The Case of the Leprechaun's Luck (Magical Mystery Series)

by Brenda Elser

  It didn’t matter that Eva and Robert weren’t sure how to react, because Reese continued talking, seemingly unaware of their shock. “My mum always says, ‘Yer Da wasn’t like this when I married ‘im.’ But then he always tells her, ‘Yes, I was. Ye just didn’t know I was such a creative talker then.’ Reese laughed and continued. “Most Leprechaun families are pretty big, but I’m an only child… Sometimes I think if I’d had a brother or sister we’d work together to win the Tournament.”

  “Is that why you’re helping us?” Robert asked. “Am I like the brother you never had?”

  “If Reese had had a brother like you she would agree with the Leprechaun way and want to be left alone.” Eva snorted. “You, my friend, are a wild card.”

  Reese laughed, “You two are a hoot! I don’t care what they say about humans – I think you’re a lot of fun. Now, come on. We’re almost to the river.”

  The children could hear it sizzle and pop as they drew closer. When they rounded the bend, the terrifying river appeared in front of them. Its bright purple acid flowed furiously while lavender bubbles foamed and popped on the surface. Rocks on the shoreline smoked and broke apart where the river surged and touched them.

  Several contestants were spread out from the edge of the river, and each one seemed to be thinking about how to make it safely across.

  “Hey, there’s a bridge! Why didn’t you tell us that?” Robert grumbled.

  “Shhh!” Reese cautioned, pulling them behind a tree. “Just watch for a second.”

  Sure enough, a contestant was sneaking up to cross the bridge. His footsteps were silent and he carefully placed his feet in what appeared to be a very deliberate sequence. The children watched as he paused at the first stone step and gathered his breath. Suddenly he broke into a run so fast you would have thought his pants were on fire.

  In fact, his life depended on his speed, because when he hit mid-span, a massive green arm swiftly reached out and nabbed the running Leprechaun by his Golden shirt, lifting him straight into the air. The little man’s feet kept running even as he lifted his hands to his mouth and blew.

  When the Leprechaun’s Golden Luck cloud billowed around him, the children strained to see as the clawed fingers lost their grip. The screaming contestant hit the ground running (as the saying goes) and the Troll roared his frustration. Eva stifled a scream when she saw him rise up from his hiding place under the bridge and make a second grab for his lost meal.

  The Troll was as big as a house even with half of his body still standing in the purple acid. His green muscular torso bulged from the crude woven vest he wore. His claws were as bright as red nail polish, and his jaw thrust out in an underbite that displayed the rows of his pointed teeth. Warts covered his flat nose and patches of hair sprouted across his head. In short, he was huge, ugly, and terrifying.

  “Well that explains why no one uses the bridge,” Robert whispered nervously.

  “Yup,” Reese pointed. “That contestant probably used up almost half of his Luck on this obstacle alone. We need to reach that tree line on the other side of the river to be out of the Troll’s grasp.” They watched as the now-slippery contestant ran along the trees, far enough away that the Troll could no longer reach him from the bridge. “We better come up with a plan,” she said reaching into her contestant’s packet and pulling out a map.

  “What?” Eva’s eyes widened. “I thought you already had a plan!”

  “Yeah, my plan was to run across the bridge.” Reese studied the map to avoid their eyes. “But in light of what we just saw, I think it’s wise to change things up a bit. After all, the troll has pretty much seen it all. This is what he does. He’s got to feed his family some way too…”

  “Ewww…” Eva said. “He eats Leprechauns?”

  Reese nodded, reaching into her pack.

  Robert hopped up and down on his toes in his excitement, “That is some crazy scary awesomeness!”

  “What are you looking at?” Eva asked.

  “This is a magical map of the course,” Reese smiled. “I can’t see the route until a contestant has already been there. This helps me figure out how far ahead the others are. If you’re first, you still don’t know the next obstacle.”

  “Does everyone get one of these?” Robert asked, trying to get a closer look.

  “Only the people who’ve competed before.”

  “But you don’t know how many people are ahead of you, right?” Eva asked.

