by Brenda Elser
“Yes! I think we can jump the last distance.”
“I sure hope so,” Lauren said, “because this is my last piece of candy…”
Eva looked at her hands. One piece remained.
“Me too,” Robert said.
“I’ve got two left,” Reese said.
The crowd grew silent. They all knew that this story would be repeated for generations, until it became something of a legend. The self-assured, rogue Leprechaun girl, daughter of the land’s best-known trickster, forming an unheard of alliance with two – wait, now three – human children… Well, it had never been done. Was this Leprechaun girl right? Would they all have to change the Leprechaun way and work together?
Reese drew in a big breath. “Okay, this is it,” she said. The children nodded. “One… two… three!” Each of them tossed the last of their candy toward the growling color balls and waited.
“We’re clear!” Eva shouted, watching the balls amble toward the treats.
“Run!” Reese called.
17. Finish Line
The circle disbanded and each of them raced toward the grassy clearing, jumping the last color ball in their path just as it sensed them. They landed and rolled, scrambling away from the invisible line that the dangerous balls could not cross. The wobbly color balls had greedily eaten the candy and were growing so quickly that the path they had cleared to the open field was now gone.
“That could have been us!” Robert said, sharing out loud what they were all thinking. Color balls wobbled and grew and the children looked back from their safe distance to watch as the candy they’d tossed shrunk and twisted inside the glossy transparent balls.
“But it wasn’t,” Eva grinned looking toward the rainbow arch of balloons and the banner that read FINISH LINE!
The crowd just beyond the finish line broke into a roar of applause when Reese got to her feet. She grinned at the crowd waiting to pat her on the back.
“We started together so we should finish together,” Reese said to her friends, holding out her hands to help them up.
The children stood and, grabbing hands, they raced forward laughing with sheer relief. Crossing the finish line together, they were surrounded by the crowd of well-wishers. A Lucky Day Newspaper photographer shouted to get their attention and bulbs flashed all around. Everyone talked at once, asking them questions about how they managed to finish the race.
“Did you know that only one other contestant has made it across the finish line so far?” a red-headed Leprechaun girl asked, hugging a blushing Robert.
“But no one’s ever done it as a team!” Reese’s father yelled over the noise, stepping out of the crowd and hugging his daughter.
The crowd pulled Reese away from her father’s embrace, and she and her human friends were hoisted up; carried on the shoulders of the masses toward the large stage that had hastily been erected after the first contestant crossed the finish line. A band played, and many of the Leprechauns had begun to dance with excitement, linking arms and jigging in a way that made Eva laugh, for she and Lauren had danced that same way when they arrived home safely from their last adventure, with a basement full of Halloween candy!
When they were at last lifted to stand on the stage, they turned to face the other contestant who had made it across. It was a middle-aged Leprechaun who looked very tired and beat up. He was burned and bruised, and he had the same green spots on his face they had seen on O’Sweeny. There was a kindly older Leprechaun gentleman kneeling by his side, quietly telling him he had reached the finish line and that everything was going to be alright.
“That’s the mayor!” Reese whispered, beaming at the others and pointing to an older smiling Leprechaun in the formal clothes. He stood and smiled at them as he made his way toward a microphone on the stage.
“Ahem,” the mayor said into the microphone. He motioned for the band to stop playing and the crowd fell silent again. “My fellow Leprechauns,” he began.
“’T’were a thousand years passed since any contestant crossed the finish line,” he waved behind himself, “with any spot o’ Luck at all, and this year we’ve two! This brave gent, Nicholas, and this bonnie lass, Reese!” The audience cheered, drowning out his speech, until he raised his hands to quiet them again. “To finish the Tournament intact itself is an amazing feat o’ bravery and a creative use o’ wits. But ‘tis perhaps the only year on record that we’ve seen contestants use collaboration.” The crowd broke into loud applause as the mayor turned back and smiled at Reese and the children before speaking again. “As ye know, only a Leprechaun can become Leader o’ the Land, so, I’m sorry children but I must disqualify ye.” The crowd hushed after this last announcement, and by the expressions on some of her people’s faces, Reese could see they felt differently now. After all, they had just witnessed a kind of bravery that only teamwork could produce. “Ahem,” the mayor cleared his throat and continued. “Now, Reese and Nicholas, if ye would both kindly step onto the Luck-O-Meter, we’ll measure the Luck ye have left. The contestant with the most Luck will be the winner and join the Council o’ Seven as Leader o’ the Land!”
