Traditional Celtic Tales: "The Wily Leprechaun"...

Now, the leprechaun is a very clever little faerie, a faerie shoemaker, actually.   But, he only works on one shoe, never two.  And, he likes to sit under the big leaves of the burdocks, humming or giggling to himself...  Which is exactly what he was doing when a young man from Limerick came upon him.  He grabbed the leprechaun by the back of his coat and lifted him up while the little shoemaker struggled and tried to slug him.

"Lemme go!," the leprechaun screamed.

"No!," the young man, whose named was Billy, replied.  "I know you have a pot of gold hidden somewhere that you'll give to me to get your freedom!"

"No!  Ye can't have me gold, ye greedy fool!"

"I know if I take my eyes off you you'll disappear, so I'll keep looking at you and I'll hold onto you till you tell me where your gold is!," Billy said.

"Never!  LEMME GO!"

Yet, although he wiggled and wiggled the leprechaun couldn't get free of Billy's strong grip.  Finally, he sighed.  "Okay.  Okay...  If ye let me go I'll tell ye where I keep me gold."

"No, you show me first, THEN I'll let you go."

"Yer a smart lad, Billy.  Alright, I'll take ye there."

And, the leprechaun told Billy where to carry him, to a field of daisies.  In the middle of the field the leprechaun told Billy to stop.  He pointed to the ground at Billy's feet.  "If ye dig down six feet you'll find me pot o' gold.  Now, lemme go!   And see, I'll tie me red garter around the stem of this daisy right over the spot so you'll know where to dig when ye come back with yer shovel.  Okay?"

Billy scratched his chin.  "Alright, I guess.  I'll let you go."

And, he did.  Quick as the blink of an eye, the leprechaun disappeared.  But, Billy looked down at the red garter and grinned.  He'd be rich.  He ran back to his shed to get a shovel.  When he returned to the field of daisies he threw down the shovel and started to swear mightily as he looked out over the vista of thousands and thousands of beautiful flowers.  Every one had a red garter around it's stem.

Billy thought he could hear the leprechaun laughing and laughing nearby.  "Uh-uh-UH!!...  Ye can't have me gold!"