*Unfinished* Leprechaun Story

*Unfinished*

Daisy gazed at the ground, searching for an elusive four-leafed clover in the vast rolling hills. Over and over, her chubby five-year-old fingers combed through the countless bunches of clover dotting the fields. Hours of hopeful searching brought no results, and the curly haired child broke down into tears.

            A tiny sparkle flashed beside her feet, catching her fascinated eye. Where the flash had been moments before, a crisp four-leaf clover danced in the refreshing breeze. Shrieks of the child’s happy laughter raced over the grassy slopes, bouncing back from the distant blue cliffs.

            As the child bounced away on lively feet, a small figure cautiously stepped out of the lanky green grass. A light grin touched his face, illuminating his boyish features. His thick head of flaming red hair was stuffed into a forest green cap. Blue eyes wandered above crimson freckles, seeming to take in every inconsequential detail. 

            Patrick grinned as the rainbow lowered into the landing pod; he had successfully completed another assignment. The landing pod groaned in protest as the rainbow machine shut down, droplets of water raining down, splashing the floor. Thousands of leprechauns rushed through the headquarters, shouting different messages. The tiny men and women were all dressed in plain green suits, the uniform of The Leprechaun League. Only the adventurous leprechauns wore green caps; they were sent out on exciting missions to keep the children of Ireland happy and laughing.

Screens flashed images of children with tears in their eyes. Three leprechauns ran out of the room after receiving their missions and jumped into a pod. The rays of colored light shot out of the building and flew across the countryside. More images of children in distress glared on the legions of screens.  

            “Patrick!” a deep voice boomed. “Did you complete your mission, helping the five-year-old child, Daisy, find a four-leafed clover?” the voice originated from the head leprechaun, Hammish McGimmish. He led The Leprechaun League fearlessly, having completed ninety-eight successful missions himself.

            “Sir, yes, sir!” Patrick sounded. “Daisy is satisfied for now, sir!”

            “Good!” thundered Hammish. “I have another mission for you!” He paused as a young leprechaun handed him a file full of the information about this new mission. “This is the most important assignment ever to be given out. This will be difficult.” Hammish’s eye’s twinkled with hope while his lined face retained a serious expression.  

Patrick’s heart swelled with honor. “I’ll do my best sir.”

            “I’m sure you will.” Hammish marched down one of the darker hallways, leading to his office. His bushy mustache twitched into a smile. . “You can do it, Patrick. I believe in you.”

            I felt as if I could fly. The head leprechaun was giving me the most important mission ever received and accepted by the Leprechaun League.

            Hammish McGimmish’s footsteps echoed loudly through the stone hallway slanting downwards. One minute passed, then another and another; we were still walking. I had only been here once before; all the young trainees must report to Hammish’s office for their first missions. We must have been a quarter of a mile below the crust of the earth when a single door appeared around the bend. When we reached it, Hammish stepped forward and pulled out his keys. Unlocking the door, we stepped inside.

            The office was a circular room with a merry fire blazing in the hearth. Photo’s of the best Leprechaun League members were posted all around the room. Sighing, Hammish turned to face me. “You were selected for this mission because you fit the criteria. We needed someone who is stealthy and can think for themselves, but is able to connect with people.” I nodded, this sounded like me. Throwing the file open onto the desk, Hammish began reading carefully. “A young child in Northern Ireland is un-happy. His parents are splitting up, getting a divorce. This child is crestfallen and needs someone to help him rediscover the good things in life.”

            Gulping, I tried to reply, but Hammish held up one finger to stop me. “Before you go,” he voiced, “I have something to show you.” Reaching for his desk, Hammish pulled a picture frame with a caption out of his desk drawer. Reading the plaque carefully, Patrick read, ‘Employee of the Month’. His heart quickened, raising his eyes to the picture. It was him! Luminescent red hair matched his freckles and dimples. Calm eyes accompanied a lively smile and green outfit. “This is for this month, Patrick. Work hard and you may be able to keep it.”

            “Oh, thank-you sir!” Patrick grinned, hardly able to contain himself. “I won’t let you down, I promise sir!”

Patrick scurried into the rainbow pod assigned to him. Lights blinked as the machine shot water into the air. As it rained down, he punched the dancing blue button with his right hand, shooting a rainbow into the open sky.