  “Right – only that at least one contestant has gotten that far. They may not make it through the next obstacle, and it certainly doesn’t mean they’ll win, but they’ve at least made it through the first obstacle. Look,” she pointed, “someone else has already made it across the river and is at an obstacle called the Whipping Willow Wall…. Wow.”

  “Doesn’t it seem like the people who aren’t first have the better advantage?” Robert asked.

  “It seems that way, but it’s not about who finishes first. It’s about who finishes with the most Luck intact!” Reese said. “My people are fiercely proud, and super competitive, but we still rely too much on Luck and not on each other to get things done.”

  Robert grimaced and continued, “Well, how are we going to get past The Ugly Wonder over there?” They poked their heads out from behind the tree and quickly ducked back again when the Troll turned his head in their direction.

  “Trolls aren’t known to have the best eyesight,” Reese whispered, “but they do have an incredibly keen sense of smell. If we could just disguise our scent, maybe we could jump across this spot in the river to get by him?” She pointed to a bend in the river on the map.

  “Wait - I have an idea,” Robert said. “Maybe some high-tech titanium floaty shoes could fly us over!”

  “Unless you actually packed some ‘high-tech titanium floaty shoes’ for this race, that won’t work, genius,” Eva snorted. “We’re not using all of our Luck on that.”

  Before Robert could make a snarky comeback, Reese grabbed his arm. “You guys, get back!”

  Pulling the children farther behind the tree, Reese put a finger to her lips and pointed toward the bridge. When they peeked through the leaves, they saw the Leprechaun with the blue balloon – Reese’s father. Squatting a safe distance from the bridge, they watched him gently blow a bit of Luck onto the balloon tied to his wrist. Very faintly the breeze carried his chant through the air to their ears: “Fly me gently, straight on course, fast and sure like a racehorse!” In one graceful movement the balloon began to lift him into the air.

  “Now that is a good idea! No wonder he was so concerned about that silly balloon,” Robert whispered. Reese smiled proudly.

  Then the wind changed.

  “No, Da! Use more Luck!” she cried leaping up from the bush. “Da! The wind!” She yelled louder, cupping her hands around her mouth, but he continued floating, unaware.

  Only when the Troll poked his head out from under the bridge and sniffed the air did Reese’s father look toward the sound of Reese’s desperate shouts. By then it was too late. Delighted that he had been airmailed a little snack, the Troll gleefully plucked his treat from the sky, popping the balloon with his sharp nails and flipping the Leprechaun upside down so that he now dangled by one ankle, unable to reach any of his Golden Luck.

  Savoring his first catch of this year’s contestants, the Troll slowly lifted him up over his open mouth to take a nice bite, relishing the smell of the Leprechaun’s fear.

  9. Lucky Charm

  Reese watched her father gesticulating wildly, no doubt trying to convince the Troll that he was tough and leathery - and would not make a good meal.

  “What do we do? What do we do?” Robert jumped up and down. Eva knew that it would be best to stay calm, but in a situation like this she could understand the need for hopping.

  “Distract him! We have to distract him,” Eva said, raising her Golden arm.

  “No! I’ll wish Da slippery!” Reese shouted, readying her arm to blow some of t
he Luck Dust.

  But Robert had already begun to run toward to river. He flapped his arms over his head, screaming unintelligible threats as he raced toward the Troll.

  “What is he doing?!”

  “Uh… Well, if anyone can distract a troll, it’s Robert,” Eva said, trying to sound confident. She hoped her smile didn’t seem as nervous as it really was. “But we should probably go help him just in case. Come on!”

  As the two ran, Reese shouted, “I wish he’d have just listened for a minute! Is he always this reckless?”

  “Oh, yes!” Eva yelled back. “That’s part of his ‘charm,’ if you could call it that!”

  “Hah!” Reese snorted. “A Lucky charm! How fortunate for him!”

  Robert’s earsplitting race to the bridge was fortunate for Reese’s father because the Troll stopped playing with his dinner and turned to look at the frenzied critter running toward him with his arms and legs flailing in all directions.

  “Huh?” the Troll’s deep voice boomed as he watched Robert approach.

