Ashley Enright

Ashley Enright is a twelve-year-old girl who lives in a small town on the coast of Maine, Donnybrook, with her parents and younger sister, Kelly. She’s not nosey, just intelligent and smart. In the summer, she loves to ride her bicycle , wear her New York Mets baseball cap and write stories. She also likes to investigate mysteries with her best friend, Josh Stewart, who draws comic books featuring superheroes. Ashley always laughs to herself because Josh doesn’t realize that his superheroes have the same initials that he does: “J.S.” 

Ashley likes and respects her parents and other adults in town and is, in turn, respected by the adults in her small seaside community.  In “Ashley Enright Investigations” and “Ashley Enright and the Mystery at Miller’s Pond” she and Josh use their curiousity and intelligence to solve two life-changing mysteries.  

Ashley Enright and the Luck of the Irish (6 of 6)

The next morning Kelly was surprised and delighted to find a Hannah Montana doll on her pillow and a note written in tiny green ink that said:

Sure, you didn’t get me pot o’gold, but you’re a fine wee lass and deserve a fine toy! 

Erin Go Bragh!

Signed, Your leprechaun friend 

Kelly ran downstairs with her Hannah Montana doll under her arm and raced into the kitchen where her parents and Ashley were reading the morning paper. “Look what I got! Look what I got! She said breathlessly as she held out the doll for them to see.

“Where did you get that?” asked her father.

“It was on my pillow!” answered Kelly. “With a note from a real leprechaun!” She handed the note to her father who smiled and passed it on to her mother to read.

Her mother read the note, smiled and said, “Well, Kelly, you are one very lucky girl! It’s not every girl that gets a doll and a note from a leprechaun.”

“I know,” said Kelly proudly. “Can I call Gram? She’d want to know about this for sure!”

“Of course,” said her mother. Kelly ran excitedly into the living room to call her grandmother.

Ashley’s mother looked across the table, winked at her and said, “I think I may recognize that handwriting, Ashley. Even if it is tiny and green!”

Ashley laughed and said, “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about! I think that Kelly just has the ‘luck of the Irish’!”

“She certainly does,” said Ashley’s father. “In fact, we all do! We have each other!”

“Exactly,” said Ashley’s mother.

“Exactly,” said Ashley with a wink.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!!

Ashley Enright and the Luck of the Irish (5 of 6)

“The rainbow is still there!” Kelly shouted. “Can we still follow it?”

I guess we have to,” said Gram with a wink. They started heading north again in the direction of the rainbow’s end.  After driving for another few miles, Gram turned off the main road onto a smaller road that ended in bluff  overlooking the ocean.

They all got out of the car and walked to the edge of the bluff.
            “Wow,” said Ashley as she looked out over the ocean. “You can see for miles and miles.”

“Can we see Ireland?” asked Kelly excitedly.

“No, silly goose,” answered Ashley. “Ireland is miles and miles and miles away. We can’t see that far!”

“Let’s look around and see if we find a pot of gold,” said Kelly jumping up and down.

Ashley smiled at her little sister and said, “I don’t think we’ll find a pot of gold, but we do have the luck of the Irish.”

“What do you mean?” Kelly looked puzzled.

“We have each other and Gram and Mom and Dad,” answered Ashley.

“So?” said Kelly.

“Well, we have each other and a family that loves us,” answered Ashley. “I’d say that’s pretty lucky!”

“I agree, girls,” said Gram with a wink. “Having a loving family is worth more than any pot of gold!”

“I guess,” said Kelly dejectedly. “I’d still like some gold to get a Hannah Montana doll.”

Ashley Enright and the Luck of the Irish (4 of 6)

 

They found a booth by the front window and were greeted by their waiter, Sean. He was tall with red curly hair and green eyes. They could hear his Irish brogue when he asked if he could take their order.

Kelly’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Sean and asked, “Are you a leprechaun?”

Sean laughed and said “No, aren’t I too tall to be a leprechaun now? But I have seen one or two.”

“You have?” said Kelly as her eyes opened wide.

 “Sure,” said Sean. “When I was just a wee lad in Ireland, I came across a leprechaun.” He winked at Gram.

“Did you get his pot of gold?” asked Kelly.

Sean giggled and said, “Would I be working here if I had me a pot of gold? Now, let me take your order and I’ll tell you more in a bit.” Ashley and Kelly ordered ice cream sundaes and Gram ordered a banana split.

When Sean came back with their ice cream, he told them about how he once came upon a wee little man dressed all in green that was guarding a pot of gold. “I thought to me self, aren’t I going to be a wealthy lad!” said Sean. “Do you know what that wee little fellow did?”

“No!” shouted Kelly who was leaning over the table so far that she was almost wearing her ice cream sundae.

