by Brenda Elser
They had continued running through the woods as long as they could, even after the Troll had finally stopped chasing them. Just as Robert and Eva were planning to abandon their packs, the Troll was yanked to a halt as if he was tied to a long tether that had finally reached its end. He boomed his disappointment and pounded the invisible barrier he could not cross. But even as they saw him roaring in the distance, their fear kept them running until they could no longer catch their breath and were forced to drop down onto the grass, gasping. It was then that Reese had noticed her father no longer wore any of the Golden Luck Dust he had carefully collected for so long.
“I had t’ use it all t’ make sure we reached the other side of the shore when yer friend here tackled us,” he said wearily. “We couldn’t’ve made it over the acid river without some Luck.”
"Oh, Da! Some Luck. Not all of it!”
“More bodies t’ take care of means more Luck needed t’ take care of ‘em,” he shrugged. “What’s a father t’ do?”
She hugged him until he turned quite red with the show of affection. “Thank you, Da! That’s the kind of help all Leprechauns should offer with their Luck. But what’ll you do now?”
“Oh, I s’pose the same thing I’ve done every other day: I’ll head home and start savin’ my Luck fer the next Tournament. Yer Mum was expectin’ me fer supper t’night anyhow.” He stood up and brushed off his britches. “I don’t know about this ‘shared effort’ idea of yer’s but I’m proud of ye. Don’t ferget, darlin’ – use yer cheapest wishes and save what ye can of yer Luck. Ye can win this year! Lordy knows ye were given plenty of smarts from yer family!” Then he winked at her and began to whistle as he walked away.
Reese giggled. “I get my smarts from Mum’s side!” she called out. But her father kept walking and whistling, only waving back at them to show he had heard the joke.
The children watched him walk until he disappeared into the woods, and Eva became somber. “Reese, you’ve used some of your Luck to help us too,” she said, looking at her friend who now wore Gold Dust from only the waist down. “Please! Save your Luck so you have enough to get a Coin at the end of the Tournament!”
“That’s okay. I helped you because you’re my friends, and it was the right thing to do. But I did it for my Da too. He’s got to know that we’re better when we work together. Besides, you helped us to the other side of the river. And Robert’s crazy stories stopped the Troll from eating Da. I should be thanking you.”
They grinned at one another.
“Gah! Mushy-mushy talk,” Robert interrupted, standing up and hoisting his backpack onto his back. “We get it! We’re friends! Can we get going now? We’ve got a race to win and a friend to save.” Eva and Reese groaned as they stood up and joined him, walking toward the flagged path marked for the Tournament.
“What’s the next obstacle, Reese?” Robert asked, scrambling up the stone steps ahead of the girls. They were out of breath again climbing the trail up the steep dirt hill.
“Let me look at the map. Other contestants have surely made it this far already.”
“Wait a minute…” Eva stopped dead in her tracks, causing the others to run into her.
“Whoah, a little warning next time?”
Eva stood nose to nose with Reese, scrutinizing her. “The Tournament is only held once every ten years, right? I thought you said you were ten!”
Just then Robert turned to look at Reese curiously. “You were only a year old when you competed in the last contest?”
“No, I said I was ten in The Land of Luck. In your world that makes me exactly one hundred years old.”
Robert landed with a solid thud onto his back pack. “Geesh, you’re ancient!”
“Robert! Rude!” Eva prodded him with her foot.
“What – my grandmother isn’t even that old,” he said staring harder at Reese.
“How come you look our age?”
Reese burst into laughter. “Actually, calling someone ‘ancient’ here is a great compliment! Thank you!” she giggled. “Come on; let’s get to the top of the hill. I still can’t see the next obstacle on the map, but maybe we can see it from there.”
The girls went on ahead as Robert gathered up his pack and brushed off. The afternoon had become warm and they paused often to help each other over the large boulders and stumps along the inclined trail. They traded turns carrying Robert’s pack, and even he seemed to question whether it had been wise to bring the basketball pump and hammer along. His cheerful quip, “You just never know” turned into a grumpy, “Are we almost there yet?” just as they finally reached the summit.
