The True Story of the Leprechaun

The true story of the Leprechauns is a tale that is darker and more twisted than anyone could have imagined; they are far more than the devilish little tricksters history has made them out to be.

The sad truth is that they are the long-forgotten children from a village that history would rather not remember, cursed to roam the earth with nothing but the memories of a life they had taken for granted long ago.

It all began around the year 872 AD in a little village in what is now the county of Limerick, called Orgfaxt, which at the time was one of the wealthiest villages across the known world. This was due in part to its ideal location, harbour, and talented weaponsmiths, who at the time had a reputation for creating the finest weaponry in all of Europe.

Not only was Orgfact renowned for its great wealth, which could rival some of the wealthiest nations of today, but it was also highly infamous for the generations of spoiled and ungrateful children who wreaked havoc within its walls.

Each spring, the merchants entering the town to trade and purchase goods by land and by sea dreaded the thought of those foul and revolting children and the havoc that they created as they ran about the market square. At the same time, their parents stood by, ideally watching, yet never displaying any intentions to interfere as their children would terrorize the very same individuals with whom their wealth and survival depended.

Instead, many took place in what was often an all too common and obnoxious pastime for the villagers, that is taking pleasure in grumblings from trade merchants of rival nations, who were sworn enemies on the battlefield, yet often found friendship in this particular field of battle, as they both shared a common enemy, which was far worse than each side had ever faced in combat. The sad reality was that neither side would be in this predicament if not for the weapons, which by design and capability had no rival across all of Europe.

Then, on a remarkably warm spring day in the third week of May, a chance encounter was in the making, one that would change the town forever, and ultimately remove its name from history forever.

 A young woman by the name of Niamh Henbry, the eldest daughter of Darragh Henbry, the wealthiest merchant and owner of the mighty fleet of ships on which the town depended for both trade and the defence of its harbour, decided to take a stroll through the forest in search of blooming flowers. She hadn’t gone far when she just so happened to come across the most magnificent flower garden that she had ever seen, and all of a sudden, she felt compelled to kneel and embrace its beauty.

Suddenly, she began to realize that she had been gone for quite some time, and any moment, her mother would soon be calling her in for supper, so she rose to her feet and was just about to head for home when, as if out of thin air, an old woman did appear.

“So sorry to frighten you, my child,” said the old woman.

“I am fine,” replied the girl, “I had completely lost all track of time and must be on my way, before my parents begin to worry,” she replied.

“Oh, my child,” said the old woman, in a sweet and tender voice. “I have so few visitors to my garden, especially ones as young and fair as yourself. Please feel free to return at any time,” the old woman replied.

And just as the girl was about to begin her journey back to the village, a thought had taken hostage of her mind. “Forgive me if I may seem too forthcoming,” said the girl in a timid voice, as she feared she might offend the kind old woman with her suggestion. “Have you ever considered bringing your flowers to the market? Their beauty is like none I've ever seen, and I'm quite sure, many of the townsfolk dare be enchanted at the opportunity to possess such radiance within their dwelling”.

At first, the old woman did not reply but said that she would give it some thought while enjoying her tea after supper.

After some deliberation throughout the evening, the old woman decided that she would try her luck at the village square. The following afternoon, she harvested only the finest flowers from her garden, wove them into bouquets, and headed into town, which she had not set foot in since the day she was a child.

Upon her arrival, she found herself a fine booth to display her flowers and waited in anticipation of what might come to be. Not long after her arrival, Niamh had noticed that she had accepted her invitation and was overjoyed to see the old woman once again. And within the blink of an eye, she set out to inform her friends and family of the bouquets that were for sale today at the market, and how they would regret letting the opportunity to possess them slip away.

Within minutes, a line had appeared in front of the old ladies’ booth that stretched to the very edge of town, causing the other vendors to question why they even bothered to get out of bed.

When the day had come to an end, the old woman was overjoyed. At no other point in her life had she been so filled with coins that she was unsure if she would be capable of carrying them home on just one trip.

And as the young girl approached wearing a bigger smile than her own, she shouted with glee, “Thank you, a million thank you’s, my dear, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such success, I shall gladly return tomorrow to try my luck once again.

With that, the old woman skipped back to her dwelling, trying her best not to drop her earring along the path. Day after day, the old woman returned to the market, each day carrying more flowers than the day before, and at the end of each day, her pockets had been emptied and were full again. This had continued for just a month, that was until the day that would change the lives of the people of Orgfaxt, perhaps until the end of time itself.

Like every day before it since the old lady had first arrived at the market, on this day, the weather was far beyond radiant, which had become commonplace over the previous weeks, though quite strange for this particular time of early spring.

The day itself began like all the rest. The old woman arrived at the market and began to set up shop. Just as she finished setting up her wares, a snot-nosed, pug-faced little boy, who detested all things beautiful, and especially kind old ladies, would appear, with the intent to show the old woman that she was not welcome in his town.

