Chapter 2

Leprechauns: These mythical creatures from Irish folklore are generally described as small, green-clad beings. They’re considered mischievous, and are often associated with shoemaking and wishes. While they’re rumored to hide pots of gold at the end of rainbows, this is nothing more than a common misconception. As we now know, rainbows have no end for gold to be hidden. Rather, they store their vast wealth within a pocket dimension, which they generally keep in their coats. 

On occasion, a leprechaun may be caught or tripped. This is the only way to separate them from their gold, which they’ll do anything to get back. Some may resort to granting wishes in exchange for their lost gold, while others are open to bartering. Others still may resort to less kind methods, often resulting in terrible misfortune for the mortal foolish enough to cross them.

A leprechaun's  source power is among the most specific of all fae, coming only from their private hoard of gold. The more gold they have, the more potent their magic. As a fae, they are dictated by fairy law, meaning they are unable to steal or take without asking. This limits them to the gold they're able to add to their collection, as they are not even allowed to mine it should they happen to stumble upon a vast wealth of it in the ground. Due to this, the majority of their gold is quite recognizable, coming in the form of coins, ingots, or jewelry. 

If a leprechaun loses all of their gold, they will slowly deteriorate as the lure of magic becomes unbearable. Many of these 'broke' leprechauns will often succumb to the temptation to steal, which fuels them with tainted magic. Hideous disfigurement scars them, marking them as untrustworthy as they stumble deeper and deeper into unlawful practices. They will lie, cheat, and steal whenever and wherever they can, and any wish they chose to grant will surely have sour, often disastrous outcomes.

Time wore on for young Summer. As with any little girl, she grew into a young woman and forgot the ways of magic. Most people outgrow their beliefs in fairies, Santa, and other mythical creatures, no matter how reinforced they may be, and Summer was no exception.

The young lady found her calling early, dedicating her time and talents to a career in law. Debate and forensics were her usual after school activities through high school, and the accolades earned saw her way into an ivy league school. A harsh turn in fortunes stole her chance at Harvard and Yale without a full ride, however, but the scholarships she did earn afforded her the opportunity to attend Stanford. 

Over a thousand miles away from home, having just graduated in the top percent of her class, and too broke to even get chicken broth for her next meal without tapping into much needed savings, Summer now questions her very future. Unpaid internships don't exactly help with the bills, and her roommates have all moved to more… acceptable accommodations. 

Her eyes scan the screen of her smartphone, desperate to find a way to pay the bills that doesn't involve selling lewd pictures. The interview for what she hopes will be her beginning with a prestigious law firm is the next morning, hours away according to the clock in the upper corner of her device. It would be perfect to land feet-first with the firm headed by the woman who has been so inspiring during her long academic career, but she knows the likelihood of getting her first choice is pretty slim.

The help wanted website has countless offers in the area, but nothing with a right fit. Everything either pays too little, requires too much time, or isn't remote. A shudder jolts down her spine at the thought of multiple commutes per day. City buses aren't the best mobile offices, but what else is she to do? With a defeated sigh, she calls a halt to the search and checks yet again to make sure her alarms are set for the morning. 

5:00 AM

5:05 AM

5:10 AM

5:15 AM

5:20 AM

Every five minutes for a solid hour, starting six hours from now. She scolds herself for staying up so late hunting for additional employment, and tucks her phone under her pillow. Another sigh rushes from her lungs, and she longs for an answer. Some effective solution, the perfect job for her. Something with the law firm that satisfies her course requirements, and pays a lot. 

Her closed eyes finally relax as sleep takes hold. A peaceful dream dances through her mind, coaxing her deeper into the unconscious fantasy. Trevon, her high school boyfriend, looking dashing in his black and gold tuxedo. His hand is held out for hers, and a ring glints in the light as she eagerly takes it. He guides her from the limousine with their friends smiling broadly, and he pulls her up against his chest. The smell of cherry-blended bourbon is heavy on his breath as his lips sweep down to hers.

It's their senior prom, everything so right and wrong all at once. Her dress is gold, but… wasn't it blue? And… Trevon's tux… the trim was silver, but now it’s gold? As doubts of the memory crept in, he pulled her up into a kiss to push them away.

Acalicia and their other friends were all dressed in extravagant colors, far more vibrant than they actually would have been on the night. As the night wore on with strange, distorted music guiding them along, Summer found herself questioning more and more of the prom. She tried to focus on her friends, looking at their faces and attire. Their eyes were just a little too big, their noses too small. Every time she felt as though she was about to make a breakthrough, Trevon was there to take her by the hand and lead her away. The warmth of his lips settled against hers, and she melted into him on the dancefloor when it clicked.

