Short Story Contest sponsored by The Highway Men and The Snow Leopards
The Highway Men and the Snow Leopards would like to give you the chance to win some cash by having you enter a short story competition. There are only two rules we require you to follow.

1) It needs to be themed around Ireland somehow
2) It has to be no longer than 500 words

Maybe it is a case you want to provide a fictional story, or you could give us a little bit of info about yourself before you arrived in the US? Who knows what you want to tell us about, just make it interesting!

Marks will be given for originality, and general quality. Punctuation and grammar are also an integral part of the judging process.

Prizes are $2 mill for first place and $1 mill for 2nd place.

Tanda and I will be the Judges of this competition.

We hope that you will take the time to really Enjoy this competition and really get into it.

There is not really much else I can say but enjoy yourself and write the best Short Story you can for the Chance to Win Some Cash!!!

SINGER sits at the desk and hands everyone a copy of a five hundered word short story. He was amazed at his fictional work and was fascinated with the character that is Saint Patrick. SINGER shook the hands of the gathered people about to listen to his story and he began.

SINGERS imaginary time travelling trip to the place they call IRELAND

A long long time ago in a land far far away was a man they called IRISH_SINGER. IRISH_SINGER was one really good looking man. He was so good looking that all the woman threw clovers at his feet! Yes it is true the only other man that woman would do that would be known as the great Deimne.

Days and nights would go by and the clock would tick but you see IRISH_SINGER never found a woman he really fell in love with. He would dream day and night about the perfect woman but still he didnt know where to look!

One day as IRISH_SINGER was singing his song, He saw a wanted poster for the evil giant monster that had kidnapped the princess! IRISH_SINGER knew exactly what he had to do. This is what he had waited for a chance to rescue a princess and become a hero. Then he would marry her

First however IRISH_SINGER had to take a stop inside the local pub that everyone attended. He felt it was a necessity to try and recruit people. He would stand at the entrance of the pub and scream out, "HI!" No one ever really answered him he was always somewhat confused about that. TRI!. IRISH_SINGER and TRI became really good friends. TRI had a cat that was very very evil, and ugly. It was jealous of IRISH_SINGER'S really good looking looks!. Oh that terrible kitty would pull pranks on IRISH_SINGER all the time, or at least the forty five minutes it knew him.

You see IRISH_SINGER wasnt a huge fan of cats and the cat did not like IRISH_SINGER. The cats intention was to destroy the face of IRISH_SINGER with its claws of death. IRISH_SINGER knew that it must have been because he was really really good looking. He would not allow it. So He destroyed the cat of evil and TRI was very very mad. TRI became infuriated with the IRISH_SINGER wanting to fight him!

When IRISH_SINGER and TRI walked to find the monster TRI started picking a fight with IRISH_SINGER about the cat. On and on he went about the stupid cat of evil so IRISH_SINGER asked TRI if he knew how to swim. When he said no IRISH_SINGER pushed him into the ocean. Thats right success those bums were sleeping with the fishes. Yes it is sad there are no pictures for this paragraph because TRI did not make it back to the tavern. A moment of silence for TRI...

Continuing on with our story good Ol' IRISH_SINGER met the monster outside the gates and had a big ol Singing competition. By the end of it the monster had realized that IRISH_SINGER was just amazing and he had no chance but to give up on life and go to america. People often asked IRISH_SINGER what song he sang to the evil monster but he never shared with them what it was!

IRISH_SINGER approached the princess and did what anyfine gentleman would do when he meets a lady who is in distress. He took her home. So as they rode all the way to the castle, twenty feet down the creek, IRISH_SINGER was granted the ladys hand in marriage. He looked at her and smiled and walked away. The whole town was in shock. Who in their right mind would reject the most beautiful woman in all of ireland. " class="five">IRISH_SINGER would because he was really really good looking and he could!

I hope you enjoyed the story wether i win or not. It was a pleasure to take part in this competition and thankyou for having me. Happy saint Patricks day everyone!

SINGER collects the papers and walks out the door singing himself irish songs.

