An Irish Tale

  Katherine had been walking the meandering path for five minutes when she saw a comfortable looking stump and decided to sit for a moment. It was indeed a lovely woods, she thought. Lovely and quiet. She could hear birds singing gently, although none were in plain sight. How pleasant their songs sounded! She heard none of the sharp, harsh calls that always seemed to wake her up in the morning. No, these were the sweetest, most melodic bird songs she had ever heard. And, although one or two of them sounded familiar, she was certain that some of the bird songs were brand new—songs that she had never heard before, perhaps from birds she had never seen before. Why had she not come to these woods before? It was such a lovely place.

  ***

  Katherine blinked her eyes and shook her head slightly. Had she fallen asleep, sitting there on that stump? All of sudden, the sky seemed darker and a dense fog had begun to settle on the glen. She could still see some streaks of light that had somehow managed to wiggle their way down through the leaves of the towering trees over her head. But in between those beams of light, she thought everything seemed dimmer; the shadows were dark gray now, even black in places. And yet, where the rays of light managed to penetrate the gloom, the colors—especially the yellows and greens—were surprisingly bright. No matter. She must have been dozing. Well, surely it was time to be going now. She had chores to do on the farm and mustn’t be late for them.

  As she started to get up from the stump, Katherine cast her eyes about for the path that had led her into the forest. But it was nowhere in sight. Somehow the little patch of woods where she had been daydreaming looked different now. It seemed as if she were in the center of a little clearing now, something she hadn’t noticed before. And there was not only her stump, but three or four others like it grouped around a larger stump almost big enough to be a table. “Either I have been asleep,” she said to herself, “or I’m asleep now.”

  “I was wonderin’ when you’d be vacating me favorite stool,” said a strange voice, high-pitched in tone but with a comfortable echo of warmth to it nonetheless.

  Katherine whirled around quickly in the direction that she thought the voice had come from, but saw no one.

  “Not that I’ve any wish to be unneighborly, mind you,” said the voice, “but I have some work that needs to be done and I’ll be in need of me favorite thinking stool to accomplish the task.”

  Katherine turned again, since the voice now seemed to come from a different place. Again, she saw no one, but noticed for the first time that the stump on which she had been sitting seemed almost to glow with a light coming from deep inside.

  “I certainly do beg your pardon, sir,” Katherine said quietly, “but I had no idea that I was sitting on anyone’s stool. I thought I was just sitting on a plain old stump in the middle of the woods.”

  “Well,” said the voice, “you’d be not quite in the middle of the woods, don’t you see…you’re about half a mile to the south of the direct center of the woods, to be exact. But of course, that’s just for today. Tomorrow, this little glen will be in quite a different part of the forest.”

  “I’m sorry, sir,” said Katherine, squinting her eyes as she looked here and there for the source of the voice, “but could you please tell me whom I have the honor of addressing?”

  “Ah, but I’m not so sure it is an honor after all,” replied the voice. “Oh, to be sure it was once considered to be a great honor for one of the big’uns to have a friendly conversation with the wee folk, but that day is long past, I fear.”

  “Please sir,” said Katherine, anxiety beginning to creep into her voice.

  “Of course, of course, you’d be wanting to see just who it is you’re talkin’ to. Of course you would,” said the voice cheerily. “Well it just so happens that I’m right in front of you.”

  Katherine looked down quickly, blinking her eyes several times. Sure enough, there—seated on the stump closest to hers—was a little gentleman who Katherine figured to be no more than four feet in height. He wore a bright yellow cap, a green jacket that looked a bit too small for him and shiny red pants that stopped somewhat short of his tall black boots.

  “Pleased to be makin’ your acquaintance, I’m sure,” said the little man, doffing his cap. “My name would be Shamus and yours would be …?”

  “Katherine…my name is Katherine…but my brother calls me Katie, and I…. Well, begging your pardon, sir, but… do you live here…in the woods, I mean?”

  “Indeed I do, Katherine, indeed I do,” said Shamus with a twinkling smile. “Although not right here, you understand—not in Leprechaun’s Glen. Me own snug little place is just about a half a mile from here. This is what you might call a “public” place. It’s a lovely fine spot for talking or just thinking. We have many of our meetings here.”