He began to creep up on her booth slowly, and the very second her back was turned, he grabbed her finest bouquet and tore it to shreds, scattering the flowers across the ground before her very eyes. For a moment, she froze in disbelief over the actions she had just witnessed; however, her disbelief quickly turned into sheer rage, and before the disruptive child could celebrate his deeds, she grabbed him by the ear and scolded him for his actions, striking fear deep within his heart.

“You wicked child”, she screamed, with a shriek that ripped across the market and brought a silence to the crowd, even the air itself feared to make a whisper, as her voice cut deep within the child's heart. “Look at what you have done, and for what, nothing more than showing off to all your friends, curse you wicked devil creature, away with you at once, never to cast your shadow near my presence again”.

With that, the child ran as fast as his tiny legs could manage, as his tears marked the way back to his home. And although it would seem that the altercation had come to an end, not one single person could find the words or the voice to speak, as if some powerful spell had robbed them of their tongues and frozen them in their place.

That was until only mere moments later when the boy's parents had arrived, with fire in their eyes and anger lurking deep within their hearts. The first to speak, was the father of the boy, with whom was the mayor of the town of Qrgfaxt as well, “Curse you vile old wretched hag”, The man shouted, as if a lion had given him his voice, “Curse you, and away with you, you who dares to act as though they may speak to our children as if they were their own”.

Be gone! " Shouted the people of the town, as the mob began to cackle and taunt the old woman. That was until a spectral force engulphed the market square, like a wind born from within the depths of hell, bringing the people to their knees. Then the old woman spoke in a voice that carried a shiver to the souls of every man, woman and child who was present.

“You fouls’, she cried, “you are a land of great wealth and prosperity, yet you choose not to raise your children, preferring to let them raise themselves, and so I say to you, when the trees began to shed their summer clothes, and harvest moon makes its presence for the first time, then no longer parents shall they have, and children they shall remain forever.

And with that, the old woman vanished as if she had never been present at this location.

At first, the people of the village of Orgfaxt lived each day in fear of the old woman’s curse. Still, as autumn had come quite a bit earlier than usual, following the old woman’s departure, the townspeople took the curse as nothing more than the ramblings of an old fool, and life went back to the way it was before the hag had come to town.

That was until the first night of the harvest moon.

It was a night that many say had carved its name within the fabric of time, although by the lips of not a soul has been spoken of until today, the air was a little more chilly than was common for that particular time of year. Yet, the wind lay still, as if lying in anticipation of something that it was sure was about to happen. The bright red moon seemed as if it had come a little too close to the earth that particular night, almost as if it did not want to miss a thing.

Thank you for reaching out.

Although that night seemed to have a different kind of feeling, the townsfolk of Orgfact pretended not to notice and simply carried on with their routine. However, the following day brought with it a series of events that could not be ignored.

 The children had all slept in the next day, refreshed from the extra sleep, but confused as to why their parents hadn’t woken them for breakfast. They all ventured across the village in search of the adults, and many of them began to realize that all the adults were gone. At first, many of the children were overjoyed at their newfound freedom, and they spent the entire day frolicking like baby deer on the first warm day of spring. Still, as the day went on, fear began to creep in: “However shall we eat?” cried one small child, “Who shall take care of us?” cried another. And so all gathered in the inn to find shelter, while the older children did their best to manage.

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The following day, when they awoke and their parents still had not returned, the children began to realize this must be the actions of the witch. Together, they gathered in one large angry mob, ready to face the witch and demand that their parents be returned immediately. Suddenly, the great witch appeared before their very eyes.

“I warned you”, screamed the witch, in a raspy, cackling voice, “I warned you and your greedy, selfish parents.”

“For their greed, your parents shall become the thing they love most of all, a pot of gold, and as for you, my little demon seeds, since it is brat little children you choose to be, then that will be how you shall remain, until the day you a child as greedy as yourselves, so that they may take your curse and make it their own”.

And with that proclamation, the witch had vanished as quickly as she had appeared.

Leaving nothing behind but a cloud of dust and a group of children, with not a clue what to make of the world from this day forward. All they knew was that from today onward, they must protect what was once their parents, but it is now a pot of gold, as it is the only thing they have left to remind themselves of who they once were and will never be again.

And with that, the village that once looked down on all of Europe now sat as a decrypted version of its former self, soon to be erased from history forever, although the impact it had left will never be forgotten.

As for the children, some say, each went their separate ways, damned to walk across the world forever, searching for a cure or perhaps a time when their sins may be forgiven.

While others claim that when the moon is full, the Leprechauns venture from their hiding places, searching for children as greedy as they once were, with the hope that they can be tricked to take the curse upon themselves. For if they find such a fool, then a Leprechaun they shall become, and the child of Orgfaxt shall finally be able to rest in peace.  

So, the next time you find yourself with thoughts about stealing the treasure from a leprechaun, turn back while you still can, or you may find yourself losing all that brings true value in your life, and left wandering the earth with nothing more than a worthless pot of gold to your name.