An Irishman, by the name of O'Malley proposed to his girl on St. Patrick's Day. He gave her a ring with a synthetic diamond. The excited young lass showed it to her father, a jeweller. He took one look at it and saw it wasn't real.

The young lass on learning it wasn't real returned to her future husband. She protested vehemently about his cheapness.

'It was in honour of St. Patrick's Day, 'he smiled.

'I gave you a sham rock.'

cue rimshot

http://instantrimshot.com/

Sitting in a bar, supping on a pint of guinness Tom thinks back to when he was a kid in Dublin

I was from a poor background, in fact a lot of people were. The problems the Brits faced from the Republicans made life difficult for all of us. My mother, she was a drinker, I don't blame her. She lost faith in the lord when her second brother was picked up by the authorities and taken away. You always seen them go, but you never saw them come back. They were so fearful, after what happened during the Easter of 1916 they weren't going to leave anything to chance.

takes another sip from his pint and continues

So there I was, running around, cheating, stealing, whatever it took to put food on mine and my mother's table. I remember it like it was yesterday, the cart, the apples, the bread. They were just there waiting to be lifted, how was I supposed to know whose it was, there was a only a stable boy to guard the supplies.

takes another sup from his pint and smiles

I crept up to the cart, knocked the stable boy out with one blow. Climbing onto the cart I began to load up as much as I could into one sack. I noticed a strong box, alas greed got the better of me, maybe there was money, gold, who knows what was in the box.

takes out a smoke and lights it up

So I picked the lock and had a look inside, it sure wasn't what I was expecting. Pistols, bullets, some odd shaped things I now know to be grenades. This worried me, in Dublin in those days there were only two kids of people who carried things like these, if I was caught one would give me a beating, the other the hangman's gallows.

takes another long draw from his smoke

I don't know what went through my mind but I grabbed one of the pistols, made sure it was loaded and turned around to make my escape. Then it happened, one of the men who were obviously with the cart came out and I froze, the Brits. He spotted me seconds after I saw him, unluckily for him my reactions were a bit quicker and without thinking I shot him. The sound of the gun shot brought the rest of the soldiers running, I dropped the gun and being still a child the officer ordered his men to not shoot.

takes a final sip from his pint

The officer came over and asked me my name, I replied Tom, he asked my surname, a little more nervous now I replied Collins, next thing I knew my hands were in chains. Then it happened, a flying column hit the cart, bullets flew everywhere, the Brits lay dead. The commander of the rebels took one look at me and laughed then motioned for me to follow him and his men.

Murphy opened the back door of the rundown farmhouse where he,his wife and son scratched a meagre living from the soil. Sniffing the morning air he thought to himself "'Tis a grand soft morn so it is"

He shuffled across to the outside privy that they all used and bolted the door behind him, there was a rustling of a newspaper,then all of a sudden a thunderous fart was heard.

"Thats better Da" said young Seamus who had come outside to call his father for breakfast.

Murphy rushes into the kitchen "For the love of God, There's wee leprechaun in the privy.He told me to get pencil and paper and he will tell me where the gold is."


Running back outside he started taking notes. At last he was finished and went inside.
"Well now young Seamus,If you give me a hand to carry some gold we will be rich before nightfall"

Following the directions they turned Left out of the farm gate and followed the track for 1 mile.At the cross roads they headed Right,passing through the village,but speaking to nobody.Another 2 miles passed and they entered the large town. Here the directions told them to go left,2nd Right and Right again.

When they got to the end of the directions, Murphy had written "The Gold is in front of you".

And so it was. All safe in the Bank of Ireland. :)

The first night I met Shedao was over one too many beers and when this man drinks to much stories flow swiftly from his mouth. One story in particular has always stuck with me and every St. Patrick's day I make him tell it to me again. This year though, he's given me permission to share it with you all. So, lets begin.

Once upon a time there was a land full of luck named Ireland. In this place dragons roamed free, magicians cast spells and fairies played trcks. This land was all green, from the tips of the trees all the way down to the four leafed clover fields and specially deep inside the pockets of a man named Shedao. He liked to have a strong hold of the liquor sales in the small village he lived in.

