I finally managed to tell him I was only stopping admiring the trees, but he saw right through me. "You were looking for a leprechaun like me, weren't you?" he asked in a way that seemed more like a statement than a question. He didn't need to ask. He already knew the answer to that. I nodded with a sheepish expression on my face. "I thought so," he muttered, more to himself than to me. 

"I'm feeling generous today, since it's St. Patrick's day. I'll offer you a deal," he said as he grinned.

"A deal?" I repeated. I wondered what kind of deal he would be offering to me. I also wondered if he would even keep his word.

"A deal," the words were repeated yet again. There was a quick pause before the leprechaun continued, "If you can find even as much as a single four-leafed clover, I'll give you half my gold,"

I knew better than to speculate about only getting half of his gold. A leprechaun's gold is his pride and joy. Offering me half his gold meant that he was either really generous, really confident, or wasn't going to keep his word. I hoped it wouldn't be the third option. I accepted his offer. "You have until one pm tomorrow," he informed me, "Good luck"

I gave him a quick nod and started my pursuit of a four-leafed clover. I looked all over for one. It took hours and was exhausting. I nearly gave up several times throughout the process. I tried so hard to find one, but before long, it was dark. I looked up at the night sky and saw thousands of bright stars above me. I watched a shooting star travel across the black sky and made a wish. I wished to find a four-leafed clover before the deadline. I wished with all my heart and did my best to believe in the shooting star, just like my mother had. She believed that the stars had special powers, and she still believes that to this day. I clambered into my cluttered mess of a bed and went to sleep.