Return From Paradise

Taylor stepped out of the Light. He looked around and grinned. Taylor was finally home. Most people beyond the Light found peace and contentment, but Tay only found mind-numbing boredom. He longed for an adventure. It took a lot of convincing, but Peter finally allowed Tay to leave. Everyone beyond the Light was shocked. No one could remember anyone ever willingly returning to the land before the Light. Taylor shrugged. He had never fit in anywhere else; why should he fit in there? He took one last look over his shoulder and watched the Light disappear. What now?

Tay took a closer look around and scowled for just a moment. He was exactly where he was when he entered the Light, the bottom of the big hill on Mill Town Road. Taylor shivered and had a brief flashback of the two bright lights. He sighed and started walking. Taylor had his backpack slung over his shoulder and his skateboard tucked under his arm. He knew he would be home in less than fifteen minutes. Life could be worse. Tay wondered what everyone would think when he showed up. How much had changed in the six months he had been gone? He was excited to get home to surprise his family and friends.

When he reached the top of the hill, Tay set his board down and glided down the other side. He skated all the way to the end of his driveway. As Taylor picked up his board, he noticed two teenage boys playing in his front yard. He thought they looked familiar, but he wasn’t sure who they were. Tay assumed they must be friends with his little brother Dustin. Dusty was way more popular than Tay, and it seemed like he was friends with the entire town. Taylor walked over to the two boys, who eyed him suspiciously.

“Hey, guys, where’s Dustin?” Tay asked.

“Dustin who? The only Dustin I know is our dad.” One boy said.

“No, no. Dustin Bell. He’s my little brother. We live here.” Tay pointed at the house.

The two boys looked at each other, both confused. The older boy spoke. “What are you talking about? Who are you? Dustin Bell is our dad. We live here.”

Tay’s eyebrows shot up, and then a look of intense concentration formed on his face. “That can’t be right. I’m Taylor Bell. Dustin is my younger brother. This is where we’ve lived our entire lives. Who are you guys, and why are you lying to me?”

The younger boy tapped his brother on the shoulder. “Jimmy, look at his skateboard! Look at him! He looks exactly like all the pics of Uncle….” Crash! The sound of breaking glass stopped the boys’ conversation.

“Tay? How can you be standing there? You look exactly like the night you left. Even your clothes are the same!”

Taylor looked at the older man standing behind the two teen boys. He squinted his eyes nearly shut, then opened them again. “Little Chief? Is that really you?”

The man stepped in front of the two boys. “I didn’t want to believe my eyes, but no one else has ever called me that name. How are you here, Tay? Are you a ghost?”

“I’m not a ghost. I’m back, Dusty. How… how long was I gone? It was only a few months for me.”

“Tay, you died thirty-two years ago. I was devastated. I’ve missed you so much. We all have. What’s happening, Tay? How are you here?” Tears were streaming down Dustin’s face, and his two sons were intently watching and listening.

Taylor reached out and took Dustin’s hands. “I’m back, Dusty. I’m here, but I have no idea why it was six months for me and thirty-two years here. Time must move differently over there.”

“Over where? Where have you been? We… we buried you, Tay.”

“Can we go inside the house and talk?” Tay looked at the two teenagers again. “These are your kids?”

“Yes, and yes.” Dustin put his arm around the older boy. This is Jimmy, and that is Brian. James Dustin and Brian Taylor, to be exact.”

“I’m named after you, Uncle Tay.” Brian beamed.

“That’s cool,” Taylor said. “How old are you boys?”

“I’m 14, and Jimmy is 15,” Brian answered.

“This is confusing, Uncle Taylor,” Jimmy said.

“I’ll explain it all the best I can when we get inside, Jimmy. I’m a bit confused myself.”

————————————————————————————————————

Heirs of Evil

Drake stomped back into the living room and slumped into a chair. “My father is such a jerk! He keeps sending thralls to check up on me. If he can’t come himself, I wish he’d leave me alone!”

“No! Don’t even kid around about that. We don’t need any more parents around here. It’s hard enough for us to pass ourselves off as normal without all of them around.” Billy said.

“Pass off as normal? Like your boyfriend being a dog?” Drake said, pointing at Kavak lying on his back next to Billy. “Do you rub his belly like that when you two sneak up to your room for alone time?”