“I’m not really sure where ‘there’ is,” Reese faltered. “But we’re at what looks like the highest point of the trail…” They were out of breath and ready for a break, and Eva was beginning to think maybe one of the Leprechaun tricksters had sabotaged them by flagging the wrong trail or giving them a trick map.
Robert pulled off his backpack to get some water, and Eva sat down on a fallen tree stump to rummage around for her Junior Detective journal. Only Reese was unable to relax. As tired as she was, she felt responsible to guide their path (this was her Land after all) and she couldn’t be sure what an ex-Tooth Fairy would do to their kidnapped friend if they didn’t win the Golden Coin.
She wandered to the rim of the steep drop-off and scanned the terrain below. “That is so weird,” she mused. “Hey, you two, come take a look at this. There’s a house over that hill that looks just like an upside down tooth. It’s like a big molar with all the pointy roots up in the air. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Eva and Robert looked up, startled. “What did you just say?” Eva asked. Leaving their packs where they were as they hurried to Reese’s side. There, in a clearing between two hills was a large stone house.
“Why didn’t any of the other contestants see this? It’s like it was camouflaged or something…and what is that on the roof? Is it a filling?” Reese wondered aloud, unaware that her friends had grown pale.
“Actually,” Eva almost whispered, “we saw something just like it in Fairy Land.”
Robert nodded at her. “That must be where Diva lives now! Why would she choose another tooth house? She isn’t even a Tooth Fairy anymore!”
“Wait. Wait. Wait!” Reese narrowed her eyes. “You’re telling me the Tooth Fairy you told me about lives there? The one who steals candy and kidnapped your friend?”
“That is what I am telling you,” Robert said.
“So, she just flies out of Fairy Land and somehow just happens upon another house shaped like a tooth in the Land of Luck?”
“She probably used some awful rotting helpers to build it,” Eva said more to Robert than Reese. “She had some magic when she left so she probably used it to set up a house here… And it makes perfect sense when you think about it. She told us we’d meet up with her in the ‘The Land of Luck.’ That must be her house.” She hopped up and down, “And if that’s her house, that’s where Lauren is!”
“Brilliant deduction, detective,” Robert smirked.
Eva gave him the stink-eye and turned her back on him to talk with Reese. “We need to rescue Lauren.”
“I thought you two were going to win a Gold Coin so you could wish her back home.”
“We can’t take a chance. We may not have enough Golden Luck at the end of the contest to win a Coin. I think we should use what we have now to save her while we’re here,” Eva explained. “I’m sorry, Reese, but we can’t leave Lauren now that we’re this close. You’ll have to finish the Tournament without us.” Robert nodded and reached out to pat her on the shoulder.
Reese looked back and forth between her two new friends. “I’m coming along,” she grinned. “If that’s okay, I mean.”
“You can’t! What about the Tournament? You can become a Leader of the Land like your father said. You can do it!” Robert insisted.
“My message to the Leprechauns is more important than winning the Tourn
ament! My people need to see the importance of friendship and how working together can accomplish… well… anything!” Reese smiled. “Besides, I’ve never really had friends before.”
They looked at each other in silence for a moment before Eva grinned, “Well then, I guess it’s decided. I say we sneak in. The element of surprise is our best option.”
“All for one…” Robert whispered.
Reese responded, “And one Lucky chance!”
11. I’m Rubber, You’re Glue
The children crept along the dense, untamed path down the side of the hill, staying close to the trees and bushes as they made their way silently toward the stone house. Every snapped twig and fluttering leaf made them hold their breath, hoping they hadn’t set off any alarms the ex-Tooth Fairy may have installed around her new fortress. The fact that the upside down tooth did not appear to have any windows eased their anxiety, but not by much.
“I don’t see any guards,” Eva whispered, scanning the roofline. “But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have any.”
