Part twenty five: The book

New Home

“Kelly, wake up!” said Prince. “The lifeboat has landed.”

“There’s no one around,” said the captain. “Whoever was here has disappeared, but their fire is still burning. There’s Irish stew in the cast iron pot and green tea,” he said, helping himself.

Kelly recognized her father immediately when she saw him.

“Daddy!” she exclaimed, under her breath.

“Hello there!” her father hollered. "Is there someone here?" 

“Quiet,” ordered Prince, concerned about Kelly’s safety, as well as his own.

“But that is my dad!” Kelly whispered. 

“I see a rowboat and a raft,” said Kelly’s father looking around. “Someone kept that fire going. I have seen its smoke every time we were on the river.”

Suddenly, he spotted the couple sitting on the hearth.

“Come down!” he ordered, not recognizing Kelly at first. 

“Daddy!” exclaimed Kelly. “It is me, Kelly. You found us!”

Prince lowered the ladder and they climbed down.

Kelly saw the huge tears welling up in her father’s eyes, as he realized she was his daughter.  

“Kelly, you are safe. Thank God!” he exclaimed, hugging his daughter tightly. “I’d almost given up. Thank you for taking care of my colleen,” he said to Prince.

“Welcome to our island, sir.” replied Prince with a smile. “I am Prince. Kelly is my colleen now.”

Prince opened the door of the secret room at the bottom of the chimney and brought out the children and Ambrose, the pup.

“Two young children,” said Kelly’s father, with amazement. “And you found a pup, too?”

“This is Molly, Moe and Ambrose, Daddy.”

“Welcome to our family.”

Timothy, Tauren and Jon remained in hiding. Since all three were homeless now, they decided to make the room Prince had discovered, their new home, at least for the time being.     

Years later in a book, a troll recounted Kelly’s dad finding her sitting on the hearth with Prince. Timothy, Tauren and Jon, along with the changelings and the dog, had disappeared down an underground passageway.

A gnome recounted Kelly and Prince as discovered on the island by her father. The captain married them and they raised several children, along with a dog.

A leprechaun recounted everyone living together as a family on the island, happily ever after, with four pots of gold, one for each grandfather. He had Kelly’s four-leaf clover to prove it.

Part twenty four: The romantics

The Celebration

“Look at the lovebirds!” said Molly, delighted to see Prince and Kelly speaking softly to each other, as they held hands and dangled their feet in the water. “This is so romantic!”

“It is silly,” replied Moe. “I’ll never do that with a colleen!”

“You will, too,” replied Molly, smiling.

Timothy was making dancing slippers for Molly and Moe, even though Moe insisted he did not want to dance in front of strangers.

“It’ll be fun,” Kelly promised.

Meanwhile, Tauren and Jon were building a fire pit. Then, they unloaded the contents of the boat and raft and put everything into the room Prince had found. Tauren made Irish stew for supper, while Jon concocted something green to drink.

“This is very pretty,” said Kelly. In the evening light, they could see a fire on the far shoreline. “It’s our very first celebration.”

“And a wonderful one, it is too,” replied Prince. He was in love. Kelly was shy, but stayed close to him, even when the children were around. “We will be together, forever.”

After supper, Timothy pulled out his flute, Tauren, his fiddle and a drum for Jon. They played catchy, alluring Irish tunes. Prince and Kelly taught the children how to dance an Irish jig. Soon, Molly and Moe were the center of attention and had everyone dancing. Later, as they sat in front of the fire pit, Tauren passed around a platter of scones, while Jon took charge of the drinks. 

“This is so perfect,” thought Kelly. “And I still have three more wishes.” 

“The world can be so perfect,” thought Prince. “I was a frog, and now…”  

Suddenly, he spotted the lifeboat heading towards them.

“We’re getting company,” he said calmly. “But, we don’t know who they are.”

For their protection, Timothy, Tauren, Jon and the children, all disappeared into the room at the base of the chimney, while Prince and Kelly climbed up the ladder to the fireplace hearth and pulled the ladder up after them.

As the embers died down, they cuddled close together, watching the moon, like true romantics.

“We are safe here.”

Part twenty three: Spring break

 The Room

“Welcome to our little island,” said Prince to Tauren, Jon, Molly and Moe as he introduced them to Kelly and Timothy. “All we have here is yours.”

“Thank you for rescuing us,” said Tauren. “That was some pretty rough water out there.”

Jon nodded in agreement.

