Thomas's garden (standard:drama, 4168 words)
Author: scotslass	Added: Sep 22 2006	Views/Reads: 3159/2183	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Thomas loves to play in the garden but what seems to be just a child's imagination, turns into near disaster.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


One morning Thomas had risen early, he crept out the back door and went
down to the pond. He sat on a rock and threw stones and watched the 
ripple of water as the stones sunk to the bottom, gentle ripples that 
suddenly turned into a bubbling mass. Thomas watched as something rose 
out of the water and stretched out a huge black hand towards him. It 
was ugly and Thomas was scared. He screamed for Ellie and suddenly she 
was there. “It's okay Thomas,” she said as she faced the monster and 
chased him away. Thomas was shaking and tears ran down his face. “It 
was horrible” he said “What's it doing in my pond? Why is it here?” 
“You shouldn't think of things like that” Ellie replied “You should 
only think of nice things. You never know what you can dream up if your 
not careful” Thomas wiped his eyes and said he would only think of nice 
things. “Tell me something you would like to do” Ellie said Thomas 
thought about it for a while, then said “I'd like to meet the man in 
the moon” “That would be a bit hard” Ellie replied smiling “That can 
only happen at night and you are in bed early” “I can wait until mummy 
goes to bed then I can come down here and meet you” “But you need the 
magic and that is only here in the morning. It won't work” Ellie 
answered “I can take some with me and keep it in my pocket till then” 
“I suppose you could but you mustn't tell anyone and it might not 
work.” “I won't tell anyone. Can we try?” Thomas begged “Please!” 
“Okay. We'll try. Here, put it in your pocket. If it works then you 
only need to call me. You won't need to come down here, I will hear 
you” Thomas gave her a big grin and put the magic in his pocket. “I'll 
try tonight” He said goodbye to Ellie and went back to the house. 

He went upstairs to his room and hid the magic in a box under his bed.
Then he went back downstairs for breakfast. “Good morning”she smiled at 
him as he went into the kitchen. What would you like for breakfast?” 
“I'm not hungry” Thomas replied His mother looked at him and asked if 
he was feeling okay. Thomas nodded and asked for a drink. He was very 
thirsty. Later that morning his mother stood outside his bedroom door 
listening to Thomas talking to himself. It was not the first time she 
had heard him talking to himself and thought it was just a natural 
thing that kids do. She listened for a bit longer before she went in. 
“We are going to Aunt Sally's”she said as she looked around the room. 
Thomas was sitting on the floor playing a game of snap. He had dealt 
for two people. “Who were you talking to?” Thomas turned around sharply 
at the sound of her voice and fiddle with the cards in his hand. “No 
one” When Thomas turned back to the game, Ellie was gone. “Well” his 
mother hesitated “Let's get dressed and go” 

They went shopping with Aunt Sally and had lunch in a café. Thomas
enjoyed shopping with Aunt Sally and she always bought him a little 
toy. They had passed a store that sold crystals and ornaments of 
coloured dragons and tiny fairy figurines. Thomas stopped and looked in 
the window. “Can I have one of those little fairy statues Aunt Sally? 
The one with the blue and green wings” Aunt Sally and his mother looked 
at each other. Thomas's mother had told Aunt Sally about Thomas talking 
to himself and recalled the episode at the pond. His mother was worried 
about him but Sally had convinced her it was just a five year olds 
imagination. Now they weren't so sure. It was one thing to dream up 
imaginary friends but they never expected him to want to have a statue 
of a fairy. “Why do you want that statue?” Aunt Sally asked Thomas “She 
looks like my friend” Thomas replied Thomas walked out of the store 
clutching the little fairy in his hand. 