The butterfly wing patterns all around her vanished as her eyes opened to the harsh sunlight pouring in. Summer sat up on her bed with a start, gasping for her first conscious breath of the day. She brought a pair of fingers to her lips, surprised to still feel Trevon’s kiss lingering as her heart continued to race. Her first love still had that effect on her, and she almost wanted to text him, but…

Wait- what time was it? The sun was streaming in, and her alarms hadn’t gone off yet? Or, did she sleep through? She sent her hand under the pillow in search of her phone, only to find the cool sheet. Confusion grew in her mind as the dream was mostly forgotten, and she turned onto her hip on the bed. Summer pulled the pillow away, lifting it with one hand to fully examine where her phone should be.

She spent far longer than necessary searching all around her bed for the missing device. It was nowhere to be found, having mysteriously vanished at some point in the night. Panic now replaced the confusion as the young woman hurriedly got ready for the day. She had no idea what time it was, but knew she was late for her interview. Her shower was rushed, breakfast skipped, and wardrobe thrown together. Hardly the first impression she’d intended to make.

Add to that, tardy.

“Miss Tyme, appropriate,” her interviewer said sarcastically. 

The big man leaned back in his chair on the other side of his oversized, oak desk. A groan echoed from the chair under him, and he gave a rather obnoxious smile as he placed his hands behind his head. His elbows extended from either side of his head, giving him the appearance of a cobra baring its fangs. 

“Mr. Haberly, if you can just-” she tries, hoping to get the opportunity to make her case. But, what case is there to make? Her phone magically vanished in the night?

“I’m sure you have some clever excuse,” he interrupts dismissively. With a sigh, he leans forward and brings his hands from behind his head. They clasp together on his desk, and he levels his eyes on her. “Here at Boggury and Associates Legal we don’t just… give jobs to people who show up whenever they please, you know.”

“I realize that, Mr. Haberly, I really do,” Summer continues, not willing to lose her chance. “If you could-”

Another wave of his hand cuts her off. “I've heard quite enough miss-” he starts, but something strange happens. He coughs as a bit of shimmering dust bursts between his eyes, but the interviewer seems to take no notice of the sparkling mess falling from his face. A hand wipes across his head, his fingers focusing on his eyes as he stammers for a moment. The frustration from earlier seems to melt, and his posture eases in his large leather chair.

“Mr… Mr. Haberly?” she asks cautiously. Summer leans closer, placing a tentative hand on his desk. 

The interviewer looks at her, his expression shifting from one of relaxation to a confused attempt at recognition. Summer could tell he was trying to recover the situation, watching as he tried to remember who she was, but it just didn't seem to be clicking for him. Mr. Haberly cleared his throat, smiling awkwardly as he swiped a paper across his desk. He looked at the paper, which happened to be her resumé's cover letter, when he finally began to catch up.

“Ms. Tyme, yes. A little late to the interview, but… that does happen, doesn't it?”

His tone was completely different. So much so, that it was startling. Summer stared at him, trying not to gawk as he looked up with a kind smile. One hand peels the cover letter open, pulling it aside as he proceeds with the interview. 

“You had stellar marks in college, came highly recommended by your professors, and…” he retrieved a paper from the small pile, “...have a letter of recommendation from the Dean of Stanford Law? Impressive, to say the least.”

“The- the dean?” Summer questions. She hadn't really ever met the dean while at Stanford, though she had made the dean's list every year. And… wasn't a letter of recommendation something that needed to be requested?

“Indeed. Needless to say, you'll be a great addition to our team. When can you start?” Mr. Haberly settles the stack of papers together on his desk again, looking at her expectantly.

“Oh, I-” The young woman has to fight her inner surprise in order to understand what is happening. The job is hers? Just like that? It went from being read to filth for showing up late, to being given the position because of… She blinked before any other weird thing could happen to shift her luck. “I can start today, sir!”

“That's the spirit!” he said with a bright smile and genuine laugh. His hand slaps the desk as he leans back in his seat, and he swivels to the side behind his desk. “Just the ethic we're looking for around here.”

Mr. Haberly stands behind his side of the desk, a commanding presence with a mere five foot build. What he lacked in height, the man made up for in obvious character. The interviewer beamed a broad smile at her, reaching across the wide desk with one of his meaty hands. Summer reached back, still partially stunned with the turn of events. His hand encased hers, and she fought to keep her face from showing signs of distress as he gave her a firm squeeze.

“Welcome aboard, Ms. Tyme,” he said with a smirk. “We'll see you in here tomorrow at eight for onboarding. Business casual will be expected, something like what you've got is fine.”

After a vigorous handshake and another moment of disbelief, Summer nodded. She swept fingers through her hair, not surprised to feel a tremor in her hand as it hesitated over her scalp. A laugh escaped with a sigh, and she sent her hand from her head with an apologetic wave.

“Sorry,” she started, ending the wave with her hand over her lips. “Just so unexpected. I really… it's a dream come true to get this job, sir.”

