Short Story Showcase
#3
Lisa Petty
Links
The dense forest behind Keesha's house was as solemn as she was this day.
Those dingy puffs in the sky weren't dripping a drop or dropping a drip.
They just seemed content to hang overhead and add to her despair.
"I wish I had been born someone else," Keesha thought to herself as she
sighed out loud. She sat there on the damp, pine log staring upward at the
puzzle pieces of sky and forest. Her long, raven hair danced in the breeze.
Suddenly, a kaleidoscope of color began to flicker above the leaves,
playing peek-a-boo in the treetops. A band of colors stretched far, far
away from Keesha, disappearing and then reappearing through the towering
branches. The colors were bright and vibrant. Keesha managed a slight grin
of awe. She had never before seen a rainbow from this odd angle. This one
seemed to begin in a niche up ahead and then extend into infinity.
Carefully, Keesha crept ahead.
"Oh my," Keesha said quietly. She reached out and touched the gold pot. It
was cold, silky and smooth like a popsicle.
"It's mine!" hollered an odd sounding voice from up above. A strange little
man slid down the slick rainbow like a child on a water slide. His spindly
legs landed with a "thunk" on the ground. "Es Mio," he said. " You can't
have it."
" Well, I found it," Keesha said bravely. Keesha looked at the little man
from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. He was about as tall as
she was, which wasn't very tall, but especially short for a grown man. His
tall, odd hat appeared as though it might have once belonged to a witch.
His jacket and pants must have shrunk in the laundry for they were much too
tiny. The pants barely covered his knees. His shoes were black and wooden
with a very large silver buckle on top. He had a grungy black beard that
looked as though someone had painted it on his face. Two of the pointiest
ears Keesha had ever seen protruded out from his dark black hair on the
sides of his head. She had the impression that their sole purpose was to
hold up his hat.
"Darn," he said to her. "I was afraid you would say that. Okay, I'll trade
you uno, one wish, for my pot of gold." Keesha now noticed his peculiar
accent.
"What do I need with a wish," she asked, "when I have this treasure ?"
"Ah, but this treasure means nothing to you," he answered. "The treasure in
there is only treasure to the person who put it in there in the first
place."
"We'll just see about that," Keesha said as she reached into the pot. She
felt around inside. "Where's the GOLD?" she asked.
"My pot of gold is not filled with gold, dear lassie. It's made of gold."
"Oh," Keesha sighed, "just my luck. Here, take your ole pot."
"Don't you want your wish?" asked the little man.
"Yeah," Keesha said. "I wish I was someone else."
" Oh, no puedo. No can do," he replied. "That is against the rules. I can
not make a life, and I can not take a life, doncha know?"
"Figures," she said and turned to walk away.
"Hey," the man called out. "You need to tell me your name so I can make a
record of the wish I owe you."
"Keesha."
"A pleasure to meet you, Keesha. I'm Patrick Emilio Shanahan Ortiz. Most
folks just call me Peso."
"That is the weirdest name I have ever heard. What kind of name is that?"
Keesha asked with her back still turned in an attempt to hide her
inquisitiveness.
"It is a Mexican Leprechaun name and it is not weird. It is a name that I
am very proud of." said Peso.
"I've never heard of a Mexican Leprechaun before." Keesha turned around
now.
"That's probably because I am the only one in existence," chuckled Peso.
You see, my padre was Mexican from Mexico. Un ano, when he was very young
he traveled with his padre to Ireland. During his adventures, he found the
pot of gold that belonged to the Leprechaun King. The king, offered my
padre three wishes to return his pot of gold. My padre said he had but one
wish, and that if the king promised to grant it he would promptly return
the pot. The king promised and my father kept his word. Then he made his
wish. He wished to marry The Leprechaun Princess. Oh, the king was
infuriated. He made every effort to get my father to change his mind, but
to no avail. My padre was in love with the princess. That is how my padre
and me mum got married. And that is why I am a Mexican Leprechaun.
"Wow," said Keesha. That sounds like my family. Both my mother and father
are from two different cultures."
"Ah, then you are a very special person just like me."
"Special?" Keesha bowed her head and kicked the moist earth. " I sure don't
feel very special. Today, one of the kids at school made fun of me because
my parents are different races."
