Joy of Medina County Magazine | March 2022
11
THE READING NOOK
Trapping the Leprechaun photos and story by Janine Smalley
T
he days were getting longer, the sun was rising earlier and setting later. The temperature outside was getting warmer. One day, when the sun was high in the afternoon sky, the barnyard animals had picked their favorite afternoon nap spots and were dreaming away in the warm sunshine. As they slept, it happened again, the big grey goose went to her nest and laid the shiniest, sparkliest golden egg. The animals knew that this could only mean one thing: St. Patrick’s Day was coming! This year was going to be the year. The animals were planning to build the biggest, best, most amazing leprechaun trap that was ever created. They were sure that this year was going to be their lucky year, they were going to catch the leprechaun! There was no more sleeping in and no more afternoon naps in the sunshine, there was work to be done. The animals needed to come up with a plan and gather materials to build their traps. If they wanted to catch the sneaky, sly little leprechaun, there was no time to waste. BaaBaa, the sheep, the oldest animal in the barnyard and by far the wisest, was led to the meeting site by her seeing-eye goats, Pippin and Biscuit. Even though Baa was blind, she still could teach the others how to make the most amazing traps of all time. Baa was super smart, and all of the animals listened to her and respected her. Baa was their best friend and favorite teacher. All of the animals gathered around Baa, eager to hear what the plan was going to be this year. The pigs came trotting up, oinking with excitement. The geese were honking, and the goats were jumping all over with their back legs spinning around, high up in the air. Once everyone was gathered, Baa asked them to lean in closely so she could whisper her ideas to the herd. No one wanted to risk having the sneaky little leprechaun hear any part of their plot. The animals in the barnyard were very quiet as they listened and received their assignments. Henry, the goat who was always getting into trouble, assigned himself the lead in getting the animals to gather the materials Baa listed.
BaaBaa holds a meeting.
Good thing the other animals knew how Henry was, and they listened closely to what Baa said. To no one’s surprise, they heard a crunching noise coming from where Henry was. They turned to see Henry eating the list before the meeting was even over. “Oh, Henry!” they thought, as they shook their heads, but there was no time to make a fuss over it, there was work to be done. They needed to gather a garbage can, a wheelbarrow and the playset. The youngest and strongest goats set out to collect the items on the list. The animals knew that if their plan was going to work, they could not waste any time. It was getting to be bedtime as the last item was brought into the barn. The animals curled up in their freshly fluffed straw and quickly fell asleep, knowing that when they awoke in the morning, there was a lot of work left to do. With a loud “cock-a-doodle dooooooooo!,” the roosters woke everyone. The animals sprung to their feet, stretched their legs, excitedly ate their breakfast, and got to work. Before lunch, the first trap, made from a garbage can, was assembled. The pigs made a colorful sign that read, “Free Gold,” and put it above the can with an arrow pointing inside. They were certain that this would catch the leprechaun because, continued, Page 12
