Emerald Oasis 7E/18

"Hey!" Emily said, reappearing behind the chair. "I've found Jasper Spectrum's book. She placed the book in Joyce's hands. "Hey! What's up with you?" She shrieked at the site of her arms. "How did you get those bruises on your arms."

"My daughter came over, but it's all right, Cleo sorted her out. She was trying to take me away from here. But this is my home now."

"That doesn't give her the right to hurt your arms like that!" Emily spied on the lampshades, stood either side by the television. "Is that Mimi, Rita and Ivy in there?"

She was right.

Rita, Ivy and Mimi popped out of the lampshades and sat by Joyce's lap. Emily looked down on them. "Did you girls see that?"

"We saw everything," Rita said.

"I can't believe she would do that to you," Mimi said.

"I think anyone who treats their mother like that should be in jail."

"She's gone now," Joyce said. "Thank you for the books, Emily." She took a look through Jasper Spectrum's book and spotted so many differences in information in his book compared to Marcus Ickersurfs. Iris Legend was portrayed as an evil mistress who murdered her stepmothers. Her husband, Can-li was described as a greedy dictator who resembled his father-in-law in later life. The prince was kind and became a fairy to marry Serena Rainbow.

"Both history books are so different," Joyce pointed out. "Which one is the truth."

"The most accurate account of the first royal family are the diaries of Misty Cascade and May Balance," Ivy said. "The problem is that the fairy emperors demand history books rewritten all the time in favour of their party. And Misty Cascade's diary is available in almost every library and yet these historians won't read them and the emperors consider it to be nothing but fiction. But it's their so-called history books that are fiction."

"Wait!" Joyce cried out with her arms in the air. "Slow down, Ivy. Now say what you said again, but this time more slowly." She gulped, assuming that she had insulted her. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Ivy said. "Misty Cascade's diary is the most accurate account of Henry Khan and his family that we will ever get. May Balance's is worthy mention, but Misty Cascade's diary goes in a lot of detail."

"Look!" Emily called out, "that's Hon Livre, the librarian."

"I've heard that someone was seeking Misty Cascade's diary."

"That's right," Joyce said. "I'm interested."

Hon pushed his glasses and stroked the spine of the silver book in his hand. "I see that you're interested in fairy history. You have Jasper Spectrum and Marcus Ickersurf's books on the first royal family. Two very fascinating historical fiction."

"If they're both fictional, then why have they been accepted as solid facts," Joyce asked, in hope that Hon would know.

"Simple!" Hon replied. "To suit the beliefs of the current fairy emperor." In his hand was the much-discussed memoir of Misty Cascade. He opened the book and gazed upon Joyce. "Fairy monarchs uphold a duty to honour their founders' legacy. A lot can change in 50 years. Kingdoms and grow and shrink, but the emperor rules every fairy in the world."

"We already know this," Ivy grumbled.

"This is for Joyce's benefit!" Hon patted Ivy's back. "Now you must be patient. I would like to read to all of you, an excerpt of her diary."

The vacant faces on the little pixies' faces amused Joyce. They looked like bored schoolgirls in a dragged out lecture. She found Hon's voice direct and in an odd sense almost dreamy. A soothing voice that turned with the pages. She could listen to him all day.

*

"Thank you," my little sister says to me. "Thank you for teaching me how to swim."

"You're most welcome," I reply with a smile. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. More fairies should know how to swim."

"They should," May squeals. "I'm going to bring all my friends over next time and our other sisters."

We hear distant echoes coming from the bush over by the river. We look at each other and fly up to the top of the tree.

"It sounds like giggling," May whispers. "Should we go and investigate?"

I hold May around the waist and push her back to a higher branch. "We shouldn't be seen by a flock of humans."

"It looks like there is only one."

I stare at the human laying in the bush. I could tell he was a soldier from his beefy muscles and his armour. What makes no sense to me was the golden light between his thighs.

Just like fairy wings.

