---

This post is intended as an entry to @snook 's Create Your Leprechaun challenge.

---

Source: Wikipedia

Most of us are acquainted with what leprechauns are - tiny mythical men dressed in green who always seem to appear alongside a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The idea of finding one of these little bearded men to be rewarded with unthinkable riches appealed to many in the 20th century. Who wouldn't want to become rich overnight? Back then, the idea of riches was coupled with the idea of gold, a tangible asset that also served as a store of value. Now, we see an increasing number of people who look towards bitcoin as digital gold. What if leprechauns were created in this age and hid cryptocurrency instead?

A Chance Encounter

Source: Unsplash

After a long day at work, Jack retired to the comfort of his computer to wind down for the day. These days, he was really into the metaverse and spent most of his free time on those platforms. His social circle primarily comprised people with funny names like CryptoBull69 who were only identifiable by their generative art profile pictures. No other person would get him like these people do.

Logging on to the CryptoVerse, a Second Life-esque metaverse game, Jack found himself next to a tiny bearded man dressed in a tacky green suit.

"You found me.", said the tiny man excitedly.

Jack was visibly confused - he wasn't looking for anyone and he didn't know who this person was. Thinking that it might be an ongoing limited-time event that he had somehow missed, he engaged with the man apprehensively.

"So, who are you? I don't think I was actually trying to find anyone."

The green-clad man stayed straight-faced and explained his existence. He was known by many to be The Leprechaun - he knew where a secret stash of BTC was hidden, and whoever found him first would be able to get their hands on it. After a few reverse engineers managed to uncover trace code of The Leprechaun, many have tried searching for him but to no avail. He was enshrined in the game's Wiki pages as an unconfirmed being.

Thinking back, Jack did try searching for The Leprechaun before, but that was nearly two years ago and he had hardly any recollection of it. Jack's confusion quickly turned into excitement and greed.

"I'm The Leprechaun, and since you found me, I'll let you in on the biggest secret in the CryptoVerse - where the secret stash of BTC is hidden. I know people have been searching high and low for it over the last two years."

Jack couldn't believe his ears. This was his chance to escape the dreadful 9-5 job he had.

"Follow me."

---

As The Leprechaun led Jack towards the plains, he started talking about how he was programmed into the game.

"A little while back, the game programmers were brainstorming easter egg ideas. They wanted something that would surprise the players when it was found, and simultaneously reward the players for continuing to support the game. Then, they decided to create me, The Leprechaun."

After all, it costs money to play CryptoVerse. A monthly subscription costs a nominal fee of 0.001 ETH, but cosmetics could cost more than the downpayment for a nice house. And having these status symbol cosmetics was what allowed you to network within the CryptoVerse.

Jack was building up his wardrobe of cosmetics, but his paltry pay at his day job wasn't enough for him to even think of joining the largest networking events in the CryptoVerse. How he'd wish to be able to stand next to the giants of the CryptoVerse. Instead, all he had were some dinky clothes and hand-me-downs from his brother.

"In the past two years, no one has ever come close to finding me. But you - Jack - you have managed to overcome all odds and find me. The chance of this happening is lower than winning any lottery you could ever possibly imagine."

The more Jack heard, the more he got excited. He started fantasizing about what he would do with all the BTC he would get - pay for a nice home, build a mining farm, and maybe even sneak in a cheeky holiday to the Bahamas.

---

After a 30-minute walk with The Leprechaun, a chest appeared in front of both of them.

Chest icons created by Smashicons - Flaticon

"Inside this chest lies 30 BTC. And it will all be yours in just a few minutes."

Heart palpitating and hands sweating, Jack's eyes were affixed on the chest. He was ready.

"However, I require just one thing from you, Jack."

What could The Leprechaun possibly need from Jack?

"Your private keys, Jack. Without them, I cannot activate the transfer of BTC into your wallet. You have to believe me just this once."

Jack was hesitant, but he knew that this was his one chance at riches that he would probably never get again in his life. The Leprechaun wasn't just some random shmuck who asked him for his private keys; it was a being that had traces uncovered two years back. Surely, it had to be safe.

Sweat beads forming on Jack's forehead, he carefully typed in his private keys to his BTC wallet. It was a huge risk, but he had to take it.

"Thank you for your trust. I appreciate it."

The Leprechaun smirked a little and unlocked the chest. Jack peered in to see nothing but a slip of paper reading:

You got scammed! Thanks for playing.

Jack turned around but found The Leprechaun, or whoever he actually was, nowhere to be found.

---

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed reading this little story of mine! Honestly, I haven't done much creative writing in a long while and I thought that this exercise was pretty helpful in firing off some of my creative juices again. Thanks @snook for hosting this contest, and I hope you have fun reading this story as well.

Cheers!