Midlife Blues - Victoria Danann Page 0,26
McKnob. You’ve set your feet upon the path to the temple of folly. No good can come from this. The five families will combine their resources and pay you a pot of gold equal to the value of the one that was out of pocket for a day. And you will remove the curse from these children.”
“I WILL NO’!” the little hothead said defiantly.
I heard a growl to my left and knew that the leprechaun was one word away from finding out how it feels to fly without wings. I didn’t want to enjoy the image I got, but I’m only human. Or, I used to be.
“The court has assisted in mediating this dispute, sir. The matter has been settled. Other than a single fitful night, you’ve sustained no damages and have even profited by this event in a manner that doubles your wealth. What exactly is the problem?” I asked calmly.
“I have my rights.” I waited. “Your Honor.”
“Indeed, you do. And that is why the Court has been generous with providing a platform for you to express your point of view. Your opinions have been noted by everyone present. My ruling was clear. Remove the curse now or you will forfeit all your possessions including every last piece of gold.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Since that doesn’t seem to be incentive enough, let me rephrase. You will forfeit all your possessions and be remanded to the custody of the Bureau.”
At that he laughed, actually bent at the waist, put hands on knees, and laughed. “Stupid human. You can no’ hold a leprechaun against his will.”
“Really?” I turned to Lochlan and said loudly, “Who’s the next queen on the list?”
McKnob shouted, “WAIT! Em. Your Honor. Beggin’ your pardon. I see the error of my ways and will be pleased as Paddy to accept a pot of gold for freein’ the lads and lasses from my ill will.”
“It would’ve behooved you to come to this enlightened perspective when it was offered. Unfortunately, for you, it’s no longer on the table, as they say. If you remove the curse right this instant, you may leave here now with your freedom and your property. No negotiation.”
The sight of a fuming leprechaun is something not soon forgotten. His face turned such a deep orange that it was basically indistinguishable from his hair and beard. His little chest rose and fell with anger, but the time when I might have felt sympathy for the little devil had long since passed.
“Well?” I asked.
He turned to the plaintiff’s table, waved his hand, and the teenagers were instantly transformed to the clear-skinned, flawless beauty the Powers had intended.
A cheer went up when the kids were freed from their nightmare. The girls high fived each other. The boys did chest bumps. I had my suspicion that these displays were borrowed from human expressions of victory, possibly because fae don’t make movies or shows for TV. At least not that I’d heard. I had no problem with sharing emotive variations with fae. So long as they dropped the thou-art-inferior response.
After all, they made use of human magics like electricity.
“Mr. McKnob. You’re free to go.”
Without a word, he held up his hand and, from thin air, a shillelagh appeared in his grasp. With a final glare at the kids, he turned and walked down the long center aisle, not a friend in the world. All those present observed every step of his exit. The crowd was so quiet that the only sound to be heard was the forceful strike of his walking stick against the floor, undoubtedly the last form of protest available to him.
When the heavy door closed behind him, I turned to the plaintiff’s table to address the elves. They were so pretty I was afraid of tearing up.
“Young people. The leprechaun was right about one thing and that is that life is for learning. I trust you’ve learned that mischievous deeds can offer short-lived amusement, but may come with unexpected costs.”
Their attorney whispered to them in a huddle after which they said, at roughly the same time, “Yes, Your Honor.”
“I acknowledge that you’ve already apologized to Mr. McKnob. That’s commendable and duly noted. However, I don’t want to see you back here again. So, before this case is dismissed, I want you tell me, one at a time, that you understand that interfering with another’s property, even if that person is comical or disagreeable, may backfire and make you very sorry.”
After another whispered instruction, each