“Thank you for coming to our rescue so quickly!” Prince continued. “Everyone is safe here. We can relax and enjoy this beautiful day, while we decide what to do.”

He smiled as he watched Kelly chatting with the children who he suspected were probably orphans now.

“Are you in school?” asked Kelly. 

“It is spring break,” replied Molly. “Moe just started school this year.”  

Kelly had rescued many books before the schoolhouse had been washed away. She was glad she had been able to save them from the flood. The children would need them now.

Timothy, Tauren and Jon argued about unloading the boat. They were concerned about protecting everything, if it rained.

“We’ll work something out,” said Prince. “We’re not totally stranded here. We still have a raft with the rudder Timothy made for it and your rowboat. We can go anywhere, once the current settles down a bit.”

“What’s behind the third cast-iron door?” he wondered. It was tightly sealed, but he managed to pry it open. “Problem solved. It's a huge room.”  

“Let’s have an Irish jig around the fire, tonight,” suggested Timothy, the good-leprechaun cobbler, pulling a silver flute out of his jacket pocket. “The children will love that!”

“With old-fashioned Irish stew,” added Tauren, grinning with delight.

“We need something green to drink, too,” suggested Jon. “Let’s build a fire pit.”

That is exactly what they started to do.

Suddenly, Prince spotted the men from the ship working their way up upstream, along the distant shoreline.

The captain and Kelly’s dad had seen smoke billowing from the chimney of the old schoolhouse. They had decided to check it out, because each one of them was missing some family members.  

Prince had no idea that this was Kelly’s father. Suddenly, he felt very protective of his colleen, their children and their dog, as well as the three men with them on their island. He knew that leprechauns, gnomes and trolls do not really like men; men do not like them either.

Part twenty two: The joke

Wild Ride

“This is a bad leprechaun’s joke,” shouted Tauren. “Give me an oar!”

Suddenly, Jon awakened to the reality that the strong current was carrying the rowboat downstream.

“That is an eddy!” he replied as the row boat was caught up in swirling water. “This is no joke!”

“Hang on!” Tauren shouted, as the two men struggled to gain control of the rowboat. “Lean the other way!” he said to the children.

Timothy, Prince and Kelly who were standing on the island now formed at the base of the old schoolhouse chimney could only watch.

It turned into a wild ride for everyone on the rowboat.

Molly and Moe hung on for dear life. 

Tauren and Jon struggled with the oars and finally managed to break free of the swirling water.

“There are two children, Kelly,” said Prince, relieved to see two adults  with them, as well. “They may be changelings.”

Prince tossed the rope to Tauren, but they were still too far away and the rope drifted downstream. Prince threw it again.

This time, Tauren caught it and tied it to the rowboat.

“We’ll pull you in,” hollered Prince, beckoning the others to help. He wondered if anyone knew how close the rowboat had come to capsizing.

“Thank you,” said Tauren, relieved to have survived the current for a second time.

Jon jumped out and tied the rowboat to a rock beside the fireplace. Kelly and Prince helped the children to get out of the rowboat and hugged them gently.

Timothy, true to his good, fun-loving leprechaun nature immediately pulled a gold coin out from behind Moe’s ear and handed it to him.

“This rose is for you,” said Molly.

“Thank you,” said Kelly, smiling because it had a new bud. "That is so pretty!"

“My third wish has been fulfilled,” Kelly whispered to Prince. “I wished for children.”

“But I am too young to be a father,” thought Prince. He knew that now, seven people needed rescuing and counting the men on the lifeboat, there were more.

Timothy, Tauren and Jon gazed at each other in sheer amazement. They were almost the same size, but a leprechaun, a gnome and a troll. 

“We brought food for you,” said Tauren.

“Thank you,” replied Timothy. “We really do appreciate your help.”

“And a few other things, as well,” said Jon, handing him all of the items Tauren had given him. 

For the moment, they were stranded.

Part twenty one: The explosion

Caught in the Current

“Me, help you folks?” said Jon, the troll, to Tauren, the gnome. “You will have to give me that copper kettle, the cast iron pot and the brass lantern, if you think I am going to row out to the old school chimney. That is too risky. I am not as young as I used to be, either. My home under the bridge has been washed away and everything else, too so I will have to start all over again.”

Tauren nodded realizing Jon needed help too.

The old troll was tired and cranky, but he appeared to like Molly and Moe.

“You remind me of my own children,” he said, handing each of them a piece of salty, black licorice.

