The Case of the Leprechaun's Luck (Magical Mystery Series)

by Brenda Elser

  “Oh, my…” Lauren whispered for them all.

  “We still need a Golden Coin if we’re going to get home,” Eva worried aloud.

  “He said he was almost there!” Robert said. “Do you think he was… uh…”

  “Crazy? Probably. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t telling the truth. Maybe the map can tell us more now.” Reese reached to pull the magical map from her satchel.

  “Is that your plan?” Lauren asked. “A Coin will take us home?”

  “Yes,” Reese answered. “But they’re not Coins like money. They’re special and they’re only given to Tournament winners. We’re all registered in the Tournament to win a Coin,” she gestured to Robert and Eva, “and we were going to use one to rescue you and get you all back home. But here you are!”

  Lauren smiled and reached for Reese’s hand, “Thank you for helping Eva and Robert rescue me. You don’t even know me but you’ve sacrificed so much to save me. I hope we can be friends.”

  “We already are,” Reese smiled back, squeezing Lauren’s hand.

  “Gah, again with the sappy, girly stuff…” Robert moaned. “When you two are finished sharing love poems, can we get moving?”

  Lauren stuck out her tongue at Robert’s back and Reese and Eva giggled as they started down the hill toward the thicket of dense trees.

  “You sure live in a beautiful land, Reese,” Lauren said, gazing at the landscape around them. “I will give Diva some credit – she picked a great spot to live.”

  “She’ll live anywhere she can steal something,” Robert grumbled.

  “Probably,” Eva agreed. “Wherever there’s magic, I’m sure Diva will be somewhere nearby to get her hands on it…”

  Reese frowned. “Let’s just say that if she decides to try coming back here, I can arrange for her to meet up with a very hungry Troll.”

  “Whoah…” Eva said, suddenly pointing. “Look at that colorful field way over there. It sure is pretty!”

  Reese squinted toward where Eva had pointed. “I think that’s the last obstacle in the Tournament! Look!” She had been studying the now-complete map and she stopped to point at it for the children to see. “We can see the full course now. That means at least one contestant’s finished the entire thing. It looks like if we’d followed the trail markers we’d have had to complete 20 obstacles before reaching this last one. I can’t believe it!” She hopped up and down in excitement.

  “Why didn’t you just follow the map to begin with?” Lauren asked.

  “Duh. It’s a Magic map,” Robert said simply.

  Lauren blinked at him. “Of course it is…”

  “If everyone had been able to see the entire map at the beginning of the race, we would have known to simply hike over this hill to reach the final challenge.” Reese was still hopping up and down, seemingly unaware of Lauren’s confusion. “But we strayed off the path to get Lauren and crossed over that hill instead of taking the trail around it! We missed all the other obstacles! The finish line is right after the field of Color Balls!”

  “But isn’t that cheating?” Lauren asked.

  “Absolutely not!” Reese smiled shaking her head. “The rules say the winning contestant has to reach the end of the course with the most Luck. It says nothing about completing every obstacle. Let’s hope we have more Luck than the other contestant.” She hugged herself with sheer glee.

  “That’s the spirit!” Robert hooted, jumping up and down with her. Then he stopped. “Hey, what are color balls?”

  “The pretty field of color,” Lauren sighed. “It looks like hundreds of flowers in a meadow.”

  “Yes, well those are not flowers, and trying to get through that field will not be ‘pretty,’” Reese said, scrunching her nose.

  “I don’t understand,” Robert said. “It just looks like part of the celebration for reaching the finish line.”

  “I’m sure that’s what all new contestants think – if they make it that far. But if you’ve been around awhile, you know those tiny balls expand if you touch them. They stick to you as they grow, and if you can’t get them off, the ball can grow big enough to suck a Leprechaun in and eat any remaining Luck right off them.” Reese shuddered at this last part.

  “Off their skin?” Lauren looked horrified.

  “Yep,” Reese nodded. “Not a particularly enjoyable process, from what I’ve heard…”

  “Oh… That’s horrible,” Lauren said taking Eva’s arm and rubbing at the Golden Luck.