Kavak spun around and snarled at Drake. He leaped off the couch, transforming into a sixteen-year-old boy in mid-leap. “I’m not a dog. I’m a werewolf. Remember? I’m the creature that is immune to your thrall. Don’t mess with me, Drake.”

“Boys! Stop it!” Becky stormed into the room, her skin tinged with green. She looked at her hands with an exasperated sigh. “Now look what you’ve done. You know that I lose control of my pigmentation when I’m angry. It would help if you boys stopped fighting. There are only two more days before Halloween. You know mom won’t let us go if we are not on our best behavior.”

Billy looked up at his twin sister. “Sorry, sis.” He turned toward Kavak and Drake. “Kav, ignore him. You know he only says things like that to get a rise out of you.”

Kavak’s bright yellow eyes faded back to a light brown as he looked at his boyfriend. He sat back on the couch, pulled his feet under him, and leaned against Billy. Kavak looked at his boyfriend with his trademark puppy dog eyes. “I’m sorry, babe. I’ll do better at controlling my temper, I promise.” He leaned close and kissed Billy.

“Ugh! Gross!” Drake groaned as he got up and left the room.

Becky smiled at her brother and Kavak. “You two are such a perfect couple.” She huffed out a laugh. “But who would have guessed that the son of a murderous clown would fall in love with a werewolf?”

“The son of a clown and a witch. You know I get my charm and good looks from our mother.”

“Well, of course you do. You’re my twin, after all.”

Billy rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, sis. Speaking of Halloween, has Junior convinced Frank to let him come with us?”

Becky sighed. “So far, so good. There are conditions, though. He wants us ALL to go and to follow Mom’s rules to the letter.” She glared at Drkae as he re-entered the room with snacks and turned on the TV.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Drake smirked. “I can follow the rules. Well,” He thought for a moment. “I can at least not get caught breaking any rules.”

Becky’s eyes glowed a bright green, and she arched an eyebrow. “You better not mess this up for us, Drake.”

Drake’s smile grew wide. “Come on, Becks, you know that Ellie loves me. She only sent the monkeys after me that once, weeks ago!”

Kavak nearly giggled. “Not many people dare to incur her wrath a second time. Those monkeys are not gentle.”

Billy rolled his eyes. Who would have thought that werewolves were scared of heights and got air sick?”

“I wasn’t scared!” Kavak retorted. “I had just eaten, and I got sick is all that happened!”

“Are you still trying to pass that scream off as a howl?” Becky giggled.

“Ugh! Shut up! All of you!” Kavak transformed back into a wolf to hide his blushing.

Billy grinned, then stood and stretched. “Come on, babe. Let’s go for a walk before bed.”

“I’ll come with you as far as the cabin. I want to check in on Junior and ensure he’s been studying for tomorrow’s math test. Talking with his dad about Halloween has stressed him out, and he sometimes forgets to study.” Becky said as she followed Billy and Kavak outside, leaving Drake alone in the living room watching TV.

 

The five friends strolled up the street, laughing and joking amongst themselves. This was their favorite night of the year, Halloween. One night, they could roam the streets as they were without being stared at or ridiculed. They took in all the sights and sounds the night had to offer. The oldest among them, Drake, pointed at the house they were approaching. “That looks like a good one. Let’s go.” He grinned and started walking up the path to the house.

“Drake, come on. Don’t we have enough candy already?” Becky whined, the greenish tint to her skin looking darker in the moonlit shadows under her pointed hat.

“Don’t be such a witch,” Drake smirked. “There’s no such thing as too much candy.”

“Cute witch comment, fang boy.” Becky laughed. They reached the door, and Drake knocked.

A tall woman with long blonde hair and stunning blue eyes answered the door. She looked to be in her mid to late thirties but maintained a youthful, healthy appearance. “Wow,” Drake said. “You are absolutely gorgeous.”

“Wow.” The woman replied, rolling her eyes. “You are absolutely young.”

“You’d be surprised,” Drake said. “I’m a lot older than I look.”

“What’re you seventeen instead of the fifteen that you look?” The woman said, producing a big bowl of candy.

“There’s really no need to be so rude.” Drake snarled and stepped forward.

The woman’s eyes widened with shock and maybe a touch of fear. “What are you,” The rest of whatever she was going to say died on her lips as she became lost in Drake’s eyes. His midnight blue eyes were sparkling with their own light like they only do when he used his vampiric compulsion power.

