The Stranger and The Leprechaun

Ah yes, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak of winter and so, I am certain you must imagine how very perplexed I had been to see, from out my window, the bright and exuberant arch of a stately rainbow, covering the morning sky with it's dazzling splendor. Truth be told, I had never seen anything quite like it before; and was now more than eager to explore.

Straight, I reached for my thickest coat and sprung out the front door in hopes of discovering more about this bizarre rainbow's origin. I must say, the whole thing felt like a dream and even though I wasn't exactly certain of my motives towards my sudden impromptu exploration; I was however, driven by a strange yet enchanting inclination towards the heavenly arch's calling.

For 2 whole hours, I set off on a brisk walk up hill, in the direction indicated by the rainbow's light. Soon enough, I reached the top of the hill and gazed down over the meadows stretching far below as though inviting me into some unknown realm. The path before me stretched out into an infinite expanse of meadow land and I found myself utterly bewitched by its beauty. Quite frankly, I felt as though I could've stayed there forever! Alas, my curiosity hadn't been satisfied enough.

Indubitably, that great curiosity led me towards a tiny patch of grass where, to my very disbelief, I saw a tiny, furry creature sitting upon what looked like a large black pot filled with solid sixpences of gold. Immediately, I took cover behind one of the large rocks nearby and observed the creature steadily. Its skin appeared dark green in complexion and its paws were covered with long, bushy fur. Calmly, it sat on top of that pot of precious metal as it happily counted it's gold:

"One sixpence from me Little laddie's farmyard"

"Two sixpence from me little Lassie's Wed"

"Three sixpence from me best friend's barn yard"

and

"Four sixpence from me little kiddies bed!"

That was the song the mischievous looking creature kept singing to itself as it counted the gold. I, however, was nevermore bothered by this strange creature because now, a new idea had clouded my brain! And so I knew I had to get the gold for myself! Oh yes... I could scarcely contain my feelings of greed and triumph, as I deciphered a plan in order to obtain the fortune.

Patiently, I waited until my quarry had finished counting his hoard and then stealthily, crept forward to take the gold from under him, being all so very cautious as to not make a single noise. With one hand, I gently lifted the pot above my head and then brought it back to rest securely in my pocket. This was done without making too much noise so the creature, whom remained seated atop the pot of gold, would not even dare think to notice my presence!

"Alright!" I whispered "Time to go for the whole pot now." I said to myself cunningly which, unfortunately, caused the poor creature to let out a loose and startled squeak.

Then quickly, i grasped up the pot full of gold triumphantly and shouted:

"Ha! My gold now!"

The creature upon hearing my ghastly remark, turned to look at me and its wide grin immediately faltered at the sight of the golden object in my hand. With a gasp, it leapt off the pot and scrambled to its feet:

"Me pot of gold!!!" it shrieked. "Give it here back me pot of gold fiend! Give it here now!!!" it continued to bellow as it made a mad dash for the pot of gold.

With nary a moment to spare, i dashed away from my target towards the edge of the hill. I darted right through the field I'd just cleared and onto another small path which branched out into a larger road. There, I dashed across two bridges over a small river and continued running hastily across the path while keeping a wary eye on the little creature whom was hot on my trail, yelling once again:

"Give me back me pot of gold fiend or else!!"

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In a flurry of activity, i hurriedly sprinted through another gate in a fence that stood between two houses and ran straight past them. Then, at last, i reached a small stone house which was flanked by two towering trees, their branches reaching high into the sky. Then, with a deep breath, i stepped into the house. But, ere long, I began to hear a frail noise coming from behind me which made me instantly pause at the threshold! Then, to my utter despair, when I turned back to look for the source of the noise – I saw the creature charging at me again!

"Foolish fiend ! Foolish fiend!" it cried. "I'll see to it that you leave this house with no fortune of mine! That is, if you even leave this house alive!".

As the creature approached, it reached out with its hands and grasped the collar of my jacket, forcing me against the wall. Instinctively, i flailed about wildly, trying to pry it off of me but it only grew more enraged as I struggled to pull myself free. With a mighty tug, it flung me hard to the floor. I crumpled onto the carpet and groaned.

The creature then stood over me, panting heavily and staring with burning eyes, its chest heaving as I looked up at it in horror. Suddenly it began to laugh and a terrible sound erupted from its throat.
It shook with silent laughter, tears glistening in its red, glowing eyes and fell backwards onto the floor, rolling from side to side and continuing to snicker loudly, as I stared up at it, horrified.

Seeing as how I could use the distraction to my advantage, I scrambled back to my feet and tried desperately to dart towards the kitchen door, but as soon as I did, the creature immediately lunged back toward me, seizing me and squeezing tightly around the neck, forcing me back against the opposite wall, with the wind forced violently from my lungs. I gasped for breath as the pressure grew tighter and tighter and then suddenly, with another loud laugh, it released me, causing me to stumble backwards and collapse to the ground.

Once again, the creature laughed hysterically as it clutched its fists together in the air, before laying a hard punch on my throat.

"That, was for ya stupidity you insolent wretch!" it growled, slamming me against the wall once again. It then pointed it's fingers at me as it snarled once again:

"I'll spare thee now but if ya ever touch me pot of gold again? I'll make sure I don't hesitate to kill ya laddie." the creature warned me before pacing to the other side of the room and grabbing the pot of gold which had been scattered on the floor.

There, i laid on the carpet, gasping for air, unable to rise, my vision swimming with spots as I watched the creature storm out of the room, dragging the large pot of gold, while all the while laughing its little heart out.

Thanks for reading and keep exploring!