Larry The Leprechaun

Larry the Leprechaun

Losima woke early this morning.  She went downstairs and mom and dad weren't up yet.  Liam, her older brother, was still asleep.  She wandered into the living room to check if Daddy had left her pocket money in its usual secret place that was always under the silver candle holder.  Losima was so sad when she looked and there was no money there.  Daddy always gave her pocket money on a Friday.  Then Losima thought, oh great, I forgot, today is Thursday.  Daddy leaves me my pocket money only on a Friday.



She looked out the window then and it was a lovely sunny day.  She remembered how rainy it had been yesterday. So rainy that Mom wouldn'tt allow her out to play, not even in her favourite yellow raincoat with the big hood and her pink, rubber boots.  And then she noticed, high up in the sky, the most beautiful rainbow she had ever seen.  And Losima remembered how Daddy had told her there was always a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

She thought about this for a while when she was eating her favourite cereal, chocolate Cheerios. Yummy for the tummy! And Losima decided that on this lovely day, she was going to get dressed and go looking for that pot of gold.



She didn't know if that would make her the richest girl in the world but she said to herself.

"If I have lots of money, I will give Daddy money for the hot water bill and give Mommy money for food, clothes and petrol."  Losima knew Mommy never had money for petrol.  Daddy got the petrol though he did get cross with Mommy sometimes because she never bought petrol. She had heard him say to Mommy, "do you think the car runs on fresh air"? Or more often he would say, "money doesn't grow on trees you know"?  Losima thought that was a silly thing to say to Mommy.  Even Losima knew that money didn't grow on trees.  Money came out of a magic machine in the wall for Daddy.  When Daddy put his magic card in the machine and pressed some numbers, the magic machine always gave him money.  Losima asked her Daddy once if she could have a magic card too so she could get money but Daddy had just laughed and told her that she was worse than her Mommy.  Losima found grown-ups hard to understand most times.  But now she had a plan!  To go and find the pot of gold!



She crept upstairs so nobody would hear her and try and stop her going out.  She put on her favourite purple dress, purple tights and purple boots and then her yellow raincoat.  She went back downstairs and opened the front door lock as quietly as she could and in two minutes Losima was outside with no-one yelling at her to come back.



It was very warm outside and the streets were all dry again so Losima looked up at the sky and saw the rainbow with its lovely colours and she started to walk towards the end of it.  Losima had to leave her street and walk farther and farther away, all the time staring up at the rainbow, and pretty soon she was lost but she was getting closer and closer to the end.



Losima walked and walked, up long streets, short streets, then through fields and finally into the woods.  Losima was a little scared going into the woods because it got dark in there but the rainbow was so close now and she could hear little birds singing so that made her feel happy.  She was getting tired now and was nearly planning to go back home but then she saw the end of the colourful rainbow pouring its lovely light down by a huge, huge tree and she ran towards it.  She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a pot by the tree full of gold coins.



As she was hurrying to pick up the pot, she heard a squeaky voice say "well now, what do you think you're doing"?  "Thats my pot of gold".

Losima was a little scared but she turned around and behind her she saw the smallest man she had ever seen.  He had a pointy green hat, a long white beard and a green suit with a bright red belt and little green boots that curled up at the top.  "Who are you"? Losima asked.

She wasn't frightened at all now by such a little man but she was really interested in what he was and what he was doing there and why he was saying the gold was his when Losima was there first.



"My name is Larry" the little man said to Losima so she told him her name.  "What a pretty name you have" he said in his strange little voice, "and aren't you a clever little girl to find my crock of gold".  "Its not yours" Losima said.  "What are you"? she asked, "and why are you so small"?.  "Why!" "Because I'm a Leprechaun of course" he answered.  "Ah surely a little girl like you must know about us Leprechauns"? he asked.  "No. I never did" said Losima.  "But I did know about Fairies but you're too big to be a Fairy" she said in her biggest, loudest voice.



"Now don't you go yelling at me, sure I know all the Fairies, they're my friends here" the Leprechaun said.