“That wee little man grinned and said ‘Well, me boy-o, it looks like you got me fair and square.’ Then he looked over my shoulder and said ‘Oh no! Look at that! Mrs. McAllister’s dog is none too pleased that we’re in his yard. Here he comes!’ I turned to look, but there was no dog in sight. When I turned back around, the wee little man and his pot of gold were gone!” said Sean.

“Oh no,” exclaimed Kelly. “We heard that they’re pretty tricky!”

“Tricky is right,” said Sean. “So, here I am in America but I guess that’s pretty lucky, wouldn’t you say so?”

“It certainly is,” said Ashley. “You can be anything you want to be in our country!”

“That’s right, dear,” said Gram. “This is the ‘land of opportunity’.”

“I think you’re right, said Sean. “I’m just working here to make money to support my real love.”

“What’s that?” asked Kelly.

“I’m a singer/songwriter and I plan to be very famous someday!” answered Sean.

“Where do you sing?” asked Ashley.

“Right now, I sing at O’Reilly’s Pub in Oakdale on Saturday nights,” said Sean. “And I’ve just signed with an agent to try and get more well-known.”

“Gram,” said Kelly. “Can we go to O’Reilly’s Pub some time to hear Sean sing?”

“Can we?” asked Ashley. “After all, it is in Oakdale.”

Gram looked at her two granddaughters and said, “O.k. I’ll take you next Saturday night when you girls stay over at my house. I don’t know what your parents will say about me taking you girls to a pub!”

Sean laughed and said, “In Ireland, it’s very common for parents to take children to the neighborhood pub. After all, pubs are not just for drinking-they’re for talking to the neighbors on a Saturday night.”

“You’re right,” said Gram. “I’ll just remind my daughter and son-in-law that it’s a very Irish thing to do!”

“We’ll see you on Saturday,” said Sean as he left to wait on another table.

Gram paid their check at the counter and they all got back in the car.

Ashley Enright and the Luck of the Irish (3 of 6)

Later that afternoon, after they played card games in the living room, Gram decided it was time for her to go home to feed her cat, Mehitabel. When Ashley went to the front door with her grandmother, she saw a rainbow in the gray afternoon sky.

“Wow,” Ashley exclaimed. “That’s beautiful!”

“It certainly is, dear, and it’s pretty unusual to see a rainbow in March,” said Gram as she looked up.

Kelly ran to the door, started jumping up and down and said, “Can we follow it to see if it ends in a pot of gold?”

Ashley laughed and said, “We can’t follow that! It goes on for miles and miles.”

Gram laughed too. Then she looked at Kelly’s excited face and said, “Well, we can certainly try if old Bessie is willing.” Old Bessie was her old blue Chevrolet that didn’t always start on the first try. She usually had to pump the gas pedal before the engine would finally turn over and she’d say: “Old Bessie always gets me where I need to go…eventually!”

 “Come on, girls,” Gram said. “Let’s go follow that rainbow.”

They all got into Old Bessie and, as usual, it took a few minutes for the car to start. Gram started driving north from Donnybrook because that’s where it looked like the rainbow ended. After driving for several miles, they saw a Friendly’s restaurant on the side of the road.

“I don’t know about you girls,” said Gram as she pulled into the parking lot. “But chasing rainbows always makes me want ice cream!”

“Yippee!” yelled Kelly from the back seat.

“Gram,” laughed Ashley. “Everything pretty much makes you want ice cream!”

Her grandmother giggled and said, “When you’re right, you’re right!” They got out of the car and walked into the restaurant.

Ashley Enright and the Luck of the Irish (2 of 6)

The next day, Gram came over to have lunch with her favorite granddaughters. Kelly couldn’t wait to ask her about leprechauns.

 

“Gram,” said Kelly. “Have you ever seen a leprechaun?”

 

Gram’s blue eyes twinkled and she said, “I just may have.”

 

“Really?” said Kelly. “Where?”

 

“Oh, dear,” said Gram. “It was many years ago when I visited my cousins in Ireland. I’m pretty sure we saw some leprechauns playing on the grass in the early morning.”

 

“No way!” said Kelly. “Did you try to catch them and get their pot of gold?”

 

“No,” said Gram. “As soon as my cousin Liam saw them, he shouted and scared them away!”

 

“Boy,” said Kelly with a sigh. “I sure wish I could see a leprechaun, I’d catch him for sure!”

 

Ashley and Gram laughed and they all finished eating lunch.

Ashley Enright and the Luck of the Irish (1 of 6)

One evening in March, twelve-year-old Ashley Enright walked past her little sister’s bedroom and heard Kelly talking to herself. She opened the door and could see her six-year-old sister tossing back and forth in her bed.

