FOUR LEAF CLOVER

It was one summer while out visiting at my Auntie's. She lived in the Eastern Townships about 150 miles east of Montreal. The countryside that she and my Mom had grown up in, where my Grandpa had a dairy farm and the neighbour was a million miles away. I loved going out to visit there! At seven years old it was no problem to walk a million miles and back.

My cousins, my brother and I were out on a hunt for four leaf clovers. We were bound to find one because the world was huge and the yard was massive and full of clover. We would think we found one but on further inspection it was the usual three. It's funny how they can all look like a four leaf for a split second. We were getting a little depressed about our poor luck. I decided that we should eat the three leafers as punishment. Maybe that would result in scaring the remaining clovers into producing that elusive fourth leaf in order to thrwart off impending doom from we ogre children. I convinced everyone that they were alright to eat because horses ate them all the time and they were okay! So we ate, and we ate, and we ate until we could eat no more. Alas not one four leaf clover ever materialized.

A week or two later it is discovered that I have worms! Me, my cousins, my brother, we all had worms! Now we could have got these parasites from any of a number of dogs that shared our households, or, we could have got them from my desire to punish the clovers by eating them. Either way it was gross! We had to drink this stuff that looked like red cool-aid but tasted like medicine for days and days. And we had to get regular inspections of our waste products until we got the all clear!

I think there were little leprechauns hiding out there by my Aunties house! I think they're still rolling over with laughter.