America: 50☆Stars (Vol. 2)

Episode 28: The Tale of Patrick O'Toole

"This is barmy! There's no way this glorified flower pot is the smallest park in the world!" England huffed as he and America stared at the park in front of their feet.

On the Englishman's behalf, it was surprising this 'glorified flower pot' in the middle of a street in Portland, Oregon was recognized as an urban park. Mill Ends Park was only a circle about two feet in diameter with a total area of 452 square inches. Sure, the small plot had pretty flowers. But it also had small vegetation resembling bushes and a tree that stood about two feet tall. In conclusion, this park was more than a flower bed!

America laughed at the huffy Englishman. "Dude, it's totally a park. Right, Oregon?"

"Yep!" Oregon appeared before them in a cheerful mood. "According to Guinness World Records, Mill Ends Park is the smallest park in the world since 1971."

England scoffed, "Ridiculous! The actual smallest park in the world is Princes Park in my home. That park has a fence around it at least."

"If that's the issue, I can fix that." She placed plastic toy fences around the park's perimeter. "There! Problem solved!" She smiled.

"T-That doesn't make it an actual park!"

"If it helps make our case, I can place a guard here." America placed a plastic army man inside the park.

England grumbled, "You can try and make this flower pot all fancy-like, but it's still not a park in my eyes." He stormed off.

"The guard could use a friend." Oregon placed a toy sheep in the park.

☆☆☆☆☆

"Hey, Oregon!" Maine approached the Beaver State. "I heard you have leprechauns in your home. Is that true?"

"Yeah! They live right over here!" Oregon took her to Mill Ends Park.

"Whoa." She crouched down to see the tiny park more closely. "Do they live here?"

"Uh-huh. They usually live in a burrow underneath the tree, so they're rarely seen. But they live here. They're the only leprechaun colony west of Ireland."

"That's cool," she mumbled. "I wonder why they decided to live here. I imagine most leprechauns would rather live somewhere more quiet and isolated like a forest or a meadow."

"I thought so, too," Oregon agreed. "You see, a long time ago..."

~ Hetalia! ~

There was a modest maiden who lived in this town. Her skin was fair and sensitive like a precious snowflake, and her hair was a sweet shade of brown like hazelnuts in a smooth chocolate spread. With a heart as kind as her voice, she was full of compassion for all living things.

However, the maiden didn't have many friends, at least among humans. People thought she was strange, always talking to plants and animals wherever she went. Of course, she wasn't crazy. The maiden didn't care for their opinions, but she was quite lonely.

One night, the maiden was looking out her window when she saw something unusual on the dark road. Curious to know what it was, the maiden went outside to get a closer look. Very quietly, she snuck onto the street until she stumbled upon a peculiar sight.

There was a small hole in the middle of the road. Standing in the hole was a tiny fairy-like creature no bigger than her pinkie. This creature had a red beard. They wore green clothes with gold buckles on their hat, belt, and boots. Though a pot of gold was absent, the maiden recognized the creature as a leprechaun.