  “I say!” Robert yelled, skidding to a halt. He was still panting from his run but he managed to yell loudly, “You aren’t going to eat him are you? Because I caught him just moments ago and I was planning to eat him myself. He slipped away from me, the rascal!”

  The Troll rumbled, sniffing at Robert, “Urgh! You not Leprechaun… You too little to eat this one.” He held his snack closer as if to keep Robert from snatching it. “What you?”

  “What you? Oh! What me? I’m a Troll. You don’t know a fellow Troll when you meet him?” Robert rumble-squeaked back.

  The giant, green monster came closer to Robert and bent down to sniff him. “You too little to be Troll. You don’t smell like Troll,” he said skeptically.

  “I am a Troll,” Robert insisted backing away ever so slightly. “This is what… uhhh… This is what happens when you eat Leprechauns with white hair like that!” Robert pointed at Reese’s father still struggling in the Trolls hands.

  “White hair snack make Troll tiny?” the Troll lifted the Leprechaun up for a closer inspection. “And smell bad?”

  “Yes, yes… I was once bigger than you. Uhhh, and way more ferocious,” Robert lied, inching closer to the Troll. “I really should give those things up. Terrible habit, really… But you know what they say, right? ‘A Troll’s gotta do what a Troll’s gotta do.’” Robert laughed nervously. “They do say that, right?”

  “What is he doing?” Eva panicked.

  “Look, Eva!” Reese grinned. “He turned the Troll’s back to us! I think I can get to Da if I can bounce high enough.”

  “Bounce? Bounce on what?” Eva whimpered.

  “Stand back,” Reese said. “I don't know what to expect here, but I read up on a simple Luck wish they used in the Early Days. It’s called ‘Ditto.’ If this works, just follow me. I'm going to try to reach Da while the Troll is distracted.” She held her hands to her mouth and blew a puff of Golden Dust across the river. Soon translucent bubbles of all sizes bobbed to the surface and floated to the river’s edge.

  With a small whoop, Reese ran toward the shoreline and quickly studied them. They seemed look like normal bubbles – some were smaller than others; some had flattened into very large disks and were very springy to the touch. She reached to push a small bubble from the shoreline, hoping it would grow, but instead it popped.

  “What are those?” Eva whispered, keeping the Troll in sight.

  “They’re called Bumble Boats,” Reese whispered back. “They should hold up in the acid river… But I need more large ones, and that one popped when I touched it.”

  “Here, let me try something,” Eva offered. “Maybe it’s like blowing out a wish on a birthday cake.” She hurried over to a bubble, and with a hearty breath, blew it into the river.

  Reese patted Eva on the back and whispered “See? Team work!” There, in front of her, the bubble had not only stayed anchored to the place it landed, but it had multiplied, creating other bubbles which also flattened, becoming firm and bouncy. She reached out and tapped the surface, and it wobbled but stayed firm.

  “Brilliant!” she hooted. “They work in the acid! We can bounce on the bubbles to cross the river and save my father! Come on!”

  The bubbles bobbed and shuddered, but they stayed in place. Reese jumped first, landing squarely on a large bubble and bouncing straight up into the air, soaring higher with each bounce. After she got the feel of it, she launched herself to the next bubble. There she bounced a few times before springing to the next. And then the next.

  Reese could hear Robert talking with the Troll when she reached a bubble floating near the center of the bridge. She jumped with as much force as she had in her wobbly legs, and reached for her father’s thrashing hands as the Troll absently dangled him over the edge while he talked.

  “I don’t suppose you know this, but I used to be the Troll heavyweight wrestling champion of all the bridges… in the universe,” she heard Robert say. “Yeah, I used to eat, like, ten Leprechauns before each match. Then I’d lift boulders just to warm up. I do about three thousand reps. What about you?” Robert shouted up at the Troll as he stomped his way closer.

  “You tiny,” the Troll insisted, looking confused.

  “I might be small, but I’m surprisingly strong,” Robert replied flexing one arm.

  Just then, the troll dropped the Leprechaun. “You want arm wrestle?” he asked, leaning down to place his elbow on the bridge rail and extending his massive green hand toward Robert.

