I have been thinking a lot about Grandpa the last few days. He told me lots of stories just before he died. Most of the family did not think he would do that. They said he was not that kind of man. Well maybe because he had decided to not take any more treatment for his bone cancer and he knew it was soon that he opened up to me. Most of the stories were the kind that years later something would happen in my life that I needed help for and I would remember one of his stories. Sometimes I would think of a story that helped me through a problem and not truly know if it was on of his stories or one that I thought would have been one of his if he situation I was in. He told me things like never go to bed mad at your wife or your wife mad at you. Another was remember to make a memory every day and if it is not good it is not a memory to remember and put it aside.
The best story was of Grandpa being a Leprechaun. Her is the story as I have it written in my book.
“Jimmy……Jimmy…….Come in here I want to tell you a story.”
I had just come in from the porch of the old house. Grandpa had lived here as long as I could remember. It was a great old house built by a miner in the early days of Globe Arizona. It had two stories with the lower a basement in front and an old garage in the back that had been remodeled into a bedroom. Entering the house from the porch you could not help but notice the old player piano. Pictures of Grandma and Grandpa were on the top and it always had the door to the player rolls open just a little. The room opened up into the dinning room that had the grand old table that would seat the whole family. The back wall had the wall size china cabinet that covered the old fireplace. I had found the fireplace while searching for hidden rooms that might hold the Indian Head Pennies that Grandma was said to have hidden before the took her away. Beyond the dinning room was the old style kitchen. I have always wanted a kitchen like that. It was big and had more cabinet space that any two modern kitchens. The walls and fixtures were white and the floor was white with black accents. The room always looked so clean and the smell of coffee and fresh bread never seemed to go away. No place in the world felt so warm and safe. I can still see Granny with the apron covering a long dark dress with flower designs. She was such a fantastic cook that I even enjoyed eating vegetables. She would pretend I was a great cook for cooking Angel Food Cakes form the new box mixes. I knew she was pretending but I would still cook a cake every time I got a chance. I had never had anyone brag about anything I had done.
Granny was an old maid school teacher from Minnesota that Grandpa had meet when on a trip to the holly lands. She always had a smile. The name Granny fit.
Grandpa’s door was next to the player piano. Like every other room in the house it was much larger than any modern home. The furniture was old wood with hand carved designs that looked like fine lace. The bathroom that had the iron tub standing on legs led to the next bedroom. That was my room. Just a large as Grandpas but sparsely furnished I could almost here an echo when I spoke.
Thinking back it seems a little strange for a 15-year-old boy to enjoy setting on the rail around the porch watching the trees and the birds. I enjoyed the peace and quite after living in Phoenix with five brothers and one sister. The greatest joy was listening to Grandpa when he felt up to telling me a story. Most of the time he could not talk long enough to tell a story or he would forget where he was. Once he forgot that he had sold his store nearly 20 years ago and told me to remind him to order a keg of nails for a new barn being built by one of the town folk. He would also get a little confused thinking he was at his store and I was with him.
Grandpa had gotten sick and Granny needed help taking care of him. He was dying of bone cancer. Perhaps that is why he was a different person with me than with any of the family. Every one said Grandpa was a very private person that did not talk much about himself. He was said to be a hard man and maybe a little cold. Business was business and a man must work hard to be a man. He was a penny pincher. One time when he was still smoking he broke a cigarette at the filter and scotch taped it saying it was the Scotch in him and that was how he paid for his new car.
“Coming Grandpa.” I never would miss one of Grandpa’s stories and for some reason I felt like this one was special. Grandpa was lying on his back with the blanket neatly tucked in around him. It was loose around his feet where his heel set in a donut made of old socks to keep them from hurting. I set on the edge of the bed and took his hand in mine. He liked me to rub his wrist as he talked. Next to him on the bed was a small wood box. It was plane and looked very old. After a few minutes Grandpa took my hand and held it with both of his hands.
He said “Jimmy do you believe in Leprechauns?”
Yes I think I do Grandpa.
You have heard they are from Ireland but they are also from Scotland.
Jimmy I am a Leprechaun.
I set without saying anything. It took a minute to sink in just what he was saying. Grandpa had told me many stories but they were always down to earth lesions of what I could do as a man or examples of what he had done with his life. Now he was telling me he was a Leprechaun.
You are Grandpa?
Well I was but I lost my powers.
You have heard that a Leprechaun has a pot of gold.
Yes Grandpa.
And Jimmy you have heard they put the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow haven’t you?
Yes Grandpa.
Well that is true but what does a Leprechaun do with the pot of gold when there is no rainbow?
I don’t know Grandpa.
Well Jimmy they tap the pot of gold three times with the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar and say Tree or Rock and the pot of gold changes into the tree or rock. Now when the rainbow comes back out the Leprechaun runs to where he hid the pot of gold and taps the tree or rock three times with the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar and says Crock Of Gold.
The tree or rock changes back to the pot of gold and the Leprechaun takes it to the end of the rainbow.
You know Jimmy I would get bored changing the pot of gold into a tree or a rock so I did something new. After a rainbow I ran to the pot of gold and taped it three times with the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar and said shoes. The pot of gold changed into a pair of shoes and I put them on to hide until the rainbow returned. When the rainbow came back I jumped out of the shoes and taped them three times with the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar and said Crock Of Gold. I will never do that again. I was in a thicket of thorns and had to run through the thorns with no shoes to get to the end of the rainbow. I will never do that again.