Nicholas hobbled forward and the mayor helped him step onto the meter. The scale’s bell chimed and the arrow slowly drifted to 25% Luck. Everyone applauded as the mayor gently helped the contestant back down, where he once again stood facing the crowd with a dazed smile.
Reese slowly stepped onto the scale next. No sooner had her weight registered than the arrow bounced to 95%. Lights flashed, and alarms and whistles sounded until Reese, blushing bright red, looked around as if she wanted to run away.
18. Shave A Hen
The crowd stood in stunned silence. 95%? How was it possible?
The Mayor helped Reese down and spoke into the microphone. “Now, I’ve nary an idea how she’s done it,” he said, glancing at the gigantic Luck-O-Meter on the stage, “but this fine girl has, in fact, come through with more Luck than when she started!!” The frighteningly loud contraption kept clanging “95% 95% 95%” until the Mayor pointed at someone to turn that thing off, already!
Reese dropped her eyes as the crowd broke into wild applause. She tugged at the Mayor’s coat sleeves, trying to get his attention, but he continued flipping through his notes with a pleased smile, unaware.
Finally, she could bear it no longer. As the children were hugging and the Mayor was waving to his townspeople, Reese stepped to the podium in front of him and took the microphone from its stand. “Um, pardon me?” The crowd went on cheering, knowing the speech which would ensue could wait a few minutes while they reveled, jigging and slapping each other on the back.
“Pardon me!” she shouted.
The mayor looked at her, startled. Even the children stopped hugging. Everything went silent as Reese looked across the crowd and gulped. “That’s my girl!” Reese’s dad shouted in the silence from somewhere near the back. She waved back at him with a pained expression.
“I, uh…” she faltered. “Well, I got some extra Luck along the way…”
“What d’ ye mean, lassie? Are ye sayin the Luck-O-Meter is wrong?” the Mayor said, unsuccessfully covering the microphone with his thin hand.
“Yes! I mean no! I mean… I just want to be honest... I took some Luck from an evil ex-tooth fairy. That’s why we’ve had the shortage. She had a pool of stolen Luck at her tooth house in the woods!”
“An evil ex-tooth fairy has been taking the Luck?” the Mayor quizzed.
“And she used fans to steal it!” Robert jumped up and down. “And her guards were ear wax!”
Eva kicked at him and the Mayor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes.
“Yes, but we - my friends and I - stopped her and released the Luck.” Reese turned to address the crowd, “Most importantly we did all of this together. Together we were able to free their kidnapped friend!” Reese turned and pointed at Lauren who gave a little, shy wave to the crowd. “And return our lost luck!”
“Oy! What did she
say?” shouted an ancient Leprechaun grandmother with a Lily Fern Fumble in her ear.
“She says they saved their friend from an ex-Tooth Fairy!” someone replied.
“They shaved a hen on the next boot dairy? Why would they shave a hen?”
“No!” another Leprechaun shouted. “They found their human friend – the one they came here for! Now shhh!”
“Well, well… T’was quite an accomplishment, young lassie,” the Mayor said after a moment’s thought.
“Yes it was. But I don’t deserve to win this year. I took some Luck; I didn’t earn it.” Then she dropped her voice again and continued, “And I… I didn’t go through the whole course…”
“Now what’s she sayin?” the grandmother shouted again.
“She didn’t finish the whole course!”
“She didn’t spinach the whole horse? Was that an obstacle this year? That’s terrible!”
“She couldn’t have 95% Luck!” someone shouted. “She cheated!”
The crowd erupted into chaos. Stealing Luck was a heavy confession. (Of course, it happened all the time, but to admit it – well, that was just unheard of.) But cheating on the Leadership Contest was worthy of exile!
