The Third Rainbow

by

Bob Arnold
© 2002 by Robert Arnold - All Rights Reserved

 

A Short Story For Misty

 

"Sorry, Misty, I have to go. The storms are moving in now." I heard the rumbling growing in the distance. "I'll be back in the chat room when they're gone."

"Remember what I said about rainbows, Bob. Make that wish for yourself!"

"I'll try, Misty. Bye!" I clicked on the disconnect button that shut down my access to the chat room. Another few clicks and the computer was shut down too. I decided to watch the storm from the relative safety of the covered front porch of my house. Since I looked at the weather radar just before turning off the computer I knew that this would be the first in a series of smaller storms moving through the area as a cold front cooled things off from nearly two weeks of ninety plus days.

I didn't have long to wait as the skies opened up and the rain poured down in a sudden outburst. It lasted for only a couple of minutes until the clouds cleared and the sunshine returned. Off in the distance I saw a most marvelous rainbow formed completely from end to end. I knew the scientific reasons for the formation of rainbows but, personally, I preferred to attribute a bit of magic to them as well. The colors were crisp and clear. The rainbow lasted for several minutes until the next wave of clouds rolled in and the rain and thunder started again.

Like the previous storm, this one lasted for only a few minutes as the intense rain flushed away the debris of twigs and leaves from the previous storm. Like the first storm, this one was gone almost as quickly as it has started leaving behind another wonderful rainbow in its wake. The fresh, clean smell of the air after the storm made me smile to myself. I watched in rapture as the rainbow slowly faded away when the final cloudbank rolled in.

This storm was a bit more violent that the previous ones. Lightning split the sky as thunder rumbled around me. This time the rain was much heavier and the wind whistled through the trees creating a ghostly howl. A bolt of lightning struck a tree just fifty feet away from my house splitting the trunk wide open.

The rumble of thunder receded into the distance as the sunshine returned. A gentle rain continued to fall from the last of the wispy clouds overhead. A third rainbow formed in the distance. Like the other two before this, I could see both ends. The colors were so bright and clear that it almost appeared to be glowing. Misty said that when I saw three rainbows I had a wish coming. I closed my eyes and made that wish. I opened my eyes again when I heard a voice beside me.

"Well, laddie, ye've gone and done it. 'Tis true, you know, but the lassie got it wrong. You've not one but three wishes coming." The voice was coming from a small man dressed in green with a tall pointed hat and green shoes.

"You're a leprechaun? I always wondered if you existed. Thanks for coming."

"My pleasure. Now I suppose ye'll be wantin' my crock 'o gold won't ye?" He snapped his fingers and a large pot filled with gold coins appeared beside him. "By the way, please call me Shamus."

"Shamus, while that pot of gold is quite tempting, what use would I have for it? I have more than enough right now thank you. All I want is what I wished for. And since I have two more wishes coming…" I motioned him close and whispered in his ear.

A look of shock amazement across his face. "Ye're sure, laddie? No big house, no car, no wealth beyond imagination? I can give ye all these things."

"No, Shamus. Just what I asked for and nothing more or less."

He started laughing, well actually cackling. "Laddie, in all my thousand plus years I've not seen anyone like ye before. Here I've offered you the world and all you want is three simple wishes. I believe that I've finally met an honest man. It's a shame you won't be staying that way!" He snapped his fingers as he and the crock of gold faded from sight. Moments later a bolt of lightning shattered the silence, stunning me into unconsciousness.

I woke in the chair on my front porch, long brown hair hanging down in front of my face. It was nearly dark leading me to wonder how long I had been out. I glanced at my wrist to look at my watch expecting to find the old stainless steel diver's watch I always wore. Instead, in its place was a gold ladie's watch softly glowing in the increasing darkness. I had been out about an hour. I was having trouble seeing in the rapidly fading light so I got up to go back inside.

As I stood up, I felt a gentle swaying on my chest and a lack of something between my legs. Mysteriously, my knees and legs no longer hurt either. I hurried inside and caught my reflection in the hall mirror. I stopped to see the reflection of a young woman looking back at me. Large green eyes almost glowed back at me. I raised a hand to feel my face, soft smooth skin totally devoid of hair.

"Oh my God, he's actually done it!" I hurried to the bathroom and the full-length mirror on the back of the door there. The sight that greeted me was exactly what I had envisioned I would want to look like as a woman. I ran to the purse now laying on the table in the kitchen and looked at my driver's license. It read "Roberta Danielle Arnold" and said I was 24 years old. A tidal wave of memories flooded my mind as I lived this new life all over again. I remembered my previous life too.

Things hadn't changed much. I was still working as a network manager at a college and doing some other consulting on the side. My life new life was very similar to my old one except that now I was a woman. I suddenly remembered my other wishes and hurried to the computer.

When I logged into the chat room again, Misty was there to greet me. She seemed excited and a private chat box popped up on my screen.

"Thank you!"

"Misty, I really am Bobbi now. It's me that should be thanking you."

"I know. Somehow I've always known you both ways."

"That was my third wish, Misty. My first was my own change, my next was your change and the third was that we would remember each other as we had been and as we are now. He granted all three."

"He?"

"The leprechaun, silly. He was here just after I made my first wish and you get three wishes, Misty, not just one."

We chatted for another hour until I felt very tired. I said goodnight to Misty and the other occupants of the room and headed for my bedroom.

I looked around the room to find that it had almost completely changed. My old male wardrobe had been completely replaced with new female clothes. I changed onto a silky smooth teddy relishing the caress of the soft fabric against my skin. I headed for my bed to turn down the covers and get in.

I noticed a golden glint coming from my pillow. Laying there on the pillow was a single gold coin with a picture of a leprechaun on one side and a unicorn on the other side. It lay on a note written on ancient parchment. I read the note.

"Lassie,

It was a pleasure granting ye're three wishes. Never before have I run across someone like you. Here's a token as my way of saying thanks for not taking my pot o' gold. Please wear it always. It's magic and will protect you. Ye'll have a very long and happy life, lassie. Remember me always.

Shamus"

The note disappeared in a small puff of smoke as a gold chain appeared around the coin turning it into a necklace. I placed it around my neck feeling the coin nestle in the cleavage between my new breasts. I felt a soft warmth radiating from the coin. Somehow I knew that I would have a long interesting life ahead of me especially with a bit of leprechaun luck hanging around my neck.

 

***** The End *****

 

 

 

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© 2002 by Bob Arnold. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.