There was a large table set up, filled with teapots and teacups. In the corner was the Leprechaun and the March rabbit and between them in a small teapot, the dormouse was sleeping, they were raising their cups and were singing, Maria couldn't see them clearly as the steam from the teapot made it impossible to see clearly, so she had to bend down to check on them-
' A very merry unbirthday to you,
A very merry unbirthday to me
Let's all congratulate us with another cup of tea
A very merry unbirthday to you…'
Maria found the song very amusing, so she applauds them, hearing the claps, the Leprechaun and the March rabbit turned towards Maria and started rushing towards her destroying all the cups and teapots on the way and jumping one after another crying " NO, ROOM! NO, ROOM! NO, ROOM!"
" Why? There's plenty of room!" said Maria indignantly, and she sat down in a large armchair at one end of the table,
"A-ha, but it is very rude to sit without being uninvited." Said the March rabbit, who was standing with one foot on the arm of a chair.
"I'll say it's rude!" added the Leprechaun " It's very, very rude."
" very, very rude! Indeed." Said the dormouse who seemed to be talking in his sleep.
"Oh! But I did enjoy your singing." Said Maria
" you enjoyed our singing?" replied the March rabbit, who then played with his arm, as if he were strumming the guitar.
"O-ho, we never get compliments," said the Leprechaun, " you must have a cup of tea."
" yes, yes, you must have a cup of tea." Said the March rabbit picking up the teapot, where the dormouse was sleeping, and slowly poured it in a cup- which of course, the dormouse flushed out of the teapot and into the cup.
" What a surprise!" said the March rabbit, " I never thought there will be a mouse made of tea." And he slowly handed it to Maria.
" I'm very sorry to disturb your birthday party," Maria said, " Thank you-…"
" birthday party?" cried the March rabbit before snatching away the teacup from Maria's hand, " my dear, this is not a birthday party."
" It's an unbirthday party." Said the Leprechaun, pouring himself three cups of tea.
" an unbirthday?" said Maria, " why I'm sorry, I have no idea what that means?"
The March rabbit laughed, " well you see my dear…thirty days…NO!...an unbirthday is…No,…when you…"
He scratched his head with his ear before laughing at himself and turned towards the teapot, that was next to him and whispered into it, " she doesn't know what an unbirthday is."
" I'll say it," said the Leprechaun and he picked up a long teapot and sprayed the steam in his mouth as if it were a mouth freshener than he continued. " now, statistics prove, proves that you have one birthday."
Then the March rabbit joined him, " Imagine, just one birthday every year."
"Ah!" the Leprechaun continued again, " but there are three hundred and sixty-four unbirthdays!"
"precisely," said the March rabbit snapping his finger in the air "why we're gathered here to cheer."
At this Maria stood up from her chair and said, " why then, today's my unbirthday too!"
" What a small world we live in." replied the Leprechaun.
They sat in silence for a minute or two, and the March rabbit was the first to break the silence " well tell us a story" he said, breaking a teapot and pouring the tea into a cup then handed it to Maria.
" Th-Thank you," she replied, but before she could take a sip, the Leprechaun quickly snatched it away from her hand, "CLEAN CUP! CLEAN CUP! MOVE DOWN!" he cried and moved as he spoke, the dormouse who was sleeping inside the teapot woke up and took the Leprechaun's place, the March rabbit took Maria's place and Maria had no choice but to take the March rabbit's place.
" so, what information were you saying?" said the Leprechaun and he dipped his saucer into his cup of tea and took a bit of it, as if it were a scone.
" you don't like tea?" said the March rabbit looking down at Maria's seat, as she had no cups or biscuits.
" I'm very fond of tea…but…" replied Maria and she shrugged and shook her head.
" Then you should ask!" said the Leprechaun, " It's better to ask for more than to ask for nothing," and he took the teapot and a cup and tried to pour but alas! The teapot was empty, he shook it once or twice before throwing it behind his back making a loud 'CLANK!' sound." well, tell us a story." he said
" yes, yes, a story" replied the March rabbit
" a story, indeed," said the dormouse who was already talking in his sleep.
" well, I'm not much of a storyteller" replied Maria.
"Oh! What a very interesting story" said the March rabbit, sipping tea from his cup.
" But I can tell you of my adventures." Maria continued, " I woke up in the middle of the sea and there were all sorts of creatures, dwarfs, talking birds, and mushrooms…Oh! But the most peculiar thing I encountered was a cat with-.." before Maria could speak another word, the dormouse jumped out from his seat crying " A CAT! A CAT!" and caused chaos, the Leprechaun, and the March rabbit had to hold him down but he was too strong and he dragged them along with them.
" Quick the jam!" cried the Leprechaun, Maria in a hurry had no time to question, ' why the jam?' she did as the Leprechaun said and carried the jam towards him.
" spread on his nose" he replied, Maria, did as he said and spread the jam on the dormouse's nose, the dormouse slowly calmed down and quickly went back to sleep.
