Daisy Madigan's Paradise

by Suzy Turner

  'I promise never to forget you too, Jack.'

  'Daisy?' he asked.

  'Yes?'

  'I... I love you,' he whispered before he stood up and began to walk away.

  'I love you too, Jack,' she said to him quietly. He turned to look at her with a smile and then before she knew it, he was gone.

  Her stomach twisted and knotted and tears began to pour down her cheeks. But then she suddenly had the most overwhelming desire to sing, so she opened her mouth and very quietly began singing the song that had brought her and Jack together:

  'When she was just a girl

  She expected the world

  But it flew away from her reach so

  She ran away in her sleep

  And dreamed of

  Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise

  Every time she closed her eyes...'

  CHAPTER 19

  Beau Madigan awoke with such intense aches and pains that he couldn't bear it. His body shook with such a desperation and need for alcohol that he clambered out of the place Daisy called home and, without even telling her, he left Abney Park.

  Daisy was busy elsewhere at the time, trying to convince a man in Highgate that his great, great, great, great grandfather was trying to communicate with him. The man was having none of it, until Daisy's ghost mentioned he had buried treasure in the family garden, twenty-five yards due east from the ancient oak tree.

  Then he had no trouble believing what she had to say. In fact, she went along with him, across the grounds of the grand old house and watched as he used an old spade to dig deep into the earth. When he hit upon something solid, the ghost smiled at her and drifted away, immediately crossing through the bright light and over to the other side.

  Daisy congratulated the man on his find and decided to leave.

  She was worried about her dad and knew she needed to get back to check on him.

  On her way back, she stopped in to see Balvinder and Shariq to ask their opinions on alcohol addiction. They both said her father should seek medical help and so that's what she decided to do.

  But on finding him gone on her return, Daisy sighed heavily and busied herself with helping another ghost to cross over.

  She knew he'd come back, she didn't know how she knew, she just did.

  Late that night, sure enough she found him wandering around the gravestones of the cemetery, completely drunk with another bottle of vodka in his hands.

  'Dad... again? You need to stop this. I wish you would just stop it... for me. There's so much we need to talk about. I need you to tell me about the tattoo and why I'm so strong and fast and... different. Please, Dad.'

  Beau looked at her and dropped the bottle. It smashed against a gravestone just before he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

  Daisy took a deep breath and sighed when a sudden noise in the darkness startled her. Worried it was that scary gang, her initial instinct was to disappear up a tree, leaving her father behind on the ground. She cursed to herself as she sat, watching her comatose father below. But it was too late to go and get him as a guy suddenly emerged through the trees.

  She shivered, hoping it wasn't one of the members of that terrifying gang. He disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared so Daisy climbed back down to her father and scooped him up as fast as she could. She hid behind a huge tree for a moment and waited to see if the guy would return. Soon, him and eleven other teenagers re-appeared. One of them even began to clear up the broken glass her father had broken.

  Content that they were just regular teenagers, she stealthily disappeared again to another of her favourite spots: one of the largest headless angels in the park. Sitting down beneath it with her father by her side, Daisy thought of Jack. She smiled, remembering the times they had spent together. I hope he's happy with his mum and dad, she thought as that same sensation began to fill her belly again. The overwhelming desire to sing. Instead of the usual Paradise, she remembered a Lana Del Rey song that he'd liked called Born To Die:

  'Feet don't fail me now...'

  She was so wound up singing that song that she was completely unaware that someone had approached and suddenly a yelp pierced the air.

  Daisy didn't even stop for breath, she grabbed her father and bolted back to the catacombs where she pushed her father inside, making sure he was still asleep, before venturing back into the trees, curious to find out what was going on.

  Returning to the headless angel, she found the group had gone. She listened for sounds and could hear them inside the chapel. They're probably just here messing about, she figured so before she called it a night, she wandered over to the sleeping lion where she sat down for a moment and thought about the following morning when she planned on taking her father to the hospital.

  Suddenly, the sound of breaking twigs made her jump and she looked up to find two of the teenagers approaching her. She immediately jumped up, ready to bolt.

