the Liar and the Leprechaun

[Jasen Smith]

St. Patty's Day.
"Ever heard the story of the Liar and the Leprechaun?" says an old chubby man with a thick white beard and round glasses.
"No grandpa." says a little boy sitting on his bed, blanket pulled up over his legs.
"Well, let me tell you a tale that has been around for generations. Since I was a little boy." he says with a smile. His rosy red cheeks almost seemed to glow under the lantern lit room. He adjusts his red suspenders, licks the tip of his thumb and opens a old decorative book. He flips through the pages, "Ah, here we are." he says glancing up over the book at his grandson.

Long ago, in a small town called, Harbor Doc, came a small man wearing a green hat and green clothes. He pulled in a small wooden wagon with a large black blanket covering it. "I could use a drink." he says wiping sweat from his brow. He stops in front of a pub called, Devil's Drinks and drags his small wagon inside.
Inside the pub he takes a look around to check out the crowd and a seat, finding one in the corner near the back. Everyone stares at him, not because he looks different than a normal man, but because of what he is pulling behind him.
As he walks by the crowd he overhears everyone's conversations, "It's been so hot this year." says a snowman sitting in a puddle.
"Then he cut my paw off after I tried eating ol' Red." says a wolf holding up his right paw to another wolf who is breathing heavily.
"She broke up with me, all of our eggs, what are we going to do?!" says a white rabbit sobbing into his hands.
"I guess you're just going to have to give them away." says a small elf with a pointy red and green hat.
"Then they scooped out ma' brains and guts, and when they cut me some eyes, I saw them laughing, laughing with joy." says a Jack-o-lantern.
"Oh my goodness, humans are so horrible, and to think that's all I ever wanted to be too." says a small boy with a long nose.

Finally, the leprechaun sat in a chair in the back of the over crowded pub and glared at the people in the room. "They're all after it." He said under his breath. "Me pot o' gold, me pot o' gold."
"Can I get ya' a drink?" says a busty young woman with curly blonde hair.
"Sure, ya' can Goldie." he replies with a wink and a sneer. "I'll have that famous green beer I heard so much about."
"One green beer coming up." she says with perkiness in her voice and skips back behind the bar.
"I haven't seen you here before." a man in a black robe says with an eerie cold voice. "Name?"
The leprechaun turns in his sit to look at the man but is unable to see his face hidden behind the cloak. "And why ya' be need'n ma' name?"
"I am Death, give me your name, or I will take your soul without permission."
"The name's Mr. Bucklegreen, Jack Bucklegreen. So, off wit cha' Death." Jack says shooing Death away with his white gloved hand.
Death slowly walks away and towards the entrance. "Here ya' go love, one green beer." Goldie says placing the glass mug on the table in front Jack.
Jack still glaring at Death sees a man enter, he is only wearing a cloth around his waist and a crown of thorns wrapped around his head. Bleeding from his hands and out of breath, he stops in front of Death, wipes the blood on his clothed waist. Death puts out one finger, touching the man on the head, instantly turning him into ashes.
"I never get tired of watching him do that." says a man pulling up a stool next to Jack. "Hi, my name is Jack, famous for climbing a bean stalk and killing a giant. What's your name?"
"Ya' not be getn' ma' pot ol' gold, laddy." Mr. Bucklegreen says glaring at Jack.
"So it IS you!" Jack says bouncing up out of his stool. "Jacks! It's HIM!" Jack yells. Suddenly, the room goes darker as crowds of people stand up and start approaching Mr. Bucklegreen. "Jack-o-lantern make sure you block that exit." Jack yells to the pumpkin headed man. "Jack Rabbit, block the back exit!" The white rabbit hops over the crowd of people and to the back of the pub.
Mr. Bucklegreen jumps up on the table kicking over his green beer, "YOU'LL NOT TAKE ME POT O' GOLD!" He screams reaching inside his jacket pocket.
"HE'S GOT A GUN!" Jack the giant killer yells.
"AN AXE!!" yells the pawed wolf.
Instead of a gun or an axe, Mr. Bucklegreen pulls out a handful of four leaf clovers. The goes quiet and then burst into laughter. "Clovers!?" Jack laughs. "What are you going to do, plant a garden?"
"Not exactly." Mr. Bucklegreen says throwing the clovers in the air. Everyone watches as they slowly fall to the ground. The room waits and then suddenly a loud explosion of smoke fills the entire room.
As the smoke thins out, hundreds of leprechauns are standing with tiny knives in hand. Blood has soaked the floors, and bodies lie everywhere.
"Nobody gets me pot o' gold." Bucklegreen says pulling his wagon out towards the door, walking by Death.
"Well, you left me quite a mess to clean up didn't you, Mr. Bucklegreen." Death says.
"Ya' should be thanking me fer providing ya with so much death...Mr. Black." Bucklegreen replies.
"One of these days, I will collect your soul, and your pot of gold." Mr. Black says.
"Over my dead body, Mr. Black." Mr. Bucklegreen says reaching under the black sheet covering his pot of gold. "This is fer you, laddy." he says flipping a couple of coins in the air. Death tries to grab them but they slip through his bony hands. "Come now, we're on ta' our next village."
"Where?" Death asks picking up the gold coins.
"Ta' tha' North Pole, got a plumpy ol' man I have ta settle an old score with."

"Ever since then, no one has seen Mr. Bucklegreen, and no one ever will." says the chubby old man as he closes the book.
"But I've seen him, grandpa." says the little boy pulling the blanket up to his nose.
"It's just a fairytale, he doesn't really exist." Grandpa says standing up and walking over to the lantern.
"But he does exist, I've seen him. I see him everyday." the boy's voice begins to crack. "I look at me everyday, and everyday I 'ave been wait'n for tis' moment."
"Oh my, you finally found me." The lantern goes out, and the room goes silent.

[AthenaRose]

Oooh, creepy ending.

Like the use of the fairytale characters. I know your word count was restricted here, but that bit would be nice fleshed out a bit more.

Got the tense thing going on, again, and you could use extra space between the lines of text. But, overall, a good piece.

[LDahl]

I really enjoyed reading it.

[Jon Dahl]

Me too! I think you're going to win the contest again!

[Jasen Smith]

HA, thanks for liking it.

I feel kinda weird that no one else joined in. I mean I started it, entered it, and no one else is gonna try.

I should have said, I will mail you what Jon mail's me as a prize!

[Jon Dahl]

Originally Posted by Jasen Smith

I should have said, I will mail you what Jon mail's me as a prize!

Which should be there (finally) by the end of the week.

[Jasen Smith]

...I hope it's not a roid...

[Jon Dahl]

.... errr.... Don't open the box. Just.. Just put it in the garage.