Luck of the Irish
Part Two: Lucky Lucy and the Realm of the Leprechauns
A Commission by Hugo Prosperio
----
The woman smiled at the three small girls that walked out from underneath the bed. “Come on, lasses. Don’t be afraid. I promise I won’t do nothing more to you. I gave you a whoppin’ curse last night, so doing anything else would just be anti-climactic.” she said.
“Why did you do this to us?!” Stacey said. “We weren’t mean to you. She was” she said pointing at Lucy.
“You didn’t stop her. You watched and let it happen, letting her spill her verbal spew at me. The voiceless are just as guilty.” she said.
“That’s unfair. You clearly don’t know Lucy if you think we could have stopped her!” Rebecca said with a snarl at Lucy.
“She does seem quite headstrong, yes, I imagine that’s true, but nonetheless, I cursed you the same.” she said. “Curse. It seems odd to use that word, as I feel I’ve bestowed a blessing upon ye girls. To be a Leprechaun Lass is a gift. Trust me. I know from experience!” she said as she began to glow. Her body began to contract in on itself, shrinking downwards, her old ragged clothing swirling around her, reforming into a much different outfit. Green tights and a green doublet, her hair as vibrant red as theirs, and when she stopped, her ears grew to points. When the shrinking stopped and the glow receded, she was the same height as the girls, and she looked much younger and more vibrant.
“The name is Shannon O’Reily, and believe it or not, I was just like you once.” she said as she looked at Lucy.
Lucy was stunned speechless, a rarity for her.
“In fact, I was the recipient of such a curse myself, change my life, it did. For the better.” She mused as she twirled around in her new outfit. “Feels good to not hid me true form from the world. It was, oh, a hundred years ago now, maybe more, I came across a real life leprechaun, bless my stars, I thought. I was going to be rich! I would take it’s gold, but the myths and legends leave tiny facts out. You can’t just take a Leprechaun’s gold. They are far too crafty for that. So he challenged me to a contest of riddles. If I guessed his right, he’d give me his gold, and if I didn’t, he told me I’d get some gold anyway. It seemed a win win, but of course, he was tricking me. For failing the contest, he cursed me just the same, and now I had my own gold to watch after.”
Stacey looked terrified. “100 years? You mean we are stuck with this curse! I don’t want to be a tiny little...thing forever! You have to turn us back!”
Shannon simply smiled and shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that, my dear. This curse is ancient and far more powerful than most magic performed by the wee folk. It harkens back to the very beginning of leprechauns, and to reverse it’s magic, you must go on a quest.” She said.
“That’s stupid.” Lucy said
“Shut up, Lucy.” hissed Rebecca. “What kind of a quest are we talking about?”
“A journey to the land of the Leprechauns. It’s another realm to our world here, and there you will face the challenges required to undo the changes I have bestowed onto you.”
“Let’s do it, then!” Stacey said, jumping forward. “How do we get there?”
“I can open a portal for you, but be warned, the longer you stay in the realm, the more powerful the curse becomes. You will become a leprechaun in mind and body if you do not complete your task quickly.”
Stacey looked mortified. The idea that this could get worse for them was like a punch to the gut. Rebecca shared this look.
“Rebecca, Stacey. I’m...sorry I got us into this mess, but we have a chance to fix it. Let’s work together to become our old selves again. I will make this right.”
“That’s the spirit! Perhaps I misjudged you, Lucy darling.” Shannon said, patting her on the back.
“I was drunk last night, I wasn’t myself. I was actually going to come find you today to apologize had...this...not happened” she said pointing at her body.
“Well, if you are going to the land of the wee folk, we need to get you properly dressed.” She said as she clapped her hands and wind began to kick up as green dresses materialized onto each of the girl. They were simple, not nearly as ornate as Shannon’s. Green flats adorned their feet, and their hair each received a green bow. It was a lot girlier than Lucy would have cared for, but she felt like complaining now would not do her any favors.
“Pretty lasses, all of you.” She said with a smile. “Now, to open the portal, I will need your cooperation with another spell. You must hold hands, and we must say the words together.”
The holding hands part was easy, but the words were much harder. Ancient words, in a dialect that none of the girls knew, but eventually, the words began to flow from their mouths quickly and easily. This was disconcerting to Lucy, but forging ahead was what mattered, getting back to normal.
The wall of the bedroom they were located in began to glow and crack, the wood splitting with loud pops. A triangular hole formed in the wall as it splintered and broke into the new shape, allowing a glowing green light to form, the portal they were creating with their magic.
“There it is, ladies. The portal to the world of Leprechauns. The world will seem strange and unusual at first, but stay on your toes, and work together and I have no doubt you will find the changes you seek.”
