The Leprechaun Returns

Carl Jenkins holds the coin toward the light. It's shiny surface marred with congealed blood from the dead woman's hand, smearing the images cast upon its surface. His mind is full of questions as he looks upon the body. With a sigh, he places the coin into the zip seal bag and continues with the autopsy.

"I wish you could talk, miss Casey Phillips."

"Hey, Carl," Jad says as he approaches his partner. Taking a large bite of his burger, he watches as Carl makes an incision in to the dead woman's stomach.

"Hi Jad." Looking up from the body, he gives his partner a disgruntled glare. "Damn it Jad. You know you can't eat in here!"

"Oops, sorry I forgot," he says with his mouth full. Looking over the body, Jad whistles. "Damn, this one was a real looker."

"Jad, get out." Shaking his head in disgust, Carl places the scalpel in the metal tray and breathes heavily. "I think I'm going to call it a night. Fuck it's been a long day!"

"Want me to put her in the cooler?"

Looking at the mayonnaise dripping down the palm of his partner's hand, Carl shakes his head.

"I'll do it. I think you'd better wash up or take that grease ball burger out of here before it drips on the floor."

After sliding the body into the refrigerated chamber, he slides the small rectangular name placard into the facial slot before he makes his way back to the examination room. Jad leans languidly against the bench, still eating his burger as Carl switches off the light to the cool room.

"Jad, for fucks sake!"

"What?"

"You're in a fucking mortuary..."

Ignoring the last comment, Jad picks up the clear bag containing the coin.

"What's this?" he asks while holding the bag high.

"I'm not sure. Her hand was clenched tight around it before I removed her fingers. What ever it is, it obviously meant a lot to her; there's an imprint of the shamrock on her palm."

"Looks valuable," Jad says, staring at the smeared picture of a leprechaun upon its surface.

* * * * * * *

Emily sits transfixed, staring at the ouija board in front of them. A chill runs up her spine as Julie begins the chant.

"From the shadows of darkness, I call upon ye. Present us with your form so that we may see." Julie's voice raises to fever pitch as a wind picks up inside the apartment. "Show us! Damn you! Come forth from the grave!" Almost screaming, her eyes roll back inside her head as she curls her palms upward. "Casey Phillips, we demand you to show what you gave!"

The flickers from the candle flames whisk against a torrent of air. An eerie howl fills the room as each feels a chill wash over them, sending a ripple of goose-bumps surfacing and covering their skin.

"We call upon you Casey Phillips, show your true form!" Julie's voice raises above the loud whirl of the wind circling inside the room. Opening her eyes, Emily looks around nervously. "He took your soul and left your body torn."

"Stop!" Emily shouts over the howl of the wind. "I can't take anymore!" With sobs racking her body, she releases her grip on Jacinta's hand, who sits bewildered beside her.

"It's too late," Julie mouths, with the voice of their dead mother. The three-legged planchette spins wildly on the opened board, as the group look upon it in awe.

Moving without a hinder, the planchette moves across the board, moving over the letters... L... e... p... . The wind dies to a subtle breeze as the group gaze upon the board, both in shock and sheer wonder.

"Emily!" Julie shouts as she breaks from the group.

"Damn you Julie!" Emily sobs. "She was as much a mother to me as she was to you!"

The flutter of the curtains dies to a gentle waft as the room gradually brightens. Silence fills the room as the group gaze upon Emily's sobbing form. Raising to her feet, Julie envelopes Emily in her arms.

"I know," she hums, her voice suddenly returning to normal as she strokes her surrogate sister's hair. "I'm sorry Emily. I know mum's death was a shock."

As her sobs border on forming hiccups, Emily cries against her sister's shoulder.

"I... I have something to show you," Emily says as she chokes back the tears. "I took it from Dad's briefcase this morning."