“I want everyone here to learn from this!” Reese could hardly be heard over the noise. “My friends saved another human child and did a great deed for us all by joining forces! I want us all to become a society that works together and shares our Luck!”
Eva went to her friend and put her hand in Reese’s. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed and squeezed her hand.
Reese looked pale when the Mayor motioned over two stiff-looking Leprechauns wearing dour suits and scowls. They turned away from the children and conferred over books and forms. The High Council spoke earnestly, poring over the manuals, pointing out texts, then shaking their heads or tapping their chins. At last, when the crowd was at its breaking point, someone yelled over the din, “Well, get on with it, will ye?”
The Mayor turned to the children and stepped directly in front of Reese. “My dear,” he said gently, “I don’t even think ye know how Lucky ye are.”
Reese looked confused, but nodded anyway.
“The Council has made its decision.”
19. Now I’ve Seen It All
The Mayor stood up tall and returned to the microphone. He raised his thumb at the sound booth and suddenly his voice boomed through the crowd. “My fellow Leprechauns,” he began, “the Council has decided that our young lass, Reese, has earned the title ‘Leader o’ the Land.’”
The crowd simultaneously shouted, cheered, booed, danced and stomped on their hats. It was utter confusion. “It’s the humans’ fault!” some shouted.
“She did it for a noble cause!” shouted others.
“We’ll have to change our ways now! This just won’t do!”
“I can’t hear a thing!” grandma laughed and danced a jig on her Lily Fern Fumble.
The Mayor spoke into the microphone again, “Please, please everyone listen. The lass might not’ve completed each and every obstacle, but from the sounds o’ it she went through some t’were not on the course.” He held up a rulebook and said, “There is nowhere in this text where it says a contestant must complete each. Only that one must cross the finish line with the most Luck. She endured some great danger and she solved our Luck scarcity while saving a friend. These are the qualities o’ consideration, courage and honor this contest strives t’ identify in its contestants. We applaud her for all o’ these qualities and for her honesty. The counsel feels Reese can teach our society a lot about working together.” He turned to Reese and gestured for her to join him at the podium. “Congratulations, lass! Ye are our next leader o’ the Land o’ Luck!”
Everyone was silent.
“Why is everyone so quiet?” Eva whispered to Reese. Reese looked like she was going to cry, but she walked toward the podium anyway and stood there with the biggest smile she could muster.
A smattering of polite applause broke the uncomfortable silence until the grandmother called out loudly, “What now? Did he say she was the next fender on a band o’ trucks?” and everyone laughed.
The applause grew louder as the mayor patted Reese’s shoulder and raised her hand in victory. The mayor leaned down and whispered into Reese’s ear, “I think ye should make yer Golden Coin before our celebrations go any farther. What do ye say?”
She nodded and the mayor gestured for the crowd to be quiet. “Well then, please stand here.”
Reese looked uncertainly at her new friends, who nodded at her and smiled.
Robert nudged her forward until she stood at the Mayor’s side.
“Now, ye do understand that this victory is yers, aye? The humans aren’t allowed to rule here, though they can be honorary Council members. And while ‘tis a rarity, it has been allowed before. Ye’ve heard rumors from a Tournament many years past, I’m sure.” Reese nodded.
“Have ye seen a Golden Coin made before?”
Reese nodded again and looked at the ground.
“Well, then ye know it takes all o’ us t’ make the wish,” he said smiling at her bowed head. “When I count three we’ll collect the Wishing Breath and on ‘three’ ye stomp yer boot. Ye with me?”
Reese finally looked up at him and nodded, hardly able to breathe.
“Good. Is everyone ready?” he asked the crowd. Even the reluctant well-wishers seemed to sense the importance of Reese’s victory and they shouted their approval.
“One…” The multitude of Leprechauns grew silent, drawing in their breath and facing Reese.
“Two…” The crowd raised their palms ready to blow.
“Three!” he yelled. Reese stood with her foot raised, watching, as if in slow motion, all the townspeople release their breath across their palms.
