Original subtitles

Bella Brown.

Well, what can I say?

There was nothing normal about the girl.

It's a miracle she survived at all after her arrival in the world.

They say she would have perished if it hadn't of been for the ducks.

Sat on her like an egg, they did.

Treated her as one of their own.

She was finally discovered by one of those ancient lunatics.

who frequent the parks of our city

and seem to enjoy hypothermia.

She grew into the oddest of oddballs,.

terrified by the unpredictability of nature

and flora, in particular.

Where on earth that came from, I dread to think.

She's always had a preoccupation with order

that would have tried the patience of a saint,.

never mind the nuns at Saint Fedelma's.

Bella Brown!

It's an insular and solitary world for Miss Brown,

just her and her books.

Hers was a story just waiting to be told

but the obsessive little world she created

meant that this was one book that remained firmly shut.

I'm not a religious man

but I believe someone sent her here

to test us.

Today, I'm going to make a difference.

Why am I waasting your time with all this worthless titter-tatter?

Because through some misguided care in the community scheme,

this strange creature has become my next door neighbor.

May I remind you,

on you indicated days,

you are to arrive here by 9 o'clock and work until 4:30,

with an hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks for tea.

This morning you are to tend to oceanography, A thru to J,

which is, quite frankly, all at C.

Hello.

I'm looking for Leonardo di SerPiero Da Vinci.

Please, I'm technical drawings and the like. You, be so kind.

Leonardo da Vinci, Civil Engineering, in brackets European history,

on back wall, bottom left.

Marvelous! Are you a member?

No, I'm not going to take them, anyway. I'd only lose them.

Where would that get us?

May I remind you, no eating or drinking in the library

and we expect absolute silence at all times.

Of course you can. Absolute!

Absolutely.

Hello. Sorry.

Thank you, once again.

Yes, sorry, don't mind...

Yes, yes. I'm sorry. Absolutely!

The library will be closing in 3 minutes, exactly.

Please return your books from whence they came

and make your way to the exit, immediately. Thank you.

Look what I found.

Ah yes. Our very own horticultural terrorist.

That place has gone to rack and ruin since she's moved in.

Wiil you please calm down and leave the poor girl alone.

Leave her alone? Have you seen what she's done?

It's nothing less than a wanton, criminal neglect.

I'm Milly Wilton, Mr. Stephenson's long suffering doctor.

You took a tumble.

The garden fought back, that's what.

You'll survive, no harm done.

No harm done? I think harms had an absolute bloody field day!

Blunt pressure!

Don't worry, tea is on it's way.

Vernon! Where is that damn tea?

So, young lady, what is it you do when you're not murdering plants?

I work in the library. Filing, mostly, but

but really, I'm a writer.

Oh, a writer! I see. Yes, well, that keeps you out of the garden, doesn't it?

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Inconvenience!

What about sorry for the unmitigated

eco-apocalypse you've created?

Vernon! The tea!

- Textbook. - Great.

I hope you enjoy making me ill.

There's only person responsible for your health.

Yes, you.

Vernon, tea please!

Yeah, okay, all right, all right. Keep your hair on. Sorry.

Hi, Milly. All right, stop shouting.

Hi. There you go, okay. Cup of tea.

Go on. They're homemade.

All right.

- I've got to go. - Delicious.

Oh, thank you. Eighty-five percent cocoa, that's the trick.

And I make them with oat bran so

they're not so bad here for his lordship.

You look repellent in that apron and

you've been wearing it too long.

See the abuse that I have to put up with?

If he wasn't so sick, I wouldn't let him get away with it.

Don't speak to me like that. If you continue speaking to me like that,

I'm going to quit, do you understand?

Quite the Celtic Braveheart, aren't we, when we've got an audience?

He doesn't realize how important this job is to him.

Anyway, you can start cleaning the carpet,

thanks to our unwanted guest.

Yes, any time in the next 30 seconds.

No, no, no, I've got to go, I've got to let the babysitter go.

Well, you better start straightaway, hadn't you?

Good evening.

To you, too. Do you speak Irish?

Tonight... first.

I see. And what's your name?

Bella Brown.

Bella. My name's Vernon.

For God's sake, stop that Gaelic gibberish.

- I'll do it.

Oh no, it's okay. It's part of my job.

Go on, you'll be late.

Don't be ungracious, Vernon, thank the girl.

Oh, sorry, thank you.

It's just my kids will be really worried.

Okay.

Slavery was abolished in 1834, just so you know.