Their father, a highly ranked police officer, in charge of protecting artifacts to be held and used as evidence in court, rarely bought items home. Too grief stricken over his wife's death to handle the case professionally, he'd carelessly broken almost all rules as he'd slipped the coin from the specimen tray and erased all records of its existence from the books.

"I have a coin that was taken from Mum's hand," Emily continues. "From the notes and carbons Dad tore from the book, it plays a major part leading up to her death."

* * * * * * *

"I see ye sweet lassie, in ye time of sorrow "Ye tears will be dried come the morrow "Cry me sweet lassie whilst ye still may "Blood curdlin' screams will dawn the new day"

From the shadows of the doorway, the leprechaun leers upon the group. He keeps his eyes fixed on the coin as the girls pass it around the circle.

"Eww. It's covered in blood," Jacinta wails.

"Yeah, mum's blood," Emily says as she snatches the coin from her friend's hand.

"Sorry," Jacinta whispers.

"I think I'm gonna head home. It's getting late, and I still have homework to do before school tomorrow," Sally says as she gets to her feet.

"Me too," Jacinta adds, grateful for the change of topic.

"But what about the seance?" Julie starts to protest, then sighs as they head toward the door.

"Maybe on the weekend," Sally offers as she follows Jacinta out into the dark of the night.

"See what you did?" Julie says as she closes the door behind them. "You ruined the night!"

"Fuck you, Julie! I can't believe you can be so casual about Mum's death!" Tossing the coin at her sister's feet, Emily turns and runs from the room in tears.

* * * * * * *

"I still have chills," Sally says as they turn toward the highway.

"Me too!"

Jacinta feels a shiver surge up her spine as she turns to look out the window. The night had taken on a different aspect to what she had expected.

"God it was creepy when Julie sounded just like her mum."

"Aye, that it was," whispers the leprechaun as he leans over from the backseat.

The high pitched screams the last sounds heard as the car crashes heavily into a tree just outside the shopping complex.

* * * * * * *

"So, how was your night?" Officer Mark Phillips asks as he pours the morning coffee.

Glaring at her sister, Julie forces a spoonful of muesli into her mouth. The previous evening still fresh in her mind as she stares across the breakfast table.

"Fuck you, Julie," Emily whispers.

"Enough of that talk!" Mark shouts, slamming his palm on the table. "If I can't trust you two alone for one night, I'll get a fucking baby sitter!"

At eighteen, both girls look up in disgust at their father.

"Well?"

A silence fills the room as both girls glare at each other across the table.

Picking up his briefcase, Mark places his lunch inside.

"I'm going to head to work. There's some left over chicken in the freezer." Turning back from the doorway, Mark sighs as he looks at the two girls sitting at the breakfast table. "I don't know what time I'll get back, so please try and get along."

"Hey Dad, would you mind giving me a ride to school? I have an essay due in and I want to get to the library before the bell goes."

"Okay, but hurry."

Taking a mouthful of orange juice, Emily grabs her satchel and runs after her father.

From the depths of the hedge, the leprechaun looks on as the pair climb into the patrol car and head off down the street. With a gleam in his eye, he turns toward the house.

"Now bes the time to get back mah gold "I'll teach ye lassie, ye'll be payin' with yer soul"

Through the steam of the shower, Julie's voice raises over the sound of the water and radio as she sings. With teeth bared, the leprechaun slowly turns the handle and eases the bathroom door open.

"Is that you Dad?" Julie asks, seeing the hazy form through the steamy walls of the shower. "I'll be out in a minute."

The screech of the blade as he drags it against the shower screen, sends a cold shiver racing up her spine. As he moves nearer, Julie makes out the hideous face of the leprechaun as he leers at her through the foggy glass. With a shrill scream, she instinctively edges herself against the wall, panic setting in as she desperately tries to think of a way of escape. His laugh resounding inside the small bathroom as he slides the shower door open.

