The Leprechaun and the Wayward Child

Dark grey clouds blew in overhead as Caleb’s sneakers pounded the dirt, nearly tripping on the undergrowth of the forest floor. Catching himself against a tree —the bark rough under his fingertips— he took a deep breath.

“If I ever get home, grandpa is going to kill me.”

In the distance, thunder rumbled and he glanced up at the dark sky. Droplets of rain landed on his forehead and he wiped it off with the back of his hand. The wind was picking up, swaying the trees back and forth, and he knew that if he didn’t want to get soaked to the bone, then he’d better find shelter soon. Pushing himself forward, he kept running. Through the dim light, a stone building came into view, abandoned and overgrown with ivy. Caleb spurred his short legs faster, just as the rain began to pick up, and yanked on the old barn’s door. It resisted, rattling against the chains that locked it. Groaning, Caleb backed up and looked around. The wooden roof had long since collapsed on one side and behind a large bush, stones from the wall were missing.

Lightning flashed and briefly lit the area in a blue light. A minute later, thunder boomed loud enough that Caleb covered his ears as rain pelted his head and shoulders. Pushing the bush’s branches aside, he climbed through the gap in the wall and landed on a pile of dry, dead leaves that crunched under his weight.

Inside, the barn wasn’t very big. Two stalls, probably for a couple of horses, crumbled away in the corner by the door while the rest of the space was open. It must’ve fell out of use decades ago when his grandfather downsized the farm. He still owned the land that surrounded his little cottage, including the woods Caleb was exploring, but he was too old to maintain the animals on his own. It was why his mom dragged Caleb all the way to Ireland. She wanted to convince his grandfather to sell the farm and move in with them back in Canada.

Retreating to a corner where the roof was still intact, he hugged himself to keep warm and stared up at the ceiling. A steady stream of water poured down the rotten wood and splashed against the dirt floor.

‘Careful of the woods Caleb. The wee people like to play tricks on travelers, especially durin’ the rain. Stay inside where it’s warm and safe.’

His stomach twisted. If only he had listened to grandpa’s warnings. Then he wouldn’t have gotten lost and stuck out in the rain. But, not believing his grandfather’s stories about faeries living in the woods, he went anyway.

Caleb shivered against the stone wall. “Please stop. I’m going to be in so much trouble if I’m not home soon.”

“And why is that, lad?”

Caleb nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice and his eyes darted around the empty barn. He couldn’t see anything besides the dead leaves and rotten boards laying in heaps on the ground.

“Did ye not hear me, lad?”

Fear gripped Caleb’s throat, clenching it tight. “Wh-who are you? I can’t see you.”

“Oh, I forgot. Pardon me.”

In the middle of the room, a man three feet tall, materialized out of thin air. He had a short red beard on a chubby face, black buckled shoes, and a green suit with a matching hat. Caleb screamed and flattened himself against the wall.

“No need for that. I’m not here to harm ye.”

“Y-you’re a… y-you’re a…”

“Go on, ye can say it,” the little man encouraged with a smile.

Caleb swallowed the lump in his throat. “A leprechaun.”

“Bingo. The name’s Darby and it’s a pleasure to met ye.” The little man held his hand out to Caleb, but the boy could only stare at it. “Come now, surely yer grandpappy’s told ye about me?”

Caleb shook his head.

Darby frowned and scratched the red hair under his cap. “Ye are an O’Bryan, aren’t ye?”

Caleb nodded. “B-but I don’t live here. I’ve only just met my grandpa this summer.”

“How old are ye? Ten? What kind of grandpappy waits that long to meet his grandchild?”

“We live far away. He couldn’t leave his farm and my mom didn’t have the money to come here until now.”

Darby’s lips puckered in disapproval. “I suppose that explains it... So, what’s this I hear about yer being in big trouble?”

Caleb narrowed his eyes at the little man. “I’m not sure I should tell you. My grandpa said faeries like to play tricks.”

The leprechaun’s lips curled into a grin. “Depends on our mood. But, luckily for ye, you’ve caught me on a good day. So, what be the problem?”

Caleb sighed and toed the dirt. “My grandpa told me not to leave the farm, but I did anyway. Now I’m lost and no one knows where I went.”

“Hmm, a bit of a troublemaker are ye?” Darby rubbed his chin. “Why don’t I make ye a deal? Me pot of gold washed away in a storm a couple of days back and I was in the middle of looking for it when it began to pour. If ye help me find it, I’ll get ye home.”

