The Workshop

Patrick and Beth burst out of the Imagination Station and into the workshop. They were wearing the same clothes they wore before their adventure.

Mr. Whittaker looked up from his workbench. “Well? Did you find a pot of gold?” he asked.

“What?” Patrick asked. Then he remembered Jake’s plans to build a leprechaun trap.

“We saw some gold,” Beth said. “The king wore a gold brooch. The queen had gold jewelry. And the princesses even had gold sewn into their dresses. But there weren’t any rainbows with gold at the end.”

“No,” Whit said. “Like believing in leprechauns, some legends are just wishful thinking.”

Beth nodded. But Patrick was quiet.

“What are you thinking about?” Whit asked him.

Patrick frowned. “What a terrible time that was to live,” he said. “Sacrifices and slavery . . . Everyone was sad, scared, or angry. Even the ones with money and power.”

Beth nodded. She said, “Except the bishop’s men. They didn’t seem to care about any of that. They only wanted people to know the truth.”

Whit smiled at the cousins. “The Christians found the real treasure,” he said.

Patrick’s eyes lit up. “That’s what you meant when you said we’d find treasure more valuable than gold,” he said.

“That’s right,” Whit said. “For a while, the people of Ireland understood that too— thanks to Bishop Patricius.”

“That wasn’t his real name, was it?” Patrick said.

“That’s his real name in Latin,” Whit said. “In English, it’s—”

“Patrick,” Beth said.

Whit chuckled. “So you see,” he said to Patrick, “you have someone very important who shares your name. Maybe you saw things in him that you’d like to imitate?”

Patrick nodded. “I’d like to stand up to guys like Lochru who bully people with their lies and pain.”

“That’s a noble idea,” Whit said. “Bishop Patrick spent the rest of his life teaching people in Ireland about Jesus. After Bishop Patrick lit the paschal fire and met the druids in the banquet hall, it was the end of the druid religion in Ireland.”

“So the king kept his word,” Beth said.

Whit said, “More than that, King Logaire gave Bishop Patrick permission to share the gospel freely all throughout the land. Thousands of Irish men, women, and children gave up their old ways. People from all walks of life became Christians. Rich and poor. Slave and free. After that, missionaries were sent out from Ireland and spread the gospel across the rest of Europe. In some ways, it started with Patrick.”

“Then I guess it can start with us, too,” Patrick said. “Maybe I’ll talk to Jake and his friends. I can tell them the real reason to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.”

“And I’ll use my shamrock pin to tell them about God,” Beth said.

“That’s a good idea,” Whit said. Then he looked at them over his glasses. “You know, there are a lot of other Christians who changed history too.”

The cousins looked at each other and smiled.

“Come back tomorrow,” Whit said. “The Imagination Station will be waiting for you!”