Rainbow Chasers

            What do you think this blog needs?

            Did you say, “More fiction”? Well, if you did then the two of us are on the same page. If you actually said something altogether different, then maybe you can change your mind and we’ll be on the same page anyways.

            I am participating in one of the writing prompts over at Chasing Revery. Carrie K Sorensen does a good job putting up some interesting pictures from which to craft a story. I was especially happy with this one. Hopefully, you’ll be especially happy with the story I came up with. Let’s find out.

 

 

RAINBOW CHASERS

             Off to my left, the rainbow mocked me. 

            Most of them did. After eleven years of rainbow chasing, you more or less got used to it. As far as I was concerned it made the prospect of catching one all the sweeter.

            This one was a beaut; the full spectrum of color, a solid eight on the Charley McFeeney rainbow intensity scale, and the clearest example of Leprechaun sign that I had seen in years.

            The best part of it was that this chromatic temptress had made the mistake of allowing us a good view of where it went to ground. Already, my partner was checking his maps to pinpoint the location.

            “Five miles, directly south-east,” said Mickey. “There’s an old farming road that will take us to within a quarter-mile of the spot. Then we need to move fast to secure the portal before that little green devil closes it.”

            I pulled off on the next exit and then turned left. The pavement gave out a few yards past the highway and we were on a dirt road. That meant we were leaving a dust trail that would alert the leprechaun to our approach. It took all of my restraint to keep the car moving forward at a leisurely clip. Too fast and he would know for sure that we were on to him, but a mite slower and he could mistake the dust cloud as the just the passage of one of the local farmers.

            With less than a mile to go and the rainbow stayed in place. Not that it had to in order for us to catch it. Once it started phasing the rainbow disappeared from view, but the actual portal took a little longer to shrink into non-existence. As close as we were now, there was no doubt that we were going to catch ourselves a rainbow today.

            The dusty road led to an old red farm house, complete with dilapidated barn and a copse of apple trees behind it. Somewhere in the middle of those trees was the anchoring point for the rainbow.

            Mickey was out of the car before I could slide to a stop, camera in hand, a huge victorious smile on his face. He left the door open and sprinted towards the trees.

            “Wait,” I called after him. “Do you have your lucky charms?”

            But he didn’t. The bracelet with the silver symbols that would keep him safe from leprechaun magic lay on the car floor. He was running headlong into danger.

            Snatching up the bracelet, I ran after him, not daring to shout his name for fear of alerting the rainbow keeper to our presence. The rainbow still remained bright and vivid. How could the leprechaun have failed to notice us by now?

            My feet pounded against the ground in a mad attempt to catch Mickey before he encountered the leprechaun. He made it to the center of the copse before me. In fact, he had made it to the center of the portal; brilliant colored light shone all around him. And he didn’t move.

            “Thanks, be to you and your friend,” a shrill voice sounded from behind Mickey. Out from the rainbow strode a leprechaun. Then another. And another. In total, a dozen of the legendary creatures strode forth.

            “It’s been you two that have been given us such a difficult time over these last few years. We decided to do a little chasing of our own.”

            “I don’t think so,” I said as I held up the charms in my hand and then pointed to the ones secured around my wrist. “I have these.”

            “Oh, and are they lovely, but the truth is they only work on cartoon fairies and then only to keep your cereal safe.” He laughed and then the rest of them joined in. The copse echoed with their tiny outbursts of mirth.

            “You probably believe that malarkey about a pot gold as well,” the lead leprechaun continued. “I came up with that one myself. What better way to get fools to bring us what we really crave – SILVER.”

            His smile disappeared.

I turned to run. My feet wouldn’t move and instead I crashed to the ground. With my arms, I pulled myself forward. Slowly. Too slowly.

The pack of green bandits closed in.