Gillian and the Leprechauns

     Strange things happened that summer, the summer our good friends and neighbours, the Scots, spent the summer in Ireland.
     They had traded their home, with an Irish family. We had new neighbours for the summer, a mother, a father and their daughter Jessica.
     Although Jessica claimed to be 89 years old, we believed her to be the same age as our youngest daughter Gillian, eight going on nine. Jessica’s parents were rather reclusive and we saw very little of them throughout the summer. The odd hello or a nod of the head in greeting, was the extent of our relationship.
On the other hand Gillian and Jessica became fast friends. They became, Gillie and Jessie or Jessie and Gillie. It didn't matter, wherever you would find one, you would find the other.
     Jessie spoke with a singsong voice. Wherever she ran, for she seldom walked, there was music in the air. She wore no shoes and seldom combed her hair, which was long and often tangled. She spoke in rhyme,
     "Tis jolly here and oh! So fine", was one of her favourite sayings.
     The two girls built a fairy house, in our garden. They gathered thorns from the thorn bush to make a little fence. They found some old acorn tops and built a little walkway. They dug little holes and buried little treasures, special rocks and old bones. A piece of lobster shell, and a bunch of old dog's hair, other things I couldn't even guess at.
     They made little stick people whom they called the Fairy People. Gillian’s Barbie dolls became the evil humans, who tried to find the Fairy People, and steal their children as well as their other riches.
The evil humans could never find the Fairy People because they hid, behind the little thorn fences, underneath the cucumber leaves.
     The cucumbers struggled, while everything else in the garden flourished.
     We didn't expect much from the cucumber patch. What with the thorn fences and the little stick fairies, making and burring secret potions to keep the evil humans out, the cucumbers didn't have a chance. They looked like old cigar butts.
     By late August, the tomatoes were ripening on the vines, they were beautiful. There were also big slugs in the garden that year, but instead of eating holes in the tomatoes, the slugs seemed to be shining them up, for us.
     The carrots were big, bright and easy to pull out of the ground, tasty too. Everything seemed bigger and better than usual. Except for the cucumbers of course, they were small and scabby.
     We had eaten some of our broccoli earlier in the week, it was beautiful. Of course there were the usual little green caterpillars and as usual, I got them on my plate. Everyone laughed when Jessica said,
     "You'll not be needing butter on your broccoli now, with all those baby butterflies- buttering it up".
Summer was in its prime, yet drawing to a close. Everywhere, ads were screaming "Back to school specials". Jessie was talking about her family going home to Ireland. Then Gillian insisted we have Jessie and her parents over for a farewell barbeque. We all agreed.
     They came to our home, mid afternoon two days later. I had never seen Jessie's parents up close before. I was quite surprised at their small stature. I am not very tall myself, but at five feet six in. I had them beaten, by at least 2 or 3 Inches. I was even more surprised by their pointed ears. Looking over at Jessica, who always wore her hair down, I noticed for the first time, she also had pointed ears. Lovely, a chip of off the old block I thought.
     Once in our backyard, they automatically took off their shoes and walked around barefooted, for they wore no socks. I offered them lawn chairs, they refused, stating that they would rather sit on the lovely ground.
     Jessie's dad's eyes darted everywhere, as if he were looking for something.
     "Oh! But your garden is lovely" he said, jumping up and moving, quite quickly to the tomato plants.
"Slug shined tomatoes!” He exclaimed, looking at his daughter. "It's a long time since I've seen slug shined tomatoes. O! For the love of Derby, look at those carrots. Lovely, lovely" he said. Then, "Oh my gosh! No, no! I can’t believe it, Jessie, O. Jessie, what have you done? Just look at that cucumber patch. For sure you've cast a spell. Oh Jessie, what have you done?"

     He got so agitated I thought he was going to slap his daughter. All the while Jessie's Mom kept clicking her tongue against the roof, of her mouth. "Tut tut tut."
     Well, I was so surprised by their reaction. "Don’t worry" I said. "It's quite all right; the children had a wonderful summer in the garden, no harm done". I kept trying to assure them, "No harm done. It was nice for my wife and I to watch them, playing with their fairy dolls. It's quite all right".
     "Playing with fairy dolls indeed!" said Jessie's dad. "Playing indeed, oh Jessie what have you done? Come home with me, this instant". With that he took his daughter by the arm and led her, next door. Leaving his wife standing by our garden.
     "Tut tut tut, O for the shame, the shame. I hope everything will be all right. Tut, tut tut." She kept repeating.
     "Of course it's all right, they're just kids, kids playing. That what kids do. Please, tell your husband, there’s no harm done. Please it's been a wonderful summer having Gillian and Jessica playing in the garden". By this time, I was getting upset myself. "It's only a stupid cucumber patch. Planted for the pleasure of all and it gave much pleasure, both to the children and too us". Please explain to your husband that we have loved having your daughter playing in the garden. We don’t care about the stupid cucumbers".
     Jessie's mother continues in the same vein. "Oh I hope, it will be for the good, you are such nice folks, I am sure that Jessie knew what she was doing". Ringing her hands together, Jessie's mother went home, saying for us not to worry, that everything would be alright.
     Well, we were so shocked as well as a bit upset. I mean really, it's only a cucumber patch, and poor Jessie getting dragged off like that and nobody even got to eat.
     The next morning they were at our door, saying how sorry they were for getting so upset and upsetting us as well, "Just to think that we had left without even tasting that lovely BBQ. You all had planned for us. We shamed ourselves. Now hat in hand, we do apologize, can you ever forgive us?” Jessica’s parents were so sincere.
     "Well of course we do, just a misunderstanding that’s all. Really the garden is for everyone’s enjoyment. If it became an enchanted place for our children to play in, it served a purpose much greater then I could have planned".
     "Indeed" said Jessica's father. "You are good people. Now I must tell you to be prepared. All is not as it seems. My child has cast a spell in your garden. Whether for good or bad only time will tell, all the good or bad that is in your hearts will be revealed, in your cucumber patch". So I pray and feel that Jessie is right, you are good people".
     "We came also to say good bye. We leave for home today. Ta-Ra, good bye, I am sure you are fine people and no harm will come, only blessings". Just like that, they turned and walked away. A short time later I saw Gillian and Jessie saying good byes, they were both smiling as they hugged and then they parted with a laugh.

