Stolen Rainbows

"It has to be the leprechauns," Hailey sighed. She was kneeling on the back of the livingroom couch, her pudgy hands balled into fists under her chin as she stared out the window as the small droplets of water tinked against the glass.

"What are you talking about?" her older brother grumbled, jabbing at the TV remote and changing the channel again.

"The leprechauns, Mikey. They must have stole the rainbow."

"There's no such thing as leprechauns, and DON'T call me Mikey. My name's Mike."

"Are too, Mike," Hailey pouted, folding her arms over her chest. "I've seen 'em."

"Fine," Mike sighed. "If you can show me these leprechauns..."

Hailey's face lit up. "Come on! They're outside under the big tree with my swing."

Mike allowed her to lead him out through the back door and quickly grabbed a plastic poncho for himself and his sister. Hailey ran ahead toward the big tree. It was brilliantly lit with the late afternoon sun. He looked to the east and frowned. There was no rainbow.

"Come on, Mikey!" Hailey called.

He sighed and trudged after her toward the old oak. "I told you not to call me... Hey, what are you doing? Get out of there!"

Hailey had disappeared into a hollow space at the base of the tree and he ran after her. But when he got to the tree, she was gone. "Hailey?" he called, but no one answered. He poked his head into the hollow but it was too dark to see anything. The space seemed to be a lot bigger on the inside. "Hailey if you are playing a game with me..."

"Hurry up, Mikey." Hailey's voice seemed to echo from a long way off.

"What has she gotten herself into this time," he muttered squeezing his shoulders through the opening then wriggling his body the rest of the way. There was a tunnel here. Too small for him to stand up. He crawled forward and bumped his nose on the dirt wall of the tunnel. Muttering to himself, he started forward again, feeling his way with his hands.

He began to see a faint light shining from around a bend in the tunnel. "Hailey," he called again. "When dad hears about this he's gonna be so mad." A shadow moved in front of the light. "Hailey?" But there was no answer.

He rushed around the bend and found himself face to face with a small man leaning on a cane. He was no taller than his sister and had a long white beard, bright green eyes and a small top-hat perched at an odd angle on top of his round bald head.

"Ah-ha!" the little man said, clapping his hands and jumping up and down. "You made it! We've been waiting for you."

"Where am I?" Mike mumbled. He was staring at the world around him. This certainly wasn't his back yard. Or anyone's back yard that he knew of. There were mushrooms as big as trees an impossibly blue sky and the greenest grass you had ever seen.

"You're in the land of Zark, Mikey. The land of leprechauns."

"My name's Mike," Mike mumbled. He was having a hard time believing what he was seeing.

"That's not what your sister says," the little man said and a mischievous grin crept onto his face.

"My sister? Where is she?"

"She's safe, for now." The little man grinned again. "She wanted to see the rainbow we hid in the Mountain of Mist."

"Give her back to me now," Mike demanded.

"We won't," the leprechaun laughed then began a funny little dance chanting, "We won't, we won't we won't!"

"Why have you taken her? Why have you taken the rainbow?"

"We want your gold, of course."

"But I don't have any gold!"

"Don't you?" The leprechaun raised his cane and Mike felt a tugging at his neck. The thin gold chain that hung from his neck began do rise off his chest, the small medallion pulling itself out from under the poncho.

He grabbed at it. "No! My mother gave that to me!"

"And now you will give it to us."

Mikey stood studying the pendant in his had for a long time. Finally, his fist closed over it. "I want to see my sister first."

"I will take you to her," the little man squealed.

The little man started off through the forest of mushrooms. Mike saw the mountain up ahead. It looked like it was made of mist. He could also
see rows of colour hidden within the shadows. The rainbow!

As they drew nearer, Mike could see a bright yellow poncho over the heads of a group of leprechauns all crowded around his little sister and he knew she had been crying.

"Mikey!" she screeched.

Mike balled his fists when he saw them. "All right." he said through gritted teeth. "You can have it. Just give me back my sister!" He pulled the necklace over his head and handed it to the small man, who was grinning madly.

"Mikey, no!" Hailey cried. "Mommy gave you that!"

"It's all right, Hailey," Mike said, trying to keep his voice cheerful over the lump in his throat. "I think this is what mommy would have wanted."

The little man reached out for the necklace, and as soon as his fingers touched the pendant he was gone. The mountain was gone, the mushroom tree's were gone, and Mike found himself standing next to his little sister in their own back yard. The rain was still spitting down on them, and the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds. It was over. They were back home.

"I'm sorry about your necklace, Mikey. I mean Mike," Hailey said quietly, sniffling and whiping a hand over her tear stained face.

"That's what big brothers do." He knelt down and hugged her. "And you can call me Mikey," he whispered as a brilliant rainbow arced in the sky above them.