An Irish Lullaby

By Ev and Donna

    Carol and Marie knew right away that something odd was going on when Dani came back.  First of all, he came back with a lot of just about everything on the list.  And they learned that he hadn't talked to Kat at all.  There was no way he could have done all that himself.  And since getting back he had been way too cheerful and cooperative.  He even offered to go out for more herbs in the woods again. 

    They had talked about it and just couldn't come up with any solution except that he had met a girl.  They had heard about some new Fae girls turning up.  Could it be one of them?  Carol finally had to ask.  "Dani?"  He didn't even hear her.  "Anybody home?"  She tapped him on the shoulder.

    Finally he turned.  "Dani, what's going on?  Did you meet somebody in the woods?  A Fae girl?" 

    "No," he chuckled. "A pretty leprechaun! She had bright red hair, and was only about two foot tall!"

    "A leprechaun?  Dani!  Come on!  There are no female leprechauns.  Tell us!"  Carol moved closer and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

    Marie moved closer on the other side and kissed the other cheek.  "Come on, Dani.  You can tell us." 

     He looked offended. "But I did tell you! Hey, if you don't need me for anything, I'm going to take off for a little while."

    Carol and Marie exchanged glances.  Really, there was nothing he needed to stay around for at the moment.  All that still needed doing was feeding animals this evening and they could do that.  Carol shrugged.  He looked so eager and all smiles, that she finally grinned and shrugged.  "Go ahead. 
Have fun!" 

    After he ran out, she turned to Marie.  "I bet he's going to Lovelace's."

    Marie frowned.  "If he is, then what is he using for money?"  They both stared out the window at him jogging off toward the woods. 

     As Dani headed towards the woods behind Katherine's farm, he couldn't help smiling. He knew Nickel had said they would go dancing the next day, but he hoped he would see her again that day! It took him awhile to find the stream where she had fed him lunch, and when he did, it was almost dark.

    He looked around, but didn’t see her anywhere.  That didn't mean much, though.  He remembered that she could be invisible.  "Nickel?  Nickel, I'm here!" 

    There was no answering giggle. With a deep sigh, he sank back to rest against the same tree he had napped against earlier in the day. As the sun sank over the horizon, his eyes drooped shut, and he slept. 

    He was sleeping so soundly, he didn't hear the giggles of several Leprechaun girls. "Yer right," one whispered. "He is cute."

    "Didn't I tell him that we would go dancin' on the morrow?" Nickel giggled.

    "Maybe he was hoping to do a different type of dancin' with ye," giggled another.

     "Go 'way with ye! And go tell the others to gather at the dancin' place!"

    Dani slept with a smile on his face.  He was blissfully dreaming of Nickel, her bright red hair, pretty face, and beautiful figure.  He was indeed dreaming of a different type of dancing with her. 

     Sneaking up to him, the tiny girl straddled his outstretched leg and studied the sleeping mortal, her hands on her hips and her head tilted to one side. He was fun to be with, that was for sure.

    While she was staring down at him, he started to roll over and his leg bumped hers.  His eyes flew open and he stared up at her, a wide smile taking possession of his face.  "Nickel!  I was dreaming about you!" 

    "Aren't ye full of blarney?" she laughed. "What are ye doin' back here?"

    "Well....."  Dani began.  "I was done with my chores and I was hoping to see you again.  Maybe we could dance tonight?"  He smiled up hopefully.  She was like a live doll at her small size, but he remembered that she would be her larger size with they danced.  "I don't know much about dancing, but I'd like to learn."

    "Would ye now, little man?" she said sternly. It was funny, with him being three times her size, that she called him that. "Is it dancin' ye are wantin, or is it me treasure ye are lustin' after?"

    "Treasure?"  Dani blinked.  "What treasure?"  It had only just this minute crossed his mind that leprechauns were supposed to have treasure.  But that was for the male ones.  Would a lady leprechaun have treasure too?  He honestly didn't care about money.  "What sort of treasure do you mean?" 

    "One tha' I won't be giving to just any  Sean, Darby or Paddy! I just ha' one question for ye. If ye were going after me treasure, is it with a wee shovel that would take ye fer 'aye to get to yer goal, or is it a grand size one that ye will be diggin' with?"

    Dani chuckled as he realized what treasure she was talking about.  "It's bigger than you've ever seen!"  He smiled and licked his lips in anticipation. 

    She made a rude noise. "Now I know ye have been kissin' the Blarney stone!" she scolded. "Come! Ye wanted to dance, let's go dance!"

    Dani grinned and rose to his feet.  He towered over her.  "I'm ready. Where is this place?  Is it far?"  He hoped he wouldn't have to walk too long and use up all his energy. 

    "Just a wee stretch of the legs, little man," she said, scampering on ahead of him.  Luckily for Dani, it was her legs she was talking about, not his. A short distance away was the magical glen, where already the diminutive musicians and dancers were filling the surrounding forest with the sound of their music. As Nickel raced up to the wooden platform eleven other red headed leprechaun girls were on, her outfit changed to that of her dancing costume, a short, emerald green dress with a golden Celtic knot emblazed on the bodice.

    Dani's eyes lit up in delight.  So many lovely little women!  And it looked like he was the only man there, aside from the male leprechaun musicians.  All the ladies were beautiful and their smiling eyes made him want to do much more than dance. 

    He had never seen dancing quite like what they were doing. The twelve tiny dancers were moving in unison, their feet tapping out the rhythm of the music while their hands were held absolutely still against their sides.

    He watched for a few minutes and they waved him over. "How do you do that?"  He was bewildered.  Hesitantly, he started moving his feet, trying to copy what they were doing.  In a moment, he was tripping himself and crashing to the ground, laughing at himself. 

    Nickel shook her head. "Clumsy! Do that again, and ye will crush us all!" She said something in the old Irish, and in a flash all twelve of them became *normal* size, right in front of his eyes. "Get up, little man! Let's see if we can get yer feet movin' in a way that won't result in yer fallin' on yer arse again!"

    "I told you I don't know much about dancing.  I never had anybody to teach me before.  Now I have twelve pretty teachers all at once!" he smiled, his eyes twinkling. 

    With a combination of good natured harassment and cheerful encouragement, they did just that! By the time midnight came and went, he was actually able, not only to master the steps, but to actually keep up with them, and the male leprechauns who had joined the dance later on. But even though the wee folk could have easily danced all night, Dani was mortal, and thus had his limitations. As he neared them, Nickel took him by the hand, and led him off the dance floor, and back to the stream where he had first met her. Waiting for him was a mug of ale with some bread and cheese.

    "I've never been so tired in all my life!"  Dani smiled.  "That was fun!" There was so much more he had planned to say to her, but he was getting so sleepy, it was hard to remember most of it.  He gratefully sat down and had some of the bread, cheese, and ale.  As much as he didn't want the night to
end, he couldn't help yawning.  "I think your treasure is safe for one more night, at least," he smiled at Nickel as she sat beside him. 

     "Won't it still be there come mornin'?" she teased, pulling his head down into her lap. As she ran her fingers through his hair, she started to sing to him once more.

    By the end of the song, Dani was sound asleep.

    Dani slept peacefully, dreaming of Nickel.  He didn't wake until the sun was just coming up.  At first, he was startled.  This wasn't his bed!  His hair was wet with dew, but the rest of him was dry and warm, covered in sweet-smelling ferns and leaves woven into a sort of blanket.  As he remembered the dancing the night before, he smiled.  Then he remembered his chores and forced himself to get up and start back to the farm.  On his way, he looked back.  "Thank you Nickel!" he whispered.