I was on holiday in Ireland, the land of my birth or it was if you counted several generations back. Throw some Native American in there with some Scott and there with the Irish and you have my ancestry as far as I was ever told. I had turned 48 last summer and I realized that this past year had been the exact same as the one before. Which was the same as the one before and before and before then as well. So I had decided that I was going to celebrate every birthday from then on by doing something different.
Of course, I was still a working stiff so I certainly wasn't staying in the Hilton. This place had what the brochures would call "character" which I firmly believed was sales talk for "one step above staying with your parents." I didn't mind that much because they left me alone pretty much and the cabin I had was right back against the woods. It just meant I had to walk the farthest to get to the meals (which were included in the package) as well as to the only taxi stand if I wanted to go into the only town.
I'd asked for a small lunch to be packed and set out to explore the countryside. I'd always enjoyed walking and luckily I'd kept in shape although the hills were something I wasn't used to and I paused often to catch my breath. On one of my frequent breaks, I noticed something glittering in the grass off in this field beside the road.
It wasn't really that far, but there was a fence that I'd have to cross and I didn't know the local laws about trespassing so I just walked over to lean on the rough boards, trying to get a closer look. I decided it wasn't something metal because of the way it reflected the light, it wasn't flashy enough if you know what I mean. It didn't glint like plastic or just a piece of trash, or if it was trash it would be the first piece of litter I'd seen since I got off the plane.
Suddenly the glinting-glittering just snapped off and then back on, only this time a little closer. As I watched, it certainly looked like it was moving in a straight line and it was angled right for where I was standing!
I had hundreds of plans going thru my head all at once, and ended up doing nothing until it was a complete accident as to what actually happened. I'd decided to stand as still as I could and hope the sparkle passed me by, however this wasn't to be and by the time I realized that and moved my foot, I lost my balance and fell down, loosing my coat which I'd had over one arm. The old leather jacket landed at the edge of the road and there was something moving underneath it!
I grabbed the first good-sized stick I found as I crept up on my jacket. I didn't know if I should lift the edge and try to see what it was that was moving under there or if I should just smack the wiggling hump and be done with it.
"I want to know what that light was, but I don't know if I want to know either," I spoke out-loud. I know, but it's a habit and I didn't really think about it until a voice answered me back!
"Aye, Lad. Ye donna want to see, you'll just be wantin to lift this damn tent offa me!"
"Not till you tell you what is going on," I replied. I didn't know what to think, but if it was what I actually hoped it was, then this would be the greatest thing that could ever happen. I'd caught a Leprechaun!
"If I have to explain the rules, then ye shouldn't be playin, Yank!"
"I may be from America, but that doesn't change the fact that in order to play any game that's fair, then each player has to know the rules, unless the Irish Leprechauns are cheaters, maybe?"
"Cheaters?!" the lump exploded. "Ye jus be liftin this damn tent and I'll be showin ye how I'll be cheatin!"
"It seems you cannot lift the tent by yourself and you need me to do that for you, so I'd say I caught you. Now, if you'll agree to that one point, that I caught you and you cannot run away or hurt me or cause me to forget that I caught you or nothing sneaky like that, then I'll take my coat back and we can talk like ordinary civilized peoples. Okay?"
"Aye," he muttered, "Ye caught me, that much I'll be agreein too, now please, get this damn thing offa me, I'm beginning to bake!"
I lifted the hem with the tip of the stick and tried to keep behind it at the same time. I managed to finally get it all the way out of the dirt, and then he came slowly into view. Almost 12 inches high if you didn't count that little pointy wizardly-shaped hat. He had a full beard, a huge knobby nose with a short pipe clenched between his firm jaws. He wasn't fat but he certainly wasn't skinny, more of a stocky little man dressed all in greens and yellows with a dash of silver or gold jewelry here and there.
"Let us sit down over there on those rocks, lad," he says as he points with a short staff. "I'll be explainin the rules to ye and then we can get to me getting free."
After we'd settled down and I'd lit a cigarette while he'd gotten his small pipe smoking like a chimney, he continued.
"Ye get three wishes and that's all. Ye canna wish for more wishes an ye canna wish to catch me nor any other Leprechaun again later on. Ye canna wish someone back to life if they've already passed-over, and ye canna never wish anyone to die. Other than that, ye can pretty much wish for anything you could think of."
"Like millions and millions of dollars?" I asked.
"Tis that your first wish, then?" he answered quickly. "Where do ye want it and how? Gold? Silver? US dollars?"
"Hold on," I commanded. "That wasn't my first wish and you know it so just hold on and let me think for a second."
