It was a bright and early morning in the village the day before Frank’s 10^th birthday. His red hair bounced behind him as he cheerfully ran to a nearby house, where the rapidly knocked on the door. Suddenly, the door cracked open and a head poked out. “What do you want Frank,” the boy said. “It’s, like, 8 in the morning.”

“The early bird catches the worm, Michel,” Frank laughed. “Let’s go looking for some four leaf clovers! I want some good luck before tomorrow. Hopefully that’ll make my parents get me a sword!”

“Go catch worms by yourself,” Michel replied. “And you know you aren’t getting a sword. No way your parents would allow that, no matter how many four leaf clovers you find.”

“An extra slice of my birthday cake tomorrow,” Frank promised.

“Wait here for just a second.” The door closed, and Frank could hear Michel sprinting to his room. After a few moments, the door flew open. There Michel was, out of his pajamas and ready to go outside.

After calling out to Michel’s parents, the two boys headed into the woods. Jumping over fallen logs and crunching on dried leaves, the boys wandered through the canopy as they bickered amongst themselves. Suddenly, the trees and shrubs parted like gates to reveal a meadow of grass and clovers.

With shouts of joy, the boys threw themselves in the field. After wearing themselves out running around, they lay down side by side, catching their breath as they gazed up at the clouds.

“Frank?”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe we should start looking for clovers.”

“Oh, yeah, clovers. Let’s.”

Energetically popping up from the ground, Frank and Michel resumed their hunt for the lucky clover. As they looked, the sun rose high into the sky, then plunged back towards the horizon. Just as the first pink strands were creeping into the sky, Frank spoke.

“Got one! Finally! I’ll be lucky this year, it seems.”

Then, on the other side of the field, a hunched over old woman appeared.

“Hello there, young’uns. I couldn’t help but notice you’ve found a four leaf clover there. Could you perhaps spare one for this old lady here? I need a splash of luck for a recipe of mine, and this four leaf clover will do just the trick.”

Frank glanced over at the old woman, then down at the clover in his hands. He had looked all day for the clover, and he wasn’t super enthusiastic to just… give it away.

“C’mon, Frank,” Michel called from the edge of the grove. “It’s getting late. Whatever you decide, hurry up and let’s get going.”

Making up his mind, Frank put the clover in the woman’s hands. “Here you go, granny.”

Running towards Michel, the two boys made their way back home. In the grove, the old lady smiled at the disappearing form of the children. “A splash of luck, and a touch of kindness,” she said. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

The next night, Frank slowly walked to his room, disappointed. His birthday hadn’t been the greatest experience in his young life, having been clawed at by the local cat (black in color) and then tripping on a ladder and breaking a mirror. While he normally considered himself not superstitious, Frank couldn’t help but feel a bit sorrowful. “Maybe I shouldn’t have given that granny my clover,” he muttered. To top things off, he didn’t get his sword, either, settling for a small wooden charm and a couple coppers of allowance.

Then, his eyes were drawn to a little bundle sitting on his bed. Unwrapping the package, Frank’s eyes widened. In his hands was a brand new short sword, perfectly balanced and razor sharp. Next to it, a note. “Thank you for the clover, child. Never forget, kindness will always pay off. Oh, and, your parents already know. They’re very proud of you too. Happy birthday, boy.”

Clutching the sheathed sword and letter, Frank smiled, then jumped on the bed. It looked like it was a good day, after all.