How to Believe in Leprechauns

March 12, 2012

When I was a kid, I believed in leprechauns, but I always found them to be exhausting little things, especially when in first grade we made our leprechaun traps. I thought I had devised and crafted the most elaborate and most amazing trap ever, but to my dismay, even my trap was torn to shreds just like my friends’ had been upon our arrival the next day of class. My friends said it was our teacher who destroyed the traps and that there were no leprechauns. I knew better. Here’s how I reached my leprechauns-do-exist theory:

1. If sitting there closing your eyes really hard and saying, "I believe in leprechauns" repeatedly doesn’t work or it makes others around you uncomfortable, move on to step two.
2. Set up a leprechaun trap as soon as possible, especially on/around St. Patrick’s Day. Try making a miniature fake leprechaun to place with the gold in your trap. It may help trick other leprechauns.
3. If you see a rainbow, chase it down. You may find the pot of gold, or at least something really interesting anyway—like me finding a quarter at the end of one. It may not be much, but even leprechauns have probably been hard pressed financially.
4. Dress up like a leprechaun on St. Patrick’s Day (green pants, green shirt, black/green buckle hat, black shoes with buckles (can make buckles from gold construction paper), and red beard (if you desire) will suffice). You may get lucky and trick one into thinking you are a leprechaun and lure them into a false sense of security. Then go for the gold by luring the leprechaun into your trap and demanding your gold and three wishes.

Now, when I found out that my first grade teacher was "acting" like the leprechaun and setting off the traps by dismantling them, I decided that my first grade teacher must be a leprechaun or she just was not very nice destroying our traps. If she was the leprechaun then, I still want my three wishes!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

~Cody C.
Parkville Branch