“Oh, come on, Drake, not again!” Billy moaned from the back of the group.

“Yeah, Drake, I already said we have enough candy,” Becky said.

Drake turned his head. “Shut it, Billy. You’re starting to sound just like your sister.” He rolled his eyes at Becky before turning back to the blonde woman. “Alright, lady, divvy that bowl of candy into all our bags, and when you’re done, take off all your clothes. You will answer the door naked for the rest of the night. Tell them you are dressed as the invisible woman if anyone asks.”

Billy snorted with laughter, and his sister, Becky, punched him. “Don’t encourage his disgusting misogynistic behavior, Billy!” She glared at Drake. “What the hell, Drake. Why’d you do that?”

“She was rude. Plus, it’ll be a good show for the rest of the kids that come to her door.” He laughed.

“She’ll probably get arrested for indecent exposure before the end of the night,” Becky said.

“Then it’ll be a good show for the cops. She’s one smoking hot MILF.” Drake said, walking down the path back towards the street. The others followed, never looking back at the house.

 

They hadn’t gone more than two houses further along the street when they heard crashing noises. Kavak stopped, sniffed the air, and listened intently.

“That wasn’t glass. I smell eggs and plaster. Probably broken lawn decorations, and someone is egging a house. Let’s check it out.” Kavak said with a toothy, wolfish grin.

Billy clapped him on the shoulder. “Sure thing, wolf boy, let’s go.” He said. Drake followed along with his two friends.

Becky spoke up before they left. “Behave, guys.” She admonished. “I’ll stay here with Junior.”

As the three friends entered the backyard, Kavak transformed into his wolf form. Drake hung back and watched as Billy and Kavak walked up unnoticed until they were right behind the three teenage boys spray-painting the side of the house. Billy’s pale white skin glistened in the moonlight, contrasted by his bright red bulbous nose. His curly blonde hair glimmered with a pale green glow. He cleared his throat. “Well, well, what do we have here, Kavak? Looks like three very naughty little boys.” He absently scratched the top of Kavak’s head while he spoke. The three boys nearly jumped out of their shoes and spun around. One spoke up.

“Jesus, dude, what the fuck? Oh, hey, cool clown make-up! Shit, that’s a big dog. You should have him on a leash.” The boy said as he and his two friends took nervous steps backward.

“He’s not a dog. He’s a wolf. Werewolf, to be more precise.” Billy’s wide smile widened unnaturally big, exposing not one but two sets of razor-sharp teeth.

One of the boys laughed nervously. “yeah, right. A werewolf. That’s hilarious. Dude, what the fuck. Those teeth look so real!” One of the other boys reached down, picked up a rock, and threw it at Kavak.

Kavak yelped, then leaped forward while transforming into a semi-human werewolf form. He had two of the three boys cornered against the house’s back deck.

Billy advanced towards the third teenager. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t tried to hurt my friend.”

“What the fuck, dude, he is a werewolf! Your teeth are really like that!” His back hit against the house, and he had nowhere else to run. He tried to scream, but when Billy’s teeth ripped open the soft flesh of his neck, his screams were silenced forever.

When Kavak smelled the fresh blood, he was momentarily distracted and turned towards Billy. Seizing the opportunity, the other two boys sprinted across the yard and onto the street, never looking back. Their safety was first on their minds, and they didn’t think twice about leaving their friend behind. However, it would be years before the image of their friend being devoured alive by a clown and a werewolf would ever leave their minds.

 

On the street, Becky saw two teen boys run out of the yard that her three friends had entered earlier. She grabbed Junior’s arm and was going to go investigate when the last boy in the world that she wanted to see right now stepped in front of her, Adam Robinson.

“Adam, I don’t have time for you right now. Get out of my way.” Becky snarled.

Adam stepped further into her way. “What are you going to do? Sic your big, mental boyfriend on me? You two look even more weirder in costumes than you usually do. Where are the other three members of your little freak group?”

Junior growled and stepped in between Adam and Becky. What happened next happened too quick for Becky to stop it. Junior said to Adam, “Adam. Move away. Becky asked nice.”

Adam looked up at Junior. Adam was tall, but Junior stood well over six feet tall. “Make me move, you big dummy,” Adam said.

Junior pushed Adam, and he stumbled backward a couple of steps. “You stupid freak!” Adam yelled as he swung his right fist towards Junior’s face.