And this country's been going down the drain ever since.

Good morning Bella! Open the door!

Hi, Bella, this is Sinead.

This is Niamah. Say hi, girls.

So we've come to cook you breakfast.

What?

Well, it's the least we could do after last night.

Come on, girls. Come on. In we go.

- Huh. - There we go.

Okay, girls, will you help me take out the ingredients?

Oh, it's dark in here, do you mind if I open these?

Well, that's very thoughtful of you, Vernon, but there's really no need.

- Why, have you eaten? - No.

Well, it's really not a problem, I'm gonna get the girls picked up here after breakfast anyway.

So, er, okay, let's see what we're working with.

Food prison.

I really need to get ready for work.

Oh, don't let us stop you.

We've got it covered. Off you go.

Okay girls. You pick that up. Good girl.

You take that one.

Okay, need you to whack it in there, that's it.

Okay. Well done.

Oh, there's Bella. Hello.

Right.

So, what have we got here?

Enjoy. / jó étvágyat!

You don't have to eat it all.

Erm, I do make big portions for the big man next door.

Okay, there's your lift, girls. Oh, my gosh, look at the time. Okay.

Okay, go on now. Quickly, quickly, quickly.

Okay, don't fall, slow down please. Thanks, Jean.

Bye!

All right.

Does their mum take them to school?

No, erm, my wife, er, passed away, so...

The breakfast is delicious, thank you.

Oh, It's a long time since I heard that.

You're welcome.

Your employer's a bully. I don't know why you put up with it.

Well, you know, you get used to it and it pays the rent.

Is that him in the garden?

- No, I can't do it. - What do you mean you can't do it?

- Ah-ha. - Do you mind?

You may have won the hearts of my slow-witted staff, but not me.

I can't forgive this.

You have squandered everything nature has given you.

Why are you doing this to me?

It's something everyone must learn, Miss Brown,

it's called responsibility.

Anathema to you, perhaps,

but it's an important part of the human condition.

And you, spuds for brains, are late.

No, I'm not.

You are now. I cannot tolerate tardiness,

so I won't be paying you for today.

- I've had enough of this. - What?

I'm warning you, Alfie, one more word and you can shove your job, yeah?

You're fired.

Okay, will that be my first verbal warning, then?

You're sacked, Vernon, end of story.

You've heard of the three-stage dismissal process, have you?

What?

Let me see, I've been working with you for five years,

that's a minimum of five months' paid notice.

I can get you a copy of the Employment Act, if you want.

You'd be better off rehearsing,

"Would sir like chips with that?" Save you time.

He could work for me.

- What? - What?

You could work for me if you wanted to.

I do, I do want to.

Yeah, I do.

Uh, so, looks like I'm working here now.

So, you're trespassing.

Well, make the most of it.

You deserve each other.

We'll keep my usual payday, first of the month, thank you.

Good.

I may have been a little hasty.

No, no, no, it's good, it's good.

It would be a fresh start.

I don't know how I'll pay you.

It's okay. He'll pay me, so you don't have to.

I'll show that mean old man what he's missing.

Have you already got a cleaner?

Just me.

Right. / Értem.

There's "cleaning", and there's cleaning...

No, um... Uh, please don't do that.

There's only some things that a professional can spot.

Oh, God.

I can't be late for work again.

Please don't touch anything.

Right, let's go.

Sorry, hello. Hello again.

Right, erm, Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

- Sculptural architecture.

Sculpture, of course, every time.

It's the fourth aisle on your right, top left shelf.

Top left, thank you.

Do you know The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa?

Uh, yes, I've seen the pictures.

Oh, no, no, no, you must see it in the flesh.

It's incredible.

He makes tons of marble simply float.

Defies gravity with beauty.

Destroys logic with emotion.

Horticulture.

Sorry.

How is it?

It's wonderful.

Well, the vegetables haven't been tinned for two decades,

so you might actually be able to taste them.

Where did you learn to cook like this?

My mum, God rest her.

Was she a cook?

No, she couldn't cook for toffee.

So, I had to take matters into my own hands

as soon as I could reach the stove.

Bella, look, there's something I have to tell you.

I did your laundry today and I threw in some of the girls' stuff and...

Yeah, I think it was this little fella to blame.

- I'm so sorry. - It's okay.

I'll put them over here.

You all right? Sorry.

Give me back my cook.

- Who is this? - Your nemesis.

Alfred Stevenson, your next-door neighbor.

Oh. Hello.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience...

Give me back my cook!

Hello?

