Emerald Oasis Chapter One: The Fairies In The Garden

Today was the day. Joyce did her best to do everything she was told by the hospital to ensure a speedy recovery. She wasn't allowed to go home, she couldn't remember why, but she remembered the staff trying to tell her so many times. Either way, she was glad to be leaving.

Her mood instantly lifted when Cleo walked into her room. She lifted her suitcases and stormed off.

"I'm free," she squealed.

"Hey!" Cleo said. "Calm down, you don't want to fall again."

Joyce tiptoed back to Cleo. "No. I don't want to fall. Now tell me where this Emerald Oasis then?"

"Not far," Cleo said. "I'm going to drive you there."

"Sorry for being such a nuisance, I'm just so glad to get out of here. There's nothing to do here other than sitting there and rot."

Joyce stretched her lips as if she was going on holiday. She hopped into Cleo's lime mini before Cleo could get into the car.

"You're really excited," Cleo said, he couldn't help but smile. "I haven't seen you like this in a long time."

"Like I said, I'm just so happy to be out."

"Are you ready to go into your new home?" He clung to the steering wheel for a few moments.

Joyce nodded with both suitcases on her knees. "Yes. Take me there."

Cleo did as he was told and drove away from Uddington-Crown Hospital. "Are you all right mum?"

"Never better," Joyce admitted.

"I'm happy that you're happy," Cleo said. "Not many people choose to live in these places out of free will... I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing."

"And you're doing a wonderful job. You're the best son I could ever ask for."

"So have you heard from Maxine?"

"She came in yesterday pissed as a fart. I couldn't understand a word she was saying."

"No surprise there," his voice went cold.

"Have you seen her lad recently?"

Cleo was silent for a few moments. "I saw someone that looked like him in the laundrette, but it couldn't have been him. It was a woman."

"Oh, that's a shame. It's as if he's vanished from the planet. I can't remember Koga's number."

"I can ask him if I see him if you want?"

"If you could that would be lovely."

"I'll do it for you. Hey, looks like we're almost here."

"The car followed a long road surrounded by long hedges. Joyce had the impression that they were in a maze. A large fountain appeared at the end of the pad. Cleo steered over to the right and parked over the ramp.

He opened the door for Joyce and held her suitcases for her.

"This is such a big place," Joyce commented. "Are you sure this is the right place? This looks like some lord's mansion."

"Seems to be, unless my satnav is lying to me," he laughed. "But we are here." He pointed to the sign covered in musical notes. "Let's go in."

They were greeted by an effeminate man with jet black hair and a mahogany suit hanging on his small body. His floral pink tie was adjacent to his badge.

Gaston Discord was the man's name. He shook Cleo's hand and then shook hers.

"Welcome to Emerald Oasis Nursing Home. We've been expecting you, Mrs Patrick."

Joyce but her lip at the sound of the formality. "Just call me Joyce, please."

Gaston nodded. "Very well Joyce." He opened the door for them and snatched the suitcase from Cleo's hand. "Lily," he called a carer over who looked as if she was going on her break. "Take these suitcases to room 18 please!"

Lily took the suitcases and went back. She never spoke.

"This is quite a big place," Joyce said to Gaston. "How many bedrooms are there?"

"There are 50 rooms: All en-suite. This place was once a mansion. All the rooms are downstairs and upstairs is where we host all our activities."

"Have you got a garden?"

"We do indeed," Gaston said with a cheesy grin. He walked past the staircase and reception area and opened red doors. "Down this way."

"And that's my room is it?" Joyce asked when she walked past room 18. She saw lots of people around her age wandering about in the corridors following the trail of I printed poppies on the carpet.

"Here you go!" Gaston announced, opening the doors to the garden. The garden was like a palace. She couldn't find the words to speak. "I'll leave you guys to it. Help yourself to teas, coffees and snacks. My office is in the reception area below the staircase. "Cheerio."

"Where is everybody?" Joyce asked her son. "This big beautiful garden and nobody here to celebrate it!"

Red roses gathered in a pretty circle. Bumblebees buzzed through the clean air. where there was enough space to lounge at free will. Cleo smiled as he patted his mother's back. She could tell that he was concerned – she knew his mother and felt that she knew everything about him.

"I think you'll like it here, Mum."

Joyce couldn't agree with him any more than she did at that moment. She considered herself to be an eighty-year-old with the bounce and energy of a teenager. She hated every moment in the hospital and was forced to accept that Emerald Oasis Nursing Home would be her name now. She couldn't remember why she was in the hospital or why she couldn't go back home. But she was glad to be out of the hospital, and she never wanted to go back!

Joyce examined the large garden with a twinkle in her eye. Her turning face stops to glance over the clump of lilies by the apple tree. "I think I will like it here as well. I never thought I would live in a place so beautiful and with such magnificent garden."

Cleo chuckled. "I know you always said you wanted to live in a palace with a big garden. I'm not sure if this was what you had in mind, but we'll see."

"Thank you," Joyce said to her son in glee. "What would I do without you?"

"Well, there is always Maxine and the kids." Cleo sighed and looked at his mother. "Mum... You're not mad at me are you?"

Joyce dropped her mouth in horror and quickly laughed. She cupped his cheeks and pinched his nose. "What? Me mad at you? Why you've always been my favourite son."