“You will?”

“Aye, I will. So, what do ye say?”

Caleb eyed Darby’s outstretched hand and tentatively shook it. “Okay.”

When the storm cleared, they crawled back through the hole in the wall and Caleb followed Darby down to the stream. Birds were singing again, now that the rain was over, and little critters ran around the ground as they walked by.

“So, where was your gold before it washed away?” Caleb asked.

“I hid it in an alcove beside a tiny waterfall, but the stream overflowed during the storm and washed it away. It was in a wooden box with a golden latch that only I could open.”

“It shouldn’t be far from the bank, then. Did you follow the stream?”

“Aye, but a leprechaun’s gold is highly valuable. I think those blasted pixies have taken it.” Darby spat on the ground.

“Pixies?” Caleb stumbled, but caught himself. “Are you sure they took it?”

“Oh, aye. They’ll take anything shiny, they will.”

“Do you know where they live? Maybe you can go and ask them to give it back?”

Darby halted and stared at Caleb. “Ask a pixie for me gold back?! A leprechaun doesn’t beg for what is theirs, lad. That’s why I need ye. Ye can distract them while I sneak in and take me gold back.”

“Distract them how?”

“Just walk in. They love to play with children who have lost their way. But I’m warning ye, don’t eat anything.”

Caleb frowned as Darby began walking past the stream. He didn’t like the idea of going further into the forest, unsure how far he was from home, but he didn’t want to lose the leprechaun either. Forcing his legs to move, he caught up and they walked until they came to a narrow gap in the hill. The passage walls were jagged with tree roots hanging down the edge, as if the hill had split in two. Through the gap, Caleb could see a meadow. The sun poured down upon the clearing, full of purple and yellow wildflowers, and tiny blue creatures with iridescent butterfly wings flitted over the vibrant petals in a dance. Music, the sweetest he’d ever heard, calmed his fears and pulled him forward.

Caleb glanced back at Darby, but the little leprechaun was gone. He didn’t mind, though, as the music drew him closer to the pixies. Once the little creatures noticed his presence, they swirled and giggled around him, pulling at his clothes and hair. They nudged him over to a table where sweets, cheeses and fruit filled it to the edges. In the middle sat a giant chocolate cake that made Caleb’s mouth water. He hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and chocolate cake was his favourite.

Just as he reached out for a pre-cut slice, he remembered Darby’s warning not to eat anything. But he didn’t know why. What was wrong with having some cake? Wouldn’t it be rude to the pixies if he refused it? Satisfied that it wouldn’t hurt to have one piece, Caleb grabbed the cake and took a bite. It was so delicious that it practically melted in his mouth. He quickly finished the piece off and grabbed another. And then another. Around him, the pixies giggled excitedly and went back to dancing along the flowers. Something tugged on the bottom of his t-shirt, drawing him away from the delicious cake.

“What are ye doing, lad?! I said, not to eat the food,” Darby’s disembodied voice said.

Caleb swallowed the last bite and licked his fingers clean. “I know, but it tastes so good!”

Sighing heavily, the leprechaun let Caleb’s shirt go. “I’ve got what we came here for. I’ll be on me way.”

Caleb frowned. “But didn’t you say you’d take me home?”

“I did, but ye didn’t really help me find it, did ye? I already knew where it was; ye were just bait. I would have still helped ye get home if ye had listened when I said not to eat the food of the Fae. But now there’s nothing I can do for ye.”

Heat crept up the back of Caleb’s neck. “You didn’t tell me that eating the food would stop me from going home!”

“Life won’t always give ye the answers, lad. Yer grandpappy warned ye for good reason and so did I, but it was yer choice to not heed us. If ye had, ye’d be home, enjoying chocolate cake yer own mother had made, listening to a story yer grandpappy was telling ye, instead of spending the rest of yer days dancing and playing with pixies. Good-bye, lad.”

“Darby, wait!” Caleb called out, frantically searching the crowd for the invisible leprechaun.

The passage way in the hill slowly began to close and Caleb ran toward it, but an invisible barrier prevented him from going any farther. Slamming his fists into the hardened air, he watched the hill reattach itself and become whole again. Tears filled the corner of his eyes and spilled over as he stood there, staring at it. But as the music once again filled his ears, his tears dried, leaving sticky tracks along his cheeks, and the pixies pulled him back to the table of food.

The End.