“The dream starts tomorrow, miss,” he said, not understanding the situation. 

How could he? Summer didn't even understand. She had seen the dash of glitter strike his head, knew of the wish in her heart when she went to sleep the night before, and hadn't been able to find her phone this morning. Even with all those pieces, she couldn't put the puzzle together. The magical, illogical puzzle she'd been conditioned not to believe for most of her life.

As she made the commute home; walking from the large office building to the bus stop, riding the bus to the stop closest to her apartment complex, walking from there to her tall building and then climbing up flight after flight of stairs - her mind wandered through the possibilities. Possibilities, these impossible thoughts swirling her mind, refusing to connect the dots that should be obvious. It was right in front of her face, if she could just-

Her door stood before her. #734 looked back at her, and she looked down the hall. Summer glanced back at her door, absent-mindedly fishing the keys from her purse while thankful she'd had the presence of mind to not forget her purse along the way. Had she really wandered the whole way home without noticing? She unlocks the door and pushes it open while still thinking about much too many things, then steps inside with a sigh. 

“I tested…” she says to herself, setting her purse on a small table beside the door. 

Memories of the test run through her mind. That day she'd had doubts about the tooth fairy when she was… what? Seven? Eight? She kept knowledge of her lost tooth from her parents, as far as she knew, and wished for something greater. Instead, she got another cutesy little note and silver dollar. The same stuff she continued to get until her last one came out at 10. 

Summer stumbles into her small bathroom and looks at herself in the mirror. The rushed shower this morning and the commutes left her feeling more than a little grungy, so another was in order. Plus, after getting the job, she more than deserved a nice, long, hot shower. She turned the dial to the right temperature, dodging the cold stream as it flowed by her head. Steam gradually filled the room as her clothes went into the hamper, joining the overflowing wardrobe already spilling out. Soothingly hot water greeted her in the shower when she stepped in, and she let her thoughts run through her mind once more while her body relaxed under the wide nozzle.

Sure, there was that time she thought the tooth fairy was real. When she wished for a little brother or sister, and got both hardly nine months to the day of the tooth going under the pillow. Of course, her parents had something to do with that, too, so… Last night there wasn't a tooth under her pillow. What - did someone break into her apartment and steal her phone? And… nothing else? 

That certainly didn’t seem likely. It wasn’t like she had much else to steal, but… The idea of what else could have happened sent a chill down her spine despite the hot water cascading down her skin. She tapped her toes in the steamy stream working its way to the drain before reaching for the body wash and loofah, breathing the fruity scent in deep as the soap shifted from a gel to sudsy goodness.

She washed herself slowly, thinking about her apartment. It had always seemed safe, and her neighbors were so friendly and helpful. While she was in a hurry this morning, she really didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. And… if someone had broken in, then more would have happened. The television, or her laptop, anything else would have been taken with her phone. In all likelihood, the phone had fallen somewhere she couldn’t reach or see, and she’d just been too frantic and rushed to find it. 

The water turned off over her head with the final drips falling down onto her, and she stood tall again with a sigh. She nodded to herself, feeling much better about her situation. Logically, the phone was still in her apartment. A reassuring laugh tumbled from her lips, though she didn’t feel it any deeper. It was little more than a sound, only meant to convince her of some truth she still doubted.

With slight hesitation she pulled the shower curtain back, relieved to see no one in the bathroom with a knife. The young woman released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and laughed at herself. This laugh was a little more genuine, continuing as she stepped out of the shower and onto the mat. She grabbed a towel and dried off quickly before wrapping it around herself, and gave her hair the same treatment. Now more convinced that a murderer wasn’t lurking around every corner for her, she walked out into her living room, then decided to go to her bedroom for some clothes so the real hunt for her phone could begin.

After a thorough search of her room, looking high and low in the kitchen, and effectively pulling the living room apart, she returned to the bathroom. There were only so many places for the stubborn device to be hiding, and this was the last one. She pulled out every drawer, looked under the sink, behind the toilet, and even in the tank - just for good measure, but found nothing out of place. No sign of her phone anywhere. She retreated back to the living room, sitting onto the couch with a confused exhale.

Her laptop still sat on the kitchen table in plain sight. If nothing else, she could always set an alarm on it to wake her up in the morning for her new job. As for telling time… She looks at the digital clock on her stove, mocking her as an incorrect time flashed from the kitchen. The microwave wasn’t set either, displaying “0:00” while waiting for other commands. Summer shook her head, cursing herself for her procrastination.

“So, the laptop is my only source of communication, and time,” she muttered to herself. Of course, there’s the television with its streaming services. She could always turn that on, and-

Summer leaps to her feet with a sudden realization. She dashes into her room and drops to her knees beside her bed to retrieve the box that she largely ignored in her earlier search. “Keepsakes” comes into view atop the box as it slides out from under her bed, and she unlatches her ornate box while sitting on her heels. A sentimental smile curls the corners of her lips as she looks inside, seeing so many artifacts of her past. 