The moon was full that night. Thomas looked out the window at the big
yellow ball shining brightly. He was determined to go there. His mother 
came in and tucked him into his bed and kissed him goodnight. She 
looked at the fairy statue sitting on his bedside table; the moonlight 
giving it an ethereal look and it worried her. She closed the door 
quietly as she left the room. Thomas waited a little while and when he 
was sure she had gone back downstairs he reached under the bed and 
pulled out the box. He hoped there was enough magic left to take him to 
the moon. This time Ellie did not come. Instead, the same hand that 
came out of the pond reached for Thomas and attached to the hand was an 
ogre, the ugliest thing Thomas had ever seen. When it spoke, it made a 
gurgling noise and Thomas cringed. “So, you want to go the moon? I'll 
take you there” the ogre said reaching out and grabbing Thomas. Thomas 
felt himself floating before he could say he had changed his mind. He 
wanted Ellie but she never answered him. Thomas soon realised that the 
ogre wasn't taking him towards the moon but down, way down, further 
than he ever thought possible. They were in a dark cave and Thomas 
couldn't see anything. Still further down they went, the ogre cackling 
to himself and hanging on to Thomas as if he was going to crush him. 
“Where are we going? I don't want to go down here!. I wanted to go to 
the moon! Take me home!” Thomas screamed. He tried to wriggle free but 
it was impossible and he started crying but the ogre ignored him and 
kept going. Soon Thomas could see a light in the distance and he was 
getting hot. “I don't want to be here! I don't want to be here!” The 
light got brighter and Thomas could see figures dancing around a fire. 
He saw a funny looking red man who had horns on his head and a tail. 
Thomas knew instantly who he was. He had seen pictures of him in books. 
“Mummy said he wasn't real”. Thomas thought “Where is Ellie? Ellie! 
Ellie!” Thomas screamed. “I want to go home. I don't like this place, 
take me home!” “Thomas. Wake up!” his mother shook him. Thomas was 
sweating and he had wet the bed. His eyes flew open and his mother 
could see the fear in them. “You must have had a bad dream” She said. 
“Come and sleep in my bed for the night” She helped Thomas change and 
then he climbed into her bed and cuddled her. He felt hot and clammy 
but he soon fell asleep. 

Thomas started school and everything seemed to be fine until one morning
his mother got a call from the school. The school principal wanted to 
talk to her and she arranged to see him that same afternoon. After she 
had spoken with him and picked Thomas up from the playground she went 
straight home. She was not in a good mood. “How dare he suggest Thomas 
has a problem!  Who does he think he is?” she thumped the steering 
wheel as she drove. “Ogres, goblins devils and fairies”. Then she 
smiled, remembering herself as a young girl and the tales she used to 
tell. “So what if Thomas does the same,” she thought. “It can't harm 
anyone.”  She soon changed her mind about that when two nights later 
she heard Thomas in his room, talking incessantly. It was late and he 
should have been asleep hours before. She slowly opened the door and 
peeked in. Thomas was staring at the moon. She quietly spoke his name 
but he didn't respond to her, he seemed to be in some kind of trance 
and there was no one else in the room. 

This time Ellie came and Thomas was thrilled to see her. “Why didn't you
come the other day?” he asked “It was horrible. I never want to go 
there again.” “Thomas” Ellie said, “It's what you are thinking at the 
time that counts. You must not think of things like that. Now, 
concentrate. Think of the man in the moon and take my hand” Thomas felt 
himself floating through the night sky. Stars twinkled at him and 
further on, meteors with colourful tails sailed by. As he got closer to 
the moon, he could see the face of the man in the moon. It seemed to 
cover the whole surface of the moon and he was smiling.  Thomas didn't 
know what to expect and wondered where they were going to land without 
hurting the man in the moon. Suddenly the man in the moon opened his 
mouth, it was huge and Thomas could feel himself being dragged towards 
it, then into it. Down the man in the moon's tongue he slid. It seemed 
to go on forever and he cried out, “Ellie! I don't like this! Make it 
stop! Make it stop!” “Think of something else,” Ellie replied, “Hurry 
up!” Further down they went. Thomas tried hard to think of something 
else but his stomach was churning and he felt sick. “Ooh, I'd rather 
sit on his nose” Thomas thought. The next moment they were sitting on 
the man in the moon's nose. Thomas felt a bit better as he looked into 
the man in the moon's eyes. “You have done me out of my dinner” the man 
in the moon said. “But that is okay Thomas” “You know my name?” Thomas 
asked “I know all little boys and girls name” the man in the moon said 
“I watch over you every night” “Do you eat many chidren?” Thomas asked 
The man in the moon laughed. “No, only those that think about it” “See, 
I told you” Ellie said “You have to be careful of what you think” 
Thomas looked around. He could see the world way of in the distance. “I 
live there” he said “I'd like to go back now” He could feel himself 
being picked up gently and placed back in his bed. He saw his mother 
standing over him. “Thomas, are you okay” he heard her say “Yes. I am 
fine mummy. I was just talking to the man in the moon” 