I was still bored with trees or rocks so I tried other things. One time I changed the pot of gold into a piggy bank and put on the mantel above my fireplace. When the rainbow came out I ran home, in the front door and straight to the fireplace. I looked on the mantel and found that a thief had broken in and stole the piggy bank.
Grandpa paused for a little while. Then he said.
They must have broken it because they had dropped something.
Grandpa reached to the old wood box and took the lid off. I stretched to see what was in it but all I saw was the bottom of the box. Grandpa lifted a small piece of some kind of animal hide. It had a light colored short fir and was folded over two or three times. Grandpa laid it on his chest and carefully opened the fold revealing two coins. He handed me the coins.
Grandpa said, “They had dropped a nickel and a penny.”
I put the coins in my hand and to my surprise they were gold. One was a nickel and the other a penny but both were gold. I turned them over and over in my hand and I wanted to say something but I could not talk.
When a Leprechaun cannot put his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow he loses his powers. I lost my powers and became mortal. I started ageing like everyone else and could no longer live with the Leprechaun’s.
Now if I could find the stolen gold and put it all together I could tap it three times with the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar and say Crock Of Gold, it would change into the pot of gold and give me all the Leprechauns powers back. Once again I would be an immortal Leprechaun.
Now Jimmy I know my time is near. I know it is time for me to pass this on to my favorite grandson, you Jimmy.
What do I do with it Grandpa?
If you can find the stolen gold and tap it three times with the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar and say Crock Of Gold it will change into the pot of gold and you will become an immortal Leprechaun. You will have all the knowledge and powers of a Leprechaun.
Jimmy there is a time limit for you to find the Leprechauns gold.
How much time do I have Grandpa.
I don’t know. He paused for a long time and I said Grandpa you can't say there is a time limit and not say anything more.How will I know Grandpa?
Grandpa reached to the box and took something out. He held my hand and as he placed it into the palm of my hand. Grandpa said.
You have however long it takes for the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar to change from gold to lead.
I looked at what he had placed in my hand. It was a small bar. It was about ¾ an inch long, less than ½ an inch wide and about ¼ an inch thick. It was shaped like the pictures I had seen of the gold bars in Fort Knox. It was gold but mixed in with it was lead. It did not look like it was made of gold and lead. The gold and lead seemed to blend together. Like Grandpa said you could see it was changing from gold to lead. I turned it over and over looking at it from every side. It was heavy and felt cool. There was something else but I could not tell what it was.
Grandpa is this really a ……..
Yes Jimmy it is the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar and it is yours now.
If you can find the rest of the gold, tap it three times with the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar and say Crock Of Gold you will become a Leprechaun.
If you do become a Leprechaun you must know two things.
What is that Grandpa?
First, You may have heard that if a man catches a Leprechaun the Leprechaun must grant him three wishes.
Yea I heard that Grandpa.
Well it is not quite true. That is just in books and on TV. The truth is if a man gets the Leprechauns pot of gold the Leprechaun must grant him any thing he wishes for. Not just three. If the person who stole the piggy bank knew that and would have taken all the gold I would have been forced to grant any wishes to get my gold back.
You can’t let anyone touch the gold from the pot of gold. If they have the rest of the gold you will have to grant them any thing they wish for.
Second and even more important, if you get your powers you must never use your Leprechaun powers for personal gain. There once was a Leprechaun in Scotland that used his powers for himself and Poof, instantly he was changed into a cat. All the Leprechauns in Scotland came to the cat and each one plucked out one whisker from the cat to remind them to never use the powers of the Leprechaun for personal gain.
Once more Grandpa reached to the old wood box and with out even looking inside he picked up a single, white cats whisker and put it in my hand next to the two gold coins and the Magical Gold Bar.
I looked at what Grandpa had given me and thought for a moment. Then I asked
Grandpa will I find the gold? Do I have enough time?
Grandpa looked at me and with a special sparkle in his eyes he said,
I am not sure if you will find it but I do know that if you do not the gold in the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar will remain long enough for you to pass it on to your favorite grandson just as I have.
Jimmy look in the top drawer of my dresser and you will find a small metal box. Put it all in that box and keep it with you always.
I opened the drawer and in with the watches, tie clips and old silver dollars I found a metal box. It was just the right size to hold everything Grandpa had given me. I put it in my pocket and looked back at Grandpa.
Grandpa is this all real? Were you really a Leprechaun?
Jimmy I was a Leprechaun until just a moment ago. I just did not have my powers. I am not a Leprechaun now though, you are. Didn’t you feel it when you held the Leprechauns Magical Gold Bar?
Grandpa turned to the old box again and took something else out.
Jimmy I want to give you one more thing. It is nothing special and has now powers. It is just something from when I was a boy and I want you to have it.
Grandpa handed me a small round stone. It looked like you could hold it to a light and see though it but the light did not show through. The color was also hard to see. It was red or was it black or maybe brown. It had been made round by chipping away small pieces. It was less than ½ an inch thick. I held it between my fingers and looked at it for a long time.
Do you know what it is Jimmy?
No Grandpa. What is it?
It is a marble. It was my favorite marble when I was a boy. It was my shooter.
I looked at it again and then said,
Wait a minute Grandpa. I play marbles and my shooter is always a little bigger than the rest and this is smaller than a regular marble.
Grandpa took it from me and held it up between his fingers and said,
But Jimmy you forgot,......... back then I was a wee Leprechaun.
Written in my book about 10 years ago. I will try to ad some photos of the coins and gold. The photo at the top right is Grandpa. The painting at the top of the old man is Grandpa as a Leprechaun. I will tell you all about the painting some other time.
Jim
