Henry's Leprechaun
The little green man sat in the corner of the bar angry with life. He'd been doing his best to be noticed for the last two hours and no one had seen him. He'd played, teased and deceived for centuries but the people of today didn't see his kind. They didn't believe and they didn't care. Somewhere along the line mothers forgot to teach their children to watch for the wee folk, be kind to them, to help and be careful not to be tricked by them. It was a sad state of affairs when a leprechaun with a pot of gold in his hands couldn't attract attention in an Irish bar on St. Paddy's Day.
Henry wandered into the bar looking for a quick bite that didn't involve anything more than a nod and a bit of mind control. He didn't want to arrive at Vicki's party hungry and cranky like he'd been the last few times he'd seen her. It was getting harder and harder to keep their relationship at the level she needed when he wanted all of her. He looked around at the bunch of laughing, dancing, drinking people and didn't find anything remotely appetizing. He was about to leave when something in the corner of the room attracted his attention. He stopped, stared and slowly moved toward the little man holding a huge black pot.
The little fellow made eye contact and grinned from ear to ear. "Ah, faith and begorrah ye can see me."
Henry raised an eyebrow, "That I can."
"Do ye believe in me?"
"Yes."
The little man shoved his pot of gold into Henry's arms and said, "Keep it safe until I come for it."
"I'm not staying here."
"I'll find ye when I want back." The little fellow winked out and Henry found himself holding a small plastic container looking like a little black pot filled with gold foil wrapped candy.
Shrugging, Henry stuffed it in his coat pocket, turned and left the bar. In the parking lot he saw a man trying to change a flat tire. Taking advantage of the situation, he helped with the tire and took a bit of blood in payment.
Vicki put a green bowler hat on Henry's head as he walked through the door and took his coat to throw on the bed with the others when she noticed the bulging pocket. She took out the black plastic pot of gold foil wrapped candy and smiled.
Holding it in her hands she found Henry standing and talking with Coreen leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks Henry this fits right in with the other decorations."
He tried to stop her as she placed it on the table filled with all kinds of Irish decorations and party foods. Dismayed Henry moved at vampire speed and placed the little pot out of site on the floor under the table.
Mike came in soon after holding a dish of corned beef and cabbage. He shoved it into Vicki's hands saying his landlady brought this over just before he was leaving. While she was holding the dish, he gave her a sound kiss making sure Henry saw him staking his claim on Vicki. Henry gave Mike a 'toothy' grin back and mouthed, "Later." Vicki placed the dish on the table and looked around for her little pot of candy. Puzzled she glanced around the room and didn't see it.
When Mike was cornered by Dave, Henry made sure Mike could see him come up behind Vicki and give her a kiss on the neck. Henry laughed at Mike's mental image of Henry being staked.
Soon friends of friends and neighbors started arriving. The sounds of laughter and Irish music filled the air along with the smells of good food and drink.
Henry kept an eye on the black pot to make sure it wasn't touched. One guest dropped something on the floor bent down to pick it up and saw the little pot and put it back on the table. Later someone else needed to make room for another dish and moved the candy to an end table. So far the pot had been lifted, shifted, moved and dropped but no one managed to eat any candy. Henry had discretely removed it from several hands that had tried opening it during the party. At one point he distracted Coreen from opening it with a kiss on her hand and a suggestive wink. He knew he'd regret that later but it was the only distraction he could think of in a hurry.
Towards the end of the evening as people were leaving Vicki made sure that dishes, and leftovers were taken back. Vicki tried to send the candy home with guests when it would either be set back down while coats were being put on or handed back with a polite no thank you.
After most of her guest were gone, Vicki sat down on the couch and saw the little pot of candy sitting on the coffee table. She picked it up and looked at it carefully. Mike came out of the kitchen holding his empty dish and said, "If you don't want that, I'll take it."
Henry walked over and took it from her hands and said, "No. She gave it to me."
Vicki thought back over the evening and how many times she'd seen the pot and how many different places it had been. She even recalled giving it to several different guests to take home but couldn't remember giving it back to Henry.
Mike and Henry stood staring at each other waiting to see who was going to leave first. Finally Vicki stood said, "Good night, both of you." And kissed each one on the cheek and shoved them out the door locking it behind them. She turned around and saw the little pot sitting on the table by the door.
She picked it up and said, "What am I to do with you?"
Henry stood in the shadows and watched Mike drive away before turning back to Vicki's door. It would be easy enough to get inside and get the pot back once she went to bed.
Henry had the little pot in his hand when it grew hot to hold and let it fall from his fingers. Before it touched the ground the little man appeared holding the huge pot of gold to his chest.
"Ye did it boy. Ye kept me gold safe. I'll be granting ye one wish."
Henry thought about it for only a moment. "A night of love and sharing with her." And he pointed to Vicki's room.
"It's not often I'll grant a wish without keeping the trick a secret but because ye kept the faith I'll tell. For the rest of this night the two of you will share all of the love you've ever imagined and she'll share her deepest secrets and fears with ye. Ye will remember everything and she will remember nothing."