Miss Brown?

I haven't got all day, Miss Brown.

I wasn't expecting you until the start of the month, Mr. O'Brien.

I'm here on urgent business, Miss Brown, a mater of grave importance.

Now, then, let me see, Flat 2, 6 Primrose Gardens.

I have the appropriate paperwork pertaining to the property,

and the relevant photographic documentation to...

Ah!

This is all shipshape, Miss Brown, very soothing on the eye.

Of course.

But I've received a complaint.

What, from who?

Oh, my word.

This is worse than I expected.

You agreed to keep the property in sound repair, Miss Brown.

The property, Miss Brown, includes the garden.

I know.

Uh, I'm not much for the great outdoors. I'm more of a sort of...

I'm a fair man, but I am bound by the law, as detailed in the contract signed by your good self.

I have a dislike... More of a distaste of...

You see, plants and I don't really get along, so it's not really neglect, it's more of a fear and loathing...

but I... I promise you I can fix that.

Everything will go back to normal.

Laws are there to provide boundaries, Miss Brown.

This wanton level of neglect falls well within your legal obligations

and you are, therefore, in breach.

Good morning.

I'm Vernon, I'm Miss Brown's...

Er, partner.

Gideon O'Brien, landlord.

We were just discussing the spectacular level of neglect relating to the 29-foot north-facing garden with lawns and well-stocked borders.

Right, yeah, we're just about to get into the garden.

Yeah, that's a major priority, that's top of the list.

I'm afraid it's too late for that.

I shall have to ask you to vacate by the end of the month.

Were you expecting Mr. O'Brien this morning?

I wasn't.

Right, and you made an appointment?

I beg your pardon.

Section 34 of the Property Act.

A landlord must give clear warning if he wants to inspect the property.

Very well, we'll come back later then.

I can't do later, that's not convenient.

A convenient date must be mutually agreed, that's Section 17c.

- Tomorrow then? - Tomorrow's no good.

- Friday? - Friday...

No, can't do Friday.

- Next Monday. - Next Monday's no good.

All right then, when?

One calendar month's notice.

Section 17c. You know that.

There will be repercussions, Miss Brown.

If this garden is not fixed, you're out on the street.

You have exactly one month from today.

What's the matter?

I'm kidding myself, I'm no writer and I'm certainly no gardener.

What are you talking about, of course you're a writer.

No, I'm not.

And I'm going to be evicted and then I'll be homeless

and you'll be unemployed and it's all my fault.

Oh, I see. You're feeling sorry yourself.

No. I mean, you have to look at the facts, you have to weigh it up.

- What? - Stand up.

Go on.

Okay, stay still, I don't want to hurt you.

When was the last time you were hugged?

- It's been a while.

Yeah. Right, get on with it.

Lonicera Aureoreticulata .

"Honeysuckle" to you.

Although personally I think they look better, when they are attached to the plant itself.

And, look, right next it, Delphinium.

Great big iridescent blue flowers before you cut them up into little pieces.

I think they were the last living things in your horticultural graveyard.

I was just trying to tidy up a bit.

I think that's what Hitler said about Europe.

Anyway, enough of this small talk, give me back my cook.

What? No.

Give him back! I need him.

Well, you should have thought about that before treated him like dirt.

Stop it...

Don't act like a little girl, give me my cook back.

- Give him back! - Can't hear you.

What the hell is wrong with you?

You could come and help, you know.

Oh, I'm sorry, I would, but hay fever.

Chronic allergies, my head swells up like a pumpkin.

I'm no use to man or beast, I'm sorry.

There you go.

It may look like a simple quiche and salad

but the balsamic reduction and onion glaze elevates it to something

altogether more satisfying.

Enjoy.

Bella, I didn't want to have to spell it out to you,

but I'm a dying man.

Unlike you, I don't have long left. Time is my enemy.

I mourn every minute.

Every precious second marks my life draining away.

That's dreadful, I had no idea...

I don't have much to give me comfort, no friends, no family, no one to love.

I only have the beauty of nature, and the promise of a hearty last meal.

I beg you, send Vernon home to me, and we can put all this silly mess behind us.

I had no idea you were so ill. I'm so sorry, I can talk...

- What are you doing? - Don't listen to that.

He's dying, why didn't you tell me?

That old coot's been dying for the last 10 years.

Vernon!

Okay, let me guess, was it, erm... /Okay, hadd találjam ki.

"Time is my enemy. I mourn every minute, I mourn every second."

