by Brenda Elser
Magical Mystery Series
The Case of the Leprechaun’s Luck
Written By Brenda Elser & Kristin Loehrmann
Illustrated By Rose Mary Berlin
Text Copyright © 2013 by Blowing Leaf Publications Inc.
Illustrations Copyright © 2013 by Rose Mary Berlin
All rights reserved.
No part of this book or its illustrations may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical or other means without express written permission from the Publisher and or Illustrator.
ISBN: 0988690454
ISBN-13: 978-0-9886904-5-5
www.blowingleafpublications.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
From Brenda:
First, and always central in my life, I’d like to acknowledge my husband. Bill – I know it’s a Hallmark card saying… but I really am thankful every day for the gift of your friendship and love. Your talent knows no bounds since you serve as editor, technical layout specialist, and CEO for these books. Without you they would not have existed. Thanks for believing in us and making it happen.
A big thank you to Rose Mary. We fell in love with your artistic talent but we received the gift of your creative genius as well. We feel so lucky that you are a part of these books! (It must be such a burden to be perfect.)
To our editors – Pamela - you bring out the best in our writing with just the right questions and suggestions to spur us along. Thank you for that! Karen – Your extra efforts and attention to detail will not be forgotten. And to Nicolas, our Jr. Editor, you are insightful and wise beyond your years. Thanks for giving us the kids’ perspective.
And finally to Kristin, my co-author. Your creative mind adds so much beauty to our ideas. Thanks for the crazy fun!
From Kristin:
To the teachers, staff and PTSA at Carriage Crest and Lake Youngs Elementary schools in Kent, Washington. Your dedication to the profession, and the way you nurture every child humbles me, inspires me and makes me want to write books kids want to read.
To my family, who humors me when I tell them, “Don’t bother me. I’m writing.”
To Brenda, whose twists and turns make each book even better than the last.
I’m honored to even take a stab at creating something as Magical as this simple thing called “A Book.”
Contents
1. Dear Trickster
2. Do You Believe?
3. Reese
4. Danger’s My Middle Name
5. The Weight of Luck
6. No Humans
7. Not Nice
8. Ticked Off Troll
9. Lucky Charm
10. Mushy-Mushy Talk
11. I’m Rubber, You’re Glue
12. Just My Luck
13. Great Cleaners But No Brains
14. The Domino Effect
15. Color Balls
16. Floating Down to DOOM
17. Finish Line
18. Shave A Hen
19. Now I’ve Seen It All
20. The Family Business
1. Dear Trickster
Eva paced the floor in her living room, wearing her usual mix of brightly colored clothes – a sturdy pair of pink hiking boots with mismatched socks and rainbow-striped leggings under a denim skirt. Her warm tan jacket and backpack were on the floor by the couch, ready for another adventure. In her hand she clutched a ransom note informing her that Lauren, her best girlfriend, had been kidnapped.
Last night they’d had a sleep-over of epic proportions: recorded themselves singing along with the radio, eaten homemade caramel popcorn until they were sick, tried on all of Eva’s mother’s jewelry, and fallen asleep somewhere during their third movie. When morning came, however, Eva’s plans of sharing a breakfast of her mother’s special pancakes (with chocolate syrup instead of maple syrup), were interrupted by this disastrous turn of events.
“Now, Eva,” Mrs. O’Hare had consoled her daughter when she’d found the note, “please don’t worry. I’m certain you and Robert will find Lauren in no time.”
“But mom,” Eva had wailed. “You said we didn’t need to worry about the Tooth Fairy trying to get revenge!”
“No,” Mrs. O’Hare had said gently, “what I said was The Board took away her flying powers. But Diva is very clever, and I’ve no doubt she had help from her… well, her connections. And now, you just might need a bit of help from my connections.”
