The McGonagle

A St. Patrick’s Day Fairytale

The greenhouse was suddenly illuminated by consecutive flashes of lightening. An ominous roll of thunder followed, almost jolting the tray out of the hands of the leprechaun. Carefully he made his way from the bench, in the pouring rain, taking the precious cargo inside. While the thunderstorm raged outdoors, he gently went about his task. Gradually the storm passes and like he, fades into the night.
***
She sat there gazing around the room. It wasn’t a bad room really, of course if you wanted more light and sunshine you had to lean over a little. Looking over at the books on the shelf unit, she wished she could read. Instead, all she ever did was sit here and have the occasional drink of water.

In addition to not being able to read, she couldn’t walk either and didn‘t even have a proper name. You see she was not a human, but just a simple little tree plant sitting in a nice blue pot on a coffee table.

Often she pined for another plant to talk to when human’s weren’t about, but these humans were so busy with their life, that thought never occurred to them. It was in those moments that she would get a little sad and it might be imagined, shed a small tear perhaps.
**
It was at one such moment, when McGonagle the Leprechaun appeared on the scene. “Don’t cry little one, don’t you remember what I said to you when you were just a small seed?” Tree plant waved her leaves a little, thinking that she understood what the wee man was saying.
He refreshed her memory by carrying on, “Remember when you and all the other little seeds were laid out in my tray?”

“We little people have special powers, just in case you didn’t know. At certain times of the year like St Patrick’s Day, we are always around even though the big people don’t see or hear us, how else would we ever get anything done. We little people also like to talk and can get carried away a little I might add, but that’s beside the point.”

“Now where were we. Hmmmm Yes the tray! Didn’t I tell ye that I would take the tray to a special place and the magic rain would fall down on you?”
Tree plant mumbled something, tailing off. Not hearing her he carried on, “At that time I told you too that the magic rain would fall on you, giving you the power to make a wish. You would be able to wish and grow into whatever your little heart desired! But choose wisely I said.”

“But, but”, Tree plant stammered, wondering at the same time if any of this was real. Was this really happening?

**
Often she had sat there and mused over where she had come from, and why a tree plant? Vaguely she could recall a sense of being, and occasionally hearing voices. Wishing at that point, to be like one of those talking people even though she had not yet seen a human. The ladies as she found out later, sounded very nice and so interested in how the plants were coming along. Yes! She wanted to be one of them!
**
All this had seemed strange to the tree plant for she could not envision anything at that point yet. The tree plant had felt and sensed things, although everything around her was dark, even moist and wet. It was only after that gestation period that she finally emerged one day from the dark into a brilliant light and her small green shoot poked out of the soil.

Frequently, she was put out in the rain in the nice blue pot she lived in now, rain was so good for her growth. Since then she had been moved staying with different people, until one day she arrived here, where she lives now.
**
Looking at the Leprechaun, tree plant, now over the shock of meeting him, finally found her voice. “Mr wee man,” “Yes me darling” The McGonagle said, “what seems to be troubling you, that brings you to tears and so sad too?”

“Well Mr wee man”

“McGonagle!, me name’s McGonagle!” the Leprechaun exclaimed.

“Mr McGonagle” said tree plant, “What I’d like to know is, why didn’t I get my wish that you said I could make, because of the magic rain falling on me?”

“But you did!” retorted the leprechaun, a big smile all over his face. You see he was delighted that tree plant had finally found her voice and was talking to him. Tree plant shook her leaves, trying to understand what McGonagle had just said.
“But I didn’t, for I wished to be like the human lady, instead here I am a tree plant stuck in a blue pot! I don’t even have a name,” her indignant leaves jumping around quite vigorously.

“There, there“, McGonagle said, “I will try to explain some more” the leprechaun squirmed a little trying to think how he was to handle this. “Remember when I said you could wish to be whatever you want? Mmmm. Well that’s not quite exactly what was meant, young lady. You have to remember that you were a seed and seeds grow into plants or flowers hmmm, all them other things that seeds grow into.”
“So what was really meant was you could choose what kind of plant or flower you would grow into.” This was getting kind of complicated he could see.

“So when you wished to be like one of them I believe you said, then that’s how you did grow, a tree plant but having grown with the shape of a woman, you can see that if you look in a mirror. After all, humans come from a different place.”

Tree plant felt sadness and disappointment at the news, it showed in the tremor in her voice. The leprechaun was right of course, and the way he explained it, how could she have thought otherwise? Now tree plant finally understood, I mean how can a seed grow into a human? Their seeds are different altogether.

“Oh”, tree plant uttered sadly “ Now I think I understand, but you still said anything” McGonagle squirmed a little more, “I really am sorry for misleading you tree plant” he said. “ I dare say we leprechauns do exaggerate and don’t always tell the whole truth of things.” Tree plant shook again and gasped! McGonagle quickly continued, “But you are the prettiest tree plant that I have ever seen, you are in fact, unique! Because you are so special it occurred to me that your name should be something that has meaning. So I will call you Aislinn! The name is actually a Gaelic word that means dream or vision. As legend has it, it is also a poem about Ireland represented as a beautiful girl in peril. How does that sound?”

Now tree plant was really trembling, this time with excitement. Just fancy a name! Aislinn. She liked the sound of that. “Oh thank you, thank you Mr McGonagle, that is wonderful, now I am happy again”. The Leprechaun smiled in relief, whew! I’m glad that’s resolved, he thought, leaning back and drawing on his pipe.

“As a special surprise for you Aislinn, I think you are going to have some company fairly soon.” Then with a twitch of his nose, a little green shoot popped out of the soil, quite close to Aislinn! The tree plant squealed in delight. Aislinn was so happy to have company and would never be alone again.

Eric Valentine March 14/08 ©

C'ya