It was the night before St. Patrick’s Day, and Tim and Maureen were excited. They wanted to catch a leprechaun (A leprechaun is a small, magical creature from Irish folklore. Tiny man dressed in a green suit), so they decorated the living room with green shamrocks, rainbows, and colorful streamers.
They also set up small traps with shiny gold charms and rings, hoping to attract a leprechaun who might know where a pot of gold was hidden.
Once they finished setting up their traps, Tim and Maureen went to bed. They could hardly sleep, dreaming about finding golden coins!
Early the next morning, their dad woke them up playing Irish music on his bagpipes, and Mom made them green eggs for breakfast. Just then, they heard a loud noise coming from their room. Tim and Maureen ran down the hallway to see what happened. They opened the door and found a big mess! Things were scattered everywhere, and they saw little muddy footprints on the floor.
“Look! A leprechaun was here!” Tim whispered. Maureen nodded and said, “Shh! He might still be hiding. Let’s follow the footprints!”
They followed the muddy trail across the floor, under the bed, and past the closet. Finally, they heard a tiny laugh coming from one of their traps. When they peeked inside, they were surprised to see a tiny leprechaun wriggling around! His eyes sparkled, and he held a shiny gold trinket. Dressed in green, he looked like a little fairy shoemaker.
The kids stared at him, trying not to blink. “Tell us where your gold is!” they asked. The leprechaun laughed and said, “I buried it under a rock in your backyard. There’s an X marking the spot!”
Excited, Tim and Maureen rushed outside with a shovel. But when they got there, they found… nothing! They turned around and heard the leprechaun laughing behind them, “Ha! Ha! I tricked you! Happy Saint Paddy’s Day, and good luck next year!”
With a chuckle, the leprechaun vanished, leaving Tim and Maureen smiling at their silly adventure. They knew they’d try again next St. Patrick’s Day, ready for another chance to find the leprechaun’s pot of gold!