal reaction is: that’s just a stupid story. Fancy believing in
an invisible mask.’
But I do. I really believe in it.
And it’s the best story I’ve heard all year.
*
Note. I'm amazed that over 160 thousand readers have read this piece! If you'd like to read further, exclusive stories and essays by me, I update my Patreon page with new material every week. Please do subscribe - https://www.patreon.com/Paulmagrs
*
Note. I'm amazed that over 160 thousand readers have read this piece! If you'd like to read further, exclusive stories and essays by me, I update my Patreon page with new material every week. Please do subscribe - https://www.patreon.com/Paulmagrs
This is so fabulous and lovely
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this amazing story.
ReplyDeleteMade me cry.
ReplyDeleteThat's very moving and incredibly relatable. Your lucky friend!
ReplyDeletePaul, can I ask: is this a true story, is it a beautiful fiction? Either way it's rather wonderful, but I'm curious. Thanks. Jim
ReplyDeletei trust the word of the friend who told me, Jim!
DeleteThanks a lot.
DeleteThis is the best thing I've heard for ages. I am wondering if I could make one too.
DeleteBeautiful. Made me me cry. X
ReplyDelete*sniffles* Lovely.
ReplyDeleteWelling up! Love this. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteOne of the best stories I've ever read. What a gracious man David Bowie could be. Patrick Hand
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteHe understood completely, before his time and so very very special. Beautiful, thank you for sharing this
ReplyDeletePure Magic. Then and always.
ReplyDeleteI will always believe in the Goblin King. Thank you for sharing the magic with us.
ReplyDeleteNot a silly story. This is a performer's technique and it bloody works. Got me through stage fight, driving test, teacher's nerves and now parenthood. I'm not a magician though. I can't seem to make them for other people.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best story I've heard all year too :').
ReplyDeleteThat just brought a tear to my eye x
ReplyDeleteWhat a deeply touching story. But David was like that.
ReplyDeleteThat was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI still believe in The Goblin King, too. :) Great story!
ReplyDeleteWonderful experience, thank you for telling us!
ReplyDeleteFunny, you can never have met the man, but yet feel so close to him. I loved his caring ways and the way he loved the 'odd' people. He will always be my one & only hero. Missing the man.
ReplyDeleteHe shared that mask with us all, but that's so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you x
Lovely and rings so true. One to share with shy children everywhere
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, just beautiful
ReplyDeleteThis is stunning. This shows that David understood people and children far more deeply than we ever realized. David was a shy kid himself, remember.couldnt talk to people when he was very young. Listen to Conversation Piece. This Confession of fear he told the boy was his honest truth, not some fable. What you see is his genius at portraying and miming exactly what he understands and what he knows the boy feels. Brilliant empathic, expressive, theraputic understanding. I keep telling you guys: being in rocknroll was just a MASK---ONE OF THOUSANDS he made and used to make us understand
ReplyDelete. DAVID was/is far, far more than that.
I love this story! Your friend is very lucky!!
ReplyDeleteThat knocked me sideways, in the best possible way. THANK YOU.
ReplyDeletethank you <3
ReplyDeleteI love this. Thanks for passing it along.
ReplyDeleteYou gave me goosebumps, thank you Paul.
ReplyDeleteThis made my day.
ReplyDeletedavid Bowie granted this invisible mask to everyone of us, shy people from the 70s and wwe'll be grateful forever , Paola
ReplyDeleteMade me tear up...what an extraordinary man. Thank you <3
ReplyDeleteDid your friend ever mention this story to Terry Pratchett? Because that sounds a lot like part of the end of his book "Maskerade".
ReplyDeleteWonderful 💚
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful. We could do with a few more stories like that in this day and age. Thanks for to you and your friend for sharing.
ReplyDeletewow ....just wow......half an hour alone with him and this beautiful story......he truly was a gifted man with many talents and insights.....how wonderful
ReplyDeleteLovely
ReplyDeleteBrilliant thank you so much for sharing and I'm a big Labyrinth / Jareth fan myself even roleplaying him on facebook sometimes along with another fellow cosplayer... Ok (being female and not exactly slim! XD) I don't think I'd be doing a Jareth cosplay again any time soon!! haha lol Did that at Scarborough Sci fi in 2016 it was herrendous!! XD But your story or rather his and your story made my week thank you so much, may I share it on my blog? Or maybe a share for a share? My name is Rae, I live in North Yorkshire, England, UK and do Random Acts of kindness and blogging at www.theteaandbooklady.blogspot.com or my email is: raevienne.hewitt@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for sharing. 😃
ReplyDeleteWhat a truely wonderful story, and what an amazing gift to give.
ReplyDeletePaul, this is so beautiful. Thank You for sharing it x
ReplyDeleteReal people, making real magic, for real people. This is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this. He was so special to so many.
ReplyDeleteAn amazing man in every way.
Boise was even better than we thought, he kept his light hidden and shared it with those special few, TYSM fir sharing this
ReplyDeleteLife is a state of mind. X
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing this reminder of why David Bowie was,is and will always be so special to so many of us.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much!
ReplyDeleteWe all wear masks of one kind or another.
ReplyDeleteHappy for you that your mask works for you.