Twenty-four hour short story Contest: Topic eight - A Leprechaun can't find the Gold at the End of the Rainbow
Paddy had been having a few too many beers at the local...
Considering he's Irish and knew the local brew very well - that's saying a lot. But life had been hard on him lately and a lot of comfort did come from the lovely pot of gold.
They had been cutting back the work at the local factory, and he didn't know what to do to provide for the family; for the household. He just wanted to be a good dad and a good husband. Getting totally plastered wasn't helping much either.
His mates lifted him out of his seat and a couple of them walked him, semi-conscious, down the road to his front garden. They knew his wife and thought it best that he sober up a bit before he goes inside. So they sat him in the front garden seat, where he literally passed out.
"At least he didn't vomit everywhere." Mikey said. "The hell to pay will be worse if he chucks on her precious pavers."
"May still happen." Sam replied. "Maybe we'll come back in the morning and just make sure he got in ok. I don't want anyone finding him dead in the front yard."
"He won't be dead ya stupid bugger - he's just pissed. Who knows; he might get a bit of common sense while he's passed out!"
Meantime, Paddy was having visions. He saw himself move away from his body as he got up and walked down the street and around the corner, away from town. He walked out into the local fields where the purple heather was standing out over the fields. A bright light was shining in the distance and a beautiful rainbow - stronger in color than any he had ever seen, stood out against the background. He watched himself walk towards a picket fence, towards the end of the rainbow. Low and behold, there was a Leprechaun working on the soil at the base.
Paddy was ecstatic - at last an answer to all of his problems.
"Ah my Friend. How wonderful it is to be seein' ya!"
The leprechaun looked up for a second, but then looked back down and just kept working.
"Hello there! I've come to claim my pot of gold from the end of the rainbow!"
The leprechaun looked up again: "Sorry - Can't help ya."
"WHAT?? You can't say that, you lousy little creature!! I know my rights! I want my Gold and I want it now!"
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The leprechaun looked him in the face. "Don't talk to me about rights you lowly dog. You've been spending the little money the family's got on the piss, then feeling sorry for yourself and not getting off your arse and going out and getting some work!! You don't deserve any gold!! Go get a brain and go find it for yourself. I'm not giving you a hand out!!"
Paddy was stumped with all of this slap-in-the-face talk.
The leprechaun continued. "I can't find ya any pot of Gold, but just for a second, I'm going to give ya something even more precious. Use it wisely, and it will give ya a lot more than just some money!"
The Leprechaun handed him a mirror. Paddy looked into it and saw what he was becoming. He saw the baggy, craggy skin and the liver spots. Behind this gross looking person, there was a light. If he reached out for himself he knew he could pull himself away from what he was becoming. He handed the mirror back.
"Thank you my good friend. I'll buy ya a pot of ale next time you're at the local"
The leprechaun looked at him again: "No you won't ya daft bastard!! You won't be hangin' out at the local anymore. You're goin to be stayin' home with the wife and kiddies in the evenings and give them some quality time in future!"
Now that was shocking, but Paddy knew it was true.
Paddy woke up with the break of dawn, and crept into the house. The wife was about to give him an earful when she found him, but instead she found him pouring over the local paper.
"And what would you be doin' then?"
"I'm going into the local takeaway - they need someone to flip burgers. I have been a good cook in my day. And I can do some cleaning jobs on the side here - he pointed to a 'Position Vacant' ad. She had a skeptical look on her face, but he was smiling. "When I'm home this evening, I'm going to write. I used to write a lot you know. Suddenly I think I have a lot to say."
She smiled back. "I'll believe it when I see it; but it sounds good to me!"
Thank you to @mctiller for running this competition.
If anyone is interested in giving it a go, this is the link:
https://steemit.com/twentyfourhourshortstory/@mctiller/writers-win-5-steem-twenty-four-hour-short-story-contest-for-march-13-topic-8-a-leprechaun-can-t-find-the-gold-at-the-end-of-the