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A Story - A Story

© Virginia Marin

The feature article this week is contributed by a weekly guest to Dubh Sidhe's Folklore. She is a public speaker who travels throughout the state of Indiana sharing folklore and other tales with various groups and organizations. Please enjoy the short story and closing poem from the pen of Wanda Willis...

The Old Man From Cork

Once upon an Irish morning, an old man from Cork was walking along when he saw a beautiful rainbow. Well, it seemed to him that he would be able to follow the road all the way to the end of the sky's bow. And thus, he did! Lo and behold, at the rainbow's end was the perverbial pot o' shimmering gold. "Why, this must be where the Leprechauns hide their gold," thought the old man.

He took the gold home where he planned on burying it the next day so he wouldn't have to share with anyone--even his wife. Under the darkness of night, he put the gold in a burlap bag, and hid it under his bed. Then he went to sleep.

Early the next morning, the old man got up before his wife. He grabbed the burlap bag and left to bury his treasure deep in the wood. He didn't notice that the coins were dropping out of the sack through a wee hole. Finally, he realized that his sack had become very light. Looking inside, he discovered that it was nearly empty! He looked around and saw the gold glowing along the path behind him. "This should be easy. I can see them shining in the grass. I'll just go back and gather them up."

To his astonishment, as he reached down to pick up the gold coins, they took root and changed into beautiful yellow circles of flowers. The Leprechauns knew that he had stolen their gold and they had overheard his plan to hide it away. While he slept, one of the little folk changed himself into a wee field mouse and nibbled a small hole in the corner of the burlap bag.

To punish the old man for stealing their gold and for his selfishness in not wanting to share even with his poor wife, they commanded the coins to turn into dandelion flowers. To this very day, everyone marvels at the lowly dandelion, sharing and enjoying its beauty.

Fairy dust twinkles in the moonlight
on the fresh fallen snow.
Blue velvet curtain of the night

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