Part six:The school house

 A Family

“My leprechaun time may have run out,” thought Timothy O’Leary, the good leprechaun-cobbler, who dwelt in the underground passage at the castle. He had nearly drowned.

“Where is my gold pocket watch?” he wondered, as he floated in and out of consciousness.

Kelly, the Irish colleen, and Prince, her frog, kept trying to save his life.

The sudden storm and flash flood had swept Timothy from the streets of Killarney, down to the river beside the pond where Prince lived. Prince swam out to rescue the leprechaun, while Kelly waited on the shore. She immediately checked his airway and started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Moments later, when it started to rain again, they moved him inside an old schoolhouse. Kelly wrapped Timothy in her soft white shawl. He looked so pale, cold and fragile.

“Prince, this is taking too long. Jump up and down on his chest again, harder and faster.”

“Timothy, come back to us, please,” Kelly insisted. “I will give your gold coins back, the ones with the three wishes.”

“Gold coins,” Timothy heard, as he coughed up some water. “Where are my gold coins?”

For a moment or two, he did not know where he was.

“Am I in leprechaun heaven now?”

Then, he saw Kelly hovering over him.

“Ouch, my head hurts,” he said, touching the bump on his head. She was bandaging a cut above his eye, with strips from her white handkerchief.

Meanwhile, Prince continued to jump up and down on Timothy’s chest.

“Stop that!” he ordered. “Or, I will call the leprechaun police.”

“Prince, you can stop jumping on his chest,” said Kelly. “He is awake now. Thank you.”

Relieved, Prince almost kissed Kelly, but knew if he kissed her, she might become a frog. If he waited until she kissed him, he might become a person again.

Timothy coughed again.

“Water on my lungs,” he thought. “Leprechaun pneumonia can be fatal.”

Kelly knew it was too soon for him to have pneumonia, but that might be a problem later.

“I have a family to take care of me now,” he said, smiling at Kelly. “You are beautiful.”

None of them knew that their world had become an island.