Spring, and the Fragrance of Heaven

Spring arrived, wielding colour and knocking on doors. It was the dawn of great beauty, and the celebrations had begun!

My joyous soul clapped its hands, giggling in my chest. The gold medalist season had returned home to Queenstown, touching magic into the land like Aslan. Trees were spilling with colour; birds humming to each other. Life was yawning and stretching for its golden hour, and so was I, preparing for my trial shift at Jack’s Point Clubhouse. I knew in heart that this was a special opportunity, so I sprayed my sweetest perfume – a Christmas gift from my mother.

The secret perfume trick worked wonders, because the staff seemed to like me. Halfway through the trial, I rushed to the bathroom and slapped cold water across my face. Was I just dreaming all of this? It was the perfect job! The restaurant ran like clockwork, the team was like jelly, and the setting was a Cinema Heaven! I thanked my lucky stars for bringing me to the clubhouse – a cocoon, tucked underneath the Remarkable Mountains, the most epic mountain range in Aotearoa. Perhaps it was here in Jack’s Point, the Shire of Queenstown, where Joshua St Clair would grow wings, and flutter off.

I sat in the staffroom moments before my first official shift, stewing in unexpected nerves. The apron puzzle left me befuddled – I couldn’t even figure out to how to wear the uniform properly, and anxiety started to weigh heavy on my bones. All of a sudden, a blonde woman burst into the room, bearing the delightfulness of Spring. Her presence was as fresh as mountain water, and all my worries seemed to melt away. It was Haylee, the fellow QRC scholar that I had heard about over the phone. As Haylee showed me the ropes and rules of Jack’s Point Clubhouse, my stresses apparently vanished. 

That same day, a beautiful aroma was whispering through the air. It curled around my nose, enchanting me. I zipped outside to catch it – the Fragrance of Heaven! But it had already skipped away. I was bemused, wishing that it would return – what was that divine smell?

The next few weeks waltzed along as smooth as Manuka honey. I made myself at home in the Jack’s family, introducing myself as Joshua St Clair, the person I had worked hard to become. I wasn’t shy about expressing what I truly cared about in my life, which was exploring my deepest callings and passions; exploring the wild unknown. “I’m an artist – piano is my forte,” I vocalised. The culinary crew raised their eyebrows, keen on hearing some of my music. Unfortunately, my piano pieces were still private and unheard, and I felt a little bit embarrassed. They only existed in my world, and behind my closed door. 

One gentle afternoon, I was out on the verandah, and Haylee flicked her hair, casually mentioning that she too was an Artist – a painter. I was raised my eyebrows, keen on catching a glimpse of what she had created in her lifetime. Handing me her phone, she touched the screen to life; opening her collection – a treasure chest.

It was gleaming!

Her Art squeezed the breath out of me! It was magnificent – an adventure, a safari. El Dorado!

I twiddled my thumbs on the wheel of my jade journeyman, driving the both of us back to Shotover Lodge. I tried to express my affinity for her Art, the words sweetening on the tip of my tongue. But I gulped.

Slinking away back into my own realm, I wondered about this Haylee Elizabeth. Upon the wizardry of the internet, I accessed the treasure chest once more, scrolling through carefully, mystified. The tiger lunged out at me, leaving me stunned. My vigor returned, however, when I saw the parrot like a billowing rainbow, beaming with pride. What a great gift Haylee has given us, weaving talent into gold and stashing it away, treasure for anybody to discover. 

( Find it for yourself here: https://www.instagram.com/haylee.elizabeth.art/ )

I crouched in front of my keyboard, ready to pounce on my own creations. Haylee Elizabeth and her dazzling collection had inspired me! She was so humble, and yet she had come so far on her own journey of Art. And here I was, chattering about all my ‘Art’ but with nothing to show for it. If I wanted to become ‘Joshua St Clair’, I needed to grow some damn wings and take action!

I needed a way to perform my music, and share my creations with the world! Busking on the Queenstown waterfront, perhaps? 

I needed to publish my Art, and make it accessible at the touch of a finger. Maybe I could start building my own collection on Youtube? 

I seemed to be granted abundant creative insight this Spring, as if blessed by the Queen of Wands. The next day, I burst through my door – who was knocking? It was the Fragrance of Heaven! Like a family of bumble bees, it was floating through the halls, tasting like yellow. It made me feel drunk off life – an elixir that still left me bewildered. 

I bounced down the stairs, and saw Haylee’s unmistakable blonde hair, swishing like a paintbrush. Out of all the QRC students I could have been working alongside, it was Haylee Elizabeth, a brilliant artist equipped with a secret lesson. She was driving that day, keys jingling in her hand. “I smelt something so gorgeous in the hall just now,” I told her, jumping into the passenger’s seat. She smiled back at me like a daffodil. 

That day, I stood on the verandah, cushioned by a jovial Spring. I felt so blessed - Jack’s Point was the end of the rainbow, and I had found the treasure! 

And it seemed as though the divine aroma, a floral dream, had come to spend its Spring in Jack’s Point! I was overjoyed. But I still wondered, how on Earth did the Fragrance of Heaven taste so rich? There was only one flower in this restaurant!