Or was it,

"I have no friends, I have no family, I have nothing, nothing."

He used both.

Oh, hey. So, he's getting desperate.

Perfect.

It's shut, it's bloody shut.

Sorry, Miss Bramble, problem with the buses this morning.

Mmm, I think our problem is with you, not with public transport.

And I wouldn't be making this point if your tardiness was not pathological.

So sorry, hate to interrupt, looking for Hercule Lamperna.

"Lamperna..." Er...

"Architecture", back wall on your right, third shelf down.

Thank you.

We also have a book on his early illustrations.

That's exactly what I'm looking for, thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Oh. Goodbye, Miss. Thank you again for earlier.

Oh, it's nothing, really.

What's your name, by the way? Don't know what to call you.

It's Bella.

Bella Brown.

Well, I'm William. William Tranter, but everyone calls me Billy.

See you soon, Bella.

Billy.

Billy Tranter.

Excuse me, young lady.

Would you be so kind as to point me to the section that deals with home cookery?

Certainly, sir, it's the third aisle on your left, lower two shelves on your right.

Thank you, very helpful.

We have recently received Walker Owens' latest.

Dinner for One, Simple Joy,

and the Classic Simple Recipes for Solo Dining, which is always popular.

Thank you, very helpful.

We do try to be of assistance.

Well, the best assistance would be to give me back my bloody Irishman

you heartless...

This library is a refuge for learning and requires silence at all times.

Oh, "Learning"?

Well, then how is it your employees have learned nothing of compassion for their starving fellow man,

for the hungry, aged and decrepit, the forgotten generation, that made this country great

Get out immediately or I'm calling the police.

Excellent, have her arrested.

She murders flora that keep this planet alive.

Be silent and leave!

I'd stick to writing if I were you.

Oh, just tell me what I should be doing, you horrid wretched old man.

Why should I furnish you with that advice?

I've got three weeks to turn this garden around

or I'll wind up sleeping in the park.

Is everything okay?

I am trying my best here,

I want to make a difference, and if you had an ounce of humanity,

you wouldn't just stand there gloating at me, you would help me.

All right, I'll help.

- You will? - Yes.

Now you give me back my cook.

- No. - Yes.

He's not a slave, he's not mine to give. If you had treated him like a person...

Okay, okay, okay, I'll cook your meals you vituperative old bastard.

Excellent.

And five syllables, Vernon, I didn't know you had it in you.

But I won't set foot inside that house.

Well, I'm not going to eat scraps out of a plastic container

like some trainspotter on a windy platform in Runcorn.

I'll cook your meals, you help her fix up the garden, that way we all win.

Take it or leave it, Alfie.

I'll take it.

Okay, house rules, breakfast at 8:00, lunch at 1:00, dinner at 6:00.

Meals will be left here at exactly those times and then I'm going to ring this bell twice

so you know you can retrieve them.

I'll leave serving instructions if necessary so I don't have to hear your voice or see your face.

Yes, but what if...

Creating a garden starts as an interest and soon becomes a lifetime's obsession.

One that can be engaged at a moment's notice.

"By simply stepping outside."

"A true gardener can create more happiness propagating life in one seed

and seeing that single flower unfold

than the rich man could ever get from his perfect rolling lawns."

I've never known him to let that book out of his sight before.

Thank you so much for the book.

- I love the illustrations. - You read it?

Every word.

So, what are you talking to me for?

Get to work or O'Brien will have you out.

What now?

Now, you dig.

Vernon, can you hear me?

What?

No black pudding with my breakfast this morning, my Irish friend.

Yeah, fine.

- Did you read the book? - I did.

What's this?

Soil.

If you leave the roots of the weeds in the soil, they'll grow back before you even finish digging.

They'll strangle the life out of your new creation. It's just like a time bomb waiting to go off.

Dig it all again, sieve out the roots.

I need my bed.

It's about bloody time.

A man could die of starvation in this place.

Könyvtáros dolgozik. Látogatók olvasnak.

- Billy. - Bella.

Silence.

Sorry.

You know, I believed those things you said.

Why would you say that?

Vernon told me how many times he's heard the exact same stories.

Shame on you.

You should doubt only a man who changes his story.

I only repeat myself in the vague hope that one day somebody will actually hear me.

Breathtaking, isn't it?

Come, come, come.

Like sparks falling from a giant furnace.

In some countries they hold parties when it starts to rain. But here, we just scurry around and run for cover.