  Behind the kneeling Troll, Reese crashed into her father mid-air – she on the way up, and he on the way down. They collided with surprise, and tumbled down together clinging to each other. The large bubble bounced them up again and again into Robert’s view over the bridge. Each time they sprung into sight, Robert bit his tongue in order not to laugh, since they continued to pop up at the craziest angles. One time Reese bounced, spread-eagle, clutching her father’s foot. Next, her father was head first into Reese’s armpit, grabbing her neck.

  Eva winced. None of them stood a chance if she didn’t act fast. Gingerly she stepped out onto the nearest bumble boat in the boiling purple river, testing it. When it didn’t burst, she bounced onto it like it was a trampoline, and there she built up enough momentum to spring toward where Reese and her father were caught in an awkward bounce, unable to steady themselves.

  When Robert saw Eva bouncing in and out of his view behind the Troll it became even more difficult to keep the Troll’s attention, and more than once the Troll looked as if he was on the verge of ending their little conversation with one swift chomp. Robert gulped. This was not going well.

  Eva heard snippets of Robert’s scam while she jumped harder, getting her rhythm. Phrases like, “generally very popular amongst the lady Trolls…” and “usually do my workout routine before I eat too many…” and “in my off season I don’t normally arm wres…” made it clear she’d better get Robert out of there – and fast!

  But no one was more surprised than Eva herself when she shut her eyes and bounced her mightiest bounce, crashing into both Reese and her father in a mid- air tackle, knocking the wind out of them and hurtling all three across the river onto the shore of the other side. The three of them “oofed” and rolled and “umphed,” stopping a safe distance from the acid water, desperately hoping the Troll hadn’t heard any of it.

  Robert’s nose may not have been as keen as the Troll’s but he could definitely see that his friends were no longer leaping into the air. “Welp… You know I would love a good old-fashioned arm wrestle with you, but I’m going to find another Leprechaun – one without white hair. I’ve eaten my share of those today, and I can’t afford to get any smaller…” He had casually sauntered across the bridge until he was almost to the other side as he talked to the Troll. “You keep that one. You can afford to lose a few inches.”

  “Not lose inches. You take,” the Troll said turning around to look for the Leprechaun.

 
As he turned his back, Robert pivoted and ran as fast as he could toward the opposite shore.

  Noticing his snack was now gone, the Troll turned back to find the tiny, pale ‘Troll’ sprinting away. Roaring, he stretched his arms wide and splashed the roiling acid around him. He had been tricked! “Not small Troll!” he bellowed, making a quick grab for Robert as he leapt off the last part of the bridge. “Lying Leprechaun!”

  “Robert! Run faster!” Eva shrieked.

  “Run t’ the tree line! Ye’ll be safe thar!” Reese’s father shouted, gripping his daughter’s hand so tightly she feared her bones were going to crumble.

  Leprechauns on the other side of the river, who had been plotting their course, now stood still and began to watch with excitement. The furious Troll thundered and roared, splashing river water with his angry fists, causing the cheering spectators to scatter.

  “Uh oh…” Reese covered her mouth, her eyes growing wider. Drops of acid splattered the nearby trees, smoking leaves from their limbs. The smell of scorched grass clouded the air and birds began to take flight. Suddenly everything went silent. “He’s coming out of the water!” Reese cried. “Da! Let’s move it!”

  Eva grabbed her pack tightly and followed the scattering Leprechauns toward the trees. “I thought trolls stayed under bridges!” she shouted as they dodged other contestants on the run.

  “They can only chase us a short distance from their bridge. It’s Troll Code!” Reese shouted back. “Now, head for the hills!”

  Heavy footsteps and labored breath behind them caused Eva to sneak a peek over her shoulder. “Geesh, Robert!” Eva gasped as he caught up, “You really ticked him off.” But Robert could simply nod, panting and clutching his heavy backpack.

  They could now only focus on running as fast as their feet would carry them into the woods while the Troll crashed behind them, close enough to smell their fear.

  10. Mushy-Mushy Talk

  “Oh, Da,” Reese panted, lying on the grass next to her father. “All your Golden Dust is gone.”