Thursday, March 17, 2011

St. Patty's Day Blogfest

Photo link.

April in Ireland is a grand thing. I’d never before seen such lush greenery. My buddies joined me as we boarded the Jeep and headed toward a small village.

Fred Gallo drove. I sat next to him with Tommy Sullivan and Bobbie Benson in the back. One thing about Ireland, the roads were narrow.

We four were lucky. Instead of serving on the front lines, we helped the orphans. No sadder face could you imagine than that of a child who’d lost both his parents because of Hitler’s bombs. Most of the time we were outside of London, but this week found us drinking Irish ale.

Fred drove a little too fast as he careened down a steep hill toward an old rickety bridge that spanned a small brook.

“You’d better slow down, Fred,” Bobbie said.
“And thank the Leprechauns for letting us pass,” Tommy said.
Fred and I burst into laughter.
“You’re joking,” Bobbie said.
“We’re in Ireland.” Tommy was dead serious. “You’d better say thank you before you drive onto that bridge.”
I opened my mouth to tell Tommy he’d had too much Irish ale. Fred maneuvered the Jeep on to the bridge. Next thing I knew, we were falling. Bam, the jeep landed smack in the middle of the brook. None of us were hurt, but we were pretty shook up.

“I told you,” Tommy said, “to thank the Leprechauns.”

#

Word count is 233…I’m a little over.
This is a true story that my father told minus the names of his buddies. My father was an only child and I assume that is the reason he didn’t see any action during WWII. I’m sure the bridge was in worse shape then the one pictured, but I couldn’t resist its beauty. I hope you enjoyed the story. I took the liberty to embellish it a wee bit.

Thank you, Colene, at The Journey, for hosting this blogfest. Now check out all the other St. Patty’s Day blogfest participants by clicking the picture at the top left.
Nancy

43 comments:

Misha Gerrick said...

That is such a sweet story. :-)

Maybe it was the Hand of God that kept your father from the front.

I have heard of many only children that died in the front lines.

Deniz Bevan said...

That's a great story! All the more poignant that it's your father's.

N. R. Williams said...

I agree with you, Misha.

I'm glad you liked the story, Deniz.

Thank you both for coming by and leaving a comment.
Nancy

Joanne said...

I'll bet every time they encountered a bridge since then, they thanked the leprechauns before crossing!

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

A lot to be said for honoring local custom.
Such a great piece.

N. R. Williams said...

I think you may be right, Joanne.
Nancy

Southpaw said...

I think I'll start thanking the leprechauns today - just in case. ;)

Jeffrey Pierce said...

What a wonderful story! While I'm here in America, I know who I'll be thanking whenever I approach a bridge! ;)

Marne Ann said...

Gorgeous pic. I can imagine little people dancing around that creek under a full moon. I bet your dad uttered a little thank you before every bridge after that...

Donea Lee said...

Fabulous true story. It's times like that that really make you wonder. Glad your dad came home with a story to share ~ :) Happy St. Patty's Day to you!

Colene Murphy said...

HA! I love it! Gotta show those little guys some respect! Awesome story! Thanks for playing along! You have been counted and Happy SPD!

N. R. Williams said...

Thank you, Holly, Jeffrey, Marne, Donea Lee, and Colene. I'm sure he was thankful for each bridge and a little humor too.
Nancy

Bish Denham said...

Ahhhh! True stories are the best. Very nice.

Hart Johnson said...

Oh nice! Yeah, a little gratitude can't hurt! I can get along with a light lesson from a leprechaun! teehee (love the story!)

N. R. Williams said...

Thank you, Bish and Hart.
Nancy

Gina Ciocca said...

What a great story! I would have been way too superstitious not to thank the Leprechauns!

Golden Eagle said...

Great story--and all the more so because it actually happened!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tony Benson said...

Fab story. It's lovely to take a tale from family history and write it (maybe with a few embillishments) for the enjoyment of all. Nice one.

Tony Benson said...

