"The Cobbler of Gal'ree Glen" by Dave Fox

A humble leprechaun shoe cobbler in an enchanted Irish village has an unexpected encounter with a human child and rewards him with a handful of gold coins, inadvertently risking the exposure of their secret magical realm.

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Transcript

"The Cobbler of Gal'ree Glen" by Dave Fox

Finley Fitzpatrick was a leprechaun of little consequence in the grand scheme of leprechaun society. His function was that of a shoe cobbler in the village of Gal'ree Glen, hidden deep within the enchanted woods of western Ireland. While other leprechauns busied themselves with guarding pots of gold at the ends of rainbows or orchestrating elaborate pranks, Finley was content to spend his days in the quiet of his shoe shop.

Each morning, Finley would set off to work in the village square before the first hints of sunrise began to lighten the sky. His feet, clad in soft leather shoes of his own making, hardly made a sound as they carried his three-foot frame rapidly across the dewy grass. The other leprechauns slept soundly, snoring into their beards and blankets.

Upon arriving at his minuscule shoe shop, Finley would stoke the fire in the cob-brick hearth, filling the small space with the crackle of flames and scent of peat smoke. He would then settle onto his stool before the workbench to begin cobbling the latest orders for his fellow leprechauns.

Finley took immense pride in his work, lovingly stitching each pointed toe and fashioning ornate buckles from polished brass. He favored green and gold leathers, weaving hints of magic into each shoe to provide a pleasantly bouncy stride to the wearer. A good leprechaun shoe was essential forhez'ing and jez'ing, the unique footwork required to stay light on one's toes while frolicking.

On this particular Spring morning, the first blossom-scented breezes were just wafting through the woods as Finley was putting the finishing touches on a pair of knee-high boots for Fergus O'Reilly, the town's rambunctious prankster. Fergus frequently wore through his soles while leading the village youth on merry chases.

As Finley was securing the last brass buckle, the bell above the shop door tinkled, announcing a customer. He turned, expecting to see one of the village elders come to retrieve their newly resoled brogues. But instead, framed in the arched doorway was the gangly frame of a human child.

"Why, bless my soul!" exclaimed Finley in shock, rapidly blinking his large green eyes. His stubby fingers stilled on the buckle as he took in the unexpected sight.

The child, a young lad no taller than Finley himself, gaped back with equal astonishment. His ruddy cheeks flushed bright red, and his mouth hung open, revealing a couple of missing teeth. Clearly, he had not expected to stumble upon an actual leprechaun's place of work.

Seizing the moment before the shock wore off, Finley shot off his stool like a cork released from a bottle. He scurried across the shop, the brass buckles on his vest tinkling merrily, until he stood directly before the boy. With a mischievous grin, Finley scooped a handful of glittering gold coins from the pouch at his side and showered them over the child's head.

"Here's me pot o' gold for ye, human!" he cried in his high-pitched lilt. "Now be off with ye before I turn ye into a bumbling baboon goblin!"

The child blinked dumbly as the shimmering gold coins clattered around his feet, bouncing and rolling across the hard-packed dirt floor. Then, recovering his senses, the boy let out a whoop of delight and scooped up as many coins as his hands could hold. He spun on his heel and fled from the shop, keen eyes already seeking the rainbow's end to lead him back home to the human world.

Finley chuckled heartily to himself and set about sweeping up the few coins left behind with a tattered broom. Just another day's work for a humble leprechaun shoe cobbler. Although usually loathe to reward human trespassers, he had a soft spot for the innocence of youth. He had revealed himself and bestowed a bit of magic, as was the leprechaun way.

As the morning grew long, other leprechauns began arriving to collect their newly cobbled shoes. Each reacted with surprise when they spied the scattered gold coins, only to be met with Finley's imp-like grin and twinkling eyes.

"Sure and ye've had yourself some human trouble this morning, I'd wager," clucked Eamon the butcher, as he laced up a pair of soft house slippers. Eamon was fond of waddling about the village while puffing away on an obnoxiously large pipe.

"Aye, just a wee lad happening to stumble through the woods," Finley replied with a dismissive wave. "Though I'd wager a few more humans may be finding their way here after word gets around of me giving away gold."

Eamon harrumphed into his beard at that. "We'll be having those leprechaun scouts out thickening the enchantment round the village. Can't be havin' too many humans know the way to our Gal'ree Glen."

Finley nodded, knowing the scouts would soon be hard at work strengthening the protection wards that shielded their village from human eyes. A few thrown coins were one thing, but having their entire hamlet discovered would mean the end of their idyllic, magical life.

Still, as Finley returned to his awl and waxed thread, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of satisfaction. For in that one humble moment, he had brought a bit of wonderment and enchantment to the human world. And if the lad was fortunate, perhaps the taste of genuine leprechaun gold would imbue him with just a touch of long-lasting magical fortune.