            “I’ll never get to sleep,” said Kelly as she tossed from side to side. 

“Would a bedtime story help?” asked Ashley.

             “I think so,” said Kelly with a sigh. 

“How about a story about leprechauns?” asked Ashley.

            “I guess so,” said Kelly. “Wait, what are lepercorns?”  

Ashley laughed and said, “Silly goose, the word is leprechaun.”

 

Ashley sat down on the side of her sister’s bed and started to tell her a story:

“A long time ago in a far away land, called Ireland, there lived some very small people called leprechauns. They were magical and used their magical powers to guard the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.” 

“Has anyone ever seen a leprechaun?” asked Kelly with wide eyes.

            “I don’t know,” answered Ashley. “We’ll have to ask Gram.” 

“Do you think she knows any leprechauns?” said Kelly.

             Ashley laughed and said, “You know Gram, she knows just about everyone!”

Ashley Enright and the Snow Day Adventure (9 out of 9)

 

A few days later, when all the snow had been cleared away and everything was back to normal, the doorbell rang in the afternoon.

“Ashley?” her mother yelled from her office upstairs. “Can you get the door?”

“Sure thing, Mom,” Ashley answered as she put away her homework. She opened the door and saw a young man with sandy hair and a beard on the doorstep. He was wearing a yellow rain slicker and a golden retriever on a leash was standing next to him.

“Yes?” said Ashley.

“Are you Ashley Enright?” asked the man.

“Yes,” answered Ashley with a puzzled look on her face.

The man smiled brightly and said, “Well then, you’re the one that Kerry and I need to thank for saving our lives!”

Ashley’s mother came down the stairs and said, “Who is it?”

Ashley turned to her mother and whispered, “I’m not sure.”

The man stuck out his hand and said, “You must be Mrs. Enright.”

“That’s right,” said Ashley’s mother as she shook his hand. “Who exactly are you?”

The man laughed and said, “I guess I’d better explain. I’m Mike Flanigan and this is my dog Kerry. We were out on my lobster boat the other day and got into some trouble. The police said that it was your daughter who called to report us being out there!”

“Oh,” said Ashley. “Why were you out on such a miserable day?”

“Well,” Mike said sheepishly. “We lobstermen are serious about our traps. I realized that the storm might damage some of my traps, so I went out to pick them up.”

“In that storm?” asked Ashley’s mother.

“I know, it was foolish,” said Mike. “I really thought that the weather would get better and that it wouldn’t take long to collect my traps. Boy, was I ever wrong! My engine and radio just died, so I had no way to call for help. It was lucky you’re your daughter saw me and had sense enough to alert the police. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see a Coast Guard cutter coming my way!”

“Oh, I just did what anyone would do,” said Ashley. “It just looked like you were in trouble.”

“Believe me,” said Mike. “We were in trouble and if you hadn’t done the right thing, we might not be having this conversation!”

“I’m glad everything worked out,” said Ashley. “Did you get your boat fixed?”

“I sure did,” answered Mike. “In fact, I have some lobsters for you and your family as my way of saying ‘thank you.’ You do like lobster, don’t you?”

“Does she ever!” answered Ashley’s mother. “She’s been eating lobster since before she could talk!”

“Oh, Mom,” said Ashley blushing.

Mike handed a lobster pot to Mrs. Enright. “Thank you, again for all that you did, Ashley,” he said. “Kerry and I will never forget how you saved our lives!” He started to turn and go down the front steps.

“Wait,” said Ashley. “What about your lobster pot?”

“Oh,” answered Mike. “Kerry and I will be back tomorrow to pick up the pot!”

“Maybe you’ll stay for dinner then?” said Ashley’s mother.

“We’d love to,” said Mike. “Oh, I mean, I’d love to.”

Ashley laughed and said, “Kerry can come too, Mom, can’t he?”

“Of course,” answered Ashley’s mother. “Thank you for the lobsters. My husband will be absolutely thrilled. It’s his favorite meal!”

“Well, thank you, Mrs. Enright,” said Mike. “Thank you for raising such a thoughtful, intelligent and observant daughter!” With that, he and Kerry went down the front porch steps, got into his red pick-up truck and drove away.

“Well, Ashley,” said her mother as she carried the lobster pot into the kitchen. “It looks like Ashley Enright Investigations has done it again!”

“Done what again?” Ashley asked as she followed her mother into the kitchen.

“Changed someone’s life,” answered her mother. She took the lid off of the lobster pot and said, “There are five huge lobsters in there!”

“Can we invite Josh over for dinner?” asked Ashley.

“I don’t see why not,” answered her mother. “After all, Josh is always a part of Ashley Enright Investigations!”