Released from bakers and builders and librarians; aunts and uncles and grandparents; tricksters and preachers and gardeners. Their breath seemed to pick up speed as it swirled into a fast wind, pulling the Luck from each one before curling toward Reese and spinning around her until all of the Luck that had covered her from head to toe drained from her and puddled at her feet onto the stage.
It all happened so quickly that by the time the Mayor’s voice quieted its echo across the courtyard, Reese’s boot met the Golden puddle. When she raised her foot again there lay a beautiful new Golden Coin.
“Ahhh! Fine job my dear,” cried the Mayor. Reese stood before the crowd, stripped of all her Golden Luck Dust, clad only in the green tunic and leggings she started the year with. Her hat, somewhat askew after the long day, was now its normal hunter green wool, and her boots, slightly more scuffed, had returned to their original deep brown. “This is yer symbol o’ office,” the Mayor smiled. “Ye’ve now joined the ranks o’ leaders o’ The Land o’ Luck.” The crowd broke into cheers again at this last announcement.
“Wait…” Reese said, leaning down and picking up the Coin. “Wait, I don’t want the Golden Coin.”
No one in the crowd heard her over the shouting and applause, but the mayor stood next to her frozen in place, staring at her with confusion.
Reese reached out and took the microphone from his static hand and spoke to the crowd. “I don’t want the Coin,” she said and turned to face Eva, Robert and Lauren. The poor crowd became mute again.
“Oy! I’ve crushed my hearing aid! What did she say?” shouted the ancient Leprechaun grandmother.
“First she says she stole some Luck, now she doesn’t want the Golden Coin,” grumped another ancient Leprechaun. “Now I’ve seen it all.”
“I’m bored…” a small Leap whined. His mother shushed him and continued watching the drama unfold in front of them.
“I want to give my Golden Coin to my friends,” Reese said to the crowd. “They’ve been selfless and heroic and they need the Coin to get back home.”
The Leprechauns began to mumble amongst themselves. Was this allowed? Maybe she should give the Coin to the other contestant if she doesn�
��t want it. The Mayor rolled his eyes and waved the councilmen over for yet another conference.
“You don’t have to,” Eva said, stepping forward and taking Reese’s hand.
“I know. I’m choosing to,” Reese said pressing the Coin into Eva’s hand as the crowd looked on, straining to hear.
“Wait!” Eva stopped short, lowering her voice. “My mom put a crystal in my backpack.” The children stared at her. “We used a crystal to get here. Can’t we use the crystal to make a rainbow and get back home?”
“Indeed,” the Mayor laughed with relief. “We are Leprechauns, ye know. We’ve been known t’ make a rainbow or two.” He reached out and took the Coin from Eva’s hand and put it back in Reese’s palm.
The Mayor turned to Eva. “And now, my dear, perhaps it time you went home. May I have the crystal?”
The band, which had been waiting awkwardly for the sign, watched as the Mayor shook Reese’s hand, and waited for Eva. They struck up a loud tune as the crowd cheered and began to dance. Even the ancient grandmother raised her skirts for a good jig.
“Reese, I guess we’re going home now,” Eva shouted over the celebration. “Thank you so much for everything.” They hugged tightly.
“I’ll miss you, Eva,” Reese sniffled. “We could have been sisters… Aside from your weird ears, of course…” Eva giggled and wiped a tear rolling down her cheek, and while she did so, Reese secretly slipped the Wising Coin into Eva’s pocket.
Lauren stepped forward to hug Reese and said, “Thanks again for helping save me.” Reese hugged her back and nodded, tears beginning to well in her emerald green eyes.
She turned to Robert who grinned and gave her a soft shoulder punch. “My middle name is actually Hugo…” he said.
She grabbed him and pulled him in for a hug. “I knew that. But you’re still a hero. You’re my hero.” When she stepped away he was blushing.
Eva reached into her backpack and pulled out the crystal. She handed it to the Mayor who looped its silver ribbon around his fingers and carried it over to the Council. Then he held it up to the sunlight and each of the council members blew a little bit of Luck Dust on it. The crowd cheered louder when, instead of dozens of tiny rainbows flashing from the crystal, a single enormous rainbow arched down from the sky and touched the stage.
