{"id":991,"date":"2020-03-18T01:38:15","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T01:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/?p=991"},"modified":"2020-03-18T01:38:15","modified_gmt":"2020-03-18T01:38:15","slug":"its-not-over-til-its-clover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/2020\/03\/18\/its-not-over-til-its-clover\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Not Over \u2018Til It\u2019s Clover"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s Not Over \u2018Til It\u2019s Clover <\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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An Alarming Shade of Green<\/h3>\n

Patrick O\u2019Sullivan wanted to throw a party.<\/p>\n

It was the day before St. Patrick\u2019s Day, and while the customary celebration in his quiet village was a pint down at the pub, Patrick longed for a proper spectacle that included twinkling emerald lights, a shiny shamrock garland, beer dyed an alarming shade of green and maybe even a leprechaun costume or two. He daydreamed about the laughter and raucous music and fantasized about his humble kitchen table groaning under the weight of loaves of soda bread, steaming trays of colcannon, platters of corned beef and pitchers of stout.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A Party out of Thin Air<\/h3>\n

The sad truth was that his wallet held only a few paper notes and the jar of spare change he kept on his dresser was mostly full of copper coins.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t throw a party out of thin air,\u201d he mused glumly, kicking at loose stones as he wandered aimlessly along the quiet lane that bordered Flynn O\u2019Malley\u2019s sheep meadow. The sun was beginning to ebb in the sky, and the chill in the air grew as the shadows lengthened, reminding Patrick that he had just one short day to solve his party problem.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A Stranger in a Woolen Cloak<\/h3>\n

Every year it was the same. Patrick would vow to throw his friends an unforgettable St. Patrick\u2019s Day bash, then procrastinate right up until the end before giving up in disgust and vowing to do better next year. His mum always did accuse him of having unreasonable expectations for things.<\/p>\n

One of the long, gray shadows that stretched across the meadow fluttered suddenly, and Patrick caught the movement from the corner of his eye. He turned to look squarely at it and saw what he thought was a tree was actually a stranger in a woolen cloak. The cloak was so out of place that Patrick automatically assumed the man was a member of a movie production or someone cosplaying at a Renaissance festival. \u201cOy,\u201d Patrick called, cupping his hand around his mouth. \u201cAre you lost, mate? The tenth century is that way!\u201d And he gestured with his thumb in the general direction of the motorway that would get this stranger wherever he needed to go, whether it was Blarney Castle or the Dublin Airport for a flight home.<\/p>\n

The man regarded him with wry amusement. \u201cIn truth, I am not<\/i> lost.\u201d His lilting accent was impossible to place, but there was no mistaking its posh and arrogant overtone. The stranger began striding toward him, and Patrick caught the silvery glint of a sword at the man\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpared no expense, eh?\u201d Patrick quipped, with a gesture that included the whole outfit. \u201cThat\u2019s a proper getup, mate; you\u2019re sure to win a prize.\u201d As the stranger drew closer, Patrick experienced the unsettling feeling that something even beyond his demeanor or costume was most definitely off about him, but he\u2019d be hard-pressed to say just what that was.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould you spare a drink, friend?\u201d The stranger seemed pleasant enough, but Patrick\u2019s heart went cold. He\u2019d heard the tales of otherworldly folk all his life. This man could be an extra in the latest HBO fantasy series or he could be...something else. Unsure what to do, Patrick indicated his cottage nearby without enthusiasm. \u201cI\u2019ve got a pint or two at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stranger grinned wolfishly and indicated the way. \u201cShall we?\u201d<\/p>\n

As they walked the short distance, Patrick attempted some small talk. \u201cFrom around here, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve family nearby,\u201d the stranger answered vaguely. They both fell silent.<\/p>\n

In Patrick\u2019s kitchen, he efficiently flipped the tops from two bottles and handed the stranger one. They drank in silence, Patrick watching surreptitiously as the stranger eyed his humble table and rickety chairs with a cool eye.<\/p>\n

Their bottles drained at last, Patrick was grateful for the excuse to be busy with tossing the empty bottles in the bin. He turned to the stranger and said, \u201cSo I guess you\u2019ll be on your way, then. Do you want me to call a car for you or give you directions?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no need for that,\u201d the stranger countered, and Patrick\u2019s disquiet grew under the gaze from the gray, glittering eyes framed by the woolen cloak. He\u2019d tried earlier to place the stranger\u2019s face, thinking maybe he was an actor rather than just a lost tourist in cosplay. It was difficult to capture the man\u2019s likeness in his mind, even when he was right in front of him. Young, old, thin, muscular \u2014 it was as if his appearance was shifting ever so slightly in the dying light of day until there was no way to say what<\/i> he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow hang on,\u201d Patrick said, with an attempt at a humorous tone he did not feel. \u201cI didn\u2019t mind having you in for a pint, but I\u2019m not looking for a long-term relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are strange,\u201d the man said, almost as an afterthought. \u201cBut a bargain is a bargain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d cried Patrick, alarmed. \u201cNo. No bargain!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me what you want most in the world,\u201d the stranger commanded. Patrick started to refuse, but the image of the party he\u2019d always wanted to throw for his friends rose unbidden in his mind. The shamrock lights, the leprechaun costume, even the St. Patrick\u2019s Day sunglasses.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d the stranger said with finality and arose, striding for the door. \u201cYou didn\u2019t even know what I was going to say\u2014\u201d Patrick began, but the stranger opened the door and melted into the night.<\/p>\n

Patrick tossed and turned that night, dwelling on his strange encounter. In the morning, he rose to make a pot of tea and nearly fainted as he saw his kitchen table loaded with food and his windows festooned with a thousand emerald lights.<\/p>\n

It seemed the bargain he\u2019d made had been a good one.<\/p>\n

He quickly reached for the phone to invite everyone for dinner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Blinkee.com for St. Patrick's Day<\/h3>\n

Forget making a Faustian agreement with creepy strangers in order to get the kind of St. Patrick\u2019s party you really<\/i> want; Blinkee has everything you\u2019re looking for to make your St. Patrick\u2019s holiday party special, from twinkling lights to sequined flashing fedoras to leprechaun costumes. You\u2019ll find everything you need at fantastic prices and you can even buy in bulk if you\u2019re planning on a crowd.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Not Over \u2018Til It\u2019s Clover<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"description":"Patrick O\u2019Sullivan wanted to throw a party. It was the day before St. Patrick\u2019s Day, and while the customary celebration in his quiet village was a pint down at the pub","facebook_image":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/51FutN6N4DL._SL250_.jpg","twitter_image":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/51FutN6N4DL._SL250_.jpg","title":"It\u2019s Not Over \u2018Til It\u2019s Clover"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-st-patricks-day","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=991"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":997,"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions\/997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blinkee.com\/blinkeeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}