Heavenly

Niccy observed the flowers on the window sill ... deep blue like the night sky blue to match his eye

s.But his eyes were, of course, another shade of blue flowers didn’t really grow in that color. He would never find flowers of that color on Earth like the ones he received from Crystal 3 years ago on his birthday, she even reminded him of that

“They are like your eyes,” she said. “you won’t find flowers like these here, they don’t belong here like those eyes … they belong in Heaven”

Heaven, Fairyland, Fairie, Fey Lands … all names for their land of beauty and magic and immortality. Crystal meant to make him ache for that land for his home she wanted him to come back … like it was his choice to leave, to make herself clear she had warned him. “I won’t be here next year,” she said, hoping he would miss her he did terribly but it wasn’t his choice to come back any more than it had been his choice to leave. Okay, it had been choice of a kind he had been the one to suggest this punishment for himself. Crystal had meant to invite him back, back to that beautiful place they had called home since they were born but she succeeded only in making him miserable because in his mine his “choice” to be banished to Earth wasn’t a choice at all. In a way yes, it had been he who had suggested this punishment for himself. He was the one who when their King had solemnly and somewhat sarcastically asked him what he thought he deserved for sheltering and protecting a traitor just because he was his friend. Niccy had replied “Banish me, Your Majesty, I don’t deserve to be your subject anymore” So he was banished from Heaven. He didn’t really know, no one did, why Feyland was called Heaven, probably one of their ancestors, fascinated as their kind often is with humans, had visited Earth had a human lover or friends and heard them mention Heaven and had said “ that’s where I am from I am from Heaven”

The name stuck and it was a suitable name. But where is Heaven there is the opposite and the Realm of Pain and Mortality bears many similarities to the Biblical Hell and ending up there, the ultimate prison for Immortals was the fate he had escaped by suggesting and embracing his banishment, that or being personally punished by Essus the King of Heaven, The Wielder of the Hand of Flames & Lightning & Flesh, a fate far worse than the Prison. And so he was satisfied with his sentence on Earth even grateful for he knew if given the choice most humans would opt to avoid the Judgement Day and stay on Earth indefinitely living as Immortals on Earth rather than risk going to hell even if it cost them a chance to go to Heaven for nothing is worth risking being burnt in flames for all eternity.

He studied the flowers in his windowsill & the roses in his garden inside the glasshouse were not visible from here where the majority of his flowers were the place of the small business he ran. there had been only a few orders this week for “Beautiful Nature”, the name of his plant and flower shop and delivery service, He delivered and planted, gave gardening advice. It gave him a little peace, surrounded by these flowers, the connection to Nature, to the magic of Earth and Life, his was a magic of Creation and Growth. Crystal had jokingly called him a flower deity and given him a flowery bowtie for his birthday once of course, that was many birthdays ago

He moved from the window sill to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of orange juice and tried not to think about the Spring Festival, the greatest Festive event occurring every ten years in Heaven, marking a change in climate, in fate. It was the first one he would be missing. he had always loved this party, unlike other parties this one was filled with life, with giant size flowers, with their fragrance covering everything, his heart ached. He thought of the decorations, the music, the magic surrounding the feast, the festival which would last for 5 days. After a glass of orange juice and a banana he went outside to his glasshouse, to observe and look over his rows of planted flowers. A green light glowed in the middle. He blinked twice then pinched himself, it couldn’t be he thought. Yet the light glowed steadily, he knew who was waiting on the other side. He took a deep breath & walked inside. Despite his nervousness, he couldn’t suppress the wave of happiness that flooded his heart After crystal had said that it was her last visit no one from home had come to visit him. He walked inside the glass walls, at once the light glowed then receded and then he saw him. With dark brown hair, dark blue eyes, ina white dress with a blue collar and lining, Aaron stood there, in the middle of the flowers. Without question the most beautiful thing in the room, the most “alive “ too. TheSidhe Fey, particularly the high class gave of a magical aura which vibrated with life.”

“A pretty house “ he commented.

“It’s a glasshouse,” Niccy said, hardly believing his eyes and ears, ”a place for things to grow” he added.

“It’s pretty,” Aaron said, “though not as pretty as your garden in your home, you wouldn’t leave it for a palace preferring a cottage so you could be close to the garden. Don’t you miss it?”

“Did you come here to torment me” Niccy sked. Why would Aaron remind him of what he had, in all probability lost forever probably to be as cruel as Crystal had been but it wasn’t like Aaron he had always been kind, never saying insensitive things.

“You can see it again, if only through the looking mirror,” said Aaron holding up a

Piece of glass, the magical mirror greater magic than any human camera able to show anything any place of Fairie that hadn’t been specifically made magically invisible.

Niccy shook his head. “No,” he said, “I am not a masochist”?” Aaron said with a hint of sarcasm. “I thought only masochists suggested their own punishments and then carried out their sentences quietly instead of appealing to the mercy of our king, who is the most merciful ruler Heaven has ever seen.”

“You know I can’t do that, I am forbidden from even entering Heaven again.”Niccy replied.

“You can call him. He will answer you, or I can do it for you, should I?”

“No!” Niccy almost shouted, the fear was plain on his face.

“You are a lot of things Niccy, but I never took you for a coward, I can’t believe you would give up that easily.”

“Fearing our King isn’t cowardice, it’s being sane. You would be equally afraid if you were in my place”

“I would never be in your place”

“No, he loves you too much, he would forgive you for anything”

“No, I would never betray his trust in me by sheltering and protecting a traitor in my home just because he was my friend. What were you thinking?”

“He was not a traitor, he was my friend he promised me he wasn’t involved, he was just caught in the crossfire, he begged me to save him, I couldn’t just throw him out, I still believe he was innocent.”

“So you don’t regret it

“Oh, I do, but I understand what I did and why. I accept it”

“The festival is in four days”

“I know,” Niccy said.

“You can come, the festivities are held outside the gates too”

“Its still Fairie Land, I can’t, it’s against the rules.”

“You won’t have to see His Majesty, he won’t come out far.”

“Someone will see me and report to him.”

“If that happens, I’ll say I invited you, told you were permitted to come by him”.

“You would lie to him? For me?

“You aren’t the only one who would take risks for a friend”.

“What would be the point? I’ll just see the festivities and then return without even setting foot in Heaven.”

“You can all of us, your friends… Meena!”

“Meena has forgotten all about me.”

“No, she just isn’t strong enough to make the trip to Earth again and again and figured a clean break would be better for both of you.”

“A clean break is just another word for moving on.”

“She has tried, but she misses you terribly, she came to me, begging me to intercede on your behalf.”

This was news to Niccy, it made something flutter in his heart. Meena, his Meena, with eyes the color of water, a lighter shade than his own eyes, the long blonde hair falling to her waist, so blonde they were almost white, Meana’s smile, her hand watering the plants with him.

“She’ll be there?” he knew it was a silly question, of course, she would.

“If you’ll be there? Definitely.” He replied.

“What if he sees me?”

“Tell him I invited you.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“He won’t see you.” He reached inside his pocket, withdrew a piece of paper, a golden card, an official invitation. “There,” he pressed into the palm of Niccy’s hand.

“Come,” He said. “I miss you, we all do.”

With that, a green light glowed and Aaron disappeared, vanishing into the air. “Farewell,” the last word to escape his lips leaving Niccy speechless. Once again surrounded by his flowers and his ordinary glasshouse, and keenly feeling his loneliness more than ever before.