An aging cardinal feather rested atop her collection inside the box. She picked up the feather by the stem, twirling it in her fingers and watching the crimson spin. The bristles had begun to separate, and the red wasn't as vibrant as she remembered, but it still seemed to captivate her. Setting the feather aside, Summer carefully sorted through the other items. A couple marbles, some coins, several small notes written by her parents and coated in glitter, as well as the neatly folded acceptance letter from Stanford. Under the letter was what she sought, with memories bursting in her mind as it gleamed up at her.

The item she needed for the time being was her grandfather’s pocket watch. She smiled at the memory of him, feeling happy to have such a relic and so many fond moments to look back on. Sadness rushed in next, knowing there wouldn't be any more memories added, and she wished she could just call him again. 

Pulling it from the box, she felt the watch ticking in her fingertips. The intricate, silver shell caught the light, reflecting beautifully as she turned the palm-sized device in her hand. There was a golden ring around a bluestone in the center of the ornate shell. He had said that it was the same kind of rock in Stonehenge, though she didn't really believe all of his stories. Around the golden ring were the roman numerals as they would appear on a clock. These were carved into the silver, with other pieces of bluestone embedded within the gaps. 

Inside the watch was a polished bluestone face set behind a crystal lens. Golden roman numerals lined the rim, with a golden hour hand pointing to the VIII. A silver minute hand stretched over the II, suggesting it was just around 8:10, but… was that during daylight savings? She rolled her eyes at the outdated practice, but headed to the kitchen to double check the time. 

Her laptop did confirm the time, and she smiled at how reliable the thing was. With the watch ticking away, sure to keep her on time for all appointments. Until she managed to get a new phone, at least. The watch didn't have an alarm built in, but her laptop would have that covered for now. She pressed the silver button at the top of the timepiece, letting the ornate door swing open, and felt strangely content to watch the second hand tick its way around the circuit.

The lost phone still nagged at her, however. Summer closed the watch with a metallic click, and held it in her hands as they settled in her lap. She looked at the television screen, her own reflection on the couch staring back at her on the dark surface, and wondered if such a thing was even possible. Magic, fairies, some mystical creature visiting in the middle of the night to take her phone in exchange for… a job? The young woman needed answers, and, finding that to be the desire of her heart, came up with a plan. 

Simple enough, she mused to herself. Just find something she could do without, put it under her pillow, and see what happens. A written proclamation, contract, or some acknowledgement, that was all she needed. Something to let her know she wasn't completely losing it, any indication that what she dared not expect was… actually happening?

It was ridiculous. She felt legitimately crazy while looking through her kitchen drawers for a utensil she wouldn't miss, should it actually be taken by the tooth fairy. Spoons, forks, and other cutlery shimmered idly as she hesitated, knowing how stupid it was. If this really was the work of the tooth fairy, why did she… he? Why did they take her phone? 

The spoon she intended to offer shined well enough as she inspected it, mulling the possibilities. She held the handle between her thumb and index finger on one hand, and slapped the convex side against her opposite palm. The pocket watch ticked audibly on the counter between the smacking of stainless steel against flesh, when something clicked in her mind. She tossed the spoon back into the drawer and slammed it shut, then snatched up the watch.

Summer had a hunch. From baby teeth to her cell phone, the items taken so far had all had some level of importance to her. Offering a simple spoon might be a slap to the face to any fairy that may come to make an exchange, and she didn't fancy taking chances. Sure, it was more likely that nothing would happen and she'd find her phone randomly placed in the freezer or something, but… if there was a fairy, if this was all some magical force, the last thing she should be doing was insulting it.

Instead of the spoon, Summer went back to her still open Keepsakes Box. She took the feather off the top of her other items, and actually felt apprehensive as she closed the box back up. It was just a feather, but it was also the first thing she'd put into the box. There was something special about it, which made it all the harder to part with. Which also happened to make it the perfect offering. She took a breath as she spun the feather in her fingers, and made the wish.

“I need to know,” she said aloud, willing herself to feel it in her heart. Summer placed the feather under her pillow, thinking of all the ways she wanted the fairy to make itself known. She couldn't keep images of a well worded contract out of her mind, like the terms and conditions everyone always ignores before clicking Agree and Continue. This one, she knew, would need to be read word for word, assuming she wasn't going completely mad.

Despite it being early, Summer decided to turn in for the night. The laptop had several alarms set, the watch was placed on her nightstand, and she found herself slipping into sleep to the tick-tick-tick tune of her grandfather’s watch. Before long, anxious anticipation melted into dreams, and she would finally have an answer that had been delayed for so long.