The Golden Winged Horse

Chapter 3

Macie pulled into the parking lot of Pinewoods Residential Home for the Elderly. The sprawling white building always reminded me of a mansion you'd expect a Mafia boss to own in some hot country.

"Thanks, Mace, I'll text you tomorrow."

"Sure. Hey, watch out for your friends," she said, laughing and pointing up at the sky.

I rolled my eyes at her and waved as I headed towards the mahogany double doors. My gran had been in here for nearly two years. She had dementia and had gotten steadily worse with time. I knew she wouldn't be here much longer. Dad refused to accept that her time was near.

The home was all on ground level and its fifty rooms took up almost half of its ten-acre plot. The remainder was all beautifully landscaped grounds, sculpted water fountains, and pristine wooden benches.

I walked inside, the wooden floor gleaming as usual. Tania, the young receptionist, greeted me with a warm smile. Heading to the right, I walked towards my gran's room, each step making my heart pound harder than the one before. Adrenaline buzzed through my veins as the unknown loomed ahead of me like a dark cloud.

At the very end of the long wide corridor, a stunning oil painting of angels and clouds sat on the white wall. To the right was Gran's room. I hesitated outside for several seconds. I hated seeing her slowly losing her dignity and everything about her that once made her my gran. There was also the minor issue of the situation at home.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and decided to just take things in my stride. I wouldn't force anything to happen.

Gran's room was airy and spacious, like the rest of the home. A double window faced the door, pouring natural light into the room. Along the wall to my left were a set of drawers, a wardrobe, and a TV attached to the wall. On the right sat Gran's bed, nestled up to the window, and in the corner of the room, behind the door, was a small en-suite.

"Hey, Faye," Dad said. He sat on the bed, holding Gran's hand on the top of the duvet. "I'm so glad you could come by." He turned to Gran and said, "Mom, look, Faye has come to see you."

Gran turned her frail head towards me as I walked towards them both. Her once sparkling sapphire eyes had dulled, leaving them a wishy-washy shade of blue.

Her wrinkled features creased into a beaming smile. "Elsie," she breathed, moving to sit up in bed. "Oh my. After all these years, it's so good to see you!"

My heart stopped in my chest. I glanced at Dad who pulled his lips into a thin line and gave me a sad smile. I sat down on the small wooden chair next to Gran's bed and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Gran, it's me, Faye."

She squinted her eyes then took her hand from Dad's and grasped mine so tight, I thought she was going to break my bones.

"Elsie," she whispered. "I've missed you so much. So many regrets."

I didn't know what to do—go along with it or keep telling her who I really was.

"Don't upset her," Dad whispered. "Just go with it."

I squeezed Gran's hand in return and said, "I've missed you too."

"We shouldn't have done it, Elsie."

"What?"

"Told the world about the fairies. We should have kept them our little secret. I can't believe we nearly killed them. I'm so ashamed. If only we could go back."

Alarmed, I looked at Dad who was staring at the floor, sadness washing through his brown eyes.

"I'm sure we would do things differently if we could go back. Hindsight is a marvellous thing."