At the moment, Mrs. O’Hare stood at the bay windows of their living room. She’d pulled the curtains open as far as they’d go to let the beautiful afternoon sunshine pour in. She’d brought in a stepladder from the hall closet and was now busy hanging tear-shaped crystals from the curtain rod so they’d catch the light. The sun’s rays touched the crystals and scattered hundreds of tiny rainbows around the room; the walls and furniture danced with so much color that rainbows shined from even the furthest corners.
“We really ‘Lucked out’ with such sunny weather in March,” Eva’s mom said from the step ladder as she hung another crystal, laughing at a joke only she seemed to get.
“Mom! This is pretty and all, but what are you doing? We’re in a state of emergency! The Detective’s Manual says you should never panic, but Lauren has been kidnapped! Kid-Napped, I tell you!” Eva held up the piece paper in her clenched fist and shook it for added drama. “Why are you hanging those now? And where is Robert? He should have been here already!” Eva flung herself onto the couch, pulling at her strawberry blond curls.
“I know you’re worried about Lauren, dear, but trust me. She’s going to be just fine.” Mrs. O’Hare stepped down from the ladder after the last crystal was hung. “She hasn’t even been gone a full day. But I did call her mother to let her know that Lauren is doing something special with us. Her family doesn’t need to worry about anything while you and Robert get this straightened out.”
“Doing something special? Special what? Who’d believe that?”
“It is special, and she will be with you… once you join her,” Mrs. O’Hare said, giving her a stern look. “Now, quit worrying, sweetie. I just saw Robert coming up the front drive, so why don’t you answer the door so you both can review the facts like serious detectives.”
“Finally!” Eva shouted, exploding off the couch and rushing to the front door just as Robert knocked.
“Robert! Where have you been? Do you even know what a crisis is?”
“Uh… hello to you too,” Robert replied, shaking the spiky brown hair out of his eyes. “And, thank you very much, I’d be delighted to come in. And I know what ‘crisis’ means. I’m a detective, remember?” He moved past her with a smirk. “Geesh, I had to pack a few things, okay? After the whole Rot Guard ordeal in Fairy Land I knew I’d better come prepared.”
Robert wore jeans and boots like Eva’s (not pink, of course. He considered himself a rugged outdoorsman). The backpack slung over one shoulder of his warm green jacket was so stuffed with emergency provisions that the zipper strained to contain it all.
“Eva?” Mrs. O’Hare questioned, “I thought you were in a hurry.”
“You’re a junior detective,” Eva whispered to him. “And we are in a hurry. Wait until you hear what the note says!” Then she turned from him and replied, “We are ready, mom!” and pushed him towards the couch.
When both children were facing the room, they were at once splashed with hundreds of tiny rainbows.
“Whoahhh,” Robert said, looking around in awe. He held out his arm to watch the colors travel and dance. “Cool…” He dropped his backpack on the floor just so he could watch the colors play across his hands.
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Mrs. O’Hare smiled at him and sat on the couch. “So, children, first things first. Have a seat. As you know, a good detective always lays out the facts before anything else.” She leaned forward and gestured for them to have some of the fresh fruit and milk she’d set out. Robert flopped down on a chair and grabbed for an apple slice while Eva began reviewing what had happened so far.
“Okay. One: Robert, Lauren and I went to Fairy Land after Halloween to find the candy that was stolen from all the neighborhood kids.” Eva paused to reach into her back pocket and retrieve her detective notebook. She flipped through a few pages. “Two: A ghost named Stubby helped us discover it was our neighborhood Tooth Fairy, Diva, who took it. She was planning to use our candy to pay her ghost employees for remodeling her home! Can you believe that?”
“Yeah!” Robert interrupted, “And three: You can make wishes with baby teeth, and magic is how planes fly and magic makes cell phones work. And four: Teachers never tell you this kind of stuff! There’s a real problem with our educational system. I’m thinking about not going anymore!” He crunched his apple angrily, sitting back and crossing his arms with a nod.
“Robert!” Eva said turning to him, “That’s not three and four! I’m reviewing the facts!”