This man had big dreams to leave Ireland and adventure over the pond to America. He planned to join the mob and fill not only his pockets with money, but his house and his car. Big, big dreams filled Shedao's thoughts, but he wasn't able to do anything, leave to any where until he took care of the family curse.

The most terrifying banshee haunted the men in his family over decades and if they tried to leave the green country they would meet a very crude death. Shedao had never believed in this fable his mother had told him at bedtime as a boy. As he grew older he figured it had only been told to him because is folks wanted him to stay close to them to take over the family business.

It wasn't the amount of money that the sheep farm brought in that scared Shedao away from it, it was the smell. The sheep brought in a fair share of money between their wool, their meat and their milk. But the smell of the poo was just awful and didn't attract the sort of brides Shedao wished to shack up with. So he set off to buy a ticket for a boat ride to America. The land of the proud and free, but just as he was about to board the cruise line a great storm set in. Large black clouds swooped in from the west, lightning crackled the sky, thunder boomed and rain attempted to pelt anyone standing in it to death.

Even though Shedao did not believe the story of the banshee he was still a very superstitious man. He never liked travel on water as water came from the sky as well. So before he got on the boat he filled his pockets with four leaf clovers instead of the money that usually occupied it. The luck of the clovers kept the banshee away, letting Shedao escape to the new world. With nothing on him except a bunch of pretty weeds and the shirt on his back. He then lived happily ever after.

Let me tell you a story that has been passed down my family line for generations, it is the stuff of legends after all. It is a story about my grandfather many generations back and how he managed to save a people from a terrible evil. This is the story of Patrick...

Patrick was a young man who grew up on his fathers fishing boat, sailing the Irish sea with an eye open both for the days catch and for pirates plying the waters. His wasn’t a wealthy family, but they made due, with his mother and sisters trying to eke what they could from the land to supplement what he and his father brought in. They were a pious lot, firmly believing in the teachings of the church; this might have been the reason for his numerous siblings, but who was he to judge.

He had taken his father’s boat out alone one day because his father had come down with chills, when he was set upon by pirates. They quickly took him captive chained him to an oar and set him to work. He was forced to row the boat of his captors through their many raids until they landed back upon the Isle of Eire.  There he was presented as a gift to the High King.

He was made to serve as a cleaning boy in the cellars of the High King’s house and was face with deadly serpents of various types repeatedly. This was only a minor hindrance, however, as his mother’s family had taught him a way to drive of snakes. It was a simple matter of applying the oil of a certain plant as the taste was one that was very unpleasant with a forked tongue. he normally wore a garland made of these plants around his neck, as he enjoyed their aroma. He found that their color matched his eyes well enough that it was oft remarked upon by the ladies of his village, not something he was complaining about.

It was soon noticed that while snakes plagued the households that surround the High King’s, none ever seemed to come near that all important dwelling. It was soon deduced that Patrick was the cause of this phenomena, and he was questioned vigorously by his overseers in an attempt to learn what he had done. He explained that there was a plant in his homeland that would keep the snakes away and that he could show them where to find this plant in return for his freedom and the exemption of his village from raids. By this time, the Irish people were sick of their legless problem and the High King readily agreed to Patrick’s terms.

Upon returning to his homeland, Patrick showed the Irish farmers that had accompanied him where they could find the shamrock plants and taught them how they could be replanted on their home island. True to the word of their king, Patrick was released and his village was spared further raiding. The Irish people were so happy to have a means of ending their snake problems that they were perhaps a little too enthusiastic in planting the shamrocks, earning their homeland the nickname the Emerald Isle.  Patrick was forever after know as the man who removed the snakes from Ireland.

This wasn’t the last time that Patrick visited that fair isle, but that, as they say, is a tale for another time...

5 years ago:  It’s  March 17, and while everyone else in the city was celebrating with parties, Francie and Jammin were having a celebration of their own back in their dumpy little apartment in Queens.

