CHAPTER TWO

         ONE MORE TIME

                                                                       

Oh, don’t fret. They didn’t disappear. Instead, Malley and O’Toole found a better place to observe the child—one where Alex couldn’t disturb them, or so they thought.

Two pairs of eyes peered out from behind the rotted wooden sawhorse in the center of the Sighs’ cluttered yard. Weapons and sports equipment lay abandoned, strewn here and there with little care amidst makeshift beauty pageant ramps. Crowns and sashes hung unevenly on nails pounded into the side of the shed. A haphazardly thrown burlap bag lay abandoned on the ground. The moon shone brightly, but fortunately, leprechaun shadows are hard to see.

Malley scratched the back of his ear with a rusty nail. “Why do we still need to be here, O’Toole?” 

O’Toole slapped the back of his friend’s head. “Because we need him to believe and to follow us on our mission. You already know that.”

“So I guess it’s now rather than later, correct?” asked Malley. “The boy contacted us, so I guess we must move up our plan.”

 “Well, he caught us in a smelly sack. It almost did me in.” O’Toole pantomimed death by smelly bag asphyxiation. “So we have little of a choice, but we must make sure he’s ready.”

“If you didn’t pass out, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” snorted Malley.

O’Toole folded his arms and glared at his friend. “I have told you over and over. I was just fine until you fell into the bag and knocked me out with your clown-sized shoes. I was already formulating a plan of action, which, I might add, is hard to do while unconscious, thank you very much.”

                                                                 

Malley held his hand over his heart and feigned hurt. “Well, pardon me for allowing myself to get captured. It happened. I acted bravely and saved us both. Now get over it. And what do you mean; the child is the only one who can return the unicorns?”

“I meant what I said. He and he alone can return our lost property.”  O’Toole rubbed his sore head and continued. “We are to accompany the child on his journey, wherever it leads him, and help him locate the stolen unicorns so we can steal them back. Now hush up. You are making too much noise. You’ll wake the child again.”

“So tell me, Mr. I- have-everything-under-control, what do we do next?” They were squatting next to a broken wooden sword, and Malley touched the blade.

“We observe and wait until he is ready to accept his mission.” O’Toole pried his friend’s hand from the blade.

They were too involved with their conversation to notice Alexander holding the burlap bag between his teeth as he crawled on his hands and knees, avoiding knives, jousting sticks, and broken sword blades. By the time the huge menacing shadow loomed over them, it was too late. Alexander scooped the leprechauns up and stuffed them in the bag once again.

Capturing a leprechaun is a rare occasion. Catching two leprechauns twice is even more unusual, which made the leprechauns appear totally unprofessional. O’Toole, upset and horrified, fumed with his arms folded and his eyes ablaze.

“At least you didn’t pass out this time. You’re becoming much smarter,” commented Malley.

“You imbecilic, lame-brained, Eastern Toadstoolian leprechaun. Must I tell you once again you knocked me out with your enormous clown feet?”

“Fine. But this is embarrassing.”

“You don’t say,” huffed O’Toole. “Your feet are to blame for our predicament, you know.”

“Me? You’re the brains behind this operation, and for your information, Eastern Toadstoolian leprechauns are just as good as Western Unicornian leprechauns,” Malley said with a slight whimper, his feelings dashed by his friend. “Didn’t your mother tell you if you haven’t got anything nice to say about a friend, then you shouldn’t say it to his face? Have the common decency to write your complaints about me and send them through proper channels.”

“I’ve been a leprechaun all of my life and never heard of such channels. If I say it’s your fault, it’s your fault. I do have seniority, and I’m much smarter than you,” O’Toole exclaimed.

“You do have a point there. Tell me again why this capture for the second time is my fault.”  Malley poked the side of the bag as if it were a bubble.

“It is. Case closed. Sweep the slate clean. Now hush up, so I can figure out how to get us out of this mess you got us into.”

                                                                 

“You guys know I can hear you, don’t you?” Alex held the bag in front of his face.

“Obviously not.” O’Toole rubbed his chin as if it would kick his problem-solving skills into overdrive.

“Why are you spying on me? What do you want?” demanded Alex.

“Please, hush up. I’m trying to figure out a plan to escape this bag, and your constant chatter and questions make any thought impossible.”

“Oh, sorry.” Alex stopped talking for a minute. “Hey, wait a minute! I’m the one holding the bag. I make the rules. I’ll let you out of the bag if you answer my questions.”

O’Toole thought for a brief moment. “It’s a deal. Now let us out of this blasted bag, please.”

Alex hesitated, but he had just promised. So, he ducked behind a small withered bush next to the shed and placed the bag on the ground, releasing his grip. Malley and O’Toole hopped out and stared him in the eye for what seemed to be an eternity.

Finally, O’Toole spoke. “Allow me to introduce ourselves. I am O’Toole from the Order of High Leprechauns, First Class, Keeper of the Rainbows, Shepherd of the Unicorns, and this is my associate.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Alex politely. “Does your friend have a name?” 

“He does, but first we must deal with a teensy-tiny formality. Leprechaun rules, codes, ethics, blah, blah, blah,” O’Toole said in his best legal voice. Alex just watched his two captives sparkle in the moonlight. “Very well, are you ready?” 

      Alexander nodded.

      “First, always get your demands in writing when capturing and dealing with magical creatures. Second, well, there is no second. I’ll answer all your questions when you’re ready to believe the answers. We will meet again soon.” 

POOF! Both Malley and O’Toole vanished.