  “But you…you’re not…” began Katherine, blinking her eyes furiously to check if she were actually awake now.

  “Ah, but I am of course. And I’d like to say I’m delighted to meet you, even if you happen to be sittin’ on my favorite stool, which I’d like very much to be sittin’ on myself, not to make too fine a point of it.”

  “But you’re tiny…you’re smaller than me…you’re just so…”

  “Public relations decision…about four hundred years ago if memory serves me right. Never thought much of it myself. The idea was that if we were all known as the ‘little people,’ then folks would stop being so fearful of us.”

  “People were afraid of Lep…” began Katherine.

  “Oh, indeed they were,” said Shamus. “But that’s not the worst of it, you know. People blamed the strangest things on leprechauns. If there was a flood, people said that the leprechauns were to blame. If there was a drought, people said that it was the leprechaun’s fault. Anytime a horse threw a bloody shoe, somebody blamed it on the leprechauns. Pretty soon people were coming out to the forest huntin’ for us…us…as harmless a group of beings as were ever put on the earth, except for the occasional prank now and then, of course. So the higher-ups came up with this brilliant idea, see—or at least they told us it was brilliant—shrink everyone down a bit they said. Make us all the “little people.” Who could be afraid of “little people” they said? The poor harmless wee forest folk? How could we be the cause of all the evil in the world? So we made ourselves smaller and let a few of the villagers catch a glimpse of us now and again—something they would have been hard-pressed to do if we weren’t goin’ out of our way to let them do it.”

  “Did it…did it work?” stuttered Katherine.

  “After a manner of speaking, yes. After a few years, the huntin’ parties stopped, everyone figurin’ that it could hardly be those cute little leprechauns who were causin’ the trouble,” explained Shamus, a slight sigh in his voice.

  “So did the big people leave you alone after that?” asked Katherine, beginning to get more comfortable in the situation.

  “Big people? Why do the mortals always refer to themselves as the “big people,” I’d like to know? Why, I’d be as big as you any day if it hadn’t been for that shrinkin’ episode,” said Shamus, showing just the slightest sign of vexation.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” blurted Katherine. “I didn’t realize you were so sensitive…”

  “And why in the world shouldn’t we be as sensitive as the next person, I ask you that?” demanded Shamus. “Because we live forever? Because we’re up to our knees in gold and don’t have care in the world? Bah! None of it is true! There’s much that mortals don’t know about leprechauns and only a very little bit they do know.”

  “I had no idea,” said Katherine sympathetically. “Do you mean that leprechauns have no gold at all?”

  “Now I didn’t quite say that, did I, lass?” said Shamus mysteriously.

  “So you do have gold…because my brother needs some…”

  “Now hold on, me dear Katherine. What we have and what we don’t have is more rightly our business than yours, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “Well, I suppose so
,” said Katherine quietly.

  “And this bit about the gold…now it’s caused us endless grief as well,” explained Shamus. “A few years after the mortals stopped huntin’ us in the woods, it occurred to a few of them that if we weren’t dangerous, then we must have some mysterious secrets to hide. Putting two and two together and getting’ three and a half, they came to the conclusion that we were all filthy rich with gold, sittin’ around in great pots of it, so they supposed. So then, some of ‘em got the bright idea that if they searched around in the woods long enough, they’d be stumblin’ over these pots of gold themselves. That didn’t work out too well for ‘em, so then they decided they needed some sort of map or guide to take them to the gold. Some brilliant thinker concluded that all they had to do was to follow a rainbow to its very end and—as sure as sunshine—it’s there that they would find the gold. But rainbows will float around on you and so that plan didn’t seem to work too well either. So the next thing they tried to do was to capture a leprechaun, figuring that he or she would lead ‘em directly to the gold as cheerful as can be. So now the mortals are all frolicking all about the woods, looking high and low for leprechauns.”

  “Did they catch any?” asked Katherine, her eyes widening.