It's the most important currency in the world,

and yet, in our green and pleasant land where we take so much

for granted we see it only as a means of ruining

expensive hairdoes and making taxi drivers rich.

You're odd.

Says she.

Here.

Helianthus, giant sunflower.

Start off with them, incredibly beautiful.

They need a lot of light and heat.

They follow the arc of the sun from dawn until dusk, extracting maximum energy from every day.

It's a very, very clever flower.

Think about that.

I think there might be a garden here, after all.

Arthur's book, it's gripping, where did you get it?

He was a friend of mine.

Dear old Arthur showed me the path to true enlightenment and then took me on an incredible jouney.

Well, look after it, it's the only one I've got.

I'm amazed you trusted me with it.

So am I.

I bet even Arthur would have been daunted by this garden.

No, he would have relished it.

Totally blank canvas, chance to create your own masterpiece.

Come. Come on, follow me.

How do we make a garden?

How do we build a color palette?

How do we create depth and texture?

How do we keep interest from April to October?

Well, we start with these stunning foxgloves, and these alliums.

Come on. Come, come, come.

And then we go on to these cannos

and these dahlias so colorful they hurt your eyes.

And these gloriously purple salvias that go on flowering until the frost claims them.

Then the Verbascum, and we've got the evening primrose and those deliciously green shuttlecock ferns.

And, look, clambering climbing clematis,

the sweet rocket, and, look,

these monkswood so beautiful and poisonous they'll kill a man.

That's an interesting contradiction, isn't it?

That lily, golden splendor, persicaria, nicotiana and hollyhocks. Come.

Begonias. Magnificent agapanthus. And, well, the list is endless.

It's a world of beautifully ordered chaos.

That's chaos, not calamity, Miss Brown, because if you don't understand the difference,

then we won't progress very far.

We?

What?

You said, "We."

No, that's ridiculous.

Two weeks to turn this into a garden.

Bella?

Everything all right?

Yes, of course, I'm just letting off some steam.

Ah. I see.

So, what brings you here?

I come here every Sunday.

I see. To scream and shout and exhale the week?

Yes.

- And feed Sid. - Which one's Sid?

The scruffy one.

Well, I bet he was a looker in his day.

Mmm. He was.

Are you here to work?

Oh. No, goodness, no, I've just come to sketch doodle, think, work things out.

Erm, I invent things, I'm a designer.

Numbers and working parts, that's my specialty.

These ideas, they sort of come out faster than I can cope sometimes.

Pure left-brainer.

I'm more of a no-brainer.

I don't believe that for a second.

You seem to know so much, every book, every author, every shelf.

I'm only working there until my book gets published.

Oh, how exciting. What's it about?

It's a children's book, but it doesn't really...

Well, what I mean is...

Doesn't really have a story at the moment.

Oh, how novel.

Um, sorry, er, tea?

Thank you.

I like your mechanical bird thing.

How on Earth do you know about that?

The other day, in the library, you left a piece of paper.

Oh. Right, yes, I see, erm, my mechanical bird thing, yes.

- Well, I really ought to... - Would you like to see it?

My bird thing.

Well, I only, er, live a few minutes away.

- It's not far. - I really should...

No one else has seen it yet. No one else has been invited.

- No, I really should... - It would be rude to say no.

- I suppose I... - Excellent.

Come on, I'm, erm, just round here.

- Here we are. - Wow!

When my parents died, they left George the town house, Edward got the cottage and I got this.

It's incredible.

Part of the joys of being the eldest, I got first pick.

Here we go.

Right. Now...

This is Sergis, he's particularly interesting.

I've made the body of a tortoise with the engine of a hare.

He still needs a bit of work though. / Még nincs teljesen kész. / Még dolgoznom kell rajta.

Um... And then over here...

Now for the main event.

This.

This is Luna.

She's powered by light.

- Solar powered? - Even moonlight.

Hence, Luna.

Hence, Luna.

I love her.

I'm so glad.

Well, you're the writer, Bella, tell me a story about Luna.

Luna couldn't always fly, you know.

No? Why not?

Well, long ago, before the world was round,

Luna and the rest of her species inhabited a remote forest.

They had tiny little wings, but were flightless.

They foraged around on the forest floor

and kept themselves very much to themselves.

Luna lost her parents at a very early age.

They were taken from Luna...

just like that,

no explanation.

Barely out of the nest, she was too young to know anything.

She was such a warrior.

Only coming out for food briefly when all the other animals had gone to sleep, and the...

The forest floor was bathed in moonlight.

She was such a scrawny little thing.

A loner.

