Fine China

CW: brief mention of death but has a positive ending

In a rural town in Connecticut, there was a sweet-hearted family: The Meads. Luke and Debbie were siblings, 16 and 18. They were visiting their maternal grandmother for the weekend before Debbie's graduation party. They're all sitting in the living room, the white walls brighten the room in the warmth of June. Although the tan carpet and dull sage chairs are enough to bore even the most boring people. The mini television, quiet, playing old cartoons on repeat. Luke crosses his legs and tries to get comfortable in his worn-down chair and Debbie does the same.

“Augh! You know... I love spending time with Grams but come on dude! It's my graduation weekend, I wanna do something exciting... Not just sit here and watch TV all day.”

Their grandmother, Leah, heard her granddaughter speaking poorly and offered them the upstairs bedroom where they can plug in a gaming device into the flat screen in there. The siblings excitedly jumped up and ran up the maroon-carpeted stairs.

“Be careful now! I can't catch you if you fall!”, Grams jokingly shouts from the kitchen.

She goes to grab her baby pink tea mug and crocheting kit while the grandkids play Legend of Zelda and Mario Kart. Just as Luke crosses the finish line, they hear a loud crash and go sprinting down the stairs to check on Leah.

“Grams? You ok?... Hello?” They search the whole place. She's nowhere to be found... “Hey, Debs? Look...” Luke says with a shaky voice. A glowing ball emerges from the back of the China cabinet, the dishes and cups were in disarray, all over the floor yet one hundred percent intact. A screen appears on the glass window of the cabinet: “My dearest grandchildren, if truly you want an adventure, open the doors to the China cabinet and take a left at the fork. Lots of love, Grams”

“Holy shit...” They each open a cabinet door, the glowing ball that was once in the back, now envelops the inside of the cabinet. They take one longing look at one another and dive in.

It feels like they are falling forever until finally they land on a soft patch of moss and take a left at the fork to find the most amazing thing they've ever witnessed.

“What the heck is this? Some sort of new world situation?” Debbie whispers in a snarky tone.

“Welcome my loves! This is Gram's Garden Sanctuary!”

The pair look around absolutely stunned. Grams now living in an HOA can never have a garden again in her backyard... but there's nothing in the rules about a secret portal! The area is filled with tall grass, soft moss, beautiful flowers, tall trees, wild bushes, multicolored butterflies, and there's even a sandy beach on the other side.

“But... How did... Where did?” Luke stammers.

“The portal existed years ago, the magic followed me here. She's very friendly.”

“She?”, asked Debbie so curiously, almost dropping her no-can-do attitude.

“Finneas! She's my sidekick. She created the portal at the old house after Papa died and I needed an escape... So, this is it.”

“Hi kiddos!” exclaims a little beam of light.

Finneas is draped in plum ruffles and wearing tiny white shoes.

She floats around their heads and drops gardening tools in the wicker basket below:

“Why don't we help Grandma out and then we can do some exploring, hm?”

The pair are absolutely shocked when baby blue gardening gloves appear on each of their hands. “Now just because this place is full of magic doesn't mean it doesn't require some elbow grease!” Grams shows them how to plant tulips, roses, dahlias, pansies, carrots, cabbage, and pumpkins! It's the best sight to see her happy and relaxed in an environment where she can do everything she wants without a care in the world. They finish helping her out and run over to explore the beach. Finneas follows them and decides to work up some more magic. Suddenly, an ice cream truck appears along with charcuterie snack plates and tall glasses of Shirley Temples! Beach chairs and towels appear on the softest sand they've ever felt. They eat, drink, relax, and discuss the amazement: “Who knew Grams was like the coolest person ever?” asked Luke excitedly as he devours the orange cream dream.

“I know right!” replied Debs.

“Do you think Mom and Dave know about this... Should we tell them?”

“Nah, I think it would be more fun if it was just a special thing for Grams... Plus they might already know.”

“Yeah, you're right... You know, I didn't know Gram was so distraught when Gramps died... I mean I guess I did... But the fact that this creature followed her and created her an entire world all her own... it's pretty awesome.” said Debs with a soft smile. Her cold exterior beginning to shed.

