Phunfernikle

“Raeshel! It’s your turn to be boss!” shouted Emaline.

“Nuh-uh! I was boss last time!” loudly answered Raeshel, laying in the grass and watching the clouds. She looked up at her best friend, who was standing above her, hands on hips, blocking the meager gray sunlight. “Now move, please. You’re blocking the sun.”

Emaline sat down with a large ‘humph’, crossing her arms and legs.

“What sun? It’s gray. Everything is gray. The grass, the clouds, the sky. Everything is gray. It’s so dull.” She sighed.

“And how do you know it’s dull? Have you seen color?” asked Raeshel. She was bored too, but was determined to see some good.

“No, I have not seen color,” snapped Emaline. “But I’ve read about it. And you remember Davie? He said he even saw it once.” Her voice had taken on a dreamy tone. Her arms uncrossed and she laid down next to her friend. “He said there was nothing like it. He called it a rainbow.”

“And then what happened to Davie?” Raeshel said in a condescending tone. Emaline rolled her eyes. Raeshel could be so callous.

“He disappeared the next day,” she replied grumpily.

“Yes, because he was insane,” Raeshel sat up. “Now pick something to do.”

“No.” Emaline replied stubbornly. Raeshel sighed.

“Okay then,” began Raeshel, her light gray hair sticking up at odd angles. “Follow-”

Bang!
Both girls’ heads snapped in the direction of the sound. It came from the line of trees just behind Raeshel’s house.

“Me.” finished Raeshel, getting up hastily and running towards the woods, Emaline following. They stumbled through the trees for nearly twenty minutes before Raeshel, in the lead, fell forward through some bushes. Emaline couldn’t stop in time and fell on top of her.

“Ge uff meh!” Raeshel sat up with a mouthful of leaves.

“O-oops! Sor-sorry!” gasped Emaline through a fit of laughter, rolling onto the ground.. Raeshel spit out the leaves, glaring. She began looking around.

“What are you doing?” inquired Emaline, sobering up and wiping a tear out of her eye.

“Looking for what a tripped over.” She caught a glimpse of something rustling in the bush and lunged after it. Her arms came back struggling to hold onto a wiggling creature.

“Ah-ha!” exclaimed the girl in triumph. Her brow creased in confusion as the creature stopped struggling. “What the-?”

“Eww! What is it? What is it?” screeched Emaline, cowering behind her friend.

“Rmph rumph shm.” The thing was struggling again.

“Sh, I think it’s trying to speak,” said Raeshel, watching the creature.

“Do ye not know wha’ I am?” exclaimed the creature. It stopped and just hung in Raeshel’s iron grip. The girls just shook their heads in response.

“Oh boy,” sighed the creature. He looked like a tiny man. His accent sounded Irish. “I am wha’ they call a leprechaun. We live ah’ the end of rainbows an’ if ye catch one-” He hesitated on the last part.

“Raeshel! Did you hear him? He said he lives at the end of rainbows!” Emaline was shaking.

“Shh!” Raeshel told her friend. She turned back to the leprechaun and gave him a shake. “If we catch one what?” she demanded. The leprechaun looked around nervously.

“If ye catch one, ye geh’ their gold.” He looked saddened. “Now can ye be a kind lass an’ puh’ meh down?”

Raeshel dropped him. He got up and dusted himself off, looking annoyed.

“Aw, poor lil’ thing!” cooed Emaline, kneeling down to give the leprechaun one of her bear hugs.

“Where’s the gold?” asked Raeshel, always skeptical.

“Uh, well,” he squeaked, still encased in the hug. He gave a choking cough and Emaline finally released him. Raeshel raised her eyebrows. “You see, I kind of-” he took of his hat and squeezed it between his nervous hands. “Gambled it away?” he asked rather than stated, looking up at her, shaking in fear. Raeshel gave a growl of irritation.

“Aw, that’s all right, little fella. You don’t have to give us your gold,” Emaline was squeezing his cheeks. He tried to bite her.

“No, you don’t have to give us your gold,” agreed Raeshel. He looked up at her hopefully. “But what else you got?” His face dropped. Emaline giggled.