Thousand: Five Hundred Eighteen

tidily, and she yawns. The counting gnome coughs twice. He lowers his head to the ground and listens to vibrations in the earth. His scowl lightens and he hits his head with his fists. The dog whines. The gnome sighs. “I didn’t find them all. All the leprechauns,” says the gno, oh, no, this must be the leprechaun, the one was going around counting leprechauns. “I counted four times. Each time I got the same number. Except the last time. When there was one fewer.” The leprechaun shrugs. “I wanted to count again, but I was afraid I was right.”