Emerald Oasis 14/18

"She's still the empress though," Joyce said.

"The Black Dogs aren't considered citizens by the fairy government," Fore explained. "I'm not allowed to call myself King Fore anymore. I've been wiped from their records as if I've never existed. At last that's how Fee would have it if she had her own way. She managed to turn our own children against me."

"You don't need them," Queen Suzy announced. "If they don't consider us citizens, then why should we follow their rules. You can start another family with me. You are allowed to call yourself King Fore because you are a king – my king. You filled my world with happiness ever since the day I met you."

"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Joyce asked her friends.

"What's sweet?" Rodger asked.

Joyce smirked. "Well, if you the stopped bickering foe once, then you would have seen King ore and Queen Suzy announce their love for each other."

"I don't think we've missed much with your fairy hallucinations."

"Rodger don't be mean," Victoria hissed. "How many times do I have to tell you to be nice."

Queen Suzy and King Fore rushed around the tower's attractions as Joyce chased them. Her friends in turn, did their best to catch up with Joyce. They waltzed through the aquarium, the gift shops and up and down the rest of the tower before coming to a sudden halt at the ballroom.

All the lights were on. Joyce was convinced that Queen Suzy and her husband were responsible for putting on all the lights. There was no way they would leave big lights on at night. She smiled, having that feeling that she was back to the Blackpool that she loved.

"This is more like it," Joyce said, grinning.

Rodger bowed before Victoria. "Shall we have a dance?"

Victoria pondered before accepting his hand. "Oh go on then."

"There's an organ over there," Rodger called Dorothy. "Why don't you play a note or two?"

Dorothy glared at her wrinkled hands. "I don't know if I can play anymore...I haven't touched the piano in twenty years. And playing a piano is different than playing an organ."

"You won't know until you try," Joyce said.

"You're right about that."

"I'll help you. I haven't played it in decades, not since Maxine broke it when she was fourteen."

Joyce followed Dorothy to the organ. The two of them sat down and started messing about the keyboards. To their surprise, the notes coming out actually sounded like music. Joyce and Dorothy rapped their feet as the organ started going around so they could watch Rodger and Victoria dance.

"Let's dance everyone," King Fore roared. The Black Dog fairy gang appeared in their droves. They danced merrily around the hall. More fairies appeared on top of the organ, bringing their instruments and started playing with little effort. The two ladies lost complete control of their hands as the fairy orchestra began to play classic tunes from the sixties and fifties.

"Your fairies are fun," Dorothy admitted. "I'm not moving my hands. I think they're controlling it. Sometimes I see them too, but I never tell. I'm scared they'll dose me on some pills and will knock me out. I don't want that."

"I understand. I think the fairies are controlling my hands too."

The extravagant ball brought back pleasant memories for Joyce. Even though they all made mistakes in their life, the music and the dancing took her mind off the bad things. She started to focus on all the lovely things that happened in her life. Rodger and Victoria danced as if they had been married for years. The spark in their eyes had returned. It reminded Joyce of why she loved her friends and family so much. She was glad to be reunited with them again.

Then all of a sudden, she frowned. Time was precious, but also very short. Joyce thought that she knew it, but she felt that she got it all wrong. From losing contact to her friends to being out of the loop about her grandchildren. All the magic and comfort could not grant her only wish: for her children to be at peace with each other again.

There were times when Cleo and Maxine put their differences aside. When Cleo fell out of his push chair when he was eighteen months old, Maxine was there to catch him. If she didn't catch him, Cleo would have been a very different person today.

Maxine attended Kelly, Todd and Haley's christenings. She hid at the back so she wouldn't have to interact with Cleo, but the fact that she made an effort to attend made Joyce happy. It was a rare feat for Maxine to do anything nice.

Dorothy started playing You Are My Sunshine. It was the tune that Oscar sang to both of their kids in the mornings. Memories of their two children as kids came flooding back again. Good memories. Ones that were locked away or forgotten. The memories of Cleo and Maxine helping each other out with their homework or playing football in the garden. The memories that dementia had stolen from her, she now had back.

Joyce used to think she was more likely to win the lottery than ever see Maxine and Cleo in the same room together in a civil conversation. But maybe she was wrong: she was used to being wrong for decades.

When the morning arrived, they left the fairies to themselves, had a ride on the big wheel on the pier and made attempt at winning big at the slots. They only won half the money they spent, but they still got the gambling buzz. Joyce thought it was better than nothing. The nurse's car got clamped and sent away. Joyce hoped the car would be returned to it's original driver soon. They had no choice but to grab the bus back to Uddington-Crown.

"Are you coming?" Rodger asked Joyce.

She shook her head. "You go on ahead. There's more I'd like to see."

"I'll let them know," Rodger said. Dorothy and Victoria waved at the back of the bus and Rodger showered the bus driver with mountains of change. Joyce smiled and waved back. She was pleased not to hear them bickering, but she would miss them even if it was only for a few hours. She planned to hop on a later bus. She crossed the road and took a walk on the beach. The closer she got to the shore, the more she shivered. She left her coat in the car – she wished she took it with her.

She wondered how Cleo and Maxine were getting on.