            Wind rushed by his face, flapping his clothes and bringing tears to his eyes. Wiping them away, he surveyed the ground. It all looked the same, green hills flashing by at top speeds. Within a few minutes, the rainbow touched down and Patrick leapt to the ground, hiding himself in the nearby leafy bushes.

A crumbling brown cottage sighed in exhaustion in front of him. The weary walls bulged outwards, held together by thick snakes of ivy curling upwards. A thatched roof stuck up on top, like a straw hat. Wooden framed windows were polished to shine when the sun glinted off their smooth surfaces. A candle flickered in the nearest window; the sun was setting.

I won’t be getting back to the base before morning. thought Patrick. If I finish the mission sooner, I’ll have to camp out here until the sun comes up.

Creeping closer to the building, he climbed up the nearest strand of ivy. He crawled onto the window ledge, examining the scene through the window pane.

A small boy, three-years-old, knelt beside the red-quilted bed, clad in blue and white striped pajamas. His eyes were clasped tightly shut and tears leaked from the corners. “Dear friend up in heaven,” he prayed, “I don’t know why my mommy doesn’t love my daddy anymore, but I still love them both. Help them to love each other. Amen.” The little boy dragged his feet to the windowsill, and with a huff of air, the candlelight flickered and disappeared. Stumbling in the dark, the young child flopped onto the bed, bounced a few times, and snuggled under the quilt, eyes still full of tears.

Patrick sighed, and leaned back. This was going to be a difficult mission. The knee-high man sat puzzled, stroking his frizzy orange beard thoughtfully. He studied the sky as it faded from a baby blue to a dazzling red to a pitch black canvas. White peepholes of light appeared in the night sky, magnificent.

As a Leprechaun League employee, he was not permitted to give up or return to the base until the mission he had been sent on was completed. In previous assignments, he had helped children find lost pets, earn money, or learn to rides their bikes. He had never dreamed he would have to help a child get over the pain of a divorce!

At last a plan was decided upon. He would climb the ivy, go down the chimney, since there was no smoke coming out of the battered hunk of metal, and make his way to the broken-hearted child’s room. Once he got there, he had no idea what he would do.  

 Patrick leapt off the windowsill onto a nearby ivy leaf. Climbing further up the vine would be a challenge in the daytime, but now he had to do it in the dark. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, arms, and legs. Exhaustion nagged at his limbs as he hauled them up, one step at a time. When he was nearly half way up the house his hand slipped from its precarious position. Groaning in desperation, Patrick attempted to secure another handhold. Soon he was a flailing mass of hopelessness. Both of his legs dangled despairingly. There was no way he could continue going up, but the drop to the ground was life threatening to someone so small.

Franticly, his eyes searched for a way to save him as his hand slipped even further off the prickly plant. Only holding himself up by a fingernail, he set his jaw in determination. Two feet away, along the edge of the tumbledown brick house squatted a rickety water bucket. Patrick could not see if it was full, but it was his best chance. Inhaling deeply to calm to adrenaline rushing through his heart, he swung and let go!

Sailing through the air, it felt as safe as riding a rainbow transit chute. But looking down at the calloused rocky ground, he wobbled frighteningly. The inside of the bucket rose into view quickly; there was water inside! A childish grin plastered itself on his face as he pointed his toes for impact. Splash!

He drifted to the bottom slowly, lightly setting his feet on the wooden planks at the bottom. The world looked different from the bottom of the bucket. The stars wavered and danced above him. It was enchanting, pleasing, and wonderful. He would have stayed there for a much longer time, watching the stars blink from inside the water bucket, but his lungs screamed for air as bubbles floated to the surface. With a few weak kicks, he resurfaced, shaking his head like a dog to get the water out of his hair.

Throwing himself over the side of the bucket, he tumbled to the ground, landing on a patch of grass illuminated by the faint glowing orb raised in the night sky. The man on the moon laughed at the sight of a leprechaun drenched and soaked, panting on the ground.

“Stop laughing, would you?” Patrick hissed at the moon. The moon ignored the miniature man, choosing instead to chuckle and laugh.

Trying to regain his composure, Patrick tried to find another way into the house. Only then did he realize that the faded red door was propped open, letting a cool breeze into the building.