Junior caught Adam’s fist in his own much larger hand. He narrowed his eyes and closed his fist. The sound of crunching bone and Adam’s screams filled the night air. Becky moved like lightning and put her hand over the two boys’ hands. “Junior, let him go! You’re crushing his hand.” She could tell she wasn’t getting through to him as she saw him clenching his fist. Adam wet himself, and his eyes rolled up in his head. Becky grabbed the front of Junior’s shirt and pulled his face down to hers. She yelled as loud as she could. “Frank Nicholas Stein, Jr.! You let go of his hand right now!”

She saw Junior’s eyes clear, and he let go of Adam’s hand. Becky knelt next to Adam as he crumpled to the ground. She got right in Adam’s face. “Adam, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, I can hear you.” He moaned. “I’m gonna call the cops on your retard boyfriend.”

“No. No, you’re not.” She said softly. Becky reached inside her silky black cape and pulled out her wand. She waved the wand over Adam’s head. Sparkly dust sprinkled out of the wand and settled onto Adam. “You will tell anyone who asks that you were chasing a younger boy. You will tell them that you tripped and fell in the road. You will tell them that a car ran over your hand. You will tell them that the car never stopped to check on you. Lastly, you will tell them that you have never had a good look at the car. Do you understand?” She stared directly into Adam’s vacant eyes.

Adam repeated every detail back to her, and then he got up and stumbled off toward the local hospital.

Becky returned to Junior and put a gentle hand on his arm. “You ok, Junior?”

“Becky, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I hurt someone again. I’m bad.” He stammered, a tear dripping down his face.

“It’s ok, big guy. He deserved it.” She reached up and brushed away his tears. “Hey, the others are coming back. Let’s go home now.” She said as her brother, Kavak, and Drake rejoined them. Then she saw her brother’s face and what was dripping from the corners of his mouth. Becky flew into a rage. She raised one fist over her head and pulled lightning from the sky. The bolt struck just in front of Billy’s feet.

“Hey, sis, what the hell!” Billy said, then shut his mouth quick when he saw his sister’s face.

She walked right up to her brother, staring at the blood dripping from his mouth. “One rule.” She shouted, her raven hair flaring behind her and her eyes gleaming red. “Dad gave us one rule before he let us come out with him.” She pointed at Drake. “One rule. Don’t eat anyone! That’s all he said. Don’t eat anyone, and I’ll let you kids go out trick or treating. I mean, what kids wouldn’t want to go trick or treating with the son of Count Dracula?! He’s the most experienced kid ever; he’s been 15 for 753 years! But no, you couldn’t follow one simple rule! Now we’re all gonna be in trouble with Mom! We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t turn us all into flying monkeys!” She glared at Drake. “Even you! Now follow me. All four of you. We’re going home right now.”

Becky led her brother and their three friends back up the street towards home.

————————————————————————————————————

The Lost Leprechaun

Liam O’Reilly closed his eyes and rolled the dice one last time. He heard the dice rattle on the pavement, and the man yelled. “Seven! Aw, sorry, kid. You lose again. Wanna try one more time?”

 

“Nah. I can’t. I gotta go. Maybe next week, bro.” Liam walked out of the alley with barely the fifty bucks he owed his mom for rent. Liam cursed his luck both in gambling and in life. He was twenty years old, and he lived with his mom. He barely worked at a convenience store while attending the community college. It’s no surprise that his last boyfriend walked out on him. Liam was one big hot mess.

 

Liam kicked an empty soda can out of his path and continued up the sidewalk. The sun was peeking out from behind the dark grey rain clouds. Shielding his eyes from the glare, Liam looked up and saw the most beautiful rainbow that he had ever seen. He stopped to admire the view, and the weirdest thing happened. The rainbow disappeared. It wasn’t like the clouds moved over the sun, causing it to disappear. Liam could swear that the rainbow flickered before it vanished like the lights sometimes do in a power outage.

 

Liam looked around to see if anyone else was nearby who may have seen the same thing, but he was alone in the street. He scowled, shrugged his shoulders, and started walking again. Liam barely walked another twenty yards when he spotted something shiny glittering off in the grass beside the road. He bent down and picked it up. It was a gold coin. Liam thought it must be fake, especially how his luck was running, but it looked ancient, so he slipped it into his pocket. Maybe he’d take it to the antique dealer in town and see if it was worth anything.