Tauren pondered for a moment and decided to give Jon a silver plate and mug, too. He knew they would find many other items in the floodwater.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion on the river.

“Oh, no?” exclaimed Tauren. “What was that?”

“The coal furnace on that ship just exploded.” said Jon. “It happens all the time.”

Kelly, Prince and Timothy had heard it too. Prince climbed up the ladder, but all he could see was thick, black smoke rising above the ship.

“That was their broiler,” he said. “And now the ship is sinking!”

Prince watched as a lifeboat carrying several men headed inland. He did not know that it was the captain and Kelly’s dad.      

Then, he spotted Tauren’s rowboat heading downstream towards them. It looked like there were four children on board.

“We are getting company,” he called to Timothy and Kelly. “Put the kettle on!”

He was immediately concerned because whoever was in charge of the rowboat had already lost control. Now it was drifting with the current. 

“We are going to have to help them,” Prince realized. He climbed back down the ladder and grabbed a rope from the raft.

“I’ll need your help, Timothy and Kelly!” he hollered. “Or they will drift out into the river.”

“We’re not big, but we’re strong and we’re rowing right along,” sang everyone, on the rowboat.

They were not yet aware of the danger they were in.

Part twenty: The rose

  

The Troll

“My front tooth is missing!” exclaimed Molly. She had slept through the night beside her little brother, in the rowboat. “The tooth fairy was here! She left me a gold coin and a rose.”

“You have two gold coins now!” Moe exclaimed. “May I have one?”  

The evening before, Tauren had tied the rowboat to a tree and camped on the shore, upstream from where the smoke was still billowing from the old schoolhouse chimney.

“Good morning, children,” he said. 

He knew that the floodwater had dropped and the current would not be as swift now.

“We’ll try to reach your parents, today,” he told them, gently. “If the current catches our rowboat, it will drift directly toward the chimney.”

Suddenly, a wizened and ugly looking little man with a huge nose and large ears, appeared on the scene.

The children were both frightened.

“Who are you?” Tauren asked the little man, concerned about their safety.

“I am Jon, the master troll. I lived under the bridge until it was washed away. You are in my campground.” 

“I am so sorry,” replied Tauren, apologetically.  

He suspected Jon was a good troll and had given Molly the rose and gold coin, as trolls, like fairies often have magical powers that can even make roses bloom. They love gold coins, too.

“You can help us?”

Jon looked at Tauren and Tauren looked back at him. They were almost the same height and build.

“Maybe,” replied Jon, gruffly. “I’ll help you, if you help me get my bridge back.”

“We think our parents are stranded out there in the flood water, where the smoke is coming from the chimney,” said Molly, with a sweet, but now toothless grin. “We need to take some food out to them.”

“You can row the boat,” piped up Moe, wanting to be part of the conversation.

“I don’t know,” he replied. 

“Most people don’t like trolls," said Jon.

“If you help us, you can have this,” said Tauren. He saw Jon’s eyes light up, as he offered him a brass lantern. “I found it in the water.”  

“It needs oil,” replied the troll, grumpily.

Part nineteen: The ship

Watching and Waiting

Kelly, the Irish colleen, stood watch as she hummed the melody to “Danny Boy”, very softly. Ambrose, their pup was asleep on the hearth. 

Timothy O’Leary, the good leprechaun-cobbler, was busy inside the tent, hammering something metal.

The floodwater continued to drop.

Prince climbed down the ladder to the base of the fireplace where he found three, cast-iron doors. Inside the first, there was a shovel. He began to clean out the ashes from behind the second door.

“The fire on the shore just went out,” Kelly called to Prince. “Either they just left, or they’re heading back out here.”

“Maybe their fire simply went out?” said Prince, smiling at Kelly’s conclusion. 

“I am building a rudder,” hollered Timothy, from inside the tent. “But, I will need your help to attach it. Then, we should be able to steer the raft properly.”

“That’s great!” replied Prince, pleasantly surprised at Timothy’s ingenuity. “A sail would be a good idea, too.”

“I can make one out of the canvas on the raft,” offered Kelly.

“You are a sweetheart,” said Prince softly.

“There’s a ship on the river!” said Kelly, excitedly.

Prince and Kelly soon realized it was too far away and heading downstream. It was not going to turn around either, as whoever was on the ship gave no indication of having seen their smoke. The captain had spotted it but decided not to leave the river, as the water would be too shallow.

What Kelly did not know was that her father was on board the ship.

Suddenly, she saw the small rowboat, coming towards them along the shore.

