Leprechaun Party

Hearing noisy rummaging in the supply cabinet, Serena decided to investigate. As she approached, she cocked her head to the side, curious at the sight before her. Tamara emerged from storage with arms overflowing. It was an unusual assortment. Several boxes of food coloring, a couple canisters of shaving cream, a box of baking soda, a container of saline solution, cups, tins, and a massive container of glue were haphazardly clutched in a struggle of an embrace. Serena couldn’t fathom what Tamara intended to do with it all.

Looking for clarity as she followed Tamara back to the cafeteria, Serena inquired, “Sooo… what’s the plan for all of that? What are you making?”

Placing her spoils upon the nearest table, Tamara released a satisfied sigh of relief. Nodding proudly to herself in her accomplishment, she glanced over at Serena.

“A Leprechaun Party,” she informed Serena as if it were the most blatantly obvious thing in the world. Tamara raised a dubious brow at Serena as if she should have known.

Reviewing the surplus of supplies on the table, Serena tried to assemble a mental image of what a “Leprechaun Party” would look like. She came up short.

“Okay, a Leprechaun Party,” Serena began, hoping to gain a better understanding. “What exactly goes on at a Leprechaun Party?” Serena had never heard of such a thing, but the idea sounded like it had potential.

“It’s a celebration for a Leprechaun, of course. We have to assemble a feast, but,” Tamara broke off into a whisper, “it’s only to lure in a Leprechaun so we can trap it. They’ll never show up if we don’t have bait.”

That Serena could understand; leprechaun traps were quite big in schools, and kids wracked their brains for ways to ingeniously ensnare the crafty, little creatures. Serena knew all about the attempts to lure leprechauns in with “gold” coins and have boxes fall on top of them or fall inside pitfalls filled with glue. The feast was a first, though. Serena took a quick glance at Tamara’s supplies, pondering what exactly she believed leprechauns ate. The only items that were known to be used in actual cooking or baking were baking soda and food coloring. Neither of those sounded particularly appealing to the appetite, alone or together. Plus, there was the glue, saline solution, and shaving cream to consider. Were they supposed to be included in the leprechaun’s essential food groups?

Maisy popped up beside them, oozing enthusiasm. “Oh, good! You brought the supplies! We can start!”

The duo began to mix the various “ingredients” together to create their feast. Serena watched them, bemused, as the girls poured globs of glue into a tin, mixing them with squirts of shaving cream, copious amounts of green food coloring, piles of baking soda, and spurts of saline solution. Apparently, all of it was intended to be ingredients for the feast. The girls were engrossed in their task, determination radiating off their every movement.

The pair beamed, celebrating with a high five. “Finished!” they announced triumphantly. “Here’s the cake!”

They placed their creation onto another table gently, being mindful of presentation. Said cake seemed to consist mostly of shaving cream dyed a vibrant green. It was certainly festive in leprechaun’s associated color. Tamara and Maisy had certainly worked hard—that much was obvious—with lots of care put into the crafting of the “cake.” The duo shared a look.

“Time for the other dishes!” they declared in unison, pep in their step as they resumed their work.

Ever-diligent, offerings on the table for their feast accumulated. The girls filled various tins and cups, ensuring that each was some shade of green. They were determined to capture a leprechaun. The girls kept Serena informed as they worked, adding what they believed to be crucial tidbits. They were entirely serious about their project.

“There’s a lot of green,” Serena observed, content to allow them to express themselves creatively and see where the project led them. It was turning out to be an intriguing morning; she certainly hadn’t expected the kids to embark on a mission to capture a leprechaun before 7 am. Kids were unusual beings, but they definitely kept things interesting and lively.

“Well, of course!” Maisy replied.

Tamara quickly followed up, adding, “The food has to be green to lure the leprechaun in. Otherwise, it won’t show up. Everyone knows that.”

The girls added more items, informing Serena all about the “sour cream,” “dips,” “ice cream,” “eggs,” and more. Amidst their creating, Adrianna joined them, enthusiastic to participate in the ploy. They were dead set on tricking and ensnaring a leprechaun in their trap, refusing to let anything get in their way.

Serena wondered about how they would know if they were successful or not, musing aloud, “So, where do you think the leprechaun will come from? Are you looking for a specific leprechaun?”

Maisy, Tamara, and Adrianna shared a look before pulling Serena in a huddle. “Shhh!!!” they whispered vehemently. “You can’t let the leprechaun know! Collin’s the real leprechaun, but he can’t find out that we know!”

Serena eyed her coworker from where he was sitting at another table. He was rather focused on drawing a picture depicting the capture of a leprechaun. She recalled overhearing the pair of girls chastise Collin earlier that “real leprechauns don’t draw or color.” Serena wondered how they reached that conclusion and how they expected Collin not to realize they believed he was a real leprechaun when they made remarks like that. She mentally shrugged her shoulders. If it made the girls happy, they could believe it; Collin didn’t seem to mind, but it was Serena’s understanding that leprechauns were supposed to be rather small—Collin was quite tall. She didn’t see what made them convinced, but Serena decided to go along with their game.

While Tamara and Maisy continued their preparations, Amy wandered up to the group, curious as to what they were up to. Serena informed her about their plan for a Leprechaun Party and how they hoped to finally catch a leprechaun.

“Oooohhh, that’s going to be tricky,” Amy remarked to Serena, watching the other girls’ preparations with interest. “Leprechauns are crafty and hard to catch. I’ve tried everything to catch them: boxes, glue, offerings of gold, ropes, the works. Nothing’s ever worked.” Amy huffed, reflecting on all her frustrating, past failures. “And the worst part is that sometimes parents set them off because they don’t know about the traps! All your hard work ruined—your hopes crushed. I always end up empty handed, but I’ll catch a leprechaun one of these days!”

Serena nodded in understanding. While she never, personally, tried to catch one, the dedication behind the goal and perseverance was admirable. They were definitely useful characteristics to have in life; they would serve Amy well.

The group of girls added the final touches to their feast, arranging their dishes just so. They nodded their approval, patting themselves on the back.

With the table prepared to their satisfaction Tamara exclaimed, “Excellent! The stage is set!” She belted out a wicked laugh, mischief twinkling in her eyes.

Serena was surprised Tamara could sound so nefarious. Granted, the girls had been plotting to ensnare a leprechaun in a trap, but there was almost a hint of evil in that laugh. She hoped that they wouldn’t actually try to force Collin to eat the feast. They were usually pretty good about distinguishing play from reality, but they had also tried to force him to kiss his “girlfriend,” which happened to be a Barbie they selected from the toy bin. She wouldn’t put it past them to demand he actually eat the prepared feast, insisting that he not let all their hard work go to waste, but she hoped they didn’t. It certainly wasn’t edible.