     Well, summer is almost over. The kids are back in school. We are having a BBQ, with our real neighbours. We were having a laugh about the BBQ we had had, with the Irish family, yes said our neighbour, "They are quite superstitious over there, and it gets a bit tiring after a while."

     I could tell that Gillian was a bit put out with us. She went off by herself to play in the pitiful cucumber patch. Sarah, her older sister joined her there. I think to comfort her. As we adults continued to laugh at the silly antics of Jessie’s father and the Tat, tut tut of her mother.
     "Dad, Mom! Mom, Dad! Come quick and see this. You won’t believe this!" Gillian was on her hands and knees, in the cucumbers patch. She was parting a large patch of cucumber leaves and vines. Wonder on her face, her sister, standing over her, truly amazed. She quickly fell to her knees to lend a hand, holding back the leaves so that Gillian could explore more. "Come and see", they both yelled out together. "Come and see".
     We did. In fact, we ran to the cucumber patch, all of us grinning like kids, kids in a candy store. Wanting to see what was in the Cucumber patch.
     There, behind the little thorn fence, beside the leaves, which Sarah was holding back, shone the loveliest cucumber anyone had ever seen. It was shining from within, as if someone had put a light inside it.
     "Pick it!" yelled out our neighbour.
     "No way!" said Gillian, her hands on each side of the cucumber, protectively. "It's still growing. As she pulled her hands away, Sarah gently returned the leaves covering the cucumber.
     "Oh! My god," I thought, what's going on? I've been living right beside a family of Irish Leprechauns all summer long and I didn’t even know it., I didn’t even suspect, I never even thought, that Leprechauns were real. Then I looked right at Gillian and asked, "Did you know?"' Did you know that Jessie was a Leprechaun?"
     "Of course I knew Dad, she was my friend", was Gillian’s response.
     "What about you Sarah?” I asked.
     "Only for the last couple of weeks," Sarah answered.
     All I could say was. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why?”
It was Gillian who spoke first, "Because, she was my friend, Dad, and Leprechauns are not the kind of people, you tell secrets on."
     "I am so sorry" I said, "and ashamed, here I was talking about Jessica's father’s antics and her mothers, Tut-tutting. I never knew, Leprechauns are real."
     After a few moments, curiosity got the better of all of us. Gillian parted the leaves again. "Look it's getting bigger all the time".
     "It’s getting brighter too" said Gillian's Mother. Then Sarah reached down and touched it. She pulled her hand away fast.

     "It's hot!" She exclaimed. I started to feel afraid and backed away, remembering what Jessica’s father had said.
     "Whether for good or bad only time will tell, for all the good, or bad that is in your harts, shall be revealed in your cucumber patch."
     The rest of us also moved back, everyone that is, except Gillian. She stood her ground enthralled, as if it were her favourite cat, having kittens. Suddenly its light dimmed, and then slowly its glow faded out.
We all excelled the breath, we were holding, Then, Gillian said, “Now we can pick it."
     Gillian’s hand reached out, her fingers taking hold, her wrists pushing under the cucumber, she pulled and twisted. The cucumber was too heavy, and attached too tightly to the vine. "Get me a knife" she said, “I need to cut the vine."
     "No Gillian" I said, "It might be dangerous, let me cut it for you."
     Gillian just looked at me and said, “I’m the one doing the picking dad." That’s when Sarah pulled a pocket knife out of her pocket and handed it, opened, to Gillian. I was surprised at the knife’s appearance and a bit dismayed with the ease at which Sarah opened it. I backed out of the way, letting my two daughters handle the situation. Gillian cut the vine. Handed the knife back to her sister, the knife disappeared as fast as it had come out.
     Gillian was struggling to carry the cucumber to the house. Sarah eventually had to help. The cucumber was, very heavy. I held the door open for them. They put the cucumber down on the kitchen table. There was a definite thud, when they put it down, it was heavy.
This was not an ordinary cucumber, and I was definitely afraid of what might come out of it.
There we stood, around our kitchen table, Sarah and Gillian, hands on the cucumber. The rest of us gathered around staring at it, mesmerized.
     Gillian’s voice broke the silence, “Get me the butcher’s knife."
     Sarah looked up at me and said, "You better get the knife dad." What else could I do? I went to the cutlery drawer and took out the best knife we had. Just for good measure or maybe to safe face, I took out the sharpening stone and gave the knife a few strokes.
     That was when the neighbour’s voice boomed out, "For God’s sake Don, hurry up". I took another swipe with the sharpener, then turned and saw everyone looking at me. I quickly handed the knife to Gillian.
Gillian took the knife and right away, started cutting into the cucumber. It really looked like she knew what she was doing.

     She cut the cucumber length ways, from top to bottom. The knife went in easily for the first inches, then all along the length of the cucumber. Gillian's second cut, also started from the top and went to the bottom. She cut a wedge, about two and a half inches out of the cucumber. Both cuts joined at top and bottom. Then      Gillian put the knife down and using her hands peeled the wedge from the top down to the bottom of the cucumber, she pulled out the wedge, revealing to us all, row upon row of large, perfectly shaped golden and diamond cucumber seeds.
     That is to say, Leprechaun gold and diamonds. Magic gold, real diamonds.