Sadie Sunshine always had a smile on her face, and she lived in the magic village of Emerald Springs. The houses changed their colors based on the holiday. On Valentine’s Day, houses would change to blue, white, or red. On Easter, the houses are robin’s egg blue or bright yellow. They would be red, white, and blue on the Fourth of July. They turn orange and black for Halloween. On Christmas, the houses would turn not only red or green, but some of them would become blue or white to look like ice crystals. The sheen of a crystal blue or white house in the wintertime looked so pretty that remembering them filled Sadie’s heart with joy.

The houses today were emerald green for Saint Patrick’s Day. Shamrock rain fell from the sky. The rain tickled as soon as it made contact.

“How is it raining shamrocks?” she thought. Just then, she heard someone clear their throat. She spun around to find a leprechaun staring up at her.

“Phineas O’James is the name,” he said,d removing his top hat and bowing, revealing red shaggy hair. He placed the top hat back on his head and gave a friendly smile.

“What’s your name, me lass?” Phineas asked.

“Sadie Sunshine,” she replied. He chuckled in his throat.

“Well, that’s a cheery name,” he said.

“Shall we play a game?” Phineas suggested.

“What kind of game?” Sadie asked.

“All you’ve got to do is catch me,” Phineas said.

“That’s it?” Sadie scoffed. “That’s too easy.” Phineas narrowed his eyes at that.

“I’ll have you know that no one has ever caught Phineas O’James,” he said.

“I’m the fastest girl in my class,” Sadie boasted.

“No one is quicker than a leprechaun, my dear,” he insisted.

“What do I get if I win?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you where my gold is,” Phineas said. Her eyes widened.

“You’ll tell me where your gold is?” she asked. He nodded.

“It’s the leprechaun’s code. You catch me, and I have to tell you where I keep my gold.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m ready.” He ran off,f and she chased him,im but quickly found great futility in trying to catch the mythical creature. She saw him run into the woods and devised a plan. She grabbed some rope, a net, paint, and a half dollar. She painted the coin gold and set up a trap for the leprechaun. She covered the net with leaves and placed the fake gold coin on top of those leaves. Phineas saw the coin and dove into the pile of leaves to retrieve it. He found himself ensnared in the net and hoisted himself up high in the air. He looked down at Sadie Sunshine and sighed.

“You bested me, lass,” he said. My gold is in the weeping willow.”

“Why is it called that?” Sadie asked.

“You’ll find out.” He hurried over to the weeping willow.

“Cover your ears,” Phineas said.

“Why?” Sadie asked. He placed a cotton swab in each ear and then helped Sadie do the same. The willow cried and wailed as Phineas removed the pot of gold from the tree.

They went to a quiet spot and removed the cotton from their ears.

“I don’t want to take your gold, but my mother is very sick and needs an operation,” Sadie said. Phineas grabbed a bowl and caught some rain inside it.

“Why didn’t the shamrock rain melt when it touched the bowl?” Sadie asked.

“I use a special kind of varnish for the bowl,” Phineas replied. He boiled it into a soup, and they went to feed Sadie’s mother. Her mom sprang up out of bed and grabbed her daughter’s hands; she began to sing and dance.

“I’m cured!” Jill, Sadie’s mom, said. “Shamrock stew is the best medicine in the world!” Phineas boasted.

“You could sell this recipe and make a fortune,” Jill insisted.

Phineas wrote a cookbo, ok and it made a lot of money. The leprechaun gave all the money from the book sales to Jill and Sadie.

“Why don’t you want any of the money?” Sadie asked.

“You let me keep my g,ol,d and it’s the source of my power,” he said. “I would cease to be without it.”

“That’s awful,” Sadie said.

“You save,d me and I saved your dear mother!” Phineas said. Jill and Sadie wept tears of joy. On this Saint Patrick’s Day, they made something more amazing and magical than leprechauns or healing shamrock soup; they made a new friend,riend and they were happy and healthy. Friendship, happiness, and health are greater treasures than a million pots of gold!!!!

Sadie Sunshine and the Shamrock Rain

Sadie Sunshine and the Shamrock Rain

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