Tauren had decided to row his boat upstream clinging close to the shoreline, rather than risk the strong current. It would be a long way to go, but with young children asleep on board he was not about to take any chances.

There was a lot of debris floating in the water, some of which, he was able to retrieve.

"You folks may need this stuff,” he promised. “We are coming, but it may take a while yet.”

Part eighteen: The children

Second Attempt

Tauren looked at the wide-eyed, frightened children who had suddenly appeared in the tall reeds beside his boat.

“You are hungry,” he said, gently. The young girl and boy were well dressed, but covered with mud. 

“We have not eaten for a long time,” said the taller of the two. “We were walking down the cobblestone street when the rain started. The wall of water washed us downstream.”

“We don’t know where our parents are either,” the younger child said, wiping away a tear. “Maybe they were washed out to sea?” 

“You are safe,” replied the gnome, putting his arm around the boy’s shoulder. “I am Tauren, a gnome, from the mine in the mountain.”

He beckoned them to sit beside the fire, opened his leather knapsack and handed them a loaf of rye bread.

“What are your names?”

“Thank you.” said the girl. “I am Molly. My younger brother is Moe.”

“Maybe that is your parents out there where the old schoolhouse used to be. See the chimney and the smoke?” asked Tauren. “I was trying to get out there. My boat was too light though and it got caught in the current and almost capsized.”

“May we go there with you?” asked Molly, pulling a gold coin out of her pocket. “We can pay you.”

“Where did you get that gold coin?” he asked.

“I found it.” 

“You don’t have to pay me,” replied Tauren, with a smile. He knew there would be gold coins everywhere after the storm. “Put it back in your pocket, love.”

Deep in thought, he lit his pipe and sat on the log.

“The weight of the children may be sufficient to steady my boat,” he thought to himself.

“Whoever it is out there, they will need food,” said Tauren. “I have enough for all of us. You can help me gather some rocks. With your weight and theirs, we may be able to get there. We need some logs to hang onto too, in case we the boat is capsized.”

Little did anyone know that Kelly, the Irish colleen, was about to get her third wish fulfilled, namely that of having children. 

Part seventeen: The argument

Another Surprise

“Maybe we should take the raft and head for shore too,” suggested Timothy O’Leary, the good leprechaun-cobbler.

He was getting anxious about retrieving the four pots of gold under the wild rose bush beside the stone fence. He also wanted to check his home and cobbler shop in the passageway under the castle.

“I’m not certain that’s a good idea,” replied Prince.

He was worried about not being able to steer the raft.

“That current is still too strong for a raft. If we stay put until the water recedes, the raft will float out on the pond. Later, we can re-build the bridge using the logs.”

“I don’t want to wait,” argued Timothy. “That boat managed to get back to shore, did it not?”

He was obviously miffed.

“That’s a boat though, not a raft,” said Prince, being firm in his commitment to protect Kelly. “We are safer here than if we get caught in the current and drift out to the river.”

Kelly, his young colleen, who was busy brushing their Irish terrier, Ambrose, decided to let them make the decision.

“I’m worried about my dad, but if that was him in the boat, he is safe. He’ll find a way to rescue us.”

“Gremlins,” said Timothy, ducking into the tent to retrieve his cobbler tools.

Prince and Kelly soon heard him hammering on some metal.

Meanwhile, Tauren, the gnome from the mountain, was not about to take the boat out again. He was relieved to have been able to maneuver it back to shore.

“I almost got washed out to sea,” Tauren said, wiping his brow, as he gathered firewood and built a fire on the shore. “I wonder who is out there, as that light was so bright. Whoever it is, they saw my white flag and they will see the smoke too.”

Just then, he heard a rustling sound in the tall reeds.

“Who’s there!” asked Tauren. “Come out, now!”

Suddenly, much to his surprise, two young children of almost the same height appeared.

“We are hungry.”

Part sixteen: The gremlin

• Rescue Imminent

  
  

  “I see the boat!” said Prince to Kelly excitedly, as he gazed at the distant horizon. “Maybe they spotted the smoke from the fireplace?”

  “Ring the school bell, quickly!” suggested Timothy, the good leprechaun-cobbler. “Perhaps they will hear us, even if they cannot see us, yet.”

  Kelly was ecstatic.

  “We’re going to be rescued. Maybe it’s my dad!”

  It was Tauren, the old gnome from the mine in the mountain. He had spotted smoke billowing from the chimney of the old schoolhouse. Being a dwarf, it had taken a long time for him to come down the mountain to Killarney and he still had to find a boat.