Earlier that day:

Francie looked up at Jammin, checking the man’s breathing and pulse. She pulls back her long dark hair from out of her face as she watches his chest rise and fall. “Looks like you just knocked him cold darlin.”  As Francie smiles, she turns him over and pulls out his wallet, barely hesitating.  She knows that after all this time Jammin isn’t surprised at anything she does, even though she looks so sweet and innocent.  “Pay dirt here hon.’ looks like about 2 G’s” Francie slips the cash quickly down her blouse.  “Come on, let’s move him out of the road, he won’t come to until we are long gone.  “That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. He must be pretty dumb.” 

Jammin had the idea to stand behind the trees while Francie stood in the roadway looking helpless.  With her slender build, a smattering of freckles and long legs, most men didn’t think she could harm a fly.  They were sadly mistaken.  She stuck out her thumb and began walking as the young hooligan in his sports car came shooting down the road.  He squealed his brakes and jumped out of the car to help the damsel in distress.  “Hey babe, what can I do for you?”  He said, leering disgustingly.  “I’m afraid I ran out of gas down the road there yonder,” Francie pointed north.  “Any chance you could take me to town?”  She turned on the charm while Jammin came up behind him and hit him with a rock. 

Francie was raised in Hell’s Kitchen, right along the Hudson in New York City by her Aunt Becky, after her mother died in a street war.  Her Irish ancestors had come over during the great potato famine, almost a century ago.   She met Jammin when she was 14, and they stuck together like glue ever since.  On her 18^th birthday, they went to the courthouse and tied the knot.  Francie would follow him to the ends of the earth, and the way things were looking, that might be where they end up.  Francie didn’t know much about Jammin’s past life, and she didn’t much care.  They didn’t have two nickels to rub together between the two of them, but it looked like their luck had changed all of a sudden.

They pushed the car into the ditch and headed out on foot as fast as they could.  Francie could barely keep up with him, but she never complained.  She knew the more distance they put between the mark and themselves, the better.  Knowing the area like they did helped a lot.  They headed across fields and through the woods, reaching their small neighborhood in record time; they smile at each other deviously recounting their loot.

After standing around for a few minutes listening to some of the tales being shared, Tanda makes his way forward and pauses for a moment. He looks a little confused and shakes his head before looking up at the masses

I would just like to thank the people involved so far, I've enjoyed hearing what you've had to tell us. I feel I need to inform you of the deadline for your entries though. Aalyshah and I agreed that the closing date for your stories would be Sunday at 23:59

There is still plenty of time for other people to get involved and grace us with your work, just ensure you're able to project yourself before the stroke of midnight tomorrow. That will be all for now anyway, I look forward to any more we may be blessed with hearing.

The trip of a lifetime had been placed upon Simplicity's door! It was one that not many had ever been graced with before. She was going to be sailing over to Ireland, the land with green fields and good beer! At least that is all that she had heard about it.

Yet, for Simplicity herself she was looking for something much much more! She had always wanted to feel like a Princess when she was a little girl. She had heard of the amazing castles that Ireland held in store and while she was sailing over seas she couldn't help but become overcome with joy. Oh the things she would see and the places she would go!

Landing and exiting off onto the dock, Simplicity began to skip like she was no longer an adult. Heading over to the driver she had paid they then zoomed off towards the castle even though she was running late.

Passing all the small towns and turning onto dirt roads the ride began to get a bit bumpy, but you couldn't tell that she minded with the smile upon her face. Seeing the castle grow bigger and bigger she then grabbed her bag. Opening it up she felt the dress that was inside and felt the butterflies grow.

The car stopped in front of the huge mote. Simplicity ran across the bridge and into the castle which now towered over her. She felt so small compared to its grand height and wondered how anyone could not be in awe when they saw such a thing. Making her way around to find a small room she changed into the old fashioned medieval dress that she had ordered and began to dance around.

“Pretty, pretty, princess is what I am and now I'll be remembered all over the lands!”

It wasn't long till she was lost in her day dream and the sky became dark. The driver went looking for her, but couldn't find even a sign of life. There were far too many rooms to search through, but he knew if he didn't he would be dead. Going back home without Simplicity would make him lose his own head.

Opening the door to the king's room he heard a small sound that seemed like someone breathing. Looking over at the bed he spotted Simplicity sleeping, smiling at the sight he walked over and picked her up. Then made their way back to the boat for the long sail home.

