The Goblin Nation's credit rating has fallen through the floor, and the World Bank has had to build a new floor to hold it: the "G" rating, for "Goblinesque Financial Irresponsibility." The Goblin Council of Elders earned it by spending its entire $1 million loan on a state-of-the-art detention facility for pixies and sprites, complete with miniature interrogation tickle-racks, a fermented mushroom deprivation chamber and a glitter-free zone.
"We believed in their ability to make sound financial decisions," lamented a World Bank spokesperson. "But they have a unique talent for turning gold into glitter and opportunity into disaster."
The goblin public, already burdened by high unemployment and a shortage of shiny objects, is outraged. Protests have broken out across Mudwick Isle, with goblins chanting "No more pixie prisons!" and "We want our money back!"
The Council is unrepentant. "These pixies are a menace to society," Elder Gnarltooth declared. "They steal our socks, cast curses and spread rumors about our hygiene. This facility is an investment in our nation's security."
Undeterred, the Council has already applied for a second loan of a "modest" 5 million shiny pebbles, for a luxury spa and resort for Council members with mud baths, fermented mushroom massages and a private casino.
The World Bank has not replied. It has, however, sent the Council a reminder that the first loan is repayable by every goblin under the Council's flag, including those abroad. The notice is being forwarded to Goblin Korea.