 

As he turned and headed back toward the street, Liam was again distracted, this time by the sounds of someone moaning in pain. The sounds were coming from a little further away, just at the edge of the tree line. Liam looked around again to see if anyone was nearby to help, but he was still alone. He approached the moaning sounds cautiously. Just as Liam reached the trees and stepped into the brush, Liam stumbled over a large green mound. He turned and looked closer and saw that it was, in fact, a boy about the same age as him. The boy was dressed in shades of green from head to foot. Liam might not have seen the boy if it hadn’t been for his pale white face and bright red hair.

 

Kneeling next to the other boy, Liam turned him over onto his back. “Hey, dude, are you ok? I could hear you all the way out by the road. It sounded like you were in pain, and to be honest, you look like you were hit by like three Mack trucks.”

 

“I… I’m not sure what happened. W… where am I? W… who are you?”

 

“Oh, dude, that sucks! It looks like your suit is not just dirty but also ripped and looks expensive!” Liam stuck out his hand. “I’m Liam. What’s your name?”

 

The boy looked genuinely confused. He rubbed the back of his head and blinked a few times. “I don’t know my name. Everything is fuzzy, and my head hurts.”

 

Liam felt the back of the other boy’s head. “Hmm. You’re not bleeding, but there is a huge bump. Plus, it sounds like you have amnesia or something. I better call an ambulance for you.” Liam took his cell phone out of his pocket.

 

“No! Please don’t do that. I… I’ll be ok. I’m not sure why, but I know I don’t want to go to the hospital. No doctors. I’ll be fine.” He looked pleadingly at Liam.

 

Liam sighed. With the look of fear in the boy’s eyes and a gut feeling of his own, Liam trusted that this boy was being honest. He looked deep into the boy’s sparkling, emerald-green eyes. He said, “I am probably being the stupidest man on earth to even ask this, but do you wanna come back to my place so you can at least get cleaned up? I can even give you some clean clothes that aren’t ripped. The way my luck has been, you’re probably a serial killer, but something tells me that you aren’t. What do ya say?”

 

The boy got shakily to his feet and brushed the leaves and dirt off his clothes. “Uh… sure… ok. Thank you, Liam. You are being most kind.” The boy smiled a wide, toothy smile.

 

It felt, to Liam, like his heart literally skipped a beat and his knees got weak. Damn, this guy was gorgeous! “Hey, it’s no problem at all. Come on. Let’s go.” Liam led the way back to the road and then to his house. “Good thing mom isn’t home.” Liam thought to himself. He unlocked the door and let his new friend into the kitchen.

 

“I really hate to intrude on you like this. You don’t even know me. I don’t even know me.” The boy said, taking a glass of ice water from Liam. He chugged down the whole glass of water and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his suit jacket.

 

“It’s no trouble at all. Let me show you where the bathroom is so you can get out of those ripped and dirty clothes and shower. I’ll grab you some clean clothes and heat up some leftover pizza for lunch. Maybe once you’ve rested, clean, and fed, you’ll start to remember stuff.”

 

“I hope so. It’s very frustrating.”

 

“Check all your pockets when you take off your clothes. Maybe you have something with your name on it or at least something that will jog your memory.”

“That’s a good idea!” The boy started fishing through his pockets as Liam led him down the hallway.

“The bathroom is right here. The towels are under the sink. I’ll put some clothes inside the door and be in the kitchen when you’re done.”

 

—————————————————————-

 

Liam was staring out the kitchen window and flipping the coin when he heard the boy’s voice behind him. “These pants are way too short. Do you have anything else I can try?”

Turning to face his new friend, Liam nearly missed catching the coin, but he managed to grab it just before it hit the floor. The view that greeted him almost made Liam’s jaw hit the floor. He knew the guy was gorgeous, but damn. In the kitchen doorway, the guy stood there wearing nothing but a pair of Liam’s boxer briefs that were significantly tighter on him than on Liam. The guy was slim but toned. He looked like he should be modeling the underwear in a magazine instead of Liam’s kitchen.

“Liam? Did you hear me? Is everything alright?”

“Uh… yeah. Sorry. Your perfect body distracted me.” Liam blushed.

“I… oh… wow… I,” the boy smirked. “I think you’re pretty cute, too.”