  “Ouch! Lauren, stop. It doesn’t rub off – and you’re hurting me.”

  “Exactly…” Reese nodded. “We’re going to need a plan to get through there.”

  “Well, let’s brainstorm as we go,” Eva sighed. “We’ve made it this far, right?”

  The children began their march toward the final event. Along the way, Reese told them funny stories of what life was like in the Land of Luck; how O’Sweeney had fallen into a Pickle Barrel at one of the farmer’s markets and could not get the stink out of his clothes for weeks; how one year it was her mum’s duty to provide a gigantic shepherd’s pie for their annual Clover Climb, and one of the diners discovered her da’s favorite slipper nestled between the mashed potatoes and peas; and the time a traveling salesman claimed that he had an elixir for sale which would attract Golden Luck Dust, and when several people had turned orange the salesman had disappeared, and the Town’s Mayor declared a ban on the color orange.

  “Why wouldn’t he declare a ban on salesmen?” Robert laughed.

  “Because everyone would be out of a job,” Reese said. “’Everyone’s selling something,’ my da always says.”

  After about an hour of talking, climbing over rocks and fallen trees, and nearly swimming through overgrown clover, they were beginning to worry there was no way around the final obstacle. They had dismissed several ideas such as trying to create a wind to blow the balls away (too dangerous since they couldn’t be sure where they would bounce) or using a massive stick to push the balls aside and form a path (Reese said the balls were smart enough to avoid sticks and poking at them would only make them mad).

  “Hey, what about making ourselves slippery so they can’t stick to us?” Robert asked.

  “I don’t think that’ll work either,” Reese groaned. “From what I’ve read, they stick to everything.”

  At last, the children stood in a clearing near the final stretch of the Tournament looking dejected and no closer to an idea of how to get past this final obstacle when Eva said, “Duh!” and slapped her own forehead.

  “What? Duh what?” Robert asked.

  “Reese’s Dad gave us the answer!” she grinned “And you brought candy in your pack. There must be bubble gum in that stash you brought. I know I have a couple pieces in my bag somewhere. We can make our own balloons and float over the color balls high enough that they won’t be able to reach us. Just like Reese’s Dad tried to do over the acid river.”

  “That’s a great idea!” Lauren clapped her hands.

  “It is a great idea but we don’t have enough Luck to make it across the field and earn the Coin,” Reese said shaking her head. “I still have most of mine, but it isn’t enough to get all four of us across… And what about the wind shifting again?”

  Eva looked down at her Golden hands and then at her friends before turning to Reese, “You helped us rescue Lauren. We can use the Luck I have left to float us over the color balls so you can finish and become the leader of The Land of Luck. We don’t need it for ourselves, Reese. You keep your Luck – you’ve shown real leadership helping us save our friend, and you deserve to win this competition.”

  Robert and Lauren nodded and grinned at Reese.

  “But… But how will you get home?” Reese worried.

  The children gave each other a nervous look. “We’ll find another way. I’m sure of it! We always do.” Robert said patting Reese on the shoulder. “Now, let’s do this!”

  Just a short walk farther, they turned a bend in the marked path
and could now hear a band playing from beyond the arch of rainbow balloons. Thousands of balls in all sizes and colors filled a space as long as a football field but wider than the eye could see. They were now close enough to see the other contestants who had made it to the final obstacle – and they were in bad shape. One had black eyes and his clothes were torn and covered in burn marks. The other sat at the edge of the field staring into an enlarged color ball, babbling to herself incoherently. The third… Well, the third contestant was inside a color ball.

  The children looked away.

  “Gosh… It didn’t look this big when we were on the hill.” Lauren gulped and plugged her ears in case the screams from inside the ball reached them.

  “Hey, I don’t have any Luck left,” Robert said moving toward the color balls. “They won’t care about me since there’s no Luck to take, right?”

  “Robert! No!” Reese grabbed his hand before he touched a ball. “They’ll still suck you in… And pull off your skin trying to find the Luck!”

