America: 50☆Stars (Vol. 2)

Episode 28: The Tale of Patrick O'Toole

The leprechaun was too busy digging the hole to notice the maiden sneaking up behind them until she raised her voice. "Excuse me. What are you doing?" the maiden asked.

"Wah!" The leprechaun grew frightful by the loud voice behind them. They looked up at the maiden and yelled in an Irish accent, "How can ya see me?"

Before the maiden could answer their question, the leprechaun attempted to run away. However, the maiden was quick to snatch the creature in her hand before they could flee.

"Oy! Put me down before I feck ya up!" yelled the leprechaun.

"Please don't run away. I mean you no harm," said the maiden. "What's your name?"

The leprechaun was reluctant to say anymore. They were more concerned about running away than answering the maiden's questions. But after struggling with all their might to be free from the maiden's grasp, the leprechaun revealed himself to be Patrick O'Toole. "What do ya want now?"

The maiden cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

Patrick O'Toole gaped at her. "Are ya that thick?"

"Um, no?" The maiden gazed down her body. "I'm pretty slim thanks to exercise and a natural—"

"I mean, are ya an idiot, ya dope!" he yelled at her.

The maiden gasped. "Hey! That's not very nice!"

"How I get caught by this eejit again?" the leprechaun grumbled to himself before addressing the maiden. "Ya let me go, I can grant ya any wish."

"You can grant wishes?" she questioned.

He nodded his head. "I will, sure! I can grant any wish ya have once ya free me."

"Okay." The maiden pondered on a wish for a moment. "Then, can I wish for a park?" she asked.

Patrick O'Toole gave her a dumbfounded look. "This colleen really askin' for a park?"

The maiden nodded with sparkling eyes. "Yes, sir! I wish for a park for animals, people, and myself to enjoy. That's all I want." She placed the leprechaun back down at the hole.

The leprechaun frowned. "I can grant ya gold, a handsome lad, or even magical powers. Yet, ya still wishin' for a park?"

"Yes," said the maiden.

He sighed, "Alrighty then. Come here tomorrow morning, and ye have yourself a park."

The maiden smiled. "Thank you, Patrick O'Toole."

As the leprechaun dove into the hole, the maiden skipped back home to sleep until morning when her wish would be granted.

~ Hetalia! ~

By dawn, however, the maiden went outside and found no park in sight. The only changes she saw was at the hole the leprechaun had dug last night. The hole had been decorated with grass, flowers, and shrubs. It was pretty, but it wasn't what she expected.

Luckily, she spotted Patrick O'Toole at the hole among a colony of leprechauns. She confronted him regarding her wish. "Where's the park you promised me?" she demanded to know.

The leprechaun made a mischievous grin. "Greetings, my fair maiden! The park ya desired is right here!" He stomped his foot on the hole.

The maiden was confused. "This is my park? I expected it to be much bigger than that."

He snickered, "Ah! Ya should've specified! That's too bad now!"

The maiden was disappointed. She had been tricked. Yet, her frown suddenly became a smile.

The haughty leprechaun was weirded out by her change in mood. "What's with the dumb look on ya face? I made a fool out of ya!"

"Yes, you tricked me," the maiden acknowledged. "But look." She pointed at the butterflies that fluttered around the flowers. "The animals love the park. And look." She pointed at the leprechauns hanging around the tree. "Your people love the park. And look." She pointed to the smile on her face. "I love the park."

The leprechaun shook his head. "I still don't get it. What ya sayin'?"

The maiden giggled, "Thank you, Patrick O'Toole. This is the park I wished for."

Patrick O'Toole didn't expect to be outsmarted, nor did he expect the maiden to thank him so kindly. So shocked by her benevolent nature, he dove into the hole underneath the tree out of embarrassment. He refused to show his face ever again. Without Patrick O'Toole to lead them, the leprechaun colony chose the maiden to be their guardian. She accepted the role, promising she and the people of the town would take care of them and their home at Mill Ends Park.

~ Hetalia! ~

"Thus, to this day, Mill Ends Park continues to exist, fulfilling the happiness of animals, humans, and leprechauns alike." Oregon finished the story.

"Is that maiden you?" Maine questioned.

She gasped. "How do you know?"

"It's a guess."

She stared at the hole underneath the tree. "It has been over sixty years since I last saw Patrick O'Toole. I've tried convincing him to come out, but he refuses to show his face."

"Maybe he's shy," she suggested.

"Oy! I'm not shy!" an Irish accent shouted from the hole, startling both states.

"Then, why won't you come out?" Oregon questioned the voice she assumed belonged to Patrick O'Toole.

"Because! It's cozy in here sure!"

"You only have to come outside for a minute."

"I refuse! Ya don't tell me what to do! I'm the head leprechaun of this colony! Feck off!"

She frowned. "Geez, you don't have to be so mean to me."

"No wonder he's called a tool," Maine mumbled.

~ Hetalia! ~

Hey, hey, daddy, give me Moxie!
Hey, hey, mommy, hey, hey, mommy!
I cannot forget the taste of that
Blueberry pie I ate long ago!

Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Hello, I am Maine!

Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Looking closely, that's the Earth!
Or maybe, that's the Earth?
I'm the Pine Tree State!

Ah, with just a brushstroke,
A beautiful world can be seen!
See the lighthouse on the mainland!
Welcome to Maine!

☆☆☆☆☆

+ Mill Ends Park is a tiny urban park located in Portland, Oregon. It was created in 1948 by a columnist named Dick Fagan who noticed a hole full of weeds in the middle of a street. The hole was supposed to be filled with a light pole, but the light pole never came. From there, Fagan decided to get creative. He planted flowers in the hole and called it Mill Ends Park, referring to a column in a newspaper he wrote. After Fagan's death, the park lived on, cared for by other residents. Since the 1970s, Mill Ends Park continues to be an official city park as well as the smallest park in the world (sorry, Prince's Park in the United Kingdom).

- According to a legend made by Fagan regarding the park's origins, he was looking out the window when he spotted a leprechaun digging in the hole. He ran down and grabbed the leprechaun which, according to folklore, earned him a wish. Fagan wished for a park of his own. But since he didn't specify the size of the park in his wish, the leprechaun gave him the hole as his park. Funnily enough, Fagan claimed to be the only person who could see the head leprechaun, Patrick O'Toole, of "the only leprechaun colony west of Ireland."

~

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