Dib The Leprechaun
I sat at my desk starring at my paper and pen in front of me. It was St. Patrick's day, and I knew I was supposed to be happy like the others, but they don't understand me, they never did. They'd mock me and tease me on this morbid day calling me "Dib the leprechaun" since I was half Irish. Or maybe the real reason they teased me was because, I hated St. Patrick's day. I never told them why. They wouldn't understand unless they've lived my entire horrid life. As Zim walked into the classroom, I just wanted to hurt some one with all this furry inside me. As The kids and Zim, who had no idea what was going on, were teasing me, I was lost in my own little world where I just wanted to cry.
My mother, who was full Irish, died in a horrible car crash, when I was 5. But I tried to move my mind to something else as my nickname rattled in my head, "Dib The Leprechaun." They also called me so, alsobecause they think I'm really lucky on this day. Since every year on this day, they say one of there wishes get granted after theytorture me. I think that's completely ridiculous but I think It can be explained some how.
Once again I moved my thoughts over to my mother. I remembered her like a goddess. She was so pretty. And always took time out of her own schedule just for me and Gaz.
"Dib! You stupid person! You just broke my pretty pretty girl doll! I'm telling mom!" Gaz cried as she walked over to mother, who was sewing a shirt. "Dib broke my dolly. You should punish him." Gaz said crying. I walked in holding the head of the doll in tears also. "I'm sorry Gaz, I..I.." I was sorry but couldn't put it in words, so I just shut up, before I made things worse. "Aw, let me see the doll." mother said picking up me and Gaz, and putting us on her lap. She took the doll and sewed the head back on, and while she was doing so she told us stories of ghost and aliens. Our eyes were wide with amazement as we herd these elaborate stories. She gave the doll back to Gaz and sent her on her way, and she continued on with her sewing as I watched. When she finished, it was a blue shirt with a gray face in the middle front. "I tried to make it a smiley face but this is the first time I've tried to make a shirt." She said smiling. I didn't care, I thought it was cool. No one's ever made anything, and no one will after that, except her.
I was knocked out of my day dream as Zim threw a pot of gold on my desk, and said "I think this belongs to you." and all the kids laughed. I got so sick and tired of there constant teasing I stood up and knocked over my desk. The desk shattered and the pot of gold spilled every which way.
Zim and the others stepped back as they saw my eyes glow with madness waiting to be released. I could feel it boiling over, and I was screaming in my head. I sat and cried. Miss Bitters sat there as if nothing was happening giving a lesson about the square root of pie depends on what kind it is, or something like that. Any way, like I said, I sat down right were I was and cried. I Just blew. That's only how I can describe it. The kids stood there and I could feel that they were mad that I "over reacted" and said things like "Man Dib, can't you take a joke?" or "Gosh, calm down you stupid little leprechaun."
The bell rang for us to go to lunch, but I refused to move. Zim was the only one watching me cry as the others were exited to see if there so called "wishes" came true yet. Zim just stood, motionless in front of me. I could feel something different about him at that moment. Something warm and kind. He knelt down to the ground trying to see my face through my tear covered hands. "Why do you shed water from your eyes? Are you hurt?" He asked moving my hands away from my eyes, "Your eyes, their red, what's wrong?" he asked confused. "Yes. I'm deeply hurt. But it's not on the outside Zim." I said looking at him through my wet glasses. "Is it your spleen?" Zim asked. "No. It's my ...my heart, ...my feelings, ...my soul, all crushed." I said "Can I fix it?" Asked Zim. "No." I replied blowing my nose on my sleeve. "Why are you being so nice to me though?" I asked wiping my eyes. Zim just smiled and sat next to me and, putting his arm around my neck saying, "Be strong. I'm always with you." Zim said smiling. "Mother?" I asked quietly to my self. Zim stood up, waited a minute and said, "Well come on! We've got a horrid lunch waiting to be eaten you Dib human." I lost my tranquil moment with my mother, but I knew it couldn't last forever.
As I collected my green lunch and green milk, in honor of St. Patrick's day, I sat next to Gaz and started to dream again about my mother.
I remembered my 4th. birthday. Since, I was a total outcast to society and had no friends, I didn't have a party or presents or anything at all. I sat at the kitchen table drawing with Gaz. Nothing was supposed to happen that day, but mother came walking in with a big chocolate cake (my favorite) and some presents. That's when I got my jacket and boots. I also got some books on ghosts and Bigfoot, since I loved hearing her stories about them. Gaz was happy to see how happy I was, and said she helped pick out the gifts. Which mother said, "she did."
Gaz knocked out of my daydream when she threw green potatoes at my face. "Why'd you do that?" I asked. It's St. Patrick's day. She growled angrily. "They're calling me a clover again." Gaz said clenching her fist. "I just wanted to release some anger."
Yes, they called Gaz, "Gaz the four-leaf-clover,"for the same reason as me, except the people get beat up in the process. I believe in a reason for existence, and a reason for all we do, but we never live to see the reason, it will live on in hearts of those we effect. Whoo. That was a weird event, thinking something like that. And it was a little off topic, but that was cool. Gaz sighed and started singing to herself, a song that mother once did. Then, all the trays and plates in the cafeteria came crashing down to the floor. except Mine and Gaz's. I didn't care all that much, as I was getting engrossed into another day dream. This time of when mother came up with that song. She hated it. But she sang it to Gaz every night as I stood in the doorway and waited to be tucked into bed.
