THE GARDEN OF JOY :
I sat alone with my feline friends and watched the afternoon sun slowly losing its strength. It reminded me of my tired and aching bones, which at 85 years old were turning brittle and weary. It was about this time each afternoon that Thomas the young lad from next door snuck into my garden to play. It was a delicate little fairy garden built by my Son for his daughters, my grand-daughters who were now teenage young ladies.
The first time Thomas visited was after I heard screaming and yelling from the white weatherboard house he'd moved into not a month earlier.
"Everything okay?" I asked popping my head out the screen door. "Would you like to come in for awhile?"
"No Miss, I am not allowed to talk to strangers."
"Oh dear, I am not a stranger," I assured him. "I am your neighbour, Miss Alice."
"Thank you Miss but I still cannot come in." His manners were impeccable. His demeanour shy and reserved. I watched him as he sat down on the cobble stone dividers posting his hands over his ears to block the loud commotion from next door.
This became a regular occurrence, I soon learnt his name was Thomas, he was 7 years old and he liked Chocolate Brownies. He had one brother and his Dad and Mum hated each other. I questioned his use of the word hate, but he assured me it was true, he heard his parents yelling it at each other when they fought, which according to Thomas and the volume of shouting, it was a frequent occurrence.
Thomas sought solace in my garden, and I'd grown used to him visiting. He seemed at ease exploring the garden beds and the fairy statues hidden amongst the shrubbery. His face relaxed and his hands used for play, not as sound proofers.
Sometimes a month would pass before he stopped by again. On this particular occasion I noticed his usual shirt and tie school uniform replaced with a yellow t-shirt and navy blue shorts.
"Have you changed school's Thomas?" I asked sitting in the garden with him.
"Yep, Mum says we can't afford the other school, now that Dad's moved out."
"Well I'm sure your new school is just as good as your old one." I comforted.
"I don't have any friends Miss Alice. I've been there weeks and no one likes me," he confessed looking across the garden. His eyes revealed the sadness he carried, he smiled weakly as patted him on the arm.
"You'll have friends in no time, with an imagination like yours." It was true, he made up some fabulous little games in the garden, I dubbed it the "Garden of Joy", but he said boys didn't like Joy. His teachers name was Joy. Instead he preferred to call it the "Garden of no Return". I laughed and agreed I'd only call it the Garden of Joy when he wasn't visiting.
"No Miss Alice, they simply don't like me, they think I'm a rich kid. They said they'll only be friends with me if I bring them my toys to share. I don't have any toys like they mean."
As I was about to respond a very large Christmas beetle all shiny and black landed on the ground.
"What is that?" He asked, being a typical boy he scooped up the larger than normal beetle in his hands.
"Why Thomas, that's a Christmas Beetle," I watched as he cupped it delicately in his palm.
"It's awesome, " he said putting the other hand next to the one holding the beetle.
It certainly was a pretty sight, as the light reflected on the black shell, green and red highlights shone from the surface.
"Can I keep him?" He asked excited. "I know the boys at school would like me if I had a pet beetle." He continued.
"Sure you can, we can look up what they eat, and he can be your pet."
"Oh..... no..... I can't keep him," He whispered putting his head down to his chest in a despondent manner.
"Why of course you can," I encouraged. "I'm sure he'd love to have a boy such as yourself look after him. And I think you are right, he would help you gain some friends."
"My Mum hates insects," he confessed.
I scratched my head, and suggested I keep the beetle for him in an old shoe box, and then he could get him before he walked to school in the morning. Thomas was delighted at the suggestion and skipped home for dinner.
The next afternoon Thomas arrived at my sliding door with his beetle crawling on his palm.
"Miss Alice, Miss Alice," he shouted through the door. "It worked, I have got 3 new friends, and it's all because of the beetle."
"Fantastic Thomas," I encouraged.
Thomas had cared for the beetle all day at school. He'd hidden him in his desk while in class, and then shared the beetle with his friends at play time. The boys loved the way it felt to let the beetle crawl across their hands, and they were all very gentle with it. Thomas had promised to bring the beetle to school every day, and the boys had promised to be his friend.
Before leaving for the night Thomas took the Beetle into the Garden of Joy and let him walk around on the leaves while he sat back smiling at his new found happiness.
"I love your garden Miss Alice," he said outloud.
The next few days Thomas came home as happy and cheerful as the first. The boys were still being his friend and he was still taking his beetle to school. He now liked his new school, and I was relieved he had found some friends of like nature. Before leaving for the night Thomas visited my garden and let Beetle wander around.
The next morning after his mother left for work Thomas knocked softly on my door to collect Beetle. I opened the box and handed him over to Thomas who smiled to see his large Christmas Beetle ready to take on another day of school.
"Have a good day," I said as he stepped outside.
"I will, thank you Miss Alice," He replied turning to leave.
It was at that moment that the beetle suddenly remembered he had wings. Thomas who normally walked covering the beetle on his hand with the other one gasped as the beetle flew upwards.
"Oh no, come back," he shouted.
I ran to the back step to see what the shouting was about, my eyes caught the movement of the large Christmas Beetle rising higher and higher. Thomas looked like he was going to cry, I began to reassure him that it was bound to happen, and how the beetle needed to live a beetle life. Just as I completed my words, a large bird swooped down from a tree in my Garden of Joy and snapped up the beetle in one fluent action. Clacking its beak once, the beetle disappeared.
Thomas shouted at the bird, and punched his fist in the air at it. The bird flew off, satisfied with it's catch of the day.
"I can't go to school now," Thomas said looking devastated.
"Oh Thomas, of course you can, that is nature's way."
"My friend's won't like me anymore," he remonstrated.
It took awhile but I convinced him to go to school. I was very pleased when he returned that afternoon, reporting that his friends were still his friends. But only if he was able to find another beetle.
"Oh," I replied wondering how likely it was to find another Christmas beetle.
"I need your permission though," he said looking at me with all seriousness.
"How?" I asked not knowing what I could possibly do.
"Can I bring my friends to your Garden of Joy?" He asked sheepishly.
"Of course you can Thomas, that would be my pleasure.
The boys never did find another Christmas beetle, but they found many other creepy crawly insects which helped Thomas cement his friendship circle.
Me ... I just requested that I get buried in my Garden of Joy.