Part One: St. Patrick's Day

• A Leprechan’s World

  
  
  

  St Patrick’s Day dawned bright and clear in Killarney, as Kelly, a young Irish girl with long, red hair was getting ready for school.

  
  

  “Top o’ the morning to you, Daddy.”

  
  

  “And the balance of the day to you, my colleen.”

  
  

  “Daddy, I can only find one shoe.”

    

  “I found it!” 

  
  

  Suddenly, she realized someone had repaired her shoe.

  
  

  “Thank you!” Kelly found a gold coin inside her shoe. 

  
  

  “Daddy, you are the best!”

  
  

  “We’ll celebrate St. Patrick's Day tonight. There’s soda bread, on the table.”

  
  

  He kissed her on the cheek and headed for work, before she had a chance to show him the coin.

  
  

  He whistled a happy tune, walking down the cobblestone road.

  
  

  “My other shoe needs fixing, too.”

  
  

  Suddenly, a wizened, old man, with a long, white beard, appeared on the window sill.

  
  

  He was dressed in a green, square-cut coat with gold buttons, white britches, black leggings and shiny, black shoes with gold buckles.

  
  

  Kelly was not afraid, because he was so tiny.

  
  

  “May I ask who you are?” 

  
  

  “I am Timothy O’Leary, the cobbler,” he replied, tipping his hat.

  
  

  “I love the lace frills on your shirt and cuffs,” said Kelly, smiling, at the twinkle in his eye.

  
  

  “Give me your other shoe,” he ordered.

  
  

  He took a silver hammer and tiny nails, out of his pocket and pulled his gold spectacles to the tip of his nose.

  
  

  Moments later, she found a second gold coin. “Thank you, for the gold coins too.”

  
  

  “That’ll be our secret,” Timothy said, handing her a third gold coin. “The gold coins are magic. With each gold coin, a wish will be fulfilled, so ‘spend’ them wisely.”

  
  

  He tipped his hat to her and left, as suddenly as he had appeared.

  
  

  "That was a leprechaun!” Kelly said, with amazement. “Perhaps he lives under the castle and does all the mischief? No, there are good leprechauns too. Three wishes….hmmm.”