“Dear,” her mother said, “you’ve told me all about the key players in the heist, but the Halloween candy was returned to its rightful owners by some friends of mine so I think we can consider that case closed. Why don’t you skip ahead?”
(Eva was momentarily distracted, remembering her surprise when the three of them had raced down to her basement the morning after their adventure in Fairy Land expecting to see piles of candy that the Tooth Fairy had stolen from the neighborhood. Instead, there were only piles of sparkling glitter and the lone bags of their own Halloween candy. Mrs. O’Hare had simply shrugged after they’d quizzed her about what had happened. How had the candy been returned? Instead of answers she’d handed them all brooms and had them cleaning sparkles from the basement for so long they stopped caring about what had happened – they just wished whoever did it had been a bit tidier about the ‘helpful hand’.)
Eva pursed her lips and gave Robert a stern ‘I’m the detective in charge’ look (causing Robert to give her the ‘whatever’ cross-eyed, tongue-sticking-out-to-the-side look). Flipping a few more pages in her notebook she began again. “The Tooth Fairy was planning to hold us in her gigantic tooth castle’s Decaying Dungeon until she had all of our baby teeth. I think she’s mad because Lauren tricked her. I guess she felt like we were breaking some kind of deal or something. But that isn’t fair since the candy wasn’t even hers in the first place!”
“No, dear – Diva doesn’t play fair… And she does seem fixated on the three of you and your baby teeth specifically…” Mrs. O’Hare mused. “Why don’t you read Robert the note you found under your pillow this morning.”
Eva leaped off the couch, carefully unfolded the now very wrinkled note, and began to read, "Dear Tricksters, I've kidnapped your friend, her baby teeth are now mine! Want to offer your teeth, perhaps as a fine? After all, you broke our contract (your lies were over the top!) So, meet me in The Land of Luck, and we can make the swap. You know who!"
“This is beyond terrible! You know she isn’t really going to give up Lauren or her baby teeth. She only wants us to come to her so she can have ours too!”
“My sweet girl, don’t worry. With great detective skills, and a little Luck, there is always a way.”
Robert stopped trying to catch rainbow prisms and put his apple down. “A way? What kind of way?”
“What you don’t realize is that there are other forms of magic,” Mrs. O’Hare confided, leaning in closer. “Baby teeth aren’t the only way to make wishes. I believe what you need is a Golden Coin from a Pot of Gold. Golden Coins have a bit ‘O’ magic that will work in our world.”
2. Do You Believe?
Robert jumped to his feet, “Are you kidding me? This is amazing!” He pumped his fists in the air. “We’re gonna be kajillionaires after all! I can’t wait to tell my parents!” He sung a little off-key tune and jigged a dance that involved spinning and flailing his hands and feet.
“Mr. Adams,” Eva’s mom interrupted his circles, “am I to understand that you would use a Golden Coin to make yourself rich rather than save your friend?” She looked at her lap and began to carefully smooth her wool slacks, picking off invisible specks of lint deliberately.
Eva grinned as Robert stopped in mid-spin with one hand in the air and a foot frozen in a kick. She’d heard that tone before and you just couldn’t argue with it.
He dropped his arms and legs in a slouch. “Nooo… Ahhh… Gosh, I just got a little… I just thought ‘hey, what about asking for…’”
“And no, Mr. Adams, before you ask, you may not use the wish to have a million more wishes,” she continued. “That’s what makes each Coin so special. Only one wish per Coin.”
Robert flopped back down on his chair. “Of course, I want Lauren back.”
“Mom, when are you going to tell me about how you know all this stuff?”
“Soon dear, but not today,” she smiled. “Today, you have a friend to rescue.” Here she paused, “I try to leave the magical issues to your father these days, but you know I’m happy to give some advice from time to time. And now my advice to you is that you collect a Golden Coin from The Land of Luck. You can use it to save Lauren by wishing all of you away from Diva and safely back home.”
“Sweeet!” Robert whispered. “I knew we’d be going on another adventure!”
