Snook opened the door and Jack was not far behind, wondering who would be knocking up Snook at 10 am. "Oh it's the Mr Ropey, I mean Mr Roper." Which almost got a giggle from Snook but she held it in. Beside Mr Roper was the Sheriff.

Sheriff Dingle. "Sorry to be waking you at this hour Ms Snook. Not my intention to be disturbing you. I'm afraid this is official business though. This feller here, he insisted he came along as a witness."

Snook. "Okay, How can I help you sheriff?"

Sheriff Dingle. "As much as I hate to do this. I have an eviction notice here Ms Snook."

Snook. "Eviction notice?"

Sheriff Dingle. "Yes Ms Snook. It seem the council has put in a compulsory buy order on the land. This notice here give you 48 hours to vacate the property."

Snook. "You can't be serious."

Jack. "Hold up there just a minute. You can't go taking peoples property willy nilly cause some company wants to build on it."

Jack. "I'm going to have my lawyer look into this."

Snook just looked at the sheriff and he knew it was time to leave. "C'mon Mr Roper, we done what we came here to do." As they walked away from behind the apple tree, three of the local kids came toward the house.

Snook. "What are you guys doing here so early?"

Pen. "The apples are freshest in the morning time."

Snook. "Freshest in the morning are they, I didn't know that."

Pen. "Yup. That's what my mum says when she goes to the supermarket."

Connie. "We heard what the sheriff said Fairy Snook. You're not going to leave are you? You wont let them take the trees down?"

Snook. "Well I don't want to. But we will have to wait and see."

Jack. "Come with me guys, let me grab you a fresh apple each."

Jack moved toward the apple tree and the kids followed. Connie looking back and Snook gave a wave. Connie waved back. Grabbing three apples and giving out one each. Jack said. "You kids run on home now before your parents miss you."

Jack returned to the house. "Snook, let me take that paper into town and have my lawyers look at it." "I'm sure he can find a way out of this." "This can't be legal."

Snook passed Jack the paper. "Sure that'd be great, I can't leave this land Jack, cup of coffee before you go?"

Jack. "Maybe you wont have to. This has t have been planned, they can't have gotten a purchase order in just one day. Maybe you can Snook up some magic, you know, fairy Snook, turn Ropey into a toad or something."

Snook. "Oh now that's something I will have to think about." This got a second look from Jack. Snook noticed it and continued. "Some magic, not turning him to a toad."

Jack headed off to town to meet with his lawyer. Snook shouted after him. "Come by this evening for the sunset. I want you to see something. I'll have cookies."

Jack. "Bribing me with cookies, hmm. You know how to twist my arm, that's for sure."

Jack's lawyer essentially informed Jack, there was nothing which could be done, The purchase order was legal and the town council had the rights to do so under the law. He agreed with Jack the morality of it was wrong, but the law is not always moral.

Not sure how he would explain this to Snook. Jack took a stroll along the main street looking into shop windows, putting off telling Snook for as long as possible. Looking at pictures in the arts and craft shop. Jack felt a tap on his shoulder.

Jamie. "How ye doin' there Jack fella." "Taking up painting? Coming for a pint? When they close old Blarneys down, it'll be a dry town for a while."

Jack. "Not a drinker, thanks for the invite."

Jamie. "Well ye look like ye got something on your mind ye can't quite figure out. If ye can't talk it out in Blarney, ye never gonna talk it out, that's for sure." "They do serve coffee too ye know."

Jack decided to join Jamie in Blarney's for a while. Maybe talking this out might just find a solution. Jamie ordered a coffee for Jack and a pint of the black stuff for himself.

Jack. "Bit early to be hitting the pint's?"

Jamie. "Not at all this is my night time. Day time for everyone else, but night for me, I work the night shift, Midnight to midday up at Pete's bakery."

Jack. "Ah I see." Jack began to explain his dilemma to Jamie. The purchase order on Snooks land and nothing he could do about it, legally anyway. But that he wanted somehow to keep that land in Snooks hands.

Jamie. "Ye know I seen a leprechaun once Jack?" making a statement more than asking a question there."

Jack. "The memory is not that bad yet, was only last night you told me." " I was meaning to ask you about that, why did you not get your wishes when you seen the other leprechauns?"
Jamie. "Ah ye see, you only get wishes if you see the leprechaun. Not if they reveal themselves to ye."

Jamie. "Well, I'm not one to be telling other people's business. But just like those little fella's in green are real, so are fairy's." Jamie took a sip from his pint looked at Jack and said. "Now ye didn't hear this from me."

Jack nodded in agreement and sipped his coffee. "Dayum, papa bear coffee, gets me everytime."

This got Jack a look from Jamie. Jamie didn't enquire though and began to tell what he didn't tell Jack.

Jamie. "Must of been about two years ago now. That time there was no bread for two days. I was doing my shift up at Pete's bakery. They had all these new ovens being installed, so no bread was being baked. I finished early that night must have been about 4 in the mornin'."

Jamie paused for a moment. To Jack it seemed like he was having second thoughts about telling what he wasn't going to tell him. Jamie took a sip from his pint and told Jack he was just going to get a top up.

Sitting back down Jamie carried on with his story.

Jamie. "Now where was I. Oh yea on my way home. It was the middle of the mornin'. Not a soul around and I always took a short cut though that meadow, Snook's meadow that is. Ye can't see five feet in front of you there at night. No street lamps ye see." pausing only to take another sip , he continued. "One step into the field and there was a glow. A moving glow too, it wasn't still like the glow from a light."

Jack. "Like a mist then?"

Jamie. "No, not really a mist" "The thing is when I seen it I stepped back, and it was gone." "I remember thinking, it must have been the moon shining through a break in the clouds. Anyways, I began walking again and a step into the meadow and it was there again. I would have went back the other way, but it would have took me an extra two hours to get home."

Jack. "Have I got this straight, you could only see the glow from inside the meadow?"

Jamie. "That's about right yup. I walked slowly toward it. Thinking ET was going to pop out and scare the bejeazus outta me. As I got closer I began to notice, it wasn't one glow, it was hundreds. Lots of tiny glow's flying about the air. All busying themselves zooming in and out of the house. Ornage yellow pink blue all shades of all colours flying. zooming in and out the house."

Image 1.

Jamie. "There was a bright flash. I remember thinking Jeazus they ignited the gas pipe or something. My slow creep stopped and I ran toward the door, thinking someone might be hurt in there. That's when all the little lights vanished and Snook appeared at the front door".

Jack. "So, so what were they the lights?"

Jamie. "Well, like I said, I don't like to tell other peoples business. But, well, I think Snook is a fairy. Now I never asked her so I can't be sure. Something I can say for sure is, before two years ago. There was no apple tree's in the meadow." "But I do hear you are a wizard of sorts. She might be inclined to let you in, if she is a fairy that is."

Jack. "Me a wizard, that was just some tricks and slight of hand."

Looking at the time Jack decided he shouldn't put off getting back to share the not so great news with Snook.

Credits: Image 1. Taken from the movie. The Fairy King of Ar.