prophecy: A Goblin Algorithm

I've been tracking the goblin connection to prophecy for years. Every time I get close to the truth, my keys disappear. This is not a coincidence.

Goblin tarot includes a card called The prophecy. Its image varies between decks. Its meaning is always 'pay attention, then look away.'

A Goblin Aside Concerning echo

There is a goblin diary, kept in a sealed cabinet in a back room of the Goblin Library, devoted entirely to echo. The diary has eight thousand entries. The latest is from this morning. The diarist is not known.

Marginalia: protocol

When goblin negotiators are unable to reach agreement, they have, by long tradition, the option of invoking protocol. The invocation has no defined effect. It does, however, reliably end the negotiation, generally to no one's satisfaction and everyone's relief.

The Goblin Verdict on prophecy

It has been the goblins' privilege, this season, to attend so closely to prophecy. The privilege is mutual, the goblins assume. prophecy has not yet commented on the matter, which the goblins take as tacit consent.