"Will you show me the Fairies"? Losima asked Larry.  She was all excited now because this must be a magicical woods.  "No, I can't" said Larry.  "They live in secret places where they wouldn't be stomped on and they would never, ever talk to me again if I showed you them" he said.



"Alright" said Losima, "but I found the pot of gold first and that means its mine".  Larry gave a little chuckle.  "Sure child, don't you know its us Leprechauns own the crocks of gold, not little girls like you and I'm the King of the Leprechauns in this woods so I have to mind it and make sure no human child gets it".  Losima felt like crying then, after her long walk and being told now that she could'nt have the gold.



Even though Larry looked naughty, he did feel sorry for Losima so he said, "I'll tell you now, if you can tell me the answer to my question, I'll let you take 3 coins".  Losima thought for a minute and then asked Larry would it be a hard question, like maths at school.  Larry laughed out loud.  It sounded like bells ringing. "No, he replied, "tis not such a hard question for a child".  "Ok then" said Losima.  Larry looked at her and smiled.  "What goes up in the morning and goes down at night"?  Losima thought hard to herself.  "Was it blinds" she thought.  Mommy puts them up in the morning and down at night.  Larry lauughed again.  "Thats not the answer child".  "Remember, I have magic powers and I can read your mind".  "I'll give you a hint" he said. "What makes you feel warm"? he asked.  Losima thought again and to her own surprise she said to Larry, "Is it the sun"?.  "That comes up in the morning and goes down to sleep at night"?.  Larry laughed merrily.  "Sure, aren't you the clever one little girl".  "Thats the right answer, now you can take 3 coins".



Losima was so happy.  She picked out 3 coins and put them in the pocket of her yellow raincoat.



"Now" said Larry the Leprauchaun.  "You cannot tell anybody about this magical woods where all the little people like me live, like the Fairies, the Elves and the Pixies because humans, especially big ones like your Mommy and Daddy might come here and stand on one  of us by mistake and that would mean very bad luck for them and make us very sad too".



Losima promised, pinky promised, that she would never tell anyone.

"How will I find my way home"? she asked Larry.  Larry smiled at Losima and said "You're a very clever little girl".  "You found the end of the rainbow so now all you have to do is follow it right back to the start and you will find your way home".  "Thank you, Mr Larry the Leprechaun, I will give the gold to my Mommy and Daddy but not my brother Liam!" said Losima happily.



"Good idea" said Larry, "but remember gold can only be used in this magical kingdom so by the time you get home, the gold in your pocket will have turned into human money".  Losima was so happy that she rushed over and kissed Larry on his little red cheek that got redder still.  "Thank you, thank you" she shouted as she started to run home but when she turned around to wave goodbye to Larry, he had already disappeared, along with his crock of gold.



It seemed to be very quick before Losima was home again and as she walked towards the front door, she put her hand in her pocket and lo and behold, like magic, she pulled out a brand new 50 dollar note!.  She rang the bell excitedly and her Mommy answered.  "Losima, did you leave the park"? she asked.  "I followed the rainbow and got money" Losima answered, laughing in delight.



Mommy let her in, smiling at the stories little girls make up.  "And did you find a pot of gold" Mommy asked her in the kitchen where Daddy was having his breakfast.  "No", said Losima remembering her promise to Larry, "but I did find this" she said pulling out the money.  Mommy's eyes lit up when she saw the money and then she told a big fat Mommy lie.  "I put that in your raincoat yesterday by mistake" Mommy lied but Losima didn't mind because she liked seeing her Mommy happy.



Daddy just looked up and said to Mommy, Well, try and remember to put petrol in the car this time" and went back to eating his breakfast.  Mommy laughed and hugged Losima.  "I'm bringing you to McDonalds and the cinema today sweetheart" and looking over at Daddy, she said, "and buying petrol too, she said smiling.  And somewhere in the magical woods there was the sound of bells tinkling because Larry the Leprechaun who knew everything, was laughing too!.



The End.



Julieanne O'Shea