Grabbing the shampoo, Julie squeezes the bottle hard as a stream of the liquid sprays into the leprechaun's eyes. Lashing out with the knife, blinded by the burning of his eyes, he lunges at her as she pushes her way past. The knife slicing the thick pads of her fingers as she holds her hands up defensively against his attack. Running from the bathroom, she slams the door behind her. Wiping his eyes on his sleeve, he seethes as he reaches for the door handle.

"Aye, ye wench, ye can't be hidin' from me I can smell yer fear, I'll be findin' ye, ye'll see"

The high pitched screeching of the knife as he drags it along the wall, echoes as he moves slowly down the hall.

Tears stream down Julie's face as she hears his voice draw near. Sitting in the closet trembling, she holds her hand to her chest as the blood from her fingers drips down onto her thigh. Hearing the shrill sound of the knife scraping along the wall, she pulls the blanket up higher around her. Through the slats of the door, she watches in sheer terror as the leprechaun stops at her bedroom door. His nose high in the air as he slowly looks around the room.

"I can be smellin' ye me sweet I'll be bettin' ye be tastin' a treat"

Looking around her, Julie desperately searches for something to use as a weapon.

* * * * * * *

"I can't believe they're both dead!" Emily cries as her father holds the door open for her.

"I'm sorry honey," he says as they enter the lounge. "The report just came through and I knew you'd rather hear it from me."

Watching as his daughter runs down the hall to her room, Mark tosses his keys on the bench.

"Julie? Are you here?" he calls as he heads toward the kitchen.

"Dad?" Julie calls, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. "Help me, Dad! I'm in the bedroom!"

Running the knife down the slats of the closet door, the leprechaun's eyes glow a bright crimson as he peers at her through the cracks. His voice a low hiss as he leans in close.

"Aye, me sweet, ye won't be so brave "When I slice ye to ribbons and dance on ye grave."

Turning on his heel, the leprechaun disappears from her view.

"Julie?" Mark calls as he rushes to her bedroom.

Stumbling from the cupboard, Julie runs to her father's arms.

"He's in the house," she cries, holding the blanket against her as he holds her tight.

Noticing the blood streaming from her hand, Mark holds her by the shoulders and looks into her tear stained eyes.

"Who's in the house?"

"I don't know! It's a weird little man. Dad, he has a knife."

"Go to Emily's room and stay there!" he says, as he reaches for his revolver.

Inside the bedroom, the girls huddle close. Both in fear and grief stricken over their friends' deaths, they lean against each other with tears streaming down their face. From under the bed, the leprechaun grins.

Jumping in fright as the blade comes up through the mattress, the girls shriek as the knife is randomly thrust up from beneath them. Screaming as the knife narrowly misses her thigh, Julie leaps from the bed and runs toward the door.

"Dad," she screams, "He's in here!"

Fumbling with the lock, Julie turns just as the leprechaun lunges at her with the knife held high. The blade piercing the door by her shoulder, as her father bashes on it from the hall. With a shrill scream, she pushes the leprechaun away from her and runs back to the bed.

"Get away from the door," Mark shouts as he forces his shoulder against its frame. Raising his foot high, he kicks the door forcefully, breaking the lock as it swiftly opens.

"Where is he?" Mark yells as he bursts into the bedroom.

"There!" both girls shout, pointing at the beady eyes staring back at them from behind the opened door. With the knife gripped tight in his pudgy hand, the leprechaun rushes toward the bed. The sound of the gun going off, sends a deafening ringing to their ears as they watch the little man's body fall heavily onto the mattress. With a scream, both girls leap from the bed and rush to their father's side. A stream of blood slowly begins to pool under the leprechaun's body from the wound.

"Are you two okay?" Mark asks as he clips his gun back into its holster. Both girls nod as they cling to him tight. "It's okay. It's over now." Kissing them each on the hair, he leads them from the room.

The leprechaun's eyes open slowly, glowing a bright crimson as the corners of his mouth move to form an evil grin...