Leprechauns

[Coral Rhedd]

A marriage counselor I know told me this story:

 

A middle-aged couple came to her for therapy because after 30 years of marriage they were contemplating divorce. When she asked why she did not get a clear answer. It sort of amounted to this: The kids are gone now, we are retired, and every day is pretty much the same. She said that they were the most boring couple she had ever met. They had nothing juicy in their past and nothing to be excited about for the future. It was difficult to get them to talk. When they talked, they were both utterly boring. They had few common interests except television. They actually had few interests at all.

 

One day the wife said: "I want to tell you something we have never told anyone before."

 

It seems there was a terrible lightening storm. The electricity went out and of course the television went off. All of a sudden a ball of fire rolled across the floor. In the afterflash, a leprechaun walked across them room and out through the other wall.

 

The counselor was quite surprised. This woman had never shown any sign of instability. She turned to the husband questioningly. He said: "Yes, damn it it's true. It really happened. Now can we talk about something more important?"

 

Here is my question: What happened here?

 

Has anyone ever heard this story before? The counselor is a pretty trustworthy person who is reasonably skeptical, but . . . Urban legend, anyone?

[Hellbender]

A marriage counselor I know told me this story:

 

A middle-aged couple came to her for therapy because after 30 years of marriage they were contemplating divorce. When she asked why she did not get a clear answer. It sort of amounted to this: The kids are gone now' date=' we are retired, and every day is pretty much the same. She said that they were the most boring couple she had ever met. They had nothing juicy in their past and nothing to be excited about for the future. It was difficult to get them to talk. When they talked, they were both utterly boring. They had few common interests except television. They actually had few interests at all.

 

One day the wife said: "I want to tell you something we have never told anyone before."

 

It seems there was a terrible lightening storm. The electricity went out and of course the television went off. All of a sudden a ball of fire rolled across the floor. In the afterflash, a leprechaun walked across them room and out through the other wall.

 

The counselor was quite surprised. This woman had never shown any sign of instability. She turned to the husband questioningly. He said: "Yes, damn it it's true. It really happened. Now can we talk about something more important?"

 

Here is my question: What happened here?

 

Has anyone ever heard this story before? The counselor is a pretty trustworthy person who is reasonably skeptical, but . . . Urban legend, anyone?[/quote']

 

If you are looking for a skeptic, you got it. As far as I know, most people don't believe in such old Irish tales like lepracauns, trologgs, water horses and the like, but I am surprised. Perhaps an extrmeley short burgler? Maybe an attempt to find something interesting in an extremely boring life? If you ask me, any sighting of something as ridiculous as a lepracaun is either a hoax, or a misidentification of something normal where the person has jumped to a paranormal conclusion.

[Sayonara]

They probably looked at each other (as you do when something odd happens), and had a vague image imprinted on their retinas by the flash. Then both tracked it across the floor as it "moved" ahead of their line of sight.

[Phi for All]

I like that. Were they Irish? Was he a leprechaun because he was a wee little man or because he had all the ethnic acoutrement as well?

 

I can see this couple vowing to never tell anybody about it for fear of being thought crazy, then being exceptionally boring out of self-preservation. Many couples from "the old country" (not just Ireland) have these deep dark secrets they never discuss with anyone outside immediate family, even with cousins, since they can be some of the worst in spreading malicious gossip.

 

I heard stories like this involving ghosts and UFOs, but never leprechauns walking through walls. Faith and bejabbers!

[Coral Rhedd]

They probably looked at each other (as you do when something odd happens), and had a vague image imprinted on their retinas by the flash. Then both tracked it across the floor as it "moved" ahead of their line of sight.

 

That's a thought. But it seems then that one of them would certainly have suggested the idea of a leprechaun to the other. And the other party bought it, because probably they did not both look like leprechauns.

[Coral Rhedd]

I like that. Were they Irish? Was he a leprechaun because he was a wee little man or because he had all the ethnic acoutrement as well?

 

I can see this couple vowing to never tell anybody about it for fear of being thought crazy' date=' then being exceptionally boring out of self-preservation. Many couples from "the old country" (not just Ireland) have these deep dark secrets they never discuss with anyone outside immediate family, even with cousins, since they can be some of the worst in spreading malicious gossip.

 

I heard stories like this involving ghosts and UFOs, but never leprechauns walking through walls. Faith and bejabbers![/quote']

 

I really don't know the details of the "wee little man" but I could kiss you. You just gave me a great idea for a short story. I can see how they might become suspicious of one another over time. Wondering if the secret was kept . . . wondering if one had led the other into a delusion . . .

 

First I will have to practice spelling leprechuan. For some reason the word is a pain in the A$$ for me.

[Phi for All]

I really don't know the details of the "wee little man" but I could kiss you. You just gave me a great idea for a short story.

Kiss me, I'm Irish! Well, a little bit....

 

Here's an idea for the story: she has told one of her girlfriends in town, and over the years, it has leaked out to more and more of the women, unbeknownst to her. He, of course, has done the same thing with the same results. The entire town has an opinion about the leprechaun, but won't talk about it to the original couple.

 

Then it comes out at a town meeting or something, and the couple's lifelong secret is revealed to be common knowledge....

[Coral Rhedd]

That would be funny Phi for All.

 

However, my work tends to be a little darker. People only laugh because they are uncomfortable at my fiction. I think I can use your idea to exacerbate misunderstandings between the couple however. Making people miserable is my expertise.

[Phi for All]

Before the leprechaun, he used to love to poke fun at her when she was being dumb about something. He used to feel superior when she would stumble over a big word or misunderstand a story on the news. He would explain a joke and then spend the next half hour snickering over her stupidity.

 

But now, all she has to do is give him that look....

 

That look that says, "You saw him, too, fool. You saw the little green hat, the pipe stuck in his mouth, the little walking stick he carried. And we weren't drinking that night either, our checks hadn't come and there wasn't a drop in the house, so nothing you can say can make me believe it was my imagination. I washed your drawers the next day, I know you saw him too."

 

Now he didn't feel superior at all....

[Coral Rhedd]

I love it! Very good Phi. Appropriately dark. Hmmm. That's the sort of thing that really makes a marriage!

[Newtonian]

Before the leprechaun' date=' he used to love to poke fun at her when she was being dumb about something. He used to feel superior when she would stumble over a big word or misunderstand a story on the news. He would explain a joke and then spend the next half hour snickering over her stupidity.

 

But now, all she has to do is give him that look....

 

That look that says, "You saw him, too, fool. You saw the little green hat, the pipe stuck in his mouth, the little walking stick he carried. And we weren't drinking that night either, our checks hadn't come and there wasn't a drop in the house, so nothing you can say can make me believe it was my imagination. I washed your drawers the next day, I [i']know[/i] you saw him too."

 

Now he didn't feel superior at all....

hahahaha good one