  ''Wait,' a really pretty dark haired girl all dressed in black said softly. 'Please, we're here to warn you. You're in danger. There's some really evil, crazy guys coming for you. They'll be here really soon. You need to get away from here as quick as you possibly can or... come with us, take my hand. We're going back to the chapel to the rest of our group. You'll be safe there...'

  But the mere thought of being anywhere near that horrifying werewolf gang, made Daisy run. She ran to the only place she knew she'd be completely safe.

  Once inside the catacombs, curled up in a corner, Daisy began to have second thoughts. There was something about them. About that girl. She felt some kind of, well, connection to her. It wasn't something she could explain. She just knew she had to go back.

  Creeping back through the park, she managed to climb up into a tree overlooking the entrance to the old chapel, without any of the teenagers noticing. She just sat there watching and listening...

  'Please, we need to find him. You heard what the ghosts said, the evil ones would try and get to him. I don't even want to think about what they could do to him if they did,' said the dark-haired girl who'd tried to help Daisy before.

  'He's a ghost, Em. What can they do to him that hasn't been done to him already?' asked a gorgeous girl with afro hair.

  'You're joking right? Did you see how terrified those other ghosts were of them? And what about poor Joe finding his way home, crossing over, where he belongs? I'm not giving up on him, Sis and neither should you. It's not about the stupid task any more. It's about helping Joe, our friend. I'm not leaving this place without him. If you all want to go, then go. I won't hold it against you. Nisha, please just get the ghosts back so I can communicate with them before you go,' the dark-haired girl said.

  'Hey, wait a minute. Nobody is leaving you,' said a cute tall guy who dragged her back towards him. 'I sure as hell am not going to. I'll stay until we've found him. I promise, okay?'

  The others slowly began to step towards the girl, each placing a hand on her and nodding.

  'I'm sorry, Sis. You're right. We're all in this together. Let's go and find him.'

  Daisy seemed to have such a connection with them, and she was so moved by what was happening that she felt a need to help them. And she just knew who they were talking about.

  'You don't have to go anywhere,' she said.

  She watched as they all dropped their hands from the girl and turned to face her.

  'Daisy?' asked the girl.

  Climbing down, she walked up to them and smiled sadly, nodding, 'How do you know me?'

  'The ghosts told us your name. I'm glad you got away.'

  Smiling nervously, Daisy replied, 'Only because of you. Thank you'.

  'What did you mean, we don't have to go anywhere,' asked the other gorgeous girl.

  'The ghost you're looking for, I know where he is. I've been keeping him safe for a couple of days. You called him Joe, right?' she asked.

  The gorgeous girl nodded, 'That's his name, well Josiah. Josiah Grimshaw. He came with us from Andilyse
Island last week but he seems to have forgotten everything.'

  'Can you take us to him?' asked the dark haired girl.

  Daisy nodded, 'Follow me,' she whispered as the group all began to trample after her, careful not to make too much noise.

  'What is that?' asked the Indian boy who had appeared to her earlier as they approached the large memorial.

  'It's a War Memorial,' said Daisy. 'There's catacombs beneath it. The main entrance has been blocked off, but I know a secret way in.'

  'Cool,' said the first guy she'd seen as they walked around the memorial and then off to the side under a cluster of nearby trees. A hole in the ground had been dug and a tunnel led off towards the memorial.

  'He's hiding in there... with my Dad,' Daisy said shyly.

  'Oh... okay. Nisha... over to you,' the dark haired girl said with a smile.

  'You want me to climb down there?' the Indian girl asked a little nervously.

  'It's okay. It's not as bad as it looks. It's actually very clean, it's just the entrance that's looks a bit dodgy,' said Daisy. 'Follow me.'

  The Indian girl rubbed her chin and followed Daisy down into the tunnel. Daisy fidgeted around until a light was switched on.

  'I always keep a few supplies down here,' she smiled as she held the torch upwards. 'Can you see Josiah?'

  'No, he's not here.'

  'Josiah?' she whispered.