  “Well then,” he giggled uncomfortably, “Lucky break I didn’t touch one.”

  “Gah! You big doofus!” Eva huffed at him, grabbing his backpack and pulling him farther away from the balls. “Let’s just stick with the plan. So, look for some gum, okay?”

  “You betcha. Gum…” he nodded, pulling off his pack and kneeling down to rummage through his supplies.

  “Why can’t they just move around anywhere?” Lauren asked.

  “Is it like the Troll Code?” Robert said, still pulling out pieces of gum.

  Lauren looked bewildered, but Reese laughed. “Yeah, I guess it is,” she said. “In every world there are rules. The balls can’t move beyond the line because of the Tournament rules. I’m guessing magic of some kind keeps them contained. That’s all I know. My da says ‘Tis what ‘tis. I don’t know why.”

  Finally Robert put down his pack and announced, “Okay then, each of us gets six pieces – and look at this!” He held up battery-powered, handheld fan as if it was a trophy. “We can use it as a propeller to help with the wind!”

  “You brought a fan?” Eva stared.

  “Nope. Your mom must’ve put it in my pack.” He grinned at them. “Let’s get to it.”

  Everyone chewed furiously. “Mmmy piece is ready,” Lauren mumbled through her giant blob of gum.

  “Mme tooph,” Reese nodded.

  Robert’s mouth was so full he could only nod to Eva that he was ready as well.

  Eva reached into her mouth and pulled out her wad so she could talk. “Now, everyone blow the biggest bubble you can, and then hold on tight with your lips. We’ll need to hold hands so we stay together once we’re up.” The children nodded. “I’ll make a wish for each of you, so your gum will hold you.”

  Lauren took her gum out and frowned. “What about you?”

  “I’ll wish for myself last,” Eva said.

  “I don’t know… It doesn’t sound like it’ll work…”

  Now Reese pulled her gum out. “The beauty of Luck is that when it’s combined with a little ingenuity and a lot of good will,” she paused, holding up her wad of gum, “it isn’t so much Luck any more as it is… I don’t know… hard work and destiny, maybe.”

  The children grew thoughtful.

  “Alright, everyone. Reese has a Tournament to win. And I’ve got to be home by dark!” Eva gestured for her friends to put their gum back into their mouths.

  They all nodded, holding hands as they began to blow giant gum bubbles. Large pink spheres wobbled and grew in front of their faces until Robert, Lauren and Reese had bubbles bigger than their heads bobbing around in their pursed lips.

  “Just stomp your foot if you’re ready.” When they all stomped, Eva said nervously, “Okay, then…. Here goes!” She brought her wrist to her lips and blew on each clasped hand. Golden Dust swirled in a circle around her friends and landed gently on the bubble gum balloons.

  Eva watched as each became more solid before launching her last speckles of Golden dust into the air. “I wish for a bubble that’ll keep us in the air, and I wish for a wind that will carry us all there,” she whispered and frantically started blowing the biggest bubble she could before the Dust settled.

  Although her balloon wasn’t very big, it was enough. The friends clamped onto their bubble gum balloons as tightly as they could while they held each other’s hands, and slowly they began to rise into the air, up and up, over the tops of the hungry color balls.

  It was difficult not to giggle with the success of their plan as they drifted toward the arch marking the finish line. Robert bicycled his legs lazily and used the fan to adjust their course as needed while Eva practiced Morse code by squeezing Lauren’s hand as they floated.

  Suddenly Lauren squeezed Eva’s hand so hard she feared she’d lose her grip on her balloon. If she could have seen her way around the bubble, she would have shot her a stern look.

  And then she didn’t need to see to feel what Lauren meant. They were losing altitude...

  …and they weren’t going to make it.

  They were slowly descending… straight into the hungry field of color balls.

  16. Floating Down to DOOM

  The children began to struggle in midair as each realized they were not going to clear the eager color balls waiting for them below. They could almost see the edge of the field as their balloons began to deflate. Lauren’s trembling chin threatened to force the bubble from her mouth when she heard the thrumming sounds of the balls vibrating just beyond their toes. An eerie “Yummm… Yummm… Yummm...” droned beneath them.

