A long time ago, Patrick tended sheep with his dog Moira on a mist-shrouded mountain in a country the color of emeralds. No one but Patrick and Moira knew the mountain was magic until the people from the village below climbed the mountain to escape the snakes that had invaded the village. The viilagers saw the gold that rose up when the sheep dug holes for water. They dug their own holes and filled their pockets with gold. They began to destroy the soil of the mountain and wanted to kill the sheep for food.
Patrick told the villagers that they could keep the gold and he would rid the village of snakes so they could return. With music from his reed flute and Moira's stare into their eyes, the snakes flipped, flopped, and dove in the water of the bay below and swam beyond the horizon. The villagers went back to their cottages and farms and became so generous they surpised themselves. The magic of the mountain had rubbed off on them. The snakes never returned. Patrick became St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
Patrick told the villagers that they could keep the gold and he would rid the village of snakes so they could return. With music from his reed flute and Moira's stare into their eyes, the snakes flipped, flopped, and dove in the water of the bay below and swam beyond the horizon. The villagers went back to their cottages and farms and became so generous they surpised themselves. The magic of the mountain had rubbed off on them. The snakes never returned. Patrick became St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