  From the boat, Tauren could still see smoke rising from the chimney, but it appeared that most of the old schoolhouse had broken up and been washed downstream. 

  “Am I too late?” Tauren asked himself. “Is this water deep enough for this boat? I am taking a risk going out there. I don’t want to be stranded, too.”

  “Oh, no,” he said, as the swift current caught his boat suddenly and almost flipped it over. Unable to control the direction of the boat, it headed downstream towards the river.

  Horrified, Kelly, Prince and Timothy watched what was happening. They realized they were not about to be rescued, as whoever was in the boat might need rescuing, too.    

  ”There are gremlins in Ireland said Timothy sadly. “But, I thought they only tampered with airplanes.”  

  “My dad will never stop looking for me, ” insisted Kelly.

  Prince remained silent.

  “If I had stayed a frog, I would be able to swim out and rescue them, too.”

  Suddenly, Timothy took on his magical, mini-leprechaun appearance and jumped up on top of the chimney. A bright light surrounded him, as he pulled off his leprechaun scarf and began waving it in the air.

  “Ship ahoy!” he hollered.

  Prince rang the school bell continuously.

  “Help!” yelled Kelly, as loud as she could.

  Suddenly, someone on the boat hoisted a white flag.

  “They have spotted us!” Timothy said, excitedly. “That boat is heading back towards the shore now, too. All is not lost.”   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Part fifteen: The black bear

Fresh Fish

 “Prince, watch out for the black bears that are fishing,” said Timothy O’Leary, the good leprechaun-cobbler. ”They will be hungry.”

He had slept soundly throughout the entire night and was pleasantly surprised to see Prince sitting on the hearth and Kelly still asleep, with her head on his shoulder.

“Everything is going exactly as I planned. They are growing closer.”

Prince had stayed awake long into the night. He had decided not to awaken Timothy or Kelly unless there was an emergency.

“Black bears? That‘s funny!” thought Kelly. “The only black bears in Ireland came into the country from somewhere else and they are with the circus. Maybe one escaped?”

Prince realized Timothy was probably up to mischief, but mischief of a good kind. It was only Timothy’s way of drawing Kelly closer to him.

“Don’t worry, my love” said Prince gently, playing along with Timothy’s joke and winking at Kelly. “I will take good care of you.”

“Perfect,” thought Timothy. “Prince is taking on his rightful role as a protector and assuming responsibility for Kelly.” 

Kelly, not about to be intimidated by a mischievous leprechaun, decided it was time to play Timothy’s game by his rules.

“I think I heard the green dragon roaring early this morning,” she said to Timothy, but immediately felt sorry, as she watched him cringe. Timothy obviously had an encounter with green dragons or he would not have been so frightened.

“Maybe it was a black bear,” she said, with a grin.

Just then, Ambrose barked at something moving in the water.

“Is it that green dragon?” wondered Timothy, not wanting to look at whatever it was.

Prince climbed down the ladder and plucked a fish out of the water.

“Maybe it’s this fish you heard, Kelly?” he said, smiling and admiring her courage.

“Breakfast right at our door step, Timothy,” he said. “Can you fillet a fish?”

“Certainly,” replied Timothy, who was obviously relieved.

Kelly decided to let the men bake the fish and clean up later.

“I see a boat! “

  

Part fourteen: Spring

• In Love

  
  

  “It feels like spring,” thought Kelly, the young, Irish colleen. “The floodwater is receding, the moon is shining brightly and I am in love with Prince.”

  Prince and Kelly agreed to take the first watch of the night.

  Timothy O’Leary, the good-leprechaun-cobbler, had drifted off to sleep in the tent  Prince had built on the raft. Ambrose, the Irish terrier, snuggled up beside him.      

  Prince climbed up the ladder to the fireplace to add more wood to the glowing embers.

  “Come up here by the fire.” he said, quietly. “There’s room for us both on the stone hearth. We will make more green tea and toast crumpets. Sound good?”

  Kelly nodded in agreement.

  Prince held the ladder as Kelly climbed up beside him. The hearth was warm, as they had kept the fire burning into the night.

  “When the flood water goes down we'll be back on dry land again. It won't take long,” Prince promised.   

  “Prince, that was not a green dragon Timothy spotted earlier, was it?” Kelly asked. “I didn't see it. Did you?”

