Pat Day Say It?

Adapted Stories from Fictional Children

Leprechauns are nefarious. They are tiny people who wear green clothing and like to annoy regular people. Every year on St. Patrick's Day we try to capture the Leprechauns with our Leprechaun Traps. They are crudely built and often made of a shoebox with a hole in it and some string, too. The best Leprechaun Trap will catch the stupidest Leprechaun because the very best trap we can build can only catch the dullest of Leprechauns. When the Leprechaun is caught it must give up its gold. It will try to trick you, though. You must be sure to weaken the Leprechaun by letting it reach near-starvation so that its craftiness is weakened by its low blood sugar. When you get the Leprechaun's gold you must release it immediately. If you continue to hold the Leprechaun after you've taken its gold, a long shadow will be cast over you. It is a shadow so long that you will never see the sun again after a life time of running in darkness.

However, if you let the Leprechaun go and enjoy your riches, you will drink deep the good of the world. You will buy clear water and fresh fruits and loaves and loaves of the brownest bread. You will address the sky and the wind and the sun on the hills and the world will smile for you having picked apart its tiny puzzles.