Hi Nancy, thanks for entering my Counting To 200 competition. To put your curioisty to rest, I had a great time reading Treasures. The world-building is fascinating, and of course, mediaeval France is a fabulous setting for a fantasy novel. All I have to do now is figure out when I can let go of my Kindle so Margo can read it.

N. R. Williams said...

Thank you, Gina and Golden.

Oh, I am so glad you enjoyed the story Tony. I look forward to hearing from Margo now, once you lend her your kindle.
Nancy

nutschell said...

what an awesome story. sent chills up my spine for some reason. coming from a superstitious culture myself, I'd definitely have thanked the leprachauns!

N. R. Williams said...

Nice to see you, Nut. It hasn't rubbed off on me at all. In fact, I forgot about it until this blogfest came up. LOL
Nancy

Mara Nash said...

Oh cool, a true(ish) story! Very nice.

Erin Kane Spock said...

What a fun story. It's one those things like lifting your feet when you drive over railroad tracks.
When I was a kid, we were cautioned never to disturb a ring or mushrooms (a fairy ring) or the fairy's would torment us.

Enid Wilson said...

We should all listen more to stories like this. Thanks for your tips about Amazon too.

My Darcy Mutates…

N. R. Williams said...

Thank you, Mara and Erin. I never heard the one about lifting your feet over railroad tracks.

Hello Enid, your welcome and thanks for dropping in.
Nancy

PK HREZO said...

Wow. Yes, i did enjoy that. Happy St. Patty's Day, NR! Sorry I haven't been by more often. I'll try to do better. :)

N. R. Williams said...

Thank you for stopping by now, PK. I too get bogged down sometimes.
Nancy

alexia said...

I'm glad they were okay! What a crazy coincidence.

Thanks for participating!

N. R. Williams said...

You're welcome, Alexia. It was fun and thanks for liking my story.
Nancy

Abby Minard said...

Oh wow, interesting story! I didn't know you were supposed to thank the leprechauns. I've been to Ireland and my brother-in-law drove us up the Dingle Peninsula. Talk about NARROW roads! Plus he went SO fast. I thought for sure we'd fall down a cliff or something.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Nancy,

Terrific story. I really enjoy stories like this that are true.

Michael

dolorah said...

It is a pretty bridge. I'll be sure to thank the Leprechauns next time I traverse a rickety looking bridge :)

......dhole

Unknown said...

Loved this story. WWII tales hold special significance with me as a lot of my sprawling family served, five great-uncles and a grandfather. Happy St. Pat's, Nancy! This was wonderful and made me smile tonight.

Jennie Bailey said...

It's okay to be over! Those lads WERE lucky! They got off with a wee warning, I'd say. Great entry!

Anonymous said...

I pictured myself listening to that story from the person who experienced it - thanks for the small glimpse into the past! Nice work!

N. R. Williams said...

Way jealous of you, Abby. You went to Ireland.

Hi Michael, I'm glad you liked my story.

I don't think you have to thank the leprechauns here in the US, Donna. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.

Our WWII vets are almost gone from us, Melissa. They are all special.

I agree with you Jennie.

It was a magical night when my Dad told the story, apparent.

Thank you all for dropping in and leaving a comment.
Nancy

Melissa Sarno said...

What an awesome story :-) And I love it that your father told it to you. The photo is really pretty too. I wish I were there now!

Tracy said...

Hey Nancy, sorry I'm late to the St. Patty's Day party.

Tommy is a smart man. He knows how those leprechaun can be! :D

Debbie said...

What a great story! I think we all underestimate those leprechauns.

N. R. Williams said...

Thank you for dropping in, Melissa, Tracy and Debbie. Even if you are late, I still appreciate your coming by and leaving a comment.
Nancy

Anonymous said...

:) I'm running late on these too. Apologies. But I'm really enjoying the stories based on real life. I wonder if your dad thanked the leprechauns afterwards.

Jen said...

Hi Nancy! I'm running super late in reading these, but I'm glad I finally made my way over. This was too cute (and I love that it's true!)

Thanks so much for the comments on my blog. I'm getting caught up and will soon be back in the regular swing of reading/commenting.

Take care,
Jen