Emerald Oasis

The Black Dogs

"Joyce... Joyce.... Joyce."

When her dream ended, the voice got louder. Her eyes still closed, pitch dark with hues so dark to distinguish. Her eyes opened, as she shook her head. The church was hailing with golden glitter like a harsh winter storm. She felt warm in a room full of fairies.

Emily, Hon, Ivy and Rita had been summoned. Hon patted their backs as if he was their superior. The narrow look in his sunken face suggested that he cared about them.

"We've been summoned," Hon announced. "We have a duty to perform. The concerned look melted into anger the moment his eyes were locked with Fore's vacant stare. "I should have known that you were involved in this."

"Hon, I can explain."

"No need to explain."

"You don't understand!" Fore interrupted by a raised voice. His hands clenched together as his wings wrinkled around his shoulders. "Empress Fee has laid a curse on my friends."

"I thought you hated humans."

"I never said. Oh for god's sake just listen to me, and do as I say!"

Hon crossed his arms. His wings and shoulders tense and crooked. "And why should I do that? You are no longer a fairy king."

"No, but I'm king of The Black Dogs."

Hon stood up straight, relaxed his shoulders and nodded. "So the rumours are true. You have joined The Black Dogs."

"What are The Black Dogs?" Joyce asked.

"They're enemies of the fairy kingdom," Hon spoke, clenching his fingers. His wings fluttered in the beat of the howling wind outside. "A terrorist organisation out to destroy the fairy regime and all that's precious to us. They're the evil fairies."

"What!" Joyce's body trembled against the church walls. She couldn't control the tears rolling down her face.

"Wait!" Fore cried out. "We're not the terrorists you think we are. Oh come on Hon! Why are you so silent? It's not like you to believe in Empress Fee's lies."

"Every book written about the history of fairy-kind says The Black Dogs are evil. It has been an established fact for centuries. We you not paying attention in history? That's what happens when you're raised with a silver spoon."

The female fairy with the longest and extravagant dress flocked to Fore's side. Pale skin brought out her charcoal eyes. With her sparkly ruby dress, she reminded Joyce of one of the movie queens from her youth. The fairy giggled like a school girl.

Joyce spotted that she had one thing that all the other fairies didn't have: a crown.

"So this is what capitalism does to fairies?"

"Yes," Fore replied, letting her grab him by the waist. "That's right my dear Suzy. Hon here is a librarian. He supports Cascade, but has a good knowledge on all five parties."

"Why do they find us scary? I like dogs. Dogs are cute."

One look at Hon told Joyce that he was not convinced with Queen Suzy's persona. "Do you believe that your actions are justified?"

"I don't see why you must vilify my friends." Queen Suzy twirled around the hall and then up and down the ceiling. "They're not evil. They just don't support the regime. We are free fairies."

"What about the countless fairies and humans you've stolen from? The curses you've laid on others? And that burning tower?"

Queen Suzy cackled, leaning closer towards Fore's chest. "I thought you were smarter than that, Hon. It's very rude of you to blame my fae folk. Other fairies outside my kingdom steal from humans too. We rarely use curses: only in self-defence. The burning tower in London has nothing to do with us. It was a fault in a fridge, amongst other things..."

"You have the nerve to call your group a kingdom?" Hon laughed. "Do you even know you're own history?"

Queen Suzy nodded. "I know. I know all there is to know about my clan's history. I also know about Henry Khan, his five mistresses and daughters. And all about the five current monarchs. There's one thing I've noticed, all the history books seem inconsistent. Why is that?"

"They're written to please the current leaders."

"Then they're not really history books are they?" Queen Suzy asked, stepping closer to Hon, dragging Fore along with her. "It's all just fiction."

Hon had been silenced. He nodded. Queen Suzy has a point.

"What about my friends?" Joyce begged. "Aren't we going to help them?"

Queen Suzy fluttered towards Joyce and the statues.

"What have you done?" Hon was quick to blame Queen Suzy.

She couldn't stop laughing. "Your empress did this, not us – we're going to help them. That's why we called you."

"We needed you to perform a big curing spell."

"Not the sen no kaze revive?" Hon gasped.

"Indeed. We were four short."

"I can't believe that we're hanging out with The Black Dogs," Emily muttered. She rushed to Joyce, and flew right in her face. "Joyce! Listen to me. You can't trust them. We can help bring you and your friends back to the home. You have no idea what these people are capable off. I should have told you more about them if I had the chance."

Joyce shook her head. "Empress Fee betrayed me. "You have to help us. I can't let my friends die."

Emily sighed and pondered around, needing time to think about her actions. Joyce's stomach churched each time Emily made round unit: she had a feeling that their friendship was coming to an end.

"Come on Emily," Ivy said. "We should do it. Think of everything Joyce has done for us."

Rita scurried behind Emily. "Let's do it. I want to go home or else my dinner will get cold."

"What does this sen no kaze revive endure?" Joyce questioned, wondering if it was appropriate.

"We just get on our knees and pray," Fore said. "And we wiggle our wings and chant.It unleashes healing aura. They'll be back to normal in no time."

Joyce sat down and watched in awe. The chanting choirs of a thousand fairies filled the room with glorious rainbow fog. Fireworks circulated all over the church as the fairies remained completely still: it was the wings doing all the moving.

Once all the colours had settled the ground and disintegrated into nothing. Rodger, Victoria and Dorothy stood up without a scratch.

"Blimey!" Rodger put his hat back on and scratched his head. "What the hell's just happened in here."

"The Fairy Empress Fee turned you all into bleeding statues," Joyce explained. "Then The Black Dog fairies brought you back to life."

"Did they?" Rodger asked in disbelief. "Where are they then?"

Joyce pointed towards the roof. "They must be up there...Oh, they're gone. They must have vanished and returned home."

Dorothy slapped dust off her coat. "I think we've spent enough time here. Let's go to Blackpool."

"At last!" Joyce said, sighing with relief. It didn't matter that they couldn't remember the fairies that graced them with their presence. They didn't seen to notice that fact they were cursed. So much was wrong in the past few minutes, she was glad it was over. She had her friends back and they were going back to Blackpool. That was all that mattered tonight. It seemed pointless trying to explain what had happened. Not worth spending any more time being confusing. "Let's go back to Blackpool just like the good old days."