Thomas's mother decided to take him to the doctor the next day and have
him checked out even though he seemed to be fine in the morning. She 
had sat and watched him the rest of the night. It was the second time 
she had noticed he was hot and sweaty and he had her really worried. 
She thought of the incident in the pond and the trouble he had gotten 
into at school. She related it all to the doctor and he did some tests. 
He couldn't find anything wrong with Thomas physically, so he also took 
blood tests and said he would ring her as soon as the results came 
back. She took Thomas home and kept him from school that day. Two days 
later the doctor rang with the results, they were negative. “There 
doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Thomas at all” he said. “Best 
just keep an eye on him and if it occurs again, you ring me no matter 
what time of the day or night.” She thanked the doctor and hung up. 
That same night, Thomas took the box out from under his bed. There was 
only a little magic left so he would have to go back into the garden 
and find Ellie, but he waited until early morning before he went. 

It rained during the night and the grass was wet when Thomas went down
the garden path. He saw a hedgehog and chased after it but it crawled 
under a hawthorn bush, Thomas was dissappointed. Soon enough Ellie 
joined him and together they put more magic in the box. “Mmm,” Ellie 
said, “There is quiet a lot of magic there this time.” “That doesn't 
matter does it?” Thomas asked. “ I can have more fun then, can't I?” 
“I'm not sure you should have that much” Thomas didn't listen and put 
the lid back on his box. “I better go and hide it before mummy sees it” 
He said goodbye to Ellie and went back inside. He didn't want breakfast 
again and his mother didn't know what to do with him. A couple of times 
now he had gone without breakfast and she had noticed his lunch box 
came home still half full. He had not been eating much at school 
either, although he did eat a fair amount at dinnertime. She sighed and 
started to clear away the dishes. 

The room was full of light. The brightest Thomas had ever seen and in
the light she stood. She was beautiful and she seemed to be floating 
above him. Her wings were golden and her halo shimmered as she reached 
out her hand. Thomas wasn't afraid, she seemed nice and he reached out 
his hand to touch hers. “There will be no going back if you come with 
me Thomas” she whispered gently. “You will be with me always” Thomas 
couldn't think. He wanted to touch her and feel her soft long hair. He 
felt like he was being drawn towards her, part of him wanted to call 
out for his mother and yet the compelling feeling he felt to go with 
the angel was overpowering. Then Ellie was beside him. “Too much magic 
Thomas. I can't help you now. If you take her hand you will never see 
me again.” Pulled between the two of them, Thomas tried to think of 
something else but this time it wasn't working. The presence of the 
angel was too powerful and Thomas reached out and touched her 
fingertips. 