  “Of course not,” said Shamus rather smugly. “We were too quick for ‘em by half. We’d blend into the forest just like that and they’d walk right by us.”

  “But…I saw you. You didn’t blend into the forest when you saw me. You came right out and spoke to me,’ said Katherine.

  “And to be sure, I did,” said Shamus. “But of course things are different now. It’s been many a year since the people of the village have come into the woods to search for gold or leprechauns. We’ve little to fear now. We can dress as we like now, no more worrying about fading into the trees.”

  “Do you mean that just anyone who walks into the woods can see a leprechaun now?” asked Katherine breathlessly.

  “Well, not everyone to be sure. First of all, there aren’t that many of us around anymore. A number of our folk have moved on, you see. And some of us cling to the old ways, slippin’ out of sight when a villager gets too close. Some still prefer vanishing in a puff of smoke, but it’s a bit out of fashion now. Most just transform themselves into something you’d never notice—a rock, a bit of a tree, a sheep in the meadow, or even a policemen on his beat, if we’re caught walkin’ down the streets of the village late at night. But as for myself, I figure, why bother?”

  “But what if…what if I tell everybody I’ve seen you…what if others come looking for you too?” said Katherine, more than a little concern in her voice.

  “Ah, but that’s the beauty of the modern age, lass,” replied Shamus. “’Tis a cynical world we live in today. Why bother to hide from a poor unsuspecting villager when nobody would believe her for a minute if she were to go back to the tavern and spout tales about seein’ a live leprechaun? Why, anybody who did that would probably get tossed into jail for inventing lies or disturbing the peace or some such nonsense. No one trusts their hearts anymore and precious few people even trust their eyes. So why bother hidin’ away? Just be yourself, I say, and let other people worry about it.”

  “But Mr. …Shamus…about the gold…how do you get the gold? Do you just wave your magic…?” began Katherine.

  “What’s that?” Shamus demanded. “A magic wand, you’d be thinkin’? Now that’s a good one. What would you be doin’, confusin’ us with the fairies in the field who can’t buy a quart of milk at the bloomin’ store without their wands clutched in their dainty little hands?”

  “I’m sorry…I only meant that…”

  “Well, I’ll tell you plainly how we leprechauns get our gold, lassie. We make it. We make it ourselves, and a tricky process it is, too. Oh, you’ve got to have the right materials to begin with—and that’s getting’ harder to accomplish these days—and you’ve got to know how to mix things just right, and what words to use, of course. Makin’ gold is not a simple thing to do, Miss Katie.”

  “But what do you use it for?” asked Katherine.

  “For barter mostly, or at least we used to. There was a day when all the magical people traded in gold, and leprechaun’s gold was the most valuable of all. But there are precious few of the magical folk around now and not much need of the gold,” explained Shamus with a sigh.

  “But my brother…my brother has desperate need of gold—I mean—of money right now. Do you think you might…I mean… if you could possibly give him some…” asked Katherine, beginning to lean forward on her stool.

  “Now hold just a minute, lassie,” objected Shamus, waving a long, crooked finger in her direction. “Leprechaun’s gold is not simply there for the taking of every greedy young man who happens to stumble into…”

  “But my brother isn’t greedy…really he isn’t. But he’s in a terrible fix.”

  “A fix, is it? This wouldn’t happen to be a fix of his own making by any chance, would it?” Shamus asked smugly.

  “Well, I guess maybe it is…he had to borrow some money…for a noble cause he says. But he borrowed it from old Mrs. O’Hara, the village money lender, and now he can’t pay it back,” Katherine explained earnestly.

  “Ah, old Mrs. O’Hara. I’ve heard of that one to be sure. She’s been givin’ the Irish people a bad name ever since she came into the world. I’ve no love for the likes of Mrs. O’Hara and that’s a fact,” said Shamus, starting to stroke his chin thoughtfully.

  “But Mrs. O’Hara will set the constable on Sean if he can’t pay his debt! And then Sean will be put in jail, and he’ll never be able to marry Meagan, and my parents will be heartbroken and…”

  “Now, now then,” said Shamus soothingly, “one catastrophe at a time, if you please. Just take a deep breath and then tell me a wee bit about your big brother and how he got himself into this mess.”

