Emerald Oasis

Prologue

Joyce Patrick saw her first fairy when she was five years old. She fairly young and had a golden dress up to her ankles. Her wings were so big for her frail little body that it seemed to weight her down. Joyce couldn't remember the conversation very much, but she remembered swapping her falling tooth for a shiny coin. It made Joyce so happy, that the coin was never spent. She never saw another fairy since.

Joyce craved another adventure. She had just returned from a coach tour around Devon's coast, but it wasn't long enough. She needed a holiday to get over the holiday.

Joyce and her husband, Oscar used to travel the world. They'd ship the kids off to their grandparents, packed their suitcases and off they went. They dined at European coasts and hopped on many trains. On their 30th anniversary, they took the train to Belgium. When the train stopped at Lille, they hopped off the train holding hands, then jumped back on again just to say that they've been in France along the way.

Now a widowed grandmother, those days were long gone. She travelled to many places on her own, but it was never the same. She missed his big glasses, curly hair and those putrid bright yellow ties.

Her golden retriever, Sonny was put to sleep last month. The house had been lonely without him. She never thought she would think it, let alone say it, but she missed his howling cries in the middle of the night, his rotten egg-scented farts and slimy kisses.

"Get over it!" Her daughter Maxine used to say. "He's just an ugly old dog."

Sonny was not ugly. He was the most playful creature that Joyce had ever met. Every morning Sonny used to jump on her bed at half past five in the morning for his breakfast, then walk around the village at six.

Maxine was never into animals. She wouldn't let her own kids have any pets at her house. Joyce thought her daughter was a meanie: the kids would have loved them. Whitney once wrote to Father Christmas to say that she wanted a vet clinic for Christmas.

Waking up, knowing that she would no longer see Sonny's dopey face, floppy ears and round black eyes was dreadful to bear. A harsh reminder that loss of unavoidable.

6:59AM

Cleo would ring soon. Dead on seven he would call before he starts work at 7:30. Her son was a man of his word. The clock struck seven the phone rang.

"Hello, Love." Joyce knew who it was the moment it rang. For

Cleo was the only person who would call her, who wasn't trying to pinch her pension pennies.

"Hi Mum. How are you doing? Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet," Joyce replied. "I think I'll have some bread and butter."

"Just bread and butter? Don't you want Marmalade or baked beans and bacon?"

"I would have toast if the toaster wasn't broken?"

"I'll have a look at it tonight? Are you sure it's plugged in?"

"Yes it is," Joyce insisted.

"Alright then," Cleo said. "I'm not looking forward to today: had no sleep last night."

"Why not?"

"Kelly screaming the house down again."

"What happened?" Joyce asked.

"Fell out of bed," Cleo responded. "Nothing bad, just some grazes on the knees, but you know Kelly, she's such a drama queen. She sometimes puts herself on the floor and try to blame Todd: exactly how Maxine used to do it. Well, I better get going, see you later Mum."