  “No. There have been green dragons in Ireland, over the years,” replied Prince, taking her hand. “Whatever Timothy saw, it may have headed for the river. I lived beside this pond for five years and have never seen a green dragon. Maybe as a leprechaun, he can see green dragons.”

  Kelly looked relieved.

  “No snakes either?”

  “We are not going to think about green dragons or snakes. Let’s stay close together and just watch the moon.”

  “I don’t remember a flood as bad as this one in the spring.”  

  “I don’t think there has ever been one,” replied Prince. “It brought us together though and I am happy about that.”

  “Me too,” replied Kelly, with a smile.

  Prince wondered if Kelly realized that he was in love with her.

  Inside the tent, Timothy listened in on their conversation.

  “Aha,” he said to himself, drifting back to sleep, again. “Spring has sprung and I know that these two will enjoy having a spring fling together. That dragon tale worked.” 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

Part thirteen:The green dragon

Washed Away

“All aboard the raft, quickly!” ordered Prince, as the position of the old schoolhouse groaned and shifted suddenly.

Kelly, his Irish colleen, Timothy O’Leary, the good leprechaun-cobbler and Ambrose, the Irish terrier, scrambled onto the raft as quickly as possible. It was not a moment too soon either.

The entire building groaned again, twisted and started to break into pieces, as the force of the floodwater moved the old schoolhouse off its foundation.

Everyone was frightened, but tried not to show it.

A few minutes later, only the fireplace and the chimney of the old schoolhouse remained. Some of the heavier pieces sank immediately, but most of what was left floated towards the river.

“Thank God we built this raft out of the wooden logs from the tables and benches, as quickly as we did. I anchored the raft with a large rock.”

“We could have been sitting on the rooftop,” replied Timothy. “Good work, son.”

“I can still tie this raft to the stone fireplace and chimney, as they are still standing,” said Prince, making a decision to do so immediately. “Then we will be even more secure.”

Prince also tied the wooden ladder to one end of the raft. The school bell, he placed on the top of a tall pole that he had erected for a tent in case it rained. Everything was in there, including a tin pail and dipper.

“We are safe, for the moment,” said Prince. “The floodwater should begin to recede shortly.”

“I hope so,” said Timothy. “Regardless, we still have a fire and dry wood. There is wood floating in the water. What about snakes?”

“I don’t like snakes, either,” said Kelly, gazing at the water fearfully.

“St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, remember?” Prince said. “I used to worry about them, when I was a frog.”

Kelly smiled. She suddenly recalled her third wish and the three gold coins from Timothy. She knew she could use them, if necessary.

“Oh no, that looks like a green dragon!” said Timothy, gazing at the distant horizon. “Now, we are in trouble!”

Part twelve: The gnome

The Raft

The floor of the old schoolhouse groaned and creaked, as floodwater came in the doorway and seeped through the floorboards.

“I don’t know if this building is anchored. Is the stone fireplace heavy enough to hold it?” asked Timothy O’Leary, the good leprechaun-cobbler. “This may be a floating schoolhouse, shortly.”

“There are enough logs in these tables and benches to build a raft,” suggested Prince.  “We are going to need one if this building breaks up. It might float towards the river. If that happens, our fate is sealed, unless we have a raft.”

The floodwater was moving that direction.

“What can I do?” asked Kelly who was anxious to do help.

“Find everything we can use, or eat,” suggested Prince. He was no longer a frog, but an intelligent, take-charge kind of young man.

He could see the love and joy, coupled with fear in Kelly’s eyes.

“I’ll take care of you, Kelly,” he said, softly. “We need to keep the fire going and our terrier needs a name.”

“Is there a cast-iron school bell, in the belfry?” asked Timothy, climbing the wooden ladder, to the loft. He soon had the bell chiming. “Someone may hear the bell, if we ring it!”

“We can use the ladder,” thought Prince. “We should be able to use that rope and bell, too.”

Prince dismantled all of the log tables and benches. Then, he carried the logs outside and started to build the raft. He knew that if the schoolhouse started to break up, they would have to get on it very quickly.

Under his guidance, Kelly tied everything to the raft.   

“We’ll call you Ambrose, meaning divine. You came to us by divine intervention,” she said to the pup.

Prince smiled and nodded, in agreement.

They did not know help was on the way. A gnome from a mine in the mountains had spotted the smoke billowing from the schoolhouse in the flooded area. He immediately headed for Killarney to try to find a boat that knowing time was of the essence.

“Can I make it in time?” he wondered.