Robert sighed, “What would they do anyway? Floss us to death? Let’s just go.” Then without warning, he was scampering through the grass away from them.
“Seriously?” Reese whispered. “How has he made it to age nine?”
Eva grabbed Reese’s hand and sprinted after Robert, vowing to herself that she was going to reevaluate his status in their Junior Detective Club if they made it out of this alive.
When the girls slumped against the tooth, panting, Robert was already busy examining the home. “No wonder Diva doesn’t think she needs a guard,” he said, running his hand back and forth across the smooth stone and looking up at the roof. “How do you get into this place? We can’t climb this – and the roof is so far up there!”
Eva and Reese were still trying to catch their breath, when Reese pointed upward, shielding her eyes from the sun. “I think I see a crack at the top,” she said.
“And are those fans on the roots? Why would fans pull in dust?” Eva asked squinting at the odd sight.
“Those fans aren’t drawing in any ordinary dust!” Reese gasped. “That’s our Luck! That must be why we’re having the shortage! She’s been drawing it all here.”
The children stood studying the fans. They seemed to create a vacuum that drew the air in and filtered out the Gold Dust particles.
“I wonder how the fans attract the Gold in the first place,” Eva mused.
“Yeah,” Robert said. “And why wouldn’t she have guards up there?”
“Maybe she does,” Reese gulped.
A shiver of fear ran through Eva as she remembered the last guards Diva had hired for her tooth home – the disgusting Rot Guards – but she knew she needed to stay focused on the reason they were there. “We need to figure out some way to get inside and find Lauren. There aren’t any windows, and we certainly can’t just knock on the front door and ask if we can use her bathroom.”
They each sat on the ground, thinking. At last Reese said, “This is a bit of a long shot, but we could try the Rubber-Glue wish. It doesn’t use much Luck – which is good – but it’ll only work with two people.”
“Uh… You lost me,” Eva looked puzzled.
“Do you know the rhyme ‘I’m rubber, you’re glue – what you say bounces off me and sticks to you?’”
“Do I know it!” Robert laughed. “I’ve perfected it!”
Reese continued, “I discovered with some classmates when I was little that if you say that rhyme and follow it by blowing Golden Luck dust, one person becomes super sticky and the other person gets super rubbery!” Reese laughed. “It’s hilarious! But it only lasts for a minute. Maybe if we used it the sticky person could climb to the top.”
“Like Spiderman? Count me in!” Robert shouted, hopping up and down.
“My goodness! Your world has men that are spiders? Ugh!” Reese clutched her stomach.
“No, no – there’s only one Spiderman and his is definitely not ugh. He’s cool!” Robert reassured her.
“What about the rubbery person?” Eva asked.
“The rubbery person can stretch a bit but I don’t think you could reach to the roof.”
“I brought some dental floss,” he volunteered. “We could help the last person up with that.”
“Perfect! I’ll stay down here and you two can do the climb,” Eva decided.
“Okay,” he said. “How do we do this?”
“You say the rhyme. Then you make the wish,” she said. “But when you do, remember to not to blow too hard. The Luck Dust only comes off if you’re gentle. Like blowing out a candle.”
“Got it,” Robert nodded. “Here goes nothing…” He quickly recited the rhyme and squeezed his eyes shut. When he gently blew on the palm of his hand, the Golden Dust swirled into the air, then settled on him for just a moment before it bounced off and flew toward Reese in a fine mist. When it landed, the glittery Luck latched on to her sticky limbs firmly, and she wasted no time, quickly leaping forward to begin the climb. Getting her bearings for a brief second, she stood on the side of the house and looked up. It isn’t that far away, she reasoned with herself.
Robert began to bob up and down. “Come! On! Reese! You! Can! Do! This!” He shouted each word of encouragement as his limbs bounced and wobbled like gelatin.
Reese nodded at them, and with a deep breath she began her ascent, slowly at first, just to get the feel of it. It had been awhile since she’d used this wish, and now wasn’t the time to botch it. When she looked back, she saw Eva mouth the words go faster, so she picked up her pace, jogging up the wall as if she was running on flat ground, each footstep making a sticky sucking sound.
