Jenny And The Emperor’s Gardens - Chapter 1

Jenny And The Emperor’s Gardens   

A novel

By Paul McCann

 

Chapter 1

Sensing A New Wonder

 

Jenny’s first real experience of the Emperor and his enchanted garden came when she was bringing an apple tart her Mother had baked over to Mrs Higgins house for her daughter’s birthday party . As it was almost time for the party to begin Jenny  took the short cut through the grove , beside the church and suddenly discovered a green gate that she had never noticed before . She read the sign on the gate .

“ The gateway to your escape “

She couldn’t help herself and opened up the gate . There she stood in another world on a path that went through into a beautiful garden . All around she saw fairies dancing and flying , and leaping around with wands and magic feathers . They were very busy  changing the colour of all the flowers . It was so wonderful to see and so she sat down on a seat nearby , underneath a tall Gumboot tree and watched the entire scene unravel before her . There where Eerie Wigs doing jigs to the music the fairies played . It was a fairyland symphony unrehearsed and unheard by anyone in anytime to welcome the new visitor to the enchanted garden .As the music continued other fairy folk arrived flying through the air with rainbow coloured wings . Silver beetles slid down silken strings that were woven by furry tree spiders and other musicians arrived with instruments in their arms until an entire orchestra played as one for Jenny’s arrival ; Other creatures came to enjoy the music . Slugs and bugs , jumping bunnies and funny pugs and Humpyback Pigs all started dancing around in circles doing jigs and in the air some goofy glider birds did loopy loops and nose dives down to the ground before changing course and flying back up into in the air .

The more she watched and listened , the more she forgot the world she had just left and she became so happy that she also started to dance and sing , After running out of breath she sat down again for a rest . Some of the fairies went over to speak to her and reminded her about they had always been around in her early years  .

They knew so much about her first childhood days and mentioned about the day her pet rabbit ran away and the day she lost her first tooth . Then they mentioned about the very first sounds she ever made that were little giggling noises when she was just a baby . They told her how they watched over her and then she recalled seeing them around her little cot / She remembered how they used to make funny faces at her . In those innocent days she recalled always being able to see the fairy folk .Then in a moment she remembered some of the fairytales they told her as she lay there as a baby . One story in particular that she recalled was of the Emperor’s garden who had secret gardens all over the world that were linked together by unseen portals of immortality . 

Now that she had already entered through the gateway , her journey into the Emperors enchanted garden  had only just begun . The knowledge she was receiving came in  waves of thoughts rushing through her mind leaving treasures washed up on the shores for her to discover when the time would be right in the future .

She knew all of the creatures in the garden by their  names as if she had been there before . 

She got up from the seat and made her way along the path where a 

Squitcher came spinning down from the sky and floated there in front of her .  Squitchers are aromatic creatures  who bring scented perfume through the air wherever they go generating a state of peace and  well being everywhere they go .

Jenny was captured in a trance and she began to float with her feet off the ground . Hovering above the garden path in a relaxed unperplexed flight she observed in silence all the beautiful colours of the garden .

Then as the perfume in the air began to leave Jenny returned down tom the ground . She stood beside a pond and watched the flipper frogs hopping over lily  pads , doing acrobatic tumbles through the air .

She heard a funny squelching  sound and turned around to see a thirsty gumboot tree sending out some searching roots along the ground to suck up some water from the pond..

Flowers all over the tree began to bloom and fruits started to grow .

“Try some , if you like . They are all free . “

Said the tree , Jenny said thanks and made her way over to the Gumboot tree . She took one of the fruits and ate it . It tasted sweet and soft and gave her a boost of energy that made her want to  run . She ran  off along the path through the garden with such speed that she could hardly see 

any thing going past . It was all just a  colourful blur of shapes without form or pattern . As her energy expired she started to slow down to a stop and right before her where two lions statues on both sides of a large door to a palace .

The lions came to life and spoke ,

“Welcome to the Emperors Palace ,  he is expecting you .”

Jenny said 

“ Thank you for the friendly welcome , I’ve never spoke to a lion before . I always thought lions were fierce wild beasts .“

“We’re not all savages you know “

Said one of the lions .

As Jenny started to walk towards the door of palace one of the lions said ,

“ You need to hop three times before you get to the door . It’s kind of a secret ritual the  Emperor requires  “

As Jenny did three hops the large door opened by itself .

The Emperor came to the door and smiled . He was dressed in a golden robe that shone brightly and had   a very long beard that almost touched the ground . On his feet were red velvet slippers and on his head was a tall orange hat that looked more like a lantern than a hat .

“Welcome to the palace of dreams little one . Did you have a nice walk in my garden today  ?”

He asked 

“Jenny replied ,

“Yes I did . It feels like I have been here before . Why is that ?

The Emperor smiles and said ,

“No need to question for there is nothing to understand here . It just is a place where you are meant to be .”

Jenny was content but curious about many things , She asked ,\

“ Who am I to have been given this wonder:”

The emperor replied ,

“ You are the seed of wild flowers , that will be scattered in a desert without colour. You have been chosen to see what will become of this world after the final sunset and before the new dawn .“

Jenny looked intrigued and asked

“Why am I the one to see all this ? ”

The Emperor laughed and said

“You must never ask why you have been chosen , I once asked the same question myself until I realised , even if I knew it still doesn’t change a thing . You need to learn to accept things as they are little one . Soon you will begin a journey that will take you through many of my gardens that exist in different places in alternate worlds that surround us . “

“ So how long must I wait before I see you again “

“ No more questions now , don’t try to understand . I will send you signs so you know it is I making contact and when this happens you must come . Follow your instincts and you will find me . Now before you leave , I want to give you three gifts “

“ Gifts for me , thank you Emperor .“

She replied and she jumped in the air and then spun around   . :

The emperor went over to the large treasure chest and took a flashlight , an apple tart and a coloured crystal that shone with a dazzling display of colours that  reflections all around the room  . He handed the gifts to Jenny and said ,

The flashlight will bring you enlightenment if ever you are confused . The colours of the crystal will remind you of the new life that you will soon discover and the apple tart is to replace the one you lost in my garden . You need to go now and bring that apple tart for someone’s birthday party .”

The Emperor slide across a tall bookcase that was on rollers and then opened a secret door that was behind the bookcase.. He waved and smiled .

Jenny smiled and waved and said ,

I had a wonderful day , Thank you Emperor. “

As she walked through the door she found herself in front of Mrs Higgins house and the birthday party was just starting .

 

End Of Chapter 1

 

Jenny And The Emperor’s Gardens

Link to Chapter 2

https://www.abctales.com/story/mcscraic/jenny-and-emperor%E2%80%99s-gard...

By Paul McCann