"I'm your one and only son."

"Precisely."

"Well," Cleo said. "I better get going. I need to pick the kids up from school."

"Very well my dear," Joyce said. Just as Cleo was about to leave the garden, Joyce chased him. "Oi! You little bugger!" She puckered her lips together. "Where's my kiss?"

Cleo blushed. "I'm fifty!"

"I don't care," Joyce croaked, wrapping her arms around Cleo. "You'll always be my baby and you're never too old for a kiss from your mother."

She kissed her son's cheek and let her go. Even when Cleo didn't even leave the room, she was missing him already. Every day he was beginning to look more like his father, only a little bit slimmer and without the long beard.

Joyce's ears became attracted by the sound of rattling. She could see a young girl carrying a silver trolley filled with teacups, saucers and steaming teapots. She was convinced the silver pot was winking at her. She thought her eyes were about to pop. How could teacups have eyes like that?

"Would you like a cup of tea Joyce?"

"Oh yes please," Joyce replied feeling the dryness in her voice. "I would love one."

"Great," the carer said. "Take a seat and I will make you one." Joyce sat down on the nearest bench and crossed her legs. She watched the carer fill the teacup with tea and milk. She noticed the name on the young girl's badge: Jade Queensway. "Do you take sugar?"

"No thanks. I'm sweet enough!"

"Here you go," Jade said with a stretched out a smile, as she passed the cup over to Joyce.

"Thank you!"

Jade left and went inside, taking the trolley with her. Before Joyce took a sip she had a look around and noticed again that she was the only one in the garden. She still couldn't understand why such a big and beautiful garden was not being used. They could do so much with it. Joyce fancied the idea of having a picnic with tiny sandwiches and cakes.

"This is a wonderful place," Joyce said to herself as she took her first sip of tea. "Ah! This is a lovely cup of tea."

Then she realized she wasn't alone when a white butterfly flew onto the tip of the saucer. Joyce jumped on her seat and leaned her face towards the butterfly. "Why hello there little one."

The butterfly turned around and she noticed that it wasn't a butterfly but a sweet pixie fairy. Just like the one she saw seventy-five years ago. She was sparkling with her porcelain skin and her wavy hair contained all seven colours of the rainbow.

"A fairy!"

"Hello there," she spoke in a childish voice as she flew to the other side of the saucer. "Welcome to Emerald Oasis, my name is Emily."

"I'm Patrick: Joyce Patrick. Wife of the late Oscar Patrick."

"Oscar Patrick?" Emily opened her mouth as she flickered her wings. "As in the bank manager?"

"How did you know?"

"The psychic fairy predicted your arrival."

"How many fairies are there?" Joyce asked. She felt as if she was reliving her childhood again.

"This garden is filled with fairies," Emily explained. "This garden is a wonderful place to live in. It seems that this is the first time you've seen a fairy."

Joyce nodded. "I've seen a fairy once when I was five, but other than that and you, I've only seen fairies in the books that I loved as a child."

"Wow!" Emily fluttered around and sat on her knee. "Then you know about Thumbelina?"

"Yes," Joyce exclaimed with a smile. "Hans Christian Andersen wrote that tale. I watched the film with my grandchildren as well."

"I bet he was a clever fairy."

"He was a human man actually."

Emily gasped. "Really? You're so smart. I always assumed the person who wrote it was a fairy."

Joyce shook her head. "Is there a fairy school around here?"

Emily nodded. "I'm too young to go. I have to wait for another year. I don't have many friends here."

"You don't?" Joyce was surprised. "Someone as beautiful and intelligent as you have no friends? Well if that's the case, I'll be your friend."

Emily started to fly around Joyce's silver curls. "Thank you so much, Joyce. I promise that I will protect you."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Joyce insisted as she patted Emily's rainbow curls. "But thank you for the kind offer."

"You better drink your tea before it gets cold."

"Good idea."

When Joyce took her third sip of tea, a thought popped into her head. Emily the fairy was still there. "Emily, is there something that I need to be careful of?"

Emily nodded vigorously. "So many things to watch out for. Dragons, trolls, evil sorcerers and dark ninjas."

"You can't be serious?"

"They're not all bad though," Emily said as she sat on Joyce's shoulder."But when they're angry, they can destroy things."

"What a shame."

"Oh, they're coming," Emily whispered. "I have to go!"

Joyce turned her head and watched Emily puff away.

Another carer different to the one that served her tea approached her. She was another young girl who had her hair in dreadlocks. She observed the name on her badge: Nicola Sisters. "Hello Joyce, would you like to join us in the dining room for supper?"

"Sure!" Joyce stood up and followed Nicola into the dining room. She finished her tea along the way. "I really like it here you know. Especially the fairies."

"She's going to be one of those..." Joyce heard the Nicola mutter to Siobhan. Then her voice boomed. "Fairies? How exciting."

"Yes," Joyce said. "I was just talking to a fairy just now. Her name's Emily."

"You're so lucky. I've never seen a fairy before." Joyce could sense a strong hint of sarcasm in her voice. She wasn't sure if she or the other staff knew, but the home was enchanted. She was sure of it. She knew she should be scared, but she couldn't wait to see what magic would reveal itself to her next.