Donmorrison having made a name for himself in America was looking for a place to go on vacation. He looked over several places. Searched through all of the brocures, but couldn't find anything. Until one day he picked up a pamphlet he found on the ground. It had the words, Come Take a Visit With the Leprachaun. Donmorrison instantly knew the place it was talking about, Ireland. It was fate, he thought. Maybe I am meant to go to Ireland for my vacation. Maybe I will meet someone there that will help me better myself once I return to America. So he booked a flight to Ireland. Once he arrived he went straight to the bar. He ordered a shot of whiskey. Suddenly, he realized, that the bartender was a woman much younger than him. Much, much younger than him. She was but a teenager. He was shocked to see her behind the counter of a bar.  

What are you doing working behind a bar at your age?

My job. She said with an attitude.

Well, I don't know whaaa.

That was all he could get out before he passed out. Someone had drugged his whiskey. He found that part out later. When he awoke, he was chained upside down from his ankles. He was still rather groggy when he awoke. He was trying to figure out where he was. Noone was around to tell him anything. So the first thing he did after observing the scenery, was try and get free. He had to figure out what had happened. He was unable to free himself after near twenty minutes of trying. Eventually someone came into the room. They just stared at donmorrison for a minute but for Don, it felt like and eternity. The man finally spoke.  

Hello, I have been waiting to see you Don. We have never met, but I know who you are. We have never spoken, but I know your voice. We will change this. I wanted to show you how easy it is to get killed. As you can see, it is rather easy. I could have done it anytime in the past day while you were asleep, but I don't want to kill you. I want to help you. I want to make you a better aspect for your crew. I am sure you have many questions. So ask away.   

Yea, first off, can you let me down. I want to kick your ass real quick.

That is precisely the reason you were hung in the first place. I knew you would be rather mad.

You bet I'm mad. He interrupted. I want to know who you are and where we both are.

My name is unimportant. Let's just say your father and I met the same way as me and you. He should have tought you better, but I guess like father like son. We are still in Ireland to answer your second question. I will tell you how to get back to the airport when the time comes. Until then, let us just have a talk. How has your business in America been going? I heard you are doing rather well.

I don't want to talk, I want to go have my vacation.

The man just wouldn't listen. He continued to ask questions and talk about the past. The whole time he was talking Don was secretely getting closer to escaping. When he finally did, he strangled the man on spot.  

Short stories usually have a moral behind it. The moral of this one is keep running your mouth, and you might end up dead.

It was a dark dark night in Dublin, Ireland. Fernando had been drinking right throughout the day, since the early time of 10am. He had been partying all day with random Irish people he had met in celebration of St.Patricks Day. Nando had sailed to Ireland from the US the previous day. He had heard stories of how St.Patricks day was the biggest day of the Irish calender and being known for enjoying a drink ot 20, Nando wasn't going to miss out on this party!

It was getting on to morning hours and good 'ole Nando was completely drunk, he could barely walk, let alone talk. It was 1am and Nando's ship back to the US set sail at 11am. He had got to the point where he simply could not drink any more alcohol. Time to go back to the hotel and get some much needed sleep he thought. He stumbled out of the Irish bar doors and slided across the floor. It took a few minutes to get himself up and he started to stagger down the road. He made the decision to take a short cut through the nearby park. If all goes weel it would only take him a 10 minutes to get back to the hotel. Walking through the park he could swear he could hear noises, the sound of small pitter patter feet. Must be a fox or something he thought. He shrugged it off and continued on his merry way. A few seconds later he heard something behind him.

"Psst hey, gimme ya moneeeeeeyyyyy!"

He stopped instantly and spun round, almost falling on his arse.

"What the fuck was that! Who's there!?" he slurred.

He could see no-one there and there was no reply. He chuckled to himself and figured the amount of alcohol he had consumed was playing tricks on his mind. He set off staggering again, swaying from side to side. A few seconds later he heard movement behind him and heard rustling in the trees. He turned around again and could see nothing yet again but he could see the leaves on the trees shaking violently. Suddenly he heard laughing to his left, then to his right. It sounded like small children squealing. He stood still then heard another voice.

