THE LEPRECHAUN'S GOLD

THE LEPRECHAUN'S GOLD

In the misty hills surrounding the town of Danny's Gore, a group of little leprechauns danced and sang a favorite Irish tune. It seemed as if they would never stop dancing, even though their shoes were worn to a frazzle. Like magic, each time the soles of their shoes wore out, they clicked their fingers and a new pair appeared.

One of the leprechaun's was not dancing, however. He was Kelly, the Keeper of the Gold, and he had to guard it with his life! He had hidden the pot of gold in a very safe place, yet everytime it rained, and a rainbow appeared, one end of the rainbow would shine right down on the gold! He was getting really tired moving it out of the light of the rainbow!

Soon the rain stopped, and the rainbow had gone from sight. Kelly, the Keeper, was very thankful! He sat down beside the pot and promptly fell asleep.

Farmer Murphy was on his way home from the pub when he saw Kelly sound asleep! "Ah, Ha!" he said to himself, so as not to wake the leprechaun. "Now I can get myself a pot of gold and never have to work in the fields again!" Slowly he crept nearer to Kelly, who was now snoring peacefully. There was no sign of the other leprechauns, as they had danced themselves out and were all at home sleeping too!

Quick as a flash, Farmer Murphy grabbed the leprechaun and put him in a sack. Kelly had awakened and was putting up quite a fuss, determined to get away. "Not until ye fetch me your pot o'gold, you little imp!" Farmer Murphy laughed loudly.

He tried every trick he knew to get Kelly to spill the beans on the location of the gold. Kelly kept shaking his head, and saying "Ye'll get no gold from ME, but a plague I'll put on ye if ye don't put me down!"

That didn't go over well with Farmer Murphy. He got angry and shouted, waking up all the other leprechauns in the glade. Soon he was surrounded by little men with long pointed ears and dressed in little green suits. They looked at him angrily. Beside each leprechaun sat a gleaming pot of gold! He didn't know what to think or which pot of gold was real! He knew that leprechauns were full of tricks, and that they were just playing with him now.

Just that instant, Farmer Murphy's wife appeared and grabbed him by the ear! "you let that little one go!" she exclaimed. "I'll be having no plague wished upon me by the likes of them!" She turned and walked away towards home, dragging her old husband along behind her. He had dropped Kelly as soon as he had seen his wife, thinking that she would know he'd had too many drinks at the pub and would not believe in the gold.

Soon Kelly was back at his post, and the little leprechauns were dancing again. They were safe, and no one had been able to take, then or since, the leprechaun's gold! Kelly danced a little jig all around the gleaming pot of gold, happy once more.