At one of the tree branches at the bottom is our stepmother, Renee Rainbow and the spoilt Serena. May and I jump down at the bottom of the tree and approach the bush. Renee and Serena don't speak to us. Unlike our mothers, Renee had no intention of mingling with us. She struts around with her shiny clothes and striking wings as if she's better than us. She is a beauty on the outside. Inside, she was a hideous beast.

I cannot believe what I see. There, one of my stepmothers, Lily Legend: Iris' mother. She's... I don't know how to describe this without naughty words. She rides and plays with the human man's bits. It traumatises me and little May. I will never shake this horrific scenery in my head. All those wretched veins and that messy hair.

It's treason: pure and simple. She may just be a mistress, but she's betrayed our father in both body and soul. Now she's caught: there is no hope for her now. She will be executed for sure.

Any sort of passion with a human is illegal, but making love to one is one of the biggest crimes a fairy can do. The only exception is if the human is of a noble status.

May screams, and we both fly back to the governors and tell them what we've seen.

Lily's chair in the dining room is empty. It doesn't surprise me. Everyone in the room looks worried, hardly any of us touch our supper tonight. Father says we can save it for later.

"Hey," Renee says. "Why waste a good feast? Don't let a traitorous whore ruin our evening."

Serena and Renee continue eating and eventually, everyone else does the same.

"Is mother going to have anything?" Iris asks. "We can save some of these raisins for her."

Renee and Father laugh. My mother glares at them both.

"Your mother will be dead tomorrow," Renee hissed. "She won't need food."

So close friendship with humans is fine, but love would never work.

3rd May 981

Today we learn of Lily Legend's fate. She is crucified and burned naked at the state. The most humiliating way for any living creature to die. I wouldn't wish it for anybody, not even for my wicked stepmother: the ruthless Renee Rainbow.

Tonight I hear that Berry Balance and my mother were poisoned to death. It leaves father with only one mistress.

The maids gossip. They reckon she will be the new empress, but I know better. Renee killed them. She will get what's coming to her someday.

Renee is arrested, then by my father's orders, they drop the charges. They advise us that Lily is innocent the whole time and that it was an imposter. It's lies! I know it was her! I saw her! May saw her!

I bet Renee is guilty of it too. She is just as guilty as Lily, if not, she's even worse. That scheming wrench!

*

"I've heard this a million times," Rita whispered to her friends.

"Now shut up and don't up and don't be rude," Hon barked. "This is vital history."

"There's plenty of periods more interesting than this!" Rita complained.

"The first royal family is the most important of them all. Because unlike other species, we know for sure that our goddesses existed."

"Are the fairy goddesses the founders then?" Joyce asked.

"Yes," Hon said. "Now if I may, these books are overdue. If I take them back now, then I won't charge you any late fees."

"Excuse me," Emily said. "I bought this book from home."

"Yes you did," Hon said, nodding his head. "It also came from the shelf in my library."

"You only work part-time," Ivy said.

"I co-founded the library six centuries ago. It's been my home, and as far as I'm aware it's mine."

"What's your point?" Emily said.

"Simple!" Hon raised his hands. "I'm only asking for my books back."

Emily bit her lip. "How much will it cost us."

"1000 gems per book," Hon replied. "They're overdue by a decade. I'm willing to get rid of the fees if I get those books back now."

"Let's do the right thing," Joyce said, passing the books to Hon. "I don't want you ladies to pay those fees."

"A very wise decision," Hon said, placing the books under his arm.

"Can we renew them?" Emily asked.

Hon laughed. "Certainly not."

"MONSTERS!"

"Who's that?" Hon asked. The fairies looked around and saw Hisashi running around in his shorts.

"That's Hisashi," Joyce said. "He doesn't speak English. Rodger tried talking to him in Chinese, but he didn't say anything we could understand."

"MONSTERS!" Hisashi dashed to the lounge.

"He's Japanese!" Hon announced. "Mt. Fuji is on his shorts."

"That doesn't make him Japanese!" Rita said. Hisashi continued running about. "He could be Korean or Thai for all we know!"

"Hikari! Yuto! Doko ni iru no? Anata-tachi ga inakute hontou ni sogoku sabashii..."

"Hikari and Yuto are common names in Japan," Hon explained. "Whoever they are, he's searching for them."

