Mythlands: THE HEIST

Character Profiles: The Heist Part One (61-65)

In 1849 Goldilocks was first created, when Joseph Cundell retold it in his book 'Treasury of Pleasure Books for Young Children.' explaining in a dedication at the front:

 The "Story of the Three Bears" is a very old Nursery Tale, but it was never so well told as by the great poet Southey, whose version I have (with permission) given you, only I have made the intruder a little girl instead of an old woman. This I did because I found that the tale is better known with Silver-Hair, and because there are so many other stories of old women.

But Goldilocks was still a developing character - first she was Silverhair  in the pantomime 'Harlequin and The Three Bears; or, Little Silver Hair and the Fairies' by J.B. Buckstone (1853); Silver-Locks in 'Aunt Mavor's Nursery Tales' (1858); Silverhair in George MacDonald's 'The Golden Key' (1867); Golden Hair in 'Aunt Friendly's Nursery Book' (circa 1868); Silver-Hair and Goldenlocks at various times; 'Little Golden-Hair' (1889); and finally Goldilocks in 'Old Nursery Stories and Rhymes' (1904). In 1918 Flora Annie Steel was credited with naming her in the latter tale.

On arrival in The Mythlands Goldilocks started to slowly age and lived as different a life as she could, finally changing her name to Goldie Lochs and at some point, perhaps the late 80's onwards, around the time she stuck at age 21 or thereabouts, assuming an Australian accent. By the 1990's she had had a spell at the University of Domain City with Lara and Jessica, in Professor Chicken Licken's classes.

In the present day she is recruited by The Glass Cat, but in reality Jessica had asked her to accept the offer of employment and work as a double agent. During this time she and The Gingerbread Man became lovers and later developed strong feelings for each other - therefore he too is now on the side of good. 

Goldie is an athletic and capable fighter - expert with a knife and has learned many styles of combat over the decades, though she favours brawling and street fighting techniques. She's prone to telling stories or referencing past 'capers' and is well travelled, but unfortunately due to a series of opportunistic double crosses, she has racked up many enemies that want her dead and nations where she is on a proscribed or terrorist watch list.

In appearance she's about 5'7, blonde hair and looks like the British actress Ruta Gedmintas. She mostly wears khaki shorts, khaki shirt and dark boots with an Australian style hat, perhaps one she got from Mick.

She is very close to Jessica Bunny, who she considers one of her best friends. She has a dismissive attitude towards The Hare, often ridiculing him and calling him a 'lop eared drongo.' to his face. This might be because she believes he isn't worthy of Jessica - however if an outside force threatens the Hare, Goldie is surprisingly protective of him.

Goldie Lochs is an important character in Mythlands: The Heist.

Dacoits: Servants of the Sinister Oriental Doctor - Dacoits are often Hindi or Bangladeshi versions of ninjas - they are faceless hordes of assassins who are loyal unto death for their master, a sinister oriental doctor who sets up a criminal underworld in the East End of London in Victorian England.

In 'The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu.' published in 1913 and written by Sax Rhomer, the hero of the book, Nayland Smith, and his partner Dr. Petrie first encounter the 'devil doctor.' - the first of a long line of confrontations spreading across years to come.

The Dacoits were his faceless minions and appeared semi frequently.

In the Mythlands, the devil doctor is continuing his criminal enterprise, though it's not noted exactly where he is now based. He sends a suited representative to Mick's bar to locate Goldie.

Initially thinking the representative was from 'The Shogunate' and asking if this was about 'the Mishubishi blade.' Goldie notices the dacoits filing into the bar and realizes that a double cross she enacted, to do with 'the Ark' three years before means that it's Sax Rhomer's character that is after her.

Mick and the Gingerbread Man wipe out two dozen dacoits and the man in the suit, but no doubt the devil doctor has more faceless minions and will return in the future!

SC - SC is a mysterious (mostly) black and white talking cat. He seems to turn up in all the right places and is spying on some of the principle characters including Professor Chicken Licken. By his actions and demeanor SC appears to be highly intelligent, polite, possessed of empathy and a desire to help. But he also has a sadness about him, a world weary quality that suggests he is struggling against the tide that he knows is coming in.

Bearing all this in mind, it can be speculated that like Chicken and The Magic Mirror, SC is a seer and is aware of the coming future - but is it a future he can prevent?

A fuller profile of SC will be at the end of Book Two and I can promise you revelations and answers regarding his motives, methods and identity ... and perhaps more questions!