  “Uhh!” Lauren cried, feeling Robert suddenly bob upward, her hand straining to hold on to his. Eva felt the shift as well, and when she rolled her eyes to the side, she saw that he indeed was floating a bit higher.

  And then she saw the rain of candy falling from Robert’s backpack. Oh, it was just like him to forget to zip it up! Eva fumed watching the precious candy scattering in the wind to the balls below. They would need it later for something, she was certain!

  “Uoook! Uook!” Robert pointed down.

  The girls stopped struggling and tilted their heads awkwardly to look where Robert was pointing. The greedy color balls had rolled toward the candy that had fallen from the sky, clearing a large empty spot in the field.

  Robert pulled himself closer to Reese and turned sideways so she could reach his open pack. “Phhow uh andy,” he grunted, which Reese interpreted to mean ‘Throw the candy.’

  Without having to say a word to each other, the team began to work together. Lauren held fast to Reese’s coat so she could grab Robert’s backpack with both hands. Carefully tossing the candy farther and farther out in a large circle as they descended, Reese saw the color balls roll farther and farther away from the spot where they were about to touch down, noisily battling each other for the sweet treats.

  Moments later when the group landed, they saw that they were really only momentarily safe. Even though they were mere inches away from the line that the dangerous eating blobs could not cross, they were utterly stuck. They were surrounded by color balls who would only be distracted until the candy was gone. And then what?

  Robert spit out his now deflated gum ball and carefully turned around to present his backpack to the girls. “Is there any more candy?”

  “Yes,” Reese said. “But not much.”

  “I’m sorry I teased you about bringing candy, Robert,” Eva shuddered, squeezing closer to him. “Geesh, that was great thinking.”

  “Are we going to get mushy again?” he grinned. “Because this isn’t exactly the time…”

  “Everyone take some candy from the pack,” Reese interrupted. “Let’s see if we can make a path through the rest of these balls before they get any bigger.”

  Sure enough the color balls had already begun to grow as they absorbed the candy Reese had scattered – and as they grew, the small clearing became even smaller.

  “Over there,” Eva said pointing, “I think t
hat’s the shortest distance to where these things stop.” They all huddled together and crept as one, toward the edge of the clearing. “I’m going to throw this piece and see if they go after it.”

  When three balls rolled toward the candy, snapping at each other and bumping other balls out of the way, Eva felt a little more hopeful.

  “Hey! It worked!” Lauren clapped her hands. “Let me try!” She launched a piece as far as she could throw, but instead of the nearest color balls bounding away to chase after the treat, the candy landed in a mass of balls already busily eating what had been thrown from above, while the nearest balls continued to snuffle and roll closer to the frightened group.

  “Okay, uh…” Lauren looked troubled.

  “I’ve got it!” Reese said. “Everyone get in a circle with your backs to each other.”

  The children obliged. “Now, everyone take one piece of candy. Got it? Okay, toss it – gently – juuust a few feet in front of you.” The voracious color balls slurped toward the goodies, creating some space around the children. “Now let’s move forward a few feet. Together!”

  The children crept forward in a tight group, watching each other’s backs. Above the humming in the field, they could hear a large crowd of Leprechauns gathered at the finish line; some shushing each other and some placing bets.

  “Okay, toss another piece now,” Reese spoke calmly. Next to her, Lauren was near tears and Robert looked like he had an itchy finger, desperate to toss the last of his candy and run like he had at the Troll Bridge. In spite of their terror, they did as Reese told them – carefully scattering another piece of candy and waiting for the color balls to go after it before they inched forward again as one.

  Trembling, Eva said, “Why is everyone so quiet?” Every step the group made was met with a hushed “Ohhh!” or “Watch out!” as they inched forward through the dangerous blobs.

  “Yeah,” Robert said. “They sound like people watching golf…” He tried to laugh but found it wasn’t that funny.

  “Are we almost there, Eva?” Lauren said, “I can’t see behind me. And I’m too afraid to turn around.”