In no time she was at the top. She gripped the edge and disappeared over the side as the children stared and silently cheered her success from below.
“Whew!” Eva said. “One down.”
“You! Mean! One! Up!” Robert countered.
Reese’s head popped back over the side and she called down softly, “Okay! Now, Eva, you say the rhyme to Robert. It’s his turn to get sticky!” She laughed. “Robert, stop bouncing! And when you’re sticky, remember that you have to hurry!”
Eva tapped him impatiently. “You ready?” Robert nodded glumly and she said, “Okay… ‘I’m rubber, you’re glue. What I say bounces off me and sticks to you!” She made her wish and blew gently. Again, the Dust rose in a cloud and bounced from her palms to stick to Robert.
Immediately his bouncing stopped and he laughed with glee, placing his hands on the home’s smooth surface. “This is so weird!” he giggled, crawling toward Reese. “Eva, you gotta try this.” He shuffled up the wall and turned to look down at her. “Do I look like Spiderman?”
Eva struggled to stand up straight on her now wobbly legs. “No,” she said. “You look like a crazy boy. And remember – you have to hurry!”
“What about now?” He scurried in a circle, pretending to shoot a web from his wrist. “Fear not! I’ll save you, for I am Robertman!”
Eva felt like she was back on one of the bubbles on the acid river, and tried to keep as still as possible.
“This is even more fun than being rubbery!” He sounded giddy.
But almost as soon as it had started, the children’s spell began to dissipate. Feeling her limbs becoming more solid, Eva shouted, “Robert! It’s starting to wear off! Move it!”
“What? Did you say ‘boing, boing, boing’?” he laughed, scampering up the side of the wall. “Hey! You should see this!” he shouted, pointing into the distance. “You can see everything from here!”
“Robert!” Reese called. But it was already too late. Robert had begun to slide.
“What should I do!” he shouted up at Reese.
“Use your luck!” she shouted back urgently.
Robert clumsily got his feet under him and gingerly let go of the building so he could bring his hands up to his mouth - just as the spell of the rhyme evaporated completely. “Heeeellp!” he shrieked as the su
ction released, and he fell back toward the ground where Eva watched in horror.
“Robert!” Eva called out. She raised her hands to her mouth praying for a safety net before blowing a double dose of her Luck up towards him.
The Dust swirled, and Eva watched, in amazement, as the Golden glitter seemed to form a huge open hand, catching Robert in its palm. The hand cushioned him, then lowered and released him near the ground, rolling him through the grass where he stopped at Eva’s feet.
“Oh, Eva! Thank you for catching me!” he breathed shakily.
“I didn’t catch you,” she said, looking at her arms and legs, which were now back to their normal color. Only a tiny bit of Gold remained on the tips of her shoes.
“Your Luck…” Robert looked sheepish. “It’s almost all gone… because I was fooling around...”
“Well, it had to be done… I guess I’ll just have to be careful with the little bit I have left. Maybe I can still win a penny’s worth of Luck,” she grinned at Robert. “Get it? A Lucky penny?”
Robert grinned back at her and stood up. “Thanks again for saving me.” He shuffled his feet and punched her shoulder lightly.
“I’m sure it won’t be the last time,” she scowled, and punched him back (a little harder).
“How are we going to get to the roof without using the rest of your Luck?” he looked concerned.
Reese called down, “You guys don’t need to worry about how much Luck you have left. Use it all and get up here. You will not believe this!”
12. Just My Luck
“You might as well just use all of the Luck and wish us up there,” Eva sighed. “It sounds like we don’t have to ration it now...”
“Sure,” Robert shrugged. He lifted his palms, took a huge breath and blew. Eva watched as all of the Golden Luck drained from him like water being poured from a bottle. It gathered in front of the children like a Golden box and Eva giggled when an elevator door opened and Robert gestured to her saying, “After you madam,” like he was some kind of grand gentleman.