For someone who had cursed them, the girls started to think that Shannon wasn’t so bad after all, she was giving them a way to fix this strange situation. The three girls took in a deep breath and began to walk towards the portal. Stacey went in first, followed by Rebecca. Lucy looked back at Shannon, trying to convey a variety of emotions in her eyes, and Shannon seemed to see all of them, nodding in support. Lucy entered, and with another pop, the green portal was gone, the wall sealing itself shut again.
“Now this should be interesting” Shannon said as she began to grow in size and height, chuckling to herself as she went to leave.
---
When Lucy stepped out of the portal on the other side, she saw hills as far as the eye could see, and they were greener than any hills ever, the grass emanating an emerald shade unlike anything she had ever seen. She smiled. It was quite beautiful, even if this was a sticky situation.
“Okay, girls, let’s get to...work.” She said before she realized there was no one around.
“Girls?! Stacey! Rebecca!” She cried out.
Lucy looked around and muttered a curse word in an old Celtic tongue, which surprised her, then she realized that she was feeling quite...sleepy.
“No. Must...not...must find friends.” She said, as her eyelids felt heavy and her body collapsed on the grassy knoll that she stood on. Soon she was snoring loudly as four leaf clovers grew out of the grass, creating a sort of bed.
---
The same thing was happening in two other places, both equally green, both equally beautiful, both equally lonely. All three girls were out like a light, and mischievous giggles could be heard.
“One of the gals Shannon sent, be my guess.” Said one.
“Oh, delightful. They must be seeking away to break the curse. We should help them. Help them become the leprechauns they are truly meant to be.” Added another.
“Yes indeed!” The first said.
He walked up to the sleeping Stacey. He was a short stout man, a wobbling belly that was threatening to burst from his tight shirt. He smiled and cracked his knuckles as he walked over. “She’s a pretty lass. Well, I suppose they all are now that Shannon’s got her mitts on them. Still she’s a bit too tall for me tastes.”
“You can fix that though?” Asked the other male leprechaun, who was a similar height and build to the other.
“Of course I can, Shamus. What kind of fae do you take me for?” He chuckled.
“Sorry, Darby.” He said.
Stacey began to stir, and she saw figures, blurry, standing over her. “Best do it before she’s fully awake” said a voice above her.
The one known as Darby reached down and pulled out a green velvet pouch, inside which was a pouch of glittering green dust. He smiled and plucked a pinch of it out of the pouch and began to sprinkle it all over the groggy girl.
Stacey felt tingles, not unlike what she felt upon her discovery of her transformation into a shorter woman that morning. This made her wake up a bit quicker, sitting up.
“What the...where...where is Lucy...Rebecca...who the hell are you two?” She said as the tingles grew stronger.
“We be the Brothers O’Malley. I be Darby, and this be Shamus. We found ye sleeping like a babe here in the glen and decided to help ye out.”
“Help. What kind of help.”
“Well, those who venture here into the realm of the Leprechauns, sure they be harboring a desire to be a leprechaun. We just like to help bring it out in these folk.” Shamus said.
She let out a squeak. “No. I want to be turned back into a human again! You have to help me.”
“Odd. That’s not what Shannon said when she told us you were comin’” Darby said. “She said she had three youngins so desperate to join the wee folk they’d do anything.”
“She what?! She lied to us! We just want to go home, to be normal.” Stacey said with a shout that echoed off the hills.
“Now, calm down, lass. It’s too late for all that now. Ye are of the wee folk now, and...well, I think you might begin to find yourself better suited for this life.” He chuckled. She felt her height begin to dwindle again, knocking her down to a shorter stature once more, making her more in line with the Brothers. She noticed that unlike the first time she had shrunk, her body had not shrunk proportionally. Her body mass was shifting in odd ways, and it left her looking a lot chunkier than before. She wouldn’t call herself fat by any means, but her weight was now worn a bit differently, thicker all around, and it tightened her dress, showing off curves she never imagined she’d have. She was about to shout at the man again when she saw him sprinkling the fine magical powder onto her head. She felt so dizzy all of a sudden as her eyes began to turn vibrant green. She began to giggle, and when she spoke next, it was much higher in pitch, and had the lilt of someone from Ireland. She smiled.
“Oh, my, that feels so much better, lads. My head was a jumble of thorny bushes, and now It feels clearer than a blue sky.” She said.
“See, we told you. You are a fine leprechaun lass, one of the finest I’ve ever seen. If you don’t mind me saying, I fancy ya’.”
She let out a high pitched noise that sounded like something a mouse might make if it were surprised, but her face curled into a mischievous grin.
“Is that so Darby O’Malley. Well, perhaps you should give me a kiss.” She said.
Darby O’Malley didn’t need to be told twice.
---
Rebecca groaned as she woke up. She felt like she had fallen off a cliff and somehow survived.
“Everything hurts.” She moaned.
“Miss, are you okay.” Said a soft voice from beside her. She rolled over and saw three little children, hair as red as hers, staring at her.