“Do you… remember… if you like girls or guys?”

The smirk widened into a smile. “That’s not something you remember or don’t remember. I definitely find you sexually attractive. The problem is that I can’t remember if someone is already in my life that way.”

Still flipping the gold coin, Liam snatched it out of the air and clenched his fist around it. He nearly snarled. “I wish that you didn’t have amnesia! I mean, obviously, for your own sake, but…” He stopped in mid-sentence as the coin began to glow a bright green. The green light flared brightly and vanished as if it had never been.

The other boy blinked, stepped forward, and had to lean on the kitchen table as he nearly lost his balance. “I… you made a wish. That must be one of my coins that you have. I remember everything now. My name is Owen, and I am a leprechaun.”

Liam frowned. “I think I better take you to the hospital after all. You must have hit your head.”

Owen grinned. “You don’t believe me. I suppose, in these circumstances, I wouldn’t believe me either. May I see that coin for just a moment, please?”

Liam’s brow furrowed in concentration. “You’re not gonna run off with it, are you?’

Owen’s grin widened. “I’m dressed in only your underwear. I don’t think I’ll run far.”

Liam hesitated another moment, then handed Owen the gold coin. Owen’s eyes sparkled an even brighter green as soon as the gold touched his skin. He clutched the coin and winked at Liam. Liam was, again, almost blinded by a glowing green flash of light. When his eyes refocused, he saw Owen standing before him, fully dressed in his fancy green suit. The suit was spotless and showed no signs of rips or tears.

Liam tried to back up but was already pressed against the sink. “What? Who? How? What are you?”

“As I said, I am a leprechaun.”

“But… that doesn’t make any sense. I found you beaten up and injured on the side of the road. Where’s your pot of gold? How come you aren’t living at the end of a rainbow somewhere? Wait a minute,” Liam got a thoughtful expression on his face. “There was a rainbow just before I found you. I thought I imagined it, but it flickered and disappeared. Did that have something to do with you?”

“Yes. My rainbow lost power when my gold was stolen.”

“Stolen? Who could steal a leprechaun’s gold?”

“My stepbrother, Daulton. He turned from the leprechaun ways and is now a clurichaun. It is their ultimate mission to wipe out the leprechauns.”

“I’ve never heard of them in any of the myths. What are they?”

Owen sighed. “This is a very long story, which I am willing to tell you, but first, I must ask you a question. Will you help me find my gold?”

Liam answered immediately. “Of course, I will, but don’t you have magical powers?”

“My magic is limited without my pot of gold. I can do small things because you have that one coin. Speaking of that coin, I must tell you that you are now an even bigger target for Daulton’s wrath than I am. Once you made that wish, my gold became worthless to him until you either cast your third wish or die.”

“Great. So, now an evil leprechaun wants to kill me. Awesome.” Liam sat at the kitchen table and covered his face with his hands.

“Not a leprechaun. Daulton is a clurichaun. But, yes, if he catches you, Daulton will give you two choices. Either cast your wishes, or he will kill you. However, I can track the rest of my gold with your coin.”

“Won’t he just come to us if he’s after me? Can’t we use me as bait and set a trap?” Liam said, eyes wide with fear.

“No. I think Daulton may hide the gold because he knows that the closer I am to my gold, the stronger I will get. We need to find the gold before he finds us.”

Liam shrugged. “Lead the way.” Just before they reached the door, Liam grumbled. “It’s too bad my crappy old car isn’t working, but that’s just the way my luck has been going.”

Owen reached out and lightly touched Liam’s hand. Liam felt a warmth spread throughout his entire body; within seconds, it was gone. His eyes were wide with wonder. “What just happened? What did you do to me?”

“I improved your luck. It’s one of my powers. There are no guarantees with luck, but when chance rules your outcome, the odds of a positive outcome should be in your favor. You should try starting your car.”

“I could have used a bit of luck this morning. I lost almost all of my money.” Liam rolled his eyes.

Owen grinned. “That may be, however, you found my coin, and then you found me. Do you consider that bad luck?”

“Definitely not. It may be the best thing to ever happen to me. Well, I’m now being hunted by an evil magical creature.” They were now at Liam’s car. He opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. “Ok, baby, start up for me.” Liam patted the steering wheel before inserting and turning the key. The engine sputtered, coughed, sputtered again, then roared to life. Liam nearly shrieked in delight. “It worked! Get in. Let’s go find your gold. Which way do we go?”