  'He doesn't remember his name, does he?'

  'Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Hello, is there anybody here. Anybody ghostly? Can you show yourself?' asked the girl. 'Hello? We know you're here. We just want you to show yourself.'

  Daisy's father mumbled something in his sleep before turning over and snoring, his sweatshirt lifted slightly, revealing his tattoo. The Indian girl gasped but said nothing, instead turning to concentrate on Josiah.

  'Look, we know who you are. We know you've lost your memory. We can help you. It's why we're here.'

  'It is? You know who I am?' said a voice in the semi-darkness as a figure slowly started to emerge in the corner. The ghost of the young man sat huddled up, his face filled with confusion and fear.

  'Your name is Josiah, Josiah Grimshaw. Does that mean anything to you?' asked the Indian girl as he shook his head. 'We're your friends. You came to London with two sisters, Lana Beth and Emma Jane Morgan. Do you remember?' she asked. A faint flicker of familiarity crossed his eyes and he sat up.

  'Emma? It does seem familiar to me. Where is she?' he asked.

  'She's above ground. We came here to find you. Will you return with us?' she asked.

  He waited a moment before finally slowly nodding.

  As they prepared to go, the dark haired girl who appeared to be called Emma turned to Daisy.

  'Daisy, will you come back with us?'

  'Back where? And what about my Dad?'

  'Emma? I saw her dad down there. He's one of us. I saw the tattoo on his back. Which means Daisy is one of us too,' interrupted the Indian girl.

  Daisy stopped herself from telling them about her own tattoo. Although she felt connected to these people, she wasn't brave enough to show them... not yet anyway.

  'I knew it,' said Emma, 'Look, Daisy, I can't explain exactly where we'll be going. Just know that you can trust us. And there are people there, people like you and me that would happily take you in. You can learn with us. I just know that you're meant to come back with us. There's this feeling in the pit of my stomach and it's telling me that you should. Your dad can come to. He'll get the treatment he needs. I promise you, you won't regret it,' she said with her hands on Daisy's shoulders.

  Just the thought that her father would get the treatment he needed was enough to make Daisy jump for joy. She would finally get her father back. She waited as the others stood slightly back, nodding.

  'I have the feeling too,' said one.

  'And me,' said two of the girls.

  'I do too,' said the Indian boy before the rest of them all agreed.

  Daisy's eye welled with tears as she looked around at the friendly faces looking at her hopefully. Finally feeling like she belonged, she nodded.

  The group kept quiet but their faces lit up and they all grinned at her before giving each other high-fives. The first guy she'd seen offered to climb down into the catacombs to fetch her father but she shook her head.

  'There's really no need, thank you. I can do it myself.'

  Within seconds, she had vanished before returning above ground carrying her father over her shoulder.

  'Now that's what I'm talking about,' laughed the Indian boy, who turned his baseball cap backwards on his head as they all turned to exit the cemetery.

  As they reached the main gates, Daisy turned backwards and took a long look at the place that had been her home for almost a year. She watched as a dozen or so ghosts appeared from nowhere to wave her off.

  'Farewell, Daisy. Don't forget us... we're still hopeful you can help us,' said Elizabeth, one of the ghosts she'd met first.

  'I won't Elizabeth. I'll be back to cross you all over. I promise. Bye,' she waved happily, knowing that she was finally going where she belonged.

  oOo

  If you enjoyed Daisy Madigan's Paradise,

  be sure to get your copy of The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw,

  the first full length novel in The Morgan Sisters series.

  The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw, an excerpt

  CHAPTER ONE

  Lightning shattered the darkness. Not even Emma's thick purple quilt could shut out the light as it filtered through to her closed eyelids. A low echo of rumbling thunder made its way across the North Sea towards Andilyse Island and she shivered. Suddenly something landed on top of her head and she shrieked. The sounds of laughter emanated from the bed across the room.

  'Lana, you cow,' shouted Emma as she threw back the covers and tossed the pillow back at her sister who just shook her head and giggled.

  'It's only a storm. There's nothing to be scared of.'

