A couple years ago, you might all remember that I wrote a story about a mischievous little Leprechaun named Lexi. She was inspired by a regression comic I saw by the artist named Bojay, and I wrote two stories - one LG, which was printed here in Knuffles, and one AB. Recently I contacted Bojay and he liked my name for her so much, he said from now on she would be known as Lexi. I also commissioned a drawing of her. Here is a small version of it. Please do not copy this picture and post it elsewhere!
I was so pleased with my new art that I was inspired to write a new story with her in it, especially for Christmas!
A Lexi The Leprechaun Christmas Story
Lexi was trying to sleep one late December night when she heard the sound of sleigh bells - overhead! Now normally, she would have pulled her blankets (made from fur donated by many of the forest animals) over her head to block out the noise and tried to go back to sleep, but sleigh bells overhead was a very odd thing - especially seeing as she was sleeping in the top of a hollow tree.
So Lexi sleepily climbed out of bed and pulled herself up to peek out of the top of the tree. And what to her wondering eyes should appear, but.... oh wait. Wrong story.... What she did see astounded her! At a nearby house (which could only be seen in the Winter since the leaves hid it the rest of the year), a red sleigh was landing on the roof. It was being pulled by - of all things - eight reindeer! Lexi, being what she was, had seen many things that we humans would think as strange, but she had never seen nor heard of flying reindeer before!
As we all know, Lexi is very mischievous and curious, and she decided she had to go and check this out. She nimbly jumped from limb to limb in the trees until she reached the edge of the woods, and watched as a very fat man climbed out of the sleigh with a big sack. Idly, she wondered if this was a thief. Not that she cared - if the humans didn't want people to take their things, they shouldn't make them so easy to get! It's not like people got wishes from her very easily - and if they did, they usually gave them back!
She really couldn't believe her eyes when the guy actually climbed up on top of the chimney. He couldn't really be planning on… but before she could even complete he thought, down he went - sack and all. "He's gonna get stuck," she thought to herself. Thinking that might be a funny thing to see, Lexi scurried down the tree and across the open field, then up another tree close to the house, finally jumping onto the roof.
She crept carefully up to the chimney and peeked down, expecting to see him stuck there. To her surprise, it was clear. "I'll be darned - he made it!" she mused. She decided to check out the flying reindeer instead. She looked at each one very carefully, trying to find their wings, but they didn't have any. This made no sense - even the flying fairies had wings! How could these deer fly without any?
Just then she heard a noise and realized the fat guy was coming back up the chimney! Not seeing any other choice, and certainly not wishing to be caught, she slipped into the big red sleigh and hid under the seat. He came over and plopped the sack down - close enough that she could see inside it. Sure enough it was full of wrapped gifts. So, he WAS a thief!
Suddenly the sleigh lurched forward, and the big guy was yelling something about dancers and prancers and vixens, which was all rather disconcerting to Lexi. Before she knew it, they were off the roof and flying. She was now concerned about finding her way home AND not being caught, when she realized - not quite soon enough - that there was a poinsettia on he sleigh as well.
Now, Lexi had a malady that was not common among the Leprechauns. In fact, until she was born, they were sure leprechauns never had allergies - but Lexi had them. The reason she knew there was a poinsettia somewhere nearby was because she just caught a full snoot of pollen from it. She wasn't able to stop herself from suddenly sneezing… "CHOO!"
"Maybe he didn't hear," she hoped. But a second later, his big round face was peering at her under his seat.
"Ho ho ho! What have we here?" he asked, guiding her out from under the seat with his hand. It wasn't mean or threatening sounding - in fact, he seemed very jovial. "It seems we have a stowaway. How did you get up here?" he asked.
Lexi, somewhat frightened, didn't answer. He tried another question. "What's your name, little one?"
Lexi was always a bit defensive about her size, like most leprechauns. Just because humans were bigger did not mean they were any better than anything else! "I'm Lexi!" she said proudly (and maybe a bit too loudly, to cover her nervousness), "And I'm not 'little'!"
"Ah - I'm sorry," he said, with what she just knew was a lame attempt to cover a chuckle. "What are you doing on my sleigh, Lexi?"
"I was just curious when I saw it, and…" she trailed off, embarrassed and not quite sure what to say. Then she remembered she might have some leverage here. "And what are YOU doing, going around and stealing stuff out of peoples' houses?" she demanded, jutting out her chin.
The bearded man looked genuinely shocked for a minute, before he burst out laughing. "I'm not stealing, I'm giving!" he explained to her. "Haven't you ever heard of Santa Claus?" Lexi thought she might have, but wasn't really sure. She always thought that was just one of those silly stories humans made up. And so he explained to her about how he flew around the world every year, bringing toys to all the good little boys and girls.