Owen slid into the passenger seat, looked at Liam, and shrugged. “It’s not an exact thing like your GPS. I have a general sense of direction, which will strengthen as we get closer. For now, I can say that it’s that way.” Owen pointed. “And beyond that, you choose which turns we take. Hopefully, your improved luck will lead us down the right path. I will know if we go too far off course.”

Liam nodded. “Ok, then, let’s do this.” He pulled out of the driveway and took a left. After several minutes of driving in silence, Liam cleared his throat. “Do you think that we’re heading in the right direction?”

“Yes. As close as these paved streets will allow.”

“Cool. So,” Liam chewed nervously on his lip for a minute. “How is it that we’re being chased by your stepbrother? And how is he a clurichaun, and you’re a leprechaun? That’s some serious family dysfunction!”

“I promised to tell you the story, and this is as good a time as any. Just make sure you continue to follow your instincts on the turns. Your luck should guide your hand.”

“Yeah, it’s almost as if I can feel the turns before seeing the streets. I got this. Tell me your story. How is a clurichaun different from a leprechaun?”

“Clurichauns are leprechauns who have lost their way and turned from the leprechaun way. They become obsessed with destroying all leprechauns, especially the one who is the focus of their transformation. The focus of Daulton’s transformation was me.”

“Was it as simple as sibling rivalry? I know that can be pretty intense and sometimes worse with step-siblings.”

“It was more than that. It was greed, jealousy, and sibling rivalry all rolled into one, coupled with a thirst for power and prestige.”

“So, what happened? What caused him to change?”

“When my mother married his father, she had her family pot of gold. It is rare among leprechauns for a female to be the Gold Keeper. The duty of maintaining the gold falls typically to the firstborn male heir. My mother had no brothers, so her father passed the gold on to her when she came of age. Daulton argued that her gold should have been transferred to his father when they married. If that happened, Daulton would have inherited the more significant sum of gold, increasing his standing in the leprechaun community.

My mother knew of Daulton’s attempts to get his hands on the gold, so she passed the gold to me as soon as I came of age. She thought that once the gold was in the hands of a male Gold Keeper, Daulton would give up his attempts to gain the gold. Unfortunately, she was wrong. When Daulton’s father supported me as Gold Keeper, Daulton became even more enraged. He magically cut ties with his family and declared me his mortal enemy. I watched in horror as my stepbrother’s bright green eyes changed to dark brown. With a snap of his fingers, his suit also changed to brown. Then he turned to me and told me that the gold would be his and he would kill anyone who tried to stop him from taking it. In a bright flash of light, he disappeared. Daulton had become a clurichaun.”

“Wow. That’s insane. All to get your gold? Wasn’t he already going to inherit his father’s gold?”

“Yes, but more gold equals more power and prestige in the leprechaun community. Daultan wanted everyone to know his name. He wanted to be a leader someday.”

Liam shrugged. “I guess I know people like that, too. What happens if you don’t get your gold back?”

“Once you are declared a Gold Keeper, your fate is tied to your gold. If he gains control of my gold, I will lose my magic. I will become human.”

Liam shrugged again. “Would that be so bad?”

————————————————————————————————————

Red Death

Charlie pulled the parka tighter around his slim body and ran through the blinding snow. He was the only one left now. Charlie didn’t see what had taken his friends; he only saw a bright red flash of light followed by screams. Screams that he knew he would never forget. That red light, could the legends be true? He pushed the thought from his mind and ran on.

Finally! He saw the soft, warm glow of the light in the cabin window. Only fifty yards more. He pushed himself to run faster. Wham! He felt something heavy slam into his back, knocking him face-first into the snow. He groggily turned over, and his eyes widened in shock and fear.

The legend was true. It made a weird kind of sense, Charlie thought. Rudolph existed, so why not his evil twin? For every beacon of hope and light in the world, a beacon of despair and darkness existed. That was what Charlie faced now.

He reached his feet and started backing away from the pawing, growling reindeer. When he thought he might escape into the cabin, the reindeer’s red nose glowed bright. Surprised by the unexpected light, Charlie raised his arms to shield his eyes. The last thing he felt was the reindeer’s razor-sharp antlers piercing his body.

Khristoff, the Red-nosed Terror of the North, had claimed yet another victim.