Leprechaun’s Gift – Short Story About Friendship
In this short story about friendship, Mia’s birthday plunges her into a online world of envy and isolation. Will an unexpected gift help her?
Leprechaun’s Gift – Short Story About Friendship
This story appears in: A Stitch of Serenity and Other Tales
As the sun set on Mia’s 11th birthday, the usual sounds of laughter and outdoor play were absent. Instead, the soft glow of her phone illuminated her face, casting long shadows across her room.
Mia had just got an upgraded phone as an early birthday gift a few weeks earlier, and she had retreated into a digital world ever since. Being online wasn’t a distraction for Mia, it was an obsession. One that was making her feel more sad than ever.
Alone, she scrolled endlessly, each post from her classmates feeling like a small jab to her happiness.
“Wow, look at them,” Mia whispered under her breath, her thumb pausing on a picture of her friends at a party she hadn’t been invited to. “They look like they’re having the time of their lives … without me.”
Her room, once a place of joy and creativity, had become a dark cave of comparison. The vibrant lives of others on her screen made her own seem dull and colorless. Parties, gatherings, brand new outfits of the day – they all seemed to highlight what she felt was missing in her life.
Downstairs, Patti and Bill shared a worried glance. Their kitchen, once the heart of family activity, felt emptier these days.
“Did you see Mia at dinner? Barely said a word. Just kept glancing at her phone,” Patti said, her voice laced with concern.
Bill sighed, nodding. “I know. It’s like she’s slipping away from us. More interested in the lives of people online than … well, her own family.”
They remembered Mia’s laughter, her adventurous spirit, and how she’d insist on exploring every nook and cranny of their neighborhood. Now, her world had shrunk to fit the palm of her hand, and with it, her joy seemed to have diminished.
Mia spent most of her day shut in her room, her phone her only companion.
“But it’s not just the phone,” Bill murmured, “I think the people she’s following make her feel bad about herself. She asked me for some money to buy a whole new wardrobe the other day.”
Patti reached across the table, squeezing his hand. “We’re gonna find a way to help her, honey. She’s way too young to be depressed. Let’s figure out a way to stop her obsession with those stupid likes and shares.”
Mia’s parents plotted a new adventure, one that would remind their once carefree daughter of the joy beyond the screen. They knew it wouldn’t be easy, but they were determined to bring back the spark in their daughter’s eyes.
Patti, in a moment of inspiration, began flipping through an old photo album she had pulled from the shelf. Her fingers stopped on a page showing Mia, much younger, beaming with joy and clutching a stuffed horse. “Remember how much Mia used to love horses? She was inseparable from this stuffed animal until she decided she was too old for it.”
Bill leaned over to look. “That’s it! She used to love animals. Maybe we can reignite that passion. What about horse riding lessons? There’s that stable on the outskirts of town. I’ve heard they even have therapy horses.”
Patti’s face lit up. “That’s perfect, Bill. It might be just what Mia needs to get away from the screen and connect with the world again.”
Excited by their plan, they researched the stable, finding it offered exactly what Mia needed: a chance to bond with horses and learn to ride, a far cry from the digital isolation that had consumed her.
Determined to reignite Mia’s spark, Patti and Bill presented her with a gift: horse riding lessons. Mia’s reaction was lukewarm. “Why can’t I just stay home?” she protested.
“Because,” Patti said, “there’s a whole world out there waiting for you, beyond that screen.”
Reluctantly, Mia agreed to go. The stables were a world away from her digital comfort zone, a place where WiFi signals faded but connections of a different kind grew stronger. At first, Mia was hesitant, her eyes darting back to the locker where her phone lay. But then she met Leprechaun, a gentle horse with happy eyes.
“Hi, Leprechaun,” Mia murmured, reaching out a tentative hand. The horse nuzzled her palm, and something within Mia stirred.
On a sunny afternoon during a lesson, Mia and Leprechaun found themselves in a wide, open field, far from the confines of the stable. The air was fresh, filled with the scent of wildflowers and the gentle rustle of leaves. Mia looked around, taking in the beauty of the natural world that she had been missing. She let out a content sigh, feeling a peace she hadn’t known in a long time.
“It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it, Leprechaun?” she whispered, petting him gently. Leprechaun responded with a soft nuzzle against her hand, as if in agreement. For a moment, they simply stood together, appreciating the warmth of the sun and the gentle breeze, a girl and her horse, united in their enjoyment of the simple pleasures of being outside.
Each lesson Mia took with Leprechaun was a step further away from her isolation. Mia began to put away her phone willingly, her posts now filled with sunlit selfies with Leprechaun instead of outfits and possessions. Her parents noticed the change, the return of her laughter, the light in her eyes when she spoke of her days at the stables.
“Mia, you’re glowing,” Patti said one evening as Mia animatedly described how Leprechaun had galloped through the fields with her.
“It’s just … When I’m with him, I forget about everything else. It’s like we’re flying,” Mia replied, her smile as wide as the skies they raced under.
Through her time spent at the stables, Mia slowly realized something that brought a sense of relief. She knew it was okay to be online a lot. But as Mia scrolled through her phone, she found pleasure in simpler things, like looking at adorable animal memes and sharing selfies of fun moments with Leprechaun. She stopped comparing herself to her friends and found herself focusing on things that made her smile. This balance brought a newfound joy to her life – Mia understood that the online world could be a place of happiness, too, when navigated with care.
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One day, the stable owner, Mrs. Carter, approached Mia with a proposition. “Mia, how would you feel about showing Leprechaun at the local fair? It’s nothing big, but I think you two would do great.”
Mia’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Really? Us?”
“Yes, you guys are a team. And I’ve seen how much you’ve helped each other grow.”
The fair day arrived, and Mia felt a flutter of nerves. Not only for herself but for Leprechaun. She leaned in, whispering, “We’ve got this. Just you and me, okay?”
As they entered the ring, Mia felt closer to Leprechaun than ever, his comforting presence. They moved as one, every jump, every turn showcasing their bond. And when they finished, the applause felt like a warm embrace, but the greatest reward was the nuzzle from Leprechaun, his breath warm against her cheek.
“Mia, you were amazing!” Patti’s voice broke through the crowd’s cheers.
“But it was all Leprechaun,” Mia beamed, hugging her horse.
“No, Mia. It was you both. Together,” Bill added, his voice thick with pride.
That night, as Mia recounted the day to her parents, with her phone forgotten on the table, the transformation was evident. It wasn’t just about riding or winning, but about rediscovering joy and the connection between a girl and her horse.
“And to think,” Mia laughed, “I almost missed out on meeting Leprechaun because I didn’t want to go outside.”
Patti and Bill exchanged a look, a silent acknowledgment of the change in their daughter. They felt like they had their happy little girl back again. She was becoming more and more outgoing and carefree day by day. In Leprechaun, Mia found more than a friend – she had found a newfound joy for the entire world, both within and beyond her phone.
Written by Kitty Norton. © 2024 Jack and Kitty Norton. Reprinted by permission of Jack and Kitty Media Group. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved.