Lexi stared with big round eyes. Obviously she was in the company of a madman. How could one person possibly get to all the houses in the world in one night. He seemed to read her thoughts, and whispered, "Magic!" with a wink at her. Lexi thought about it - that was somewhat reasonable, after all, she was no person to say magic wasn't real! She granted wishes (when she had to), and that was most definitely magic.
"I don't remember your name being on my list," said Santa.
Lexi blushed. "I'm not human," she said, by way of excusing herself.
"I don't just have human boys and girls," Santa told her. He pulled out his Blackberry and scrolled through his list. "Let's see - I have Tinkerbell ... Ariel ... even Thumbelina. But no Lexi. What are you?"
"I'm a leprechaun, of course!" she declared.
"I see," said Santa. "Well, that still doesn't explain why you aren't on the list. Unless, of course, you've been naughty…"
Lexi blushed. She supposed her little tricks on the humans WERE pretty naughty sometimes. Santa saw her blush and chuckled again. "Are you a gold granting leprechaun, or a wish granting leprechaun?" he asked her.
"Wish-granting," she answered, surprised that he knew the difference. Most people, if they caught her, just expected her to fork over a kettle of gold.
"I think," said Santa, "That you can be of help." No one ever said that to her before. She was interested, but tried not to show it. Santa pulled a letter from his pocket. "Every year, he writes a letter to me," he said, handing it to her.
Lexi unfolded the letter, which was a bit awkward for her because of her size, and read it over.
Dear Santa:
I know I asked you this last year, and you couldn't do it then. Maybe I didn't ask soon enough, or I wasn't good enough. I've tried ever so much harder this year. I did like the toys you left last year, but Santa, they would be so much more fun if I could play with them as I really feel, as a little girl.
I've really thought this over, Santa, and I am sure I should be a little girl. I don't like the same games the boys do, or the same toys. I don't like the clothes I must wear - I wish I had some pretty dresses! I want to be able to have long hair and my Mommy to put them in braids for me - when I ask, she says boys don't do that with their hair.
Please Santa, could you do this for me this year? I promise to always be good, and you don't even have to leave me any toys. Can't you please make me a little girl this year?
Love, Timmy
P.S. When I am a little girl, can my name be "Tiffany"?
Lexi looked up from the letter. "So why don't you do it?" she asked. "Was he naughty?"
Santa shook his head sadly, and the man who up until now had always looked happy now looked as though he might cry. "He's one of the best behaved of them all," he said. "But I bring TOYS to all the good little boys and girls. I can't grant wishes."
"Oh…" Despite her usual carefree attitude, Lexi felt a pang of sympathy over this.
"But … YOU can," Santa said, his eyes starting to twinkle again.
"Oh!" Lexi was surprised. No one had EVER given their wish away before. Still - she couldn't think of there being any rules against it…
But her mind was now working overtime. She always granted wishes in a way the recipient did not expect, often meaning they were desperate to give the wish back! In this case, Timmy never said how old of a little girl he wanted to be - she could zap him back to diapers if she wanted. He never said he wanted to be a human little girl either, there was so much she could do with that one! Or, what if she made him a little girl, but with a taste for being a tomboy - wouldn't that be a laugh!
Then she looked at the letter, and at the man who gave gifts to people with no expectation of return, and despite her usual nature, she just couldn't do it this time. She sighed and gave Santa a gold coin. "Slip it under his pillow," she said, "and when he wakes up, he'll have his wish. Next year, he'll have a choice whether or not to make it permanent." She had a feeling he, or rather SHE would, taking the fun right out of it for her!
"Ho ho ho!" Oh no - he was at that again, thought Lexi. But he was looking at his Blackberry. "Look at that, Lexi - your name is on my list after all!" But for some reason Lexi was now feeling very sleepy, and she curled up on the sleigh seat and was asleep in less than a minute.
The next morning, Lexi awoke in her bed. "What a strange dream," she thought to herself. As she sat up, she noticed a box next to her bed. Eyes wide and filled with excitement she read the tag: "To Lexi, from Santa. Thanks for your help!" She opened the box, and found inside a nearly perfect pearl - the kind she always loved and always hoped one day to have! Happily, she set it on her shelf. Maybe being good wasn't such a bad thing, maybe she should try to be good more often. Then again, next Christmas was a whole year away, and Santa wouldn't really mind if she was just a little bit naughty, would he?
Miles away, a little … girl … awoke to her first ever Christmas when she would actually feel right. THIS Christmas, she would get to wear a velvet dress, have her hair in braids, and see gifts under the tree bearing the name "Tiffany".