“I’m fine, I think. Lucy, Stacey! Oh, crap.” She muttered.
“You don’t sound fine, miss.” Said the tallest of the children, a girl. She smiled. “Can we help?”
The other two, a pair of twins, one boy and one girl, giggled and nodded, keen on helping the lady.
“I am trying to find my friends. I was sent here with them to...oh, you probably wouldn’t understand.” She said.
“You need friends? We can be your friends!” Said the girl twin.
“No, I don’t think so.” She said.
The tallest frowned. “You don’t want to be our friend?’
“What..no, that’s not what I…” Rebecca said with an exasperated sigh.
“The lady doesn’t want to be our friend” said the boy twin. “This is the worst day ever”
“Look, I can be your friend, okay?! Just...stop fussing” she said.
“GOODIE!” All of the children said in unison.
“How about a treat to celebrate!” Said the leader girl. She pulled out a lollipop that was shaped like a four leaf clover. Rebecca smiled a weak, fake grin, and took the candy. She took a lick and gave the fake smile a bit more effort.
“Oh, that tastes good. Not bad.” She said as she licked again. Then again, compelled to keep enjoying the treat. The kids watched with a smile on their little freckled faces.
“I can’t stop. It’s..too good.” She said as she sucked on the pop and then felt her whole body grow warm, and she knew that something was amiss.
“What’s going on” she said, sounding quite humorous with the lolli in her mouth.
“We are making sure you can be our friend. Forever!” She said with a grin that was frightening to Rebecca. She looked at the kids and saw that they were getting taller, but she realized she was getting smaller, her body pulling in on itself, youthening.
“No!” She said, trying to spit the candy out, but it wasn’t working. “Please stop, I have to get to my friends so I can be human again!” She muttered.
“Human? Humans are just a myth! You are just being silly!” Said the boy twin. His sister nodded.
“Yeah. Just because you are older than us, doesn’t mean you are smarter than us. We know you is trying to trick us!”
She looked down and saw that she was now probably 13 years old or so. She was still older than the kids, but not by as large a margin anymore. Her head felt so dizzy now, and she listened to what she the kids were saying.
“Yeah, what are you trying to pull, Becca. We know humans are just a myth.” Said the oldest.
She shook her head then her eyes felt fuzzy as the color shifted from her blue tones to a green shade.
“Oh, of course. Can’t fool ye three! You’ll grow up to be fine leprechauns, never letting things get past ya!” She said as she ruffled the hair of the kids.
The kids smiled and clapped, happy to have tricked the girl into being their friend, forever.
---
“This is really bad.” Lucy said as she looked around.
“Well that depends on your point of view” said a cheerful male voice. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you. Shannon said you’d probably be confused.”
She turned to see a fairly handsome looking leprechaun lad. “Powerful stuff, this curse, eh?”
“Who are you. Where are my friends?” She said.
“Well, the O’Malley brothers were sent to deal with one, and then the GIggle Gang was sent to the other, but I don’t know where they are at.” He said, pondering their locations.
“Deal With? What do you mean deal with?”
“Well, I guess it’s time we come clean. This quest isn’t so much for them as it is for you. They were always going to become leprechauns in mind, but you, you might be able to save them, if you don’t suffer the same fate. I’m here to guide you. You can call me Shaun”
“What did you do to my friends!” She snarled.
“Well, Darby likes his girls to be shorter than him and kind of thick, so it’s probable you wouldn’t recognize her. Same goes for the...Rebecca...girl. She is being looked after by a bunch of troublemakers we call The Giggle Gang. She is likely a member herself now!”
“This was a trap!” She said. “I said I was sorry. Where is Shannon”
“Still in your world, doing whatever it is she does there. I don’t know what she sees in you people, but anyway, she tasked me with making sure this goes well for you. She isn’t heartless.”
“My friends are probably being transformed even more than they were before and she isn’t heartless. That is rich.”
“She is quite rich. Her pot of gold is the envy of many of us wee folk.” He said.
“It was a figure of speech, dingleberry.” She snapped.
“Well, I can see the temper that got you into this mess hasn’t gone anywhere. Shall we begin or would insulting me some more make you feel better.”
She breathed heavy.
“What do I need to do?” She said through gritted teeth.
“You need to go to the forest of Luck. Just ahead. Inside, you will seek to find the ingredients to a potion that will undo your curse and the curse of your friends, if they want to be turned back that is.”
“This game is rigged. How do I know you won’t just turn me into a Lucky Charms mascot.” She asked while shooting daggers with her eyes.
“Please. That is an offensive stereotype. We hate marshmallows. That’s the Easter Bunny’s gig.” He said with a chuckle.
“Fine. Let’s get a move on then.”
“Lead the way, Lady Luck” he said.
She stomped forward, looking towards the looming forest, hoping that perhaps this was still a dream and she would wake up at any moment.
TO BE CONTINUED