"Giv ussssssssss fooood stranger or payyy da consequencesssssssssss!" screeched one of them.

"Show yourself! Don't you know it's rude to play tricks on a drunken guy!"

Nando giggled to himself when suddenly something fell out of the tree approximately 20 metres away from him. His vision was blurry but he tried to comcentrate and after a few seconds he could make out it was a small........Leprechaun! Is this a joke or something!? Then one to his right come tumbling out the tree. 2 small Leprechauns! what is this about eh!? He stared at the creatures when one of them pulled out a baseball bat! Then next pulled out a rather large mallet.

"We gonnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa beat youuuuuuuuuuuuu frieeeeend!"

The Leprechauns jolted forward steaming full force towards poor Nando!

"Oh shit, it's a LEPRECHAUN ATTACK!"

Nando dropped his smoke and started running, the Leprechauns right on his tail chuckling waving there tools! The drunk Nando had no idea where he was running, all he could think about was not getting caught. Death by Leprechaun!? Not on my watch! he thought. He continued running and looked over his shoulder for a split second and when he turned round, CRACK! he smashed his face off a low branch hovering in line with him. He flew straight onto his ass again but this time he couldn't move. He lay sprawled out on the floor, eyes rolling in his head. He looked up and saw the 2 Leprechauns laughing loudly, one of them lifted the baseball bat and swung it down full force onto Nando's face!

"BANG!"

Nando woke up and felt pain all over his ass, for the third fucking time! He jumped up instantly.

"Leave me alone damn Leprechauns!" he screamed

It took a few seconds to compose himself and then he calmed down, he looked around jumping around the room. Oh crap he thought, he was in his hotel room. What happened to the....oh shit! He suddenly realise it had all been a dream. Then he bent over and laughed to himself. His alarm clock screeched. SHIT! he thought, time to go before he missed his boat! He quickly packed his bags and left the hotel for the port.

"Man that was some dream he chuckled to himself."

The room has a nice atmosphere on it, one can hear the voice of a man and a small girl. The little girl's voice is all chirpy and happy while the man's voice is a little tired.

"Uncle Tarbh tell me that story again, the one where there are small men that wears those green clothes" Mikah said to her Uncle.

Tarbh laughs, a deep booming laughter. "Little one they are  called Leprechauns. Promise me that after I tell you that story you are going to sleep , ok? " Tarbh smiles fondly at his niece and Mikah nods her head vigorously.

And so Uncle Tarbh starts the story. "There was a young man by the name of Mr. T , this guy lives in the country called Ireland. It was said that he loves gold and wanted to get his hands on it. That's the reason on why he search everyday to look for the end of the rainbow."  Mikah's eyes widen with delight as she heard of the word gold, because she knew that the leprechauns will soon be mention.

Tarbh continues. " Then one day he found a small guy that is wearing a green clothe and beside that small guy is a pot of gold. Mr. T's eyes can't believe hs luck. " With this Uncle Tarbh pause for a minute and Mikah hangs on every word that her Uncle Tarbh utters.

Uncle Tarbh smiles sadly.  "Mr. T tries to take the gold but the leprechaun snatch it away before he could grab it. This leprechaun is a gentle one so he said to Mr. T, since it's St. Patrick's day tell me what is your obligation during this day? Mr. T answered ...... to get drunk or get laid or if lucky to do both. This amuses the leprechaun. So in return he gave Mr. T 50 pieces of gold. But Mr. T is so greedy that he wanted the whole pot of gold. So when the leprechaun turns his back, Mr. T killed him. "

Uncle Tarbh pause again to take a breathe, he was about to continue when he notice that his niece had fallen asleep. He kiss her forehead , stands up and quietly closes the door. Thinking sadly that Mr. T is now hiding in Chicago and doing his best to forget his past.

Alabama was startled by a loud crashing noise, like a herd of Elephants had just came thundering into her house. She quickly lept for her gun and turned her eye to door

 Who the fuck is it? You've got 3 seconds before I come out shooting!