“I'm so glad she has something that's not just crocheting or old cartoons, this gets her out of the house... and out of this earth, for real!” They laugh together and start walking the beach. As they take off their shoes and dip their toes in the clearest water they've ever seen, they reminisce: “I miss Gramps... I can't believe it's already been three years. He always loved taking us fun places as kids...” says Debbie.

“Me too, but I think he's watching over us.” says Luke.

“But how do you know? It's not like we go to church and see him storming the heavens... I'm not even sure if the afterlife even exists...” she replies in a stammered manner.

“You don't have to believe in God or heaven to believe in something happening after we pass on. Just look around. What color was the suit we buried him in?”

“Maroon... Why?”

“Look at all the pansies in Gram's line up... all colors of Gramps favorite dancing suits.”

“Holy shit... you're right. I never even noticed that...”

“Sometimes we all just need to look around more, stop and smell the flowers... appreciate what we have...”

“Alrighty Aristotle, I get it...” Debs chuckles. “You know though, you are pretty wise beyond your years... Sometimes I forget I'm the oldest sibling. Too bad June isn't here to see this...” she says as she sulks a little.

“When she gets a little older, I'm sure Grams will introduce her to this too.” replies Luke with a wide smile.

Grams walks over to meet them at the water:

“How's it going my loves?”

They both look at each other and smile.

“Amazing, Grams... Thank you for showing us this place.” says Luke with a huge smile. “Of course, my dears... I figured you're both old enough now to understand the premise. I do have one more surprise for you... Ernie can you come out here please! We have visitors...”

“Ernie? Does she...?"

"No freaking way...” the two trail off.

They look at each other in utter disbelief as Finneas works her magic one more time for the pair before they leave. “GRAMPS!!!” They exclaim and run to him like they were little kids again. “Every once in awhile it's nice to have a visit from the love of my life in the place I call my second home.”

“But how are you here? Aren't you... you know... uhm a ghost?” Luke says, a tiny bit scared.

“With magic, anything is possible.” Ernie replies.

The kids tell him all about their lives and what's happened since he passed. Ernie excuses himself to go grab a bouquet of flowers: maroon pansies, for Debbie's graduation.

“Here my love, take this home with you. And next time you visit young man, I'll have something for you too!”

Debbie begins to sob as she hugs him for the first time in years; not only was he her grandfather but the man who helped raise her. Ernie wipes her tears and exclaims how proud he is of her and her brother. Ernie hugs all three of them, winks at Finneas, and walks back into the shadows. “Grams... you are... this is...” Debbie begins to cry again as she hugs her grandmother tight and apologizes for all of her snarky comments. Leah accepts the apology and hugs both of them tight as she prepares them to go home.

Debbie and Luke gather their things while Grams leads the way. They all dive back into the portal and jump back into the no-longer-boring kitchen: “Oh, and uh don't tell your mother or Dave about this... They aren't aware yet. This will be our little secret for now... Oh! It's already almost five? We need to get dinner started for your parents to come over...” “Oh, don't worry Grams, we got that covered.” The siblings look at each other knowingly and order pizza and salads from their favorite local joint. No sooner is there a knock at the door and their family arrives. Diane their mom, June, their one-year-old sibling, and Dave their stepfather all cheerily walk in the door. They all exchange greetings and no sooner do they sit down does the food get there. Debbie thanks the delivery person and gives them a forty percent tip. “I hope this helps you out. Have a great night!” The delivery person almost cries and profusely thanks her. Debs mentions that it's no problem at all. As she's bringing the food in, her family has finished setting the table. They all sit down together and eat.

“Oh, hey look at those beautiful pansies! Where'd you get them, Mum?” asks Diane.

“Oh, just from a friend. Grams winks at the kids as she puts a slice of veggie pizza on her paper plate. They all laugh and enjoy each other's company throughout the night until it's time for the kids to get some sleep. “So did y'all have a fun day with Grams?, asks Dave. They look at each other knowingly. “Yeah, it was nice, we just sorta relaxed and played video games. We should come here more often... Grams is great.” “Well, I love to hear that”, said Diane with a toothy smile. “Maybe you can come back and stay for a week or so during your summer break!” The kids agree that would be a fantastic idea. “Maybe she'll teach you how to crochet...”, Dave chuckles. The kids say their goodbyes to their family as they go upstairs to play a couple rounds of the Mario Kart they missed earlier. “This was so worth the wait!”, exclaimed Luke as he crossed the finish line.