" You are a very special, Keesha. Peso walked over to his gold pot. "Come
here and let me show you something."
Peso reached inside. "Esto," he said, "belonged to my padre," and he held
the old sombrero against his chest. "It is a very special treasure that I
keep aqui in my gold pot. "Y esto, this is my very special treasure from me
mum. He held up a fiddle and played a little tune. Keesha was delighted and
applauded. Then, Peso reached into the pot again. He pulled out a large
book. "This is what makes me so special."
Peso turned to the first page of the book. "This is a picture of my parents
wedding," he began. The photograph was very old and printed in black and
white. The edges were worn. On the left side of the picture were rows of
dark-skinned people. Everyone had deeply colored hair and eyes, just like
Peso's. The men were all holding sombreros against their chests. All of the
women were wearing long dresses and their hair was long and dark as night.
The right side of the picture was hardly filled at all because the people
were so small. They were not even as tall as the seats of their chairs. The
little folks had light skin and all were dressed in luminous clothing. They
all had light colored hair and kept it down long. The men wore beards and
some had pipes in their mouths. Their pants and jackets all looked as
though they were too small, just like Peso's.
In the center of the photograph stood Peso's father. He was tall and
handsome in black, with a white shirt. Next to him was his tiny bride. She
was no more than two feet tall with long radiant hair and pale eyes. Keesha
thought her long, white wedding gown looked like a blanket of perfect
snowflakes.
"Can you find something that all these people have in common?" asked Peso.
Keesha studied the photograph. "Well.." she said. "Not really."
"None of them is smiling," Peso said. "My padre's side of the family was
very unhappy. They did not want him to marry someone who was not Mexican.
Me Mum's side of the family disapproved even more. They did not want the
Princess to marry someone who was not a Leprechaun. And of course, my padre
and me mum were the most heavy hearted of all. They loved each other very
much, but they did not have the approval of their families. This should
have been a grand occasion, but it was not." Peso turned the page.
Next was a photograph of his parents holding a little baby.
In another photograph, Peso was a little bit older and all four of his
grandparents were together smiling. "You see, in this picture, they had
discovered something to be happy about. They shared a grandchild."
In the next picture Peso was even older and both sides of the family were
all together as Peso played the fiddle. Everyone in the picture was
laughing having a good time. Some of the Mexican side of the family had
their arms around some of the Leprechaun side of the family. They were no
longer divided down the center of the photograph.
"You see, Keesha? I was special because I brought two very different
cultures together. I was the reason they learned to accept and like each
other. I am special because of am the child of two people who loved each
other so much that race didn't matter to them. You Keesha, are a part of
both of your parents, too. You have the best of two different cultures
within you. You are not one, and you are not the other. You are both and
that is something to be very proud of. Look at me. I can speak Spanish and
I love to eat Mexican food. I can do magic and I can play the fiddle. I can
sing in Spanish to my children, and I can sing an Irish lullaby as well. I
have many more talents that have come from both of my parents' cultures.
And let's not forget my pot of gold. If I had been only Mexican, I would
not have my pot of gold." Peso paused for a moment. "But you know what
Keesha? Even if I didn't have my pot of gold, I would still have my
treasures." He winked at her and grinned.
"Yeah," said Keesha. "I should be proud of who I am. And I should treasure
both of my cultures!"
"Now you're catching on--------Oh glory be, look at the time!" Peso
announced in surprise as he closed his gold pocket watch.
"Wait, Peso. Will I ever see you again?" Keesha asked anxiously.
" My rainbow only appears on the gloomiest days, Keesha. I don't think
you'll be having any more days like this." Peso winked at her again as he
hopped on the rainbow and started to climb.
" What about my wish?" Keesha asked.
"Make it a good one," Peso called out. Drops began to drip and drips began
to drop as Peso's colorful road home began to diminish. Keesha felt a chill
and wrapped her arms around herself.
"I wish it wasn't raining," Keesha said accidentally. She immediately
covered her mouth with her hand, but it was too late. The sun shone
brightly and the rain stopped. Peso, his pot, and the rainbow were gone,
but day wasn't dreary any more. And neither was Keesha.
Copyright © 1998 Lisa Petty