 The voice that called back was a familiar one; 'Bama you crazy whore, its me, Clarence! Sorry for the noise, i've had a few to drink. I was out celebratin you see. That job I was on turned out to be a lot more profitable than I expected.

 Alabama opened the door to her hallway to find Clarence slumped against the wall, clearly hammered.

 Well it fucking better have been profitable, i've been expecting you home hours ago!

 "As I said, the score was better than expected, 5 times better in fact. Unfortunately the bad news is that its carrying much more heat because of it and we need to lay real low for a while now... So I was thinking.. How about we go on holiday?"

 Holiday? Well now, thats sounding promising! You know i've always wanted to go back to Cancun?

 "Erm, well, when I say holiday. Its more of a business trip... We're going to Ireland"

 Ireland?? Really?? I guess it could be good, what with St Patricks day around the corner im sure there will be a lot of festivities. I aint drinking that black beer again, though, I was shitting like a rabbit for weeks after that last time!

 "haha, Ok ok, no Guiness for you. Stick to the Whiskey. Well then, now that we've agreed, get packing. The flight leaves in the morning. As I said, a lot of heat from that job so best not to waste anytime, the boss has paid for the flights and someone will meet us at the airport with the tickets and a set of clean passports"

 Clarence watched as his wife ran to her room to pack. Once sure she was out of ear shot, he picked up the phone and made a call

 "Maxx, its Clarence. Everything is set, Alabama has agreed to go and we leave in the morning as planned. This isn't how I wanted to leave this thing of ours, but I really appreciate everything you've done for me and Bama. If you ever fancy a break in the Emerald Isle, you'll always have room at ours"

 That next morning, once aboard the plane, Clarence gave Alabama the full story. The job from the night before was nothing like any other, Clarence had taken down some big names in Vegas and there were a lot of angry people, this life was no longer safe for him or his family and it was time to get out while he could. It was time to make a new life, in Ireland. Only Maxx knew of the fact Clarence hailed from Dublin and only Maxx knew thats where he would return to. His days as a mafioso were gone.

As the waves crash on the rocks of the shores of the Beara Peninsula, John awakes to the knock at his door. Today, he and his mates have a robbery planned. They have concured an idea to rob a bank in Glengariff round 2'0 clock. He quickly prepares for his meeting with the lads. He jumps out of bed, his feet touching the cold surface, and walks slowly to the bathroom. He begins brushing his teeth, he looks in the mirror and thinks; "Today, I will make something of myself, today I will make my family proud." He spits the remainder of suds in his mouth, fills a cup with water and gurgles it, spitting it out afterwards. He walks to his bedroom and dresses. A passerby who may chance to be walking by his window can see on the mans body tattoos. One that is very clear is a Celtic cross on his chest. On his back you will see the last name Tierney across his shoulders. He grabs a black shirt pulling it over his head. He looks at the mirror on his dresser and nods into it. He reaches for the gun in the drawer and places it in his belt. He grabs his wool coat and heads to his car.

Some time has passed to where he is at the meeting.

"I don't know John. There are four guards and three of us. Do you think we can handle them?"

The person that has just spoken is named Michael. He is from the O'Flannery clan. Michael and John have grown up with each other since they were wee lads.

"Mike, don't worry. I will handle the guards. Theres a conference room right near the entrance,  soon as you and Nathaniel come in giving them the warning, I will draw my gun and order them in there along with the crowd. Its not that big of a bank so the crowd should be minimal."

As John says nathaniel's name, you see a grisly figure walking from the kitchen. In one hand is a stick of dynamite and in the other a SA80 rifle. He walks over to Michael handing him the dynamite and he places the gun down near the wall.

"I will do what needs to be done. You both know I need this money." 

Nathaniel has grown out of poverty much like many of the people of Ireland. Recently his sister passed leaving two young children. He being the good brother has taken care of the two children in a manner that not many men could succeed. 

"Well lets get going friends. Today we will become rich."

John grabs his gun off the table and walks out the door to the van. The other two follow with guns and gear in tow.

