Just a short one...
(Slight S3 M&MM spoiler.)
oOo
It was a garden. Specifically, it was the garden of the house where he grew up. It was untidy, but in an attractive way, crammed with all kinds of flowering plants - the perennials his mother loved, small shrubs and even raspberry canes and brambles. He was sitting, perched on an upturned flower pot and thinking that he probably looked like one of those tacky garden gnomes... all he needed was a fishing pole...
He was feeling... peaceful... yes, peaceful. He seemed to have no recent memory, or at least was unable to see back from where he was now or indeed to think of the future. Something had happened to him, something that had left him crushed, worn down and as close to giving in as he had ever been. That was over now, though, and he had come back to this garden to find that it was again the tranquil haven it had once been. He closed his eyes and saw the red of the sunshine filtering through, the warmth of the sun on his face.
Presently he opened his eyes. Flower heads bobbed in the light breeze and there were even cabbage whites flitting here and there. Rodney followed one with his eyes and saw it alight on a daisy, standing straight and tall in front of the azaleas. The daisy raised a green hand and batted the butterfly away impatiently, tutting and huffing as it did so.
Rodney blinked.
"Hello", said the daisy.
"Uh...what?", responded McKay.
"Are you hiding too?"
She was green from feet to neck, her spindly arms and legs wrapped in straggly green fabric, secured with what looked like tape. She wore what McKay would describe as a sack affair, in green velvet, tied with a green silk scarf at the waist - Rodney was willing to bet that it was a modified window drape. Framing her round face was a halo of white plastic petals that crackled slightly when she moved. Her face was the oddest shade of yellow; strange, but at the same time, oddly familiar to him.
Rodney felt sure, however, that the child's yellow make-up would have to be re-applied... it was smudged and marked here and there with the trails of tears.
"No", he replied , "at least I don't think I'm hiding. Why are you?"
She sighed and started to pick at the wrappings of one arm, whilst giving her bottom lip a little wobble now and again.
"I don't want to be a daisy.", she answered in a tremulous and forlorn voice.
Oh, save me, thought Rodney, and he looked around for a possible escape route.
"That's very... unfortunate for you. But, not really my problem, kid.", and he wriggled a little, shuffled his feet some, and huffed loudly in preparation for quitting his perch and getting the hell out of there.
"Do you have any candy?"
Rodney spluttered.
"What? Didn't your mother ever tell you? Don't take candy from strangers..."
"But candy makes me feel better."
At this, he chuckled a little and nodded,
"Well, yeah, I see where you're coming from with that one... works for me too. But I dont have any ca -"
As he demonstrated to the girl his lack of any sweet treats by patting down his pockets, he suddenly came across an unexpected but welcome chocolate bar.
"So what's the problem really?", asked McKay, skilfully diverting and managing to hide his treasure before the little flower spotted it.
"I don't want to dance. There's lots of people and I've never done it before. I was scared, so I ran off and came here. Is that what happened to you?"
McKay looked indignant.
"Do I look like a dancer?"
"Why are you here then? Have you been bad?", and her little face lit up with impish glee.
"No, I most certainly have not!", and Rodney thought, a little uncomfortably, that he hoped he really hadn't been bad, but couldn't of course be sure.
"Why don't you just go back, they'll come and find you anyway", he finished, a little grumpily.
When he saw her green shoulders slump, petals drooping, he relented a little, "Go... dance, it'll be ... great.", he said waving his arms in a fashion that vaguely suggested choreography.
All at once there was a whoop...
"Oh, Henry... my favourite!", and the daisy jumped and clapped it's grubby hands. She had caught sight of the distinctive yellow wrapper, peeking from his breast pocket.
Rodney sighed wearily.
"Look, if I share my candy with you, will you go back and leave me in peace?"
"Yes", said the flower immediately, leaving it's sunny spot by the azaleas.
"Okay... here", he said, breaking the bar in two and giving her the pick - which was only fair after all.
"But you know really, you shouldn't take candy from strangers...you know that right?"
"Mmm... hmm... but you're not a stranger, Uncle Mer...", she answered, chewing big, like a camel.
"What...?"
But she had already finished her candy and was now licking the tip of each green wrapped finger. She looked up and beamed him a huge smile, and now Rodney could see that it really was Madison.
"There'll be ice cream if I do my recital - Mommy promised - and I like ice cream... my Mommy says be brave, and you have to take the rough with the smooth...what's that mean?"
"That the good things in life make up for the bad things, I guess..."
"Hmmm... yes...what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Are you going back? Grown-ups don't stay cross forever, you know...", she said, giving him a knowing look.
"No. I'm gonna stay on here a while...", and he looked around at the pleasant garden scene.
Suddenly, Madison moved closer, and put a small hand on his shoulder.
"You should go back, Uncle Mer... they want you to. They're calling, can't you hear them?", and Rodney watched as she tilted her petalled head and lifted a green finger.
He shook his head, uncertain of what she meant. But he found himself mirroring her and letting his own head fall to one side.
Slowly, as if from far away, he began to hear something... something that did not belong in this flower garden. She was right, there were voices. Like echoes they bounced around him, not always too clear, sometimes fragmented and meaningless, but always compelling.
He looked again at his neice; she was smiling a clear, perfect smile of delight, like only a child could.
"See? They're looking for you."
Madison gave his shoulder a light squeeze, and suddenly turning serious, said,
"Whatever you did, say you're very, very sorry, and you won't do it again, promise.. That's what I do..."
Slightly taken aback, he asked, puzzled,
"And then what happens?"
"They forgive you of course, silly!", she giggled.
Then, with another beaming smile and a sniff of a snotty nose, she was off and running, past the hollyhocks and... gone.
oOo
TBC and thanks for reading!
(This was McKay's dream, for those of you who asked for it... thanks for your reviews, they really help!... x)