  Katherine breathed deeply and concentrated on speaking slowly. “Sean is eighteen years old, he’ll be nineteen next month. He’s always been a hard worker, helping Mum and Dad around the farm. But ever since he’s taken a fancy to Meagan, his head has been full of big plans, big ideas. He keeps talking about marrying Meagan and moving to the big city. And now he’s borrowed the money from Mrs. O’Hara but he missed on the final payment on the loan and…”

  “Yes, yes, to be sure. I’ve got the idea, lassie. Now tell me a bit more about Sean himself. Is he a sensitive lad? Does he have a tender soul inside him?”

  “Well, yes,” said Katherine thoughtfully, “yes, I believe he does.”

  “I’ll tell you what you do,” said Shamus, his eyes brightening. “You bring your foolish brother back to this spot of the woods tomorrow and I’ll take a look at him. If I think him suitable, the three of us may sit down for a bit and talk business.”

  “But, I don’t understand,” said Katherine. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll explain all about that tomorrow,” said Shamus. “You just remember two things: bring your brother to this spot tomorrow at three in the afternoon and tell not a soul of our conversation.”

  “But you said no one would believe me anyway…” began Katherine.

  “That I did, young miss and truer words I’ve never spoken, but I don’t want your mother and father to be lookin’ at you in that strange way and keepin’ you tucked in your bed as if you’ve got the fever or something just because you keep talkin’ about leprechauns. You just do as I say and we’ll chat again tomorrow.”

  Katherine glanced around her. “But what if I can’t find this spot?” she asked plaintively. But as she turned to face Shamus, she realized he had vanished without a trace.

  Chapter 4: A Very Close Call

  Sean came though the door quickly, whistling a jaunty tune. “Where can you be little sister? Where are you Katie?”

  Katherine, reading her favorite book in her small bedroom, smiled when she heard her brother’s greeting. “I’m here, Sean! I’ll be down in a minute.”

  Racing dow
nstairs to the parlor in seconds, Katherine found her brother in a cheerful mood and decked out in his best clothes. “My, my, Sean! You do look handsome today.”

  “Now I’ll be needin’ a bit of a favor from you, Katie, if you don’t mind,” said Sean, glancing up from shining his boots.

  “And what’ll that be?” she said, a smile creeping over her face.

  “It’s nothing, really,” said Sean. “You’ve just got to stand guard a bit for me.”

  “Sean? What do you mean?” asked Katherine,

  “It’s quite simple, really. Meagan will be coming to visit me here any moment now, but I must know when Mum and Dad are comin’ home.”

  “They’re both at market,” said Katherine.

  “I know that they’re both at market, Katie. I just want to be sure that they both stay at market, or at least I have good warning before they come back. So I want you to take a seat out there on the porch and keep a sharp eye. If Mum and Dad show up…or if anybody shows up, I want to know about it as quick as possible.”

  Katherine sighed. “But Sean, I was just reading my book.”

  “Sure and I know that, Katie. But you can read your book outside on the porch just as nicely. So go, grab your book and get comfortable on the porch. Meagan will be here any second.”

  Sure enough, as Sean finished his last words, the knock came at the door and Meagan’s sweet voice could be heard calling his name.

  “There she is now, Katie,” said Sean, quickly polishing his second boot. “Please put on your best manners and let her in.”

  Katherine sighed. “I will, Sean. Just give me a minute.”

  Katherine hurried to the door and opened it for the beaming Meagan. “Katherine!” said Meagan cheerfully. “How nice to see you! I’ll bet you’ve grown two inches since the last time I saw you.”

  Katherine smiled and nodded at Meagan as she opened the door. Katherine liked Meagan. She was always friendly to her, although that may have had something to do with the fact that she was in love with her brother Sean. But Meagan always said the same thing, every time she saw Katherine. It was always “I’ll bet you’ve grown two inches.” If Katherine had grown two inches every time Meagan said that, she’d be more than ten feet tall by now.