The setting of the bank is a simple one. The bank like many buildings around Ireland are old and with that it gives everything around it an grandfather look. There are two exits one in the front for the patrons and one in the back for the employees. John will be stationed inside near the three guards. The fourth guard is usually with the manager as these two are good friends. The three main are of a younger generation so usually they are talking amongst themselves and eyeing the women. The vault is located behind the tellers window. There is only one window and a door that opens up from the inside. What Michael needs to do is get inside there, escort the teller and any other employees from the back, and take them towards John. As was stated earlier John will take all employees and patrons to the conference room and will watch over them. From there Nathaniel and Michael will blow the safe, bag up the money, load it in the truck, and get John. Now this is all if the plan goes accordingly. Lets see how are crusaders are going to do.

Lightning can be heard in the distance and soon enough a soft puttering of rain begins to fall on the van. John sees the bank insight and pulls up to the front.

"Alright. Give me at least a minute to go in. Once that minute is up you come in with guns drawn and be prepared to shoot the guards if need be. We all have the plan organized so there shouldn't be any fuck ups. We get this done right we will have a good even split."

They shake hands and say a silent prayer. John jumps out of the car the rain piercing his face. He feels every drop as he walks up the steps of the bank. as soon as he enters the rain stops. He is greeted by an elderly lady. 

"Sony boy, don' you think ye be getting sick out there in the rain?"

John replies,"No ma'am. I will be getting warm in here for a bit."

The woman nods apporvingly and walks up to the line. John notices the three guards over in a corner just as they expected they would be. He looks over at the dwindling crowd and he can't help but smile. 60 seconds has past and he hears the door slam open , loud foot steps and he hears the yell of Nathaniel screeching,"Get down ye fowl or fear me lead." 

John pulls his gun out of his belt and points it at the guards."Drop yer guns nice and slowly and kick them over tere. Don't need anyone being Dirty Harry."

The guards do as their told. The youngest of the three has apparently wet himself. Michael, being the joking of the three points at the lad and shouts,"What du we have here lads, a wee boyo scared out of his mind?"

Just as he says this the manager comes in with the eldest of the guards. The elder seeing the men in masks goes for his gun. Nathaniel points the SA80 at him and shakes his head. The guard puts his hands on his head and Michael goes for the gun. He looks at it and smiles,"Now I will be Dirt harry." He points the gun at the boy that wet himself and yells in a lunatic voice,"Make my day punk!".The boy begins to sob and Michael laughs uncontrollably. John points the gun at the crowd and says,"Everyone needs to move slowly to the conference room. This will all be over soon."John escors everyone inside and shuts the door. He smashes out a window and watches them slowly. He tells the manager to come here."Give me the keys to the door and I will make sure you live."The manager, thinking of his wife and children hands over the keys agreebly and sits back down with the crowd. John throws the keys to Nathaniel and they open the door and head to the safe. Upon seeing the safe Michael grabs the dynamite from the bag. He places two sticks on the top,two on the right, two on the left, and two on the bottom. He wires them together and whispers into Nathaniel's ear."Its ready." They step back, pulling the wire back into the main foyer of the bank and they press the ignition button. Not even a mili-second and you hear the loud bang and here rubble fall. Michael covers the entrance as Nathaniel loads the bag with the money. He taps John on the shoulder and then Nathaniel. They run out to the car, load the money into the back and pile in. John drives it away towards the safe house. They managed to get away with 10 million Irish Pound. They split it between themselves and goes their seperate ways.

After hearing the tales being told in these streets over the last few days, I'm over the moon with the effort some of you have shown. Some have also shown great effort and ability, but fallen slightly over the maximum length we established.

Without going on any further though, it's my pleasure to announce the winner of this event... TomCollins.

Congratulations to you, and everyone who helped make this a success. You should find your winnings in your account in the near future.

Apologies for the second attempt, I appear to have gotten a little carried away with myself there and neglected to mention the runner up. This has no reflection on the quality of second place, just a lapse in my concentration.

Congratulations to KatieMurdock on second place. Again, your money should be in your account in a few moments.

It has been a pleasure doing business with you all. Again, thanks for all your contributions.

Well done to all who took part in this and thank you to NY for putting this on.

Considering some of the tales that were spun here I did not expect to be the one to walk away with first place.

Thank you very much