“The Land of Luck? What Land of Luck?” Eva’s eyes widened as her mother walked toward the hallway. “Mom, where do we find the Coin? Where are we going?”
“I’ve put a crystal in your backpack, dear,” Mrs. O’Hare said simply, walking out of the room.
“Wait! Where are you going? Aren’t you at least going to tell us how we get there?” Eva jumped up from her chair and clasped her hands together pleadingly.
“You’ve done this on your own before,” Mrs. O’Hare said, leaning briefly back into the room. “But the real question you want to ask yourselves is ‘Do I believe in the Blarney?’” Then she was gone again. The children could hear her humming to herself as she walked down the hall toward the kitchen.
“Your mom is so cool!” Robert whispered.
“She’s probably getting something from the kitchen to help us. She’ll be right back.” Eva cleared her throat and put her hands behind her back in the manner all great detectives did in order to pace. “What do you suppose she means by ‘Do you believe in the Blarney?’” she asked, using her best detective interrogation voice.
“Well that is a very good question, madam,” Robert said imitating Eva’s pacing. “Let us ask ourselves what is Blarney? And what is it about this Blarney we must believe in?” He stroked his chin thoughtfully and pretended to chomp on a pipe the way he’d seen Sherlock Holmes do in all the movies.
Eva wasn’t sure, but she suspected Robert was making fun of her detective skills.
“Do you believe?” Robert continued, placing one arm behind his back and pacing away from her. “Because I think, or, as one might say, I believe in the Blarney!” On this last statement he stomped his foot directly down onto one of the mini rainbows shining on the living room floor.
Immediately a burst of Golden glitter exploded into the room in a cyclone and whirled around Robert.
It was anchored to the rainbow he had just stomped upon while the top of it spun around the room throwing small objects in its path. Eva felt the wind from the twister pulling at her hair and clothes. Her mouth opened in an ‘O’ of amazement as Robert was lifted into the air in the middle of the spinning storm. His howls of surprise and fear faded in and out like a siren as he spun, until both he and the tornado were sucked down into the small rainbow on the floor. They were gone with a ‘pop,’ and not even a single Golden sparkle remained as proof of what had just happened.
&n
bsp; Eva didn’t even realize she’d been moving away until her back bumped against the wall, startling her. She took a deep breath and looked around the wind-tossed room. “Well… By deductive reasoning I’d say Robert has found the way to The Land of Luck...”
She gathered her courage and looked around once more before deciding that perhaps she’d try touching a rainbow on the wall when she said the magic words. Maybe she’d stand a better chance of walking into the magical Land instead of falling into it the way they did with the Halloween vine in their last adventure.
“Mom! I’m going!” She picked up their backpacks and coats. “Umph! Geesh, Robert! What did you put in your pack?” she huffed, carrying their supplies to the rainbow she’d chosen.
“Do your best, dear. And be back before dark!” Her mother’s voice was faint from the direction of the kitchen.
“Aw, drat!” Eva whispered, standing up as straight as she could with all the equipment she was carrying. She tapped the rainbow shining on the wall and said, “I believe in the Blarney!”
But it was impossible to avoid stepping on the hundreds of other rainbows reflected all over the floor. So it only stood to reason that she’d been standing on one… And it was immediately clear Golden cyclones preferred ground transport, because it rose up from the floor, anchored to the rainbow her foot was touching.
Eva squealed and tried to keep her balance but the whirlwind easily lifted her up and spun her until she thought she was going to be sick. Blasts of Golden Dust stuck to her body as she twirled, and she held onto their backpacks as tightly as she could while the wind pulled at her.
“This must be what it’s like to be caught in a real tornado!” Eva thought, starting to panic. “I… I can’t… hold on to the backpacks much longer!” She cried out.
As soon as she uttered the words, the wind began to slow, and when it came to a stop, Eva found herself floating in the still air. She slowly opened her eyes to find the hush of violet, the shock of yellow, the cool of green. All of the rainbow’s colors washed over her in complete peace.
