Pots of Gold

"Pots of Gold"
By
W. P. Gerace
Meet me at the castle was all the text message said in bold black letters across Thom's phone. He was still half asleep up late last night trying to find a job. Being out of work for months he needed to find something soon.

Getting up and looking around for Suzie, who usually was up and about singing away, swinging her tiny little body around to some good music on the radio in the kitchen, was nowhere to be found. Her strawberry blonde hair done in pigtails; she closely resembled a teenager than a woman in her late thirties who had been married twice so far. Had Suzie given up on his inability to find a decent job and left him for good. To keep a good woman, you need a good job his father would say. Thom had all that. He finally found the girl of his dreams and had an excellent job at the Cable Company as a Team Leader of the Sales Team at the Call Center. But then the effects of the crippling economy hit him at Philly One, the local cable company. Sales plummeted, and he was quickly out the door after a nearly fourteen-year career. Suzie quickly followed, losing her position as Administrative Assistant in Human Resources.

Disrupting his melancholic thoughts, the cheery chirp of birds his phone's ringtone went off. Glancing at the purple and black screen, the name was Suzie Q, his missing girlfriend. He was Relieved and grateful that maybe she was giving him another chance.

"Hello. Suzie. Where are you?" Thom asked, hoping he didn't sound accusatory. He totally trusted the love of his life.

"Did you get my text, Thom? "Suzie asked, her voice cheery and perky.

"Your text?" Thom asked, totally lost, still absorbing the new day, disoriented as he gathered his thoughts from his Trazodone-induced sleep.

"Honey, the one that says meet me at the castle. “Did you see it “? Suzie questioned.

"Oh gosh, I did see that text, but I am just waking up. I didn't even see who sent it. I needed clarification. I need to find out where this castle is. "

"You do, honey. The park behind our house Moon Park goes there. You will see a rainbow and follow it. You will see it. I have a surprise to share with you. Come quickly. "Suzie, for the first time, was quite assertive, not a trait Thom was used to. Before he could answer her, the call ended as the endless drone of the dial tone hummed in his ears.

Quickly grabbing his silk blue shorts, t-shirt, and socks, he headed out of their one-bedroom apartment on Moon Drive. The humidity outside was so thick after a torrential downpour last night. He recalled that storm vividly. The streaks of white lightning and thunder roars kept his anxiety up until nearly 4 AM. Grabbing three white Trazodone, more than the recommended dosage by Dr. Che, his Psychiatrist he swallowed them whole. Thunderstorms always freaked him, even as a kid. Grateful that the storms were gone, the last remaining steel grey clouds parted, leaving way for a warm oppressive day ahead.

Walking down the winding path of Moon Park, the towering maple trees diligently blocking out the sun's damaging rays proved useless against his body's already overheated skin. Sweat trickled down his forehead and arms, stinging his eyes and blurring his vision as he did his best to maneuver this circling path, nearly falling over several branches a few times. After several feet, he saw the new swing set and basketball court built by the city, the soft black turf still showing signs of dampness from the previous night's storm. Directly behind the new development, a colorful rainbow spread across the clear blue sky.

A few feet more down the grassy field at the end of that rainbow stood a magnificent blue and purple castle surrounded by sparkling green and pink raindrops, their colorful presence illuminating the structure. The building had several floors that went on forever, a spiraling spindle up into the blush clouds above. Each floor had several rows of diamond-studded windows, their silver sparkles resembling a thousand lights lit up at once like some magnificent fireworks show. Mesmerized by this beauty, Thom was totally caught off guard when he saw Suzie standing before him.

Suzie was dressed in this gorgeous long flowing plum dress. Her hair, golden blonde now all done up in a spiral, was neatly pinned by a dazzling silver crown. Clutched in her hands was a long wand in many different colors. Thom could clearly see shades of blue, crimson, and lavender. The tip of the rod had a small gold star. Behind Suzie were numerous black pots overflowing with what appeared to be gold. Thom could not help but wonder how much there was.

"Honey, what is going on? "Thom felt as though he was living in some fantasy at the present moment.

"Sweety, my great Uncle Francie passed. I never told you about my family because I didn't want you to think I was crazy. But I come from a long line of Leprechauns. Since I am Francie's only niece, he left me all his pots of gold. He recently passed away. See honey, we can live in this beautiful castle and have all the money we need. "

"I thought Leprechauns were just fantasies." Thom shook his head, still taking in all the beauty.

"No time for explanations. Just trust me. Our troubles are finally over. Meet me at the castle. "