Hisashi raised his voice and placed his hands against the wall. He repeated his words twice, slamming the wall with every syllable.

"Hikari! Yuto! Where are you?" Hon translated. "I am very sad without you both."

"Hikari is his daughter who lives in Japan with her husband and kids. Yuto is his nephew that comes to see him often. Yuto's parents were killed in a bombing incident, so Hisashi raised him."

"The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Joyce said.

"World War II," Hon declared with his eyes on Joyce. "Thousands of fairies lost their homes. War is one of the many reasons why fairies chose not to show themselves to humans. You are a rare exception. Iris Legend predicted that humans would make fairies homeless in the future: and she was right. She ruled with her head, she did. The other sisters fell from grace because they tried to rule with their hearts. Which is why King Fore and Empress Fee's marriage was doomed from the start."

"I was sad when they broke up," Emily admitted. "King Fore was a really kind man before the divorce. Now he's just a miserable old sod."

"They did everything that was expected of them, but they were simply incompatible. I'm afraid: they could not agree with each other. Even if they remained married, the proposed coalition would simply fall apart."

"HE'S GOT A KNIFE!" Ivy squealed. She gasped when Hisashi tiptoed around the bookcases. She cowered behind Joyce's chair. Rita, Mimi and Emily followed her movements.

Hon frowned. "Don't be so silly, he's not going to harm you."

Joyce watched Hisashi take a knife out of his pocket and wave it about. He stabbed the knife into the wall and his movements suggested he was fighting something invisible.

"But..." Ivy's lips quivered. "It's iron!"

"It's a boring kitchen knife made of steel, you blithering idiots!" Hon snapped.

"It could have iron in it for all we know," Mimi said. The fairies squealed as Hisashi entered the lounge and they all left via the window leaving Hon and Joyce watching the man with a knife. A part of Joyce wanted to get help, but a part of her also didn't want to move in case she caused more harm than good.

Hisashi panted as he leaned against the bookcase with the knife clutched between his fingers. He looked around, but he didn't notice Joyce.

"SHINDE KUDASAI!" Hisashi tossed the knife at one of the lampshades. It fell over and took the other lampshade down with it too. At the sound of bulbs exploding, the room became engulfed in fog.

Hon Livre stood still as Joyce looked down at her feet. She was in the water, but she didn't feel wet. She found herself sitting on a tree stump. She stood up, looked around and found the other fairies who left by the window.

Where the lampshades broke, was a black monster covered in hair. Hisashi's knife was stuck in the middle of his chest as blood oozed from the floor, turning the water red.

"What did he say?" Joyce asked Hon.

"Please die."

Hisashi plunges the knife from his chest and as soon as he waves it in the air, the knife glows gold and transforms into a mighty silver sword.

"Shinimasen," a voice grumbled. The monster jumped in the air and bounced on Hisashi. They wrestle on the floor as the sword swirls by Joyce's feet.

She felt that.

"What's going on?" Joyce asked. "This is all an illusion right?"

"Yes," Hon said.

"It's a very scary one," Emily shrieked.

"We have been warped into Hisashi's world. He is not in a nursing home. His mind is in a different world. In this world, he is fighting the monsters that he slaughtered on the silver screen."

"Boko mo shinimasen!" Hisashi roared as the wrestling match between him and the monster made the watery ground tremble.

"I will also not die!"

Joyce picked up the sword. "Maybe I should help him. Perhaps slaying that monster will bring him back to reality."

"Go for it," Hon whispered.

Joyce dragged the sword and sliced the monster in half. The monster disintegrated into black slush before fading into the fog.

Hisashi was on the floor, gasping for breath. He rolled over and looked at Joyce.

"Arigatou Goziamasu!"

"He's thanking you."

"You're welcome," Joyce said. She helping him back up from the floor but felt her back strain in the process. They were back in the lounge, but it was an absolute mess. Everything was either broken, lopsided or on the floor. "Oh dear, how are we going to sort this out?"

"These schoolgirls can sort this out," Hon said. "I'm going back to my library."

Hon vanished.