"Mamma, sing me a song," Gaz asked one stormy night. "It will help me fall asleep in this scary storm." She said. "But I don't know any songs dearest." she sweetly replied. "You can make one up." Gaz said snuggling with here doll. "I'll see what I can do." She said. I stood in the doorway of the bright pink and purple room and herd my mothers sweet voice singing (with A slight Irish accent):
So beautiful,
Can not describe,
My young angel,
In disguise.
Close our eyes,
And follow the tide,
Until the ocean ends.
Follow your dreams always,
Until the end of your days,
Relax, lay back,
And sleep well,
Knowing I'm near.
"Wow, that's really bad. I'm sorry Gaz, I.." But mother stopped and noticed Gaz was already asleep. Mother turned and saw me starring at her in disbelief. She picked me up and tucked me into bed and lay awake in disbelief that was my mothers voice. It sounded like an angle. I've only read of angles at the time but this was my first time maybe hearing one.
Hearing the bell ring to go back to class and Zim's hollering about being normal woke me up one more. I walked back to class dragging my feet, and trying to hold in the anguish I held inside. I walked into the class room but no one was there. Except little green Zim. "Where is every one?" I asked. "Oh, there just sleeping. You shouldn't worry about them." Zim said. Zim was sitting on Miss Bitters desk and legs crossed. "I need to know. Why do they call you 'Dib the Leprechaun'?" He asked. Images flashed in my head of my mother, and I collapsed crying, once more. "Fine. You want to know? I'll tell you. Because they all think there gunna' get wishes granted if they tease me. But, I don't grant the wishes. Oh, no, not me. It's... it's... my mother." I yelled at Zim "What do you mean?" He asked. "None of your business." I yelled at him right in his face, and tears running down my face. I once again felt a kind feeling in Zim and, I ran down the hall screaming, "My mother is dead, my mother is dead!" I ran into the bathroom and into a stall, where I slammed the door, locked it, and sat on the floor still crying. I was confused, angry, sad, and a lot of other emotions just all pact together. I had no idea what was going on, so I tried to get my mind off it by thinking of more good times with my mother.
It was the day before mother died. She was driving down to a city across the state, with me and Gaz in the back seat. It was late and we were all hungry so we stopped at Bloatie's Pizza Hog. It was the first time Gaz had pizza. She liked it a lot too. She ate half the pizza by herself. "You be careful Gaz. You could turn into a pizza if you eat to much of it." Mom laughed. I remember clearly that suddenly a huge storm blew in from the East, right when we were leaving. It was three in the morning so Gaz and I were asleep in the back seats. But even in my sleep, I felt my mother kiss me on the cheek.
No one's loved me more than her. And no one ever will.
I heard Zim walk through the bathroom doors and stop in front of the stall I was in. "Dib, please tell me why your mother grants people's wishes." He said. "Because she's an angle." I replied. "continue." Zim said opening the stall door. I have no idea how he got the door open after it was locked but I looked at Zim's face and found the courage to say why. "She died, in a car accident exactly eight years ago today." I said, even though I really didn't want to. The moment kept replaying over and over in my head.
I just woke up from a nap, and my mother turned to say good morning to me. She took her eyes off the road for 3 seconds and I started to fret as I saw a large truck heading our way. I tried to warn mother by pointing and screaming, "Truck!" but it was to late.
The last thing I remember from that crash was me screaming as we swerved to one side and the truck hitting the other. It took the entire side of the car off. Gaz and I were unharmed but mother went to the hospital in critical condition. We stayed at her bed side for the next three days and she just acts like nothing happened. "When we get home, I'll tell you about my secrete organization the Swollen Eyeballs. They'd love for you to join!" she kept saying to me. Yet she kept getting worse and worse with each passing day, and on her last day, her heart failed to produce enough blood to keep her organs working. Her last words were, "I will be at your side always. Let your heart and soul let you know when I am near." she held our hands, smiled, shut her eyes and fell into the eternal sleep.
"And that's what happened." I said. Zim was very attentive as I said my story. It's almost as if he was in a trance by something. Or he was possessed. He just didn't seem himself.
As I walked home with Gaz, everything didn't seem O.K. Icouldn't stopthinking of things that happened after mom's death. I certainly didn't want to, but these memories kept pushing into my head. I dedicated my life to paranormal studies, Gaz turned Goth, and my dad... well let's just say he had a hard time getting used to doing double the work to support our family. We never really saw our father in person much after that. He was always sending us video e-mails to tell us stuff. I tryed to push aside these thoughts until we got home. And when we did my head started spinning, and I was becoming dizzy. I fell on my bed, with a pain in my chest, and I was having visions of my mothers final moments replaying inside my head. I lay in pain and agony even after dusk. Until I heard the clock strike midnight. Everything stopped. I felt dead. But I fell asleep, and with a thought inside my head that my mother was still alive. Who knows? But, she does live on, within my soul.
They call me "Dib The Leprechaun" and people torture me every St. Patrick's day so they can get there wishes granted by my mother. Why? Because my mother is an angle. What more is there to say?
"DibCookie"
5/28/05 - 5/29/05
9:30 P.M. - 1:45 A.M.