Thomas's mother looked in on him on her way to bed. She opened the door
quietly, and she could see Thomas lying on the bed, his eyes were open. 
She crossed over to him and her heart thumped rapidly. His eyes were 
open and yet there seemed to be no life in them. She reached out and 
touched him with trembling fingers, he didn't respond. She turned and 
raced downstairs to the phone. First she rang the ambulance and then 
her doctor. She ran back upstairs, clutching the railings for support 
as her body wanted to collapse, all the time wondering what was wrong 
with him. The doctor hadn't been able to find anything. The loss of 
appetite and his high temperature had revealed nothing; then again he 
had seemed fine when she did take him to the doctor's. The ambulance 
arrived and an officer informed her Thomas was still breathing but only 
just. The doctor arrived a few minutes. He conferred with the ambulance 
officers before they put Thomas in the ambulance. Turning to Thomas's 
mother he said. “Go with them. I will meet you at the hospital” She 
climbed into the ambulance, shaking and tearful. It seemed like an 
eternity to get to the hospital. One of the officers had radioed ahead 
to have the emergency team stand by. They were met at the hospital by a 
team of doctors and nurses who whisked Thomas away quickly. It was a 
long night. 

As he reached for the angels fingers Thomas could faintly hear his
mother calling his name. He tried hard to answer her but she didn't 
seem to hear him. He felt the softness of the angel's fingers just as 
he also felt his body being picked up and carried away. The light in 
the room wasn't as bright as before and he could see faces with masks 
on. A doctor stood over him: “Thomas, Can you hear me? Just nod if you 
can hear me” Thomas nodded his head slowly. “You're gonna be fine” the 
doctor said “you are a very lucky little boy” Thomas's mother stayed 
with him all through the night. She never let go off his hand. She 
slept in the chair beside his bed and was woken early next morning by 
her doctor. Thomas was still asleep and he looked pale. “What happened 
to him?” she sobbed, “What caused this?” “Come and have a coffee with 
me. Thomas will be fine. Come on” the doctor said taking her by the 
arm. She followed the doctor to a staff room and he made coffee for her 
then sat next to her on a couch. “Tell me about Thomas,” he said, “What 
does he like to do? Where does he play? Does he go to friend's houses 
to play?' Thomas's mother shook her head. “Thomas only plays at home, 
in the garden. He likes the garden, although after the episode in the 
pond I don't let him out there without me” “You've never noticed 
anything strange about Thomas's behaviour?” She related how Thomas had 
a loss of appetite sometimes and how she had heard him talking to 
himself. She even told him about the statue of the fairy Thomas had 
asked his aunt to buy for him. “I'd like to come and have a look in 
your garden. Can we go there now? Thomas will be fine and it won't take 
long” “Why has this happened?” she asked again “I'll explain after I 
have checked your garden” 

They walked down the garden path; new spring blosoms were out in all
their glorious colours. “Nice garden you have” the doctor said. Soon 
they came to the pond. The doctor looked around searching the ground. 
Soon he bent down and picked up something and held it out for her to 
see. “ “Here is your culprit”. he said handing it to her “psilocybe 
baecystis, commonly called panther cap. It is a hallucigenic mushroom. 
Causes high fever, loss of appetite. Also it increases the heart rate. 
I would say Thomas has tried them, mistaking them for normal mushrooms 
and has eaten a few too many this time. When the trip starts there is 
no way to control it or stop it and a bad trip can be unpredictable. 
Thomas is one very lucky little fellow”. “So all this time when Thomas 
was talking to himself he had been eating these “mushrooms” Thomas's 
mother replied. “But I have been watching him and he hasn't been in the 
garden without me” “Let's go back and take a look in his room shall 
we?' They went back inside and went up to Thomas's room. Thomas's 
mother and the doctor looked around the room. The doctor picked up the 
little fairy. “Thomas said she looked like his friend when my sister 
bought it for him” Thomas's mother said. The doctor replaced it and 
continued to look around. He bent down and looked under the bed. 
Pulling out Thomas's magic box, he opened it and found tiny brown 
pieces of the mushroom. “I think we are going to have to educate Thomas 
a bit more about his garden, don't you think?” he said handing the box 
to Thomas's mother. 


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