  'There is everything to be scared of,' she replied as she cowered beneath the quilt again.

  'Oh come on, Sis. We're quite safe in here. This house has been standing for hundreds of years, it's not like it's going to collapse is it?'

  'It nearly did the last time,' Emma croaked.

  'That was like sixty years ago, Em, and none of the houses collapsed. The only thing that took the brunt of the storm was the pier.'

  'And the church.'

  'Exactly. None of the houses. Stop being such a coward. You're fifteen! It's a storm, it's rain, it's not the end of the world.'

  'It was for all those poor people.'

  'Oh stop being so dramatic. Things were different back in the 50s, Em. We're safe, now stop worrying.'

  The sound of the front door slamming downstairs made both girls jump. Emma glared at Lana before they both hopped out of bed and ran to their bedroom door which they opened, looking down over the banister.

  'Dad?'

  Peering up at them from the bottom of the stairs stood an attractive grey-haired man in his early 50s, taking off his soaking coat.

  'Shhh, we don't want to wake Greg and Lucy,' he said as he summoned them downstairs.

  'Oh Patrick, they should be in bed too,' whispered a voice from the kitchen as the two girls skipped down to find out what was going on.

  'You know what they're like, Audrey,' he said as he hung his dripping coat on the stand in the hallway. Tutting, his wife promptly removed it and placed it in the sink in the downstairs cloakroom before going back to give him a kiss.

  'What's happened, Dad?' asked Emma as she sat huddled up to her sister on the bottom step. A clap of thunder made her jump and she shivered, her eyes wide open with apprehension. Lana rolled her eyes and put her arm protectively around her sister.

  'Let's have a cup of cocoa,' Audrey said, recognising the look on her husband's face. There was bad news.

  While they waited for the milk to heat up on the stove, Lana went into the lounge looking for
candles as the lights continued to flicker, constantly threatening to go out for good.

  'I've found some,' she said, setting them down on the kitchen table with a box of matches, 'just in case,' she smiled. 'So what's going on, Dad? Why did you have to go out so late?'

  'He's the Chief Constable... it's his job,' answered their mother as she poured steaming milk into the four mugs, before stirring them as quietly as she could.

  Lana stood beside her, adding a spoonful of sugar to her own mug before passing the calming drinks to her family, who stood sipping the chocolatey goodness silently for a moment.

  Rubbing his forehead, Patrick put his cocoa down on the table just as the rain began to clatter loudly on the roof tiles.

  'Oh no,' whispered Emma as she pulled her feet up towards her bottom and rocked back and forth in her seat.

  Patrick put his hand on her shoulder, 'it's okay sweetheart. It's just a storm, it'll pass. Everything will be all right.'

  'Well then why did you have to go out in it, Dad?' she asked.

  'I was called out to the old Grimshaw farm... Josiah was seen wandering close to the pier again.'

  'What? In this weather? Does he have a death wish?' said Lana without thinking as her mother tutted, glancing towards Emma. 'Did you find him? Is he okay?'

  'I'm afraid he's nowhere to be seen. And in these conditions, it's impossible to send out a search party. We can't send out the lifeboat without risking the lives of everyone else, I'm afraid. He's a silly old man, he should never have been left alone in this storm. Everyone on the island knows how it affects him.'

  Audrey patted her husband's hand, 'there'd be no stopping him, love. He's just looking for her.'

  'Well, maybe he's finally got his wish.'

  'Daddy?' said an innocent child's voice from the stairs.

  'Oh we've woken the kids,' said Audrey as she stood up and went to check on her two younger children.

  'Hey sweetheart. Sorry we woke you. Come on, let's go back to bed,' she said to her family. 'There's nothing we can do now. We should all try and get some sleep.'

  oOo

  'You awake, Sis?' asked Lana later that night.

  'Of course I am. There's no way I can sleep in this,' said Emma as she snuggled deep into her quilt.

  'It'll be over soon.'

  'I hope so, it's been going on for hours. I just hope old Mr. Grimshaw is okay.'

  'Yeah I know. Do you know why he was out?'