" that should have jammed him." The March rabbit said
The Leprechaun was not happy at all, he crossed his arms and said, " Oh! These are the things that upset me!" he said in an angry tone.
" well, I'm very sorry" Maria replied, " but really, I didn't think that."
"Ah-ha!" said the March rabbit, " That's the point if you didn't think you shouldn't talk."
Maria decided to pour herself a cup of tea, so she took a cup from the table and slowly poured the tea, but before she could drink, the Leprechaun cried, " CLEAN CUP! CLEAN CUP! MOVE DOWN!" so, she had no choice but to change her seat again.
" so what were you saying?" asked the Leprechaun.
" what was I saying?... Oh! yes," said Maria, " the most peculiar thing I met was the…you know who."
" I Know!" said the Leprechaun indignantly
"No!" replied Maria, she went closer towards the Leprechaun and whispered into his ear, " I mean the C-A-T!"
"Tea?" said the Leprechaun
" Half a cup" replied the March rabbit, the Leprechaun sliced the cup in half and poured the tea into it which spilled all over the table, and handed it to the March rabbit, who drank as if it were there.
" How uncivil! Can't even have a proper conversation." Said Maria.
" I'll say, what a proper conversation is" replied the Leprechaun, " what has eyes but cannot see?"
'Riddles?' thought Maria, ' come, we shall have some fun- " I can guess that" she added aloud
" well answer it, if you're so smart," said the Leprechaun.
" That's a very easy one, the answer is a needle," said Maria confidently.
" Incorrect!" remarked the Leprechaun shaking his head.
" Very Incorrect!" followed the March rabbit.
" Very, very Incorrect!" followed the dormouse, who was still talking in his sleep.
"Incorrect?" said Maria who seemed confused, " but I'm afraid you must be wrong, I'm sure needle is the correct answer."
" NO!" replied the Leprechaun, " and I'm not 'wrong' I'm a Leprechaun if you don't know, it just proves that you are not so smart."
" then what is the answer?"
" the answer my dear,… It is a blind man" replied the Leprechaun.
" a blind man?"
" yes, yes, a blind man," said the March rabbit.
Then the dormouse said, " a blind man has eyes but cannot see."
Maria thought hard about it, " well, it makes sense a blind man cannot see."
" which is just the case with mine," said the Leprechaun.
Maria was dreadfully puzzled, the Leprechaun's remark seemed to have no meaning in it, and yet it was certainly English.
" Now, it's my turn to ask," she said
" Uh-ah" replied the March rabbit, " your turn is over, so as the dormouse, it's my turn now."
" But I haven't even asked yet," said Maria
" No, you did, you just turned around, so as the dormouse and now it's my turn," said the March rabbit and he turned around.
" My turn!" said the Leprechaun, Maria had no choice but to listen and the Leprechaun continued, " you see a boat filled with people, yet there isn't a single person on board. How is that possible?"
" That makes no sense," replied Maria, " how can there be people, when there isn't a single person on board."
" Incorrect!" remarked the Leprechaun, which was followed by 'very incorrect!' and 'very, very incorrect' by the March rabbit and the dormouse.
Maria had no better answer, so she said, " they were ghosts?"
The Leprechaun had nothing to say but give the first remark followed by the March rabbit and the dormouse.
" I give up, what is the answer?" said Maria
" Incorrect! Incorrect! Incorrect!" cried the Leprechaun, who seemed to be getting annoyed.
" Then what's the answer!?"
"THEY'RE ALL MARRIED!" cried the Leprechaun.
After hearing this, Maria stood up from her chair, she was bursting into anger.
"Oh! I'm done with this!" she said, " you and your silly answers!"
The March rabbit quickly jumped and hid behind the Leprechaun-they were both shivering in fear, " Oh! No, she's about to go mad!" said the March rabbit.
" I'm not mad! You are!" said Maria, " I've never in my life have met such stupid creatures…and you (pointing at the Leprechaun) you said you were blind but I believe you can see clearly."
" Oh! No, she's accusing me of committing a blind." The Leprechaun said in a tiny-timid voice, he and the rabbit were still shaking, " I'm sorry I have not committed any blind."
" Have a cup of tea" said the March rabbit and slowly stretched his quivering arm towards Maria and the tea inside the cup was spilling all over.
" Have a cup of tea yourself!" said Maria and she slapped hard on the table before walking away.
Suddenly, out of the bush came out something and rushed towards Maria, she had to look at it…it was Hoggie!
"Hoggie!?" Maria cried out.
"No, Time! No, Time!" cried Hoggie as he rushed towards the gate, however, he would stop by at anything before saying " Hello! Goodbye!" and rush again.
Maria ran towards him to catch up, though she looked back once or twice, half hoping the Leprechaun and the March rabbit would call after her: the last time she saw them, they were back together again like in the beginning and were raising their cups and singing.
" That must be the most stupidest tea party I've ever had in my life." She said as she turned and ran towards Hoggie, " Oh! My Hoggie I need to catch up to him...…Hoggie wait up!"
She ran as fast as she could, following Hoggie.