Well, life was passing by until one day Luna saw a kindly traveler

holding a thing of great wonder and beauty and...

And...

And what?

And that's it. For now.

But I'd like to know what happens next.

So do I.

Are you kicking me, Mr. Stevenson?

No. I'm encouraging you to get up.

If you ignore my encouragement, then I'll start kicking you.

This garden is taking forever.

Well, everything that matters takes time.

You can speed-read, but you can't speed-garden.

Try telling that to O'Brien.

Look at that. Look.

What's that?

It's called Fragaria Virginians. It's a wild strawberry.

Life and nature, it's just waiting to burst out anywhere it can,

seeking the light, getting on with it. It's very simple.

Must have been buried under a ton of rubbish.

Hmm. Isn't it always like that?

- Now you can see... - Wait, wait. What?

You can even see the pictures of it,

sometimes, while you can manage...

- Now you see?

Really far away and then... really far away.

Ah, yes, I should have warned you.

Laundry was never Vernon's strong point.

I've got something for you.

Queen Victoria wore more color than you. I always feel I'm at a funeral when you're around.

Charming.

So, have you given this much thought?

Well, it should get around five hours of sunlight a day, I've given it the minimum depth of two feet for the lilies

and other aquatic plants, with a one-foot overhang all the way around.

And Vernon's going to help with the filter and the pump.

What's he going to do, cover them in puff pastry?

How quickly do you think we could put the fish in?

Well, personally, I'd wait until there was water in there.

But approximately how soon?

- Miss Brown. - Yes?

Just dig.

Well... You're much better.

Yes, well, that's because I take all that unnecessary medication that you force-feed me.

- What on Earth is that? - Room service.

Breakfast is in the shed, come on, hurry.

Oh, hello, Milly.

This is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen.

Well, it's the only way he's going to eat my food.

His lordship would like to know if there's any black pudding.

No.

Tell him they ran out, and it's bad for his cholesterol anyway.

You of all people should know that.

But don't you dare tell him I said that.

Are you going to explain what's going on?

No.

- Mr. Stevenson. - Yes?

- Can I ask you a personal question? - No.

- Please. - No.

Ask me one then.

Definitely not.

Why not?

I don't want to prod around in your obsessive little world any more than I have to.

I'm speechless.

If only that were true. Now, shut up and dig.

I can't.

Why not?

It's done.

Well?

"Well" what?

Aren't you going to thank me for all my hard work?

Uh, you'll come for tea at 4:00.

This is beautiful.

Fantastic.

When I was younger, I did a lot of traveling.

I collected seeds from the most spectacular plants.

Each one is from a different country. Different color, different smell...

and most importantly, different memory.

I spend my days breathing life into these wonderful things.

- Where are these from? - Iran.

Uh, I found them on a mountainside overlooking the sea.

Will you tell me about it?

Uh, here. Here. Take these.

They're rather old, but fine quality. Do them justice.

But I... I don't really know how to...

No, don't think, just do.

So, where was I?

Iran.

Oh, yes. In the province of Mazandaran on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.

Which is in fact the world's biggest lake.

Uh, which is in fact your last interruption, young lady.

I was walking through a field that seemed endless,

and all around was this blanket of deep red peonies.

Though, anyway, let me go back. I...

It was July when I arrived in Tehran, and it was bloody hot.

And it was very grand in those days, Tehran.

This is disgraceful.

I'm so sorry. Very rude of me.

Um, ham and piccalilli? It's delicious.

- I don't want your sandwich. - No?

Oh, then, really, you must have a pickled egg.

You can gather your things together and get out.

Right.

Leave the book!

Don't think I can't see what's going on between you two. It's disgusting.

Oh, by the way, thank you so much for those Lamparna recommendations.

Really, inspiring stuff. Especially the bird...

Get out! Get out!

Psst. Bella. Hello.

Just wanted to say I'm sorry if I've caused you trouble with the old windbag.

It's a pity you got chucked out when you did.

I'd found some fantastic Viking drawings which I thought would be great for Luna.

Well, you could always show me now.

No, I... I... No, I couldn't... I couldn't possibly...

Fraternizing with the enemy is bad enough, but I... No, I...

Mmm-hmm. Pink wafers?

They're Miss Bramble's biscuits.

Mmm. Delicious.

So, what happens to Luna?

Mesmerized, Luna couldn't help but think about the peony.

Luna asked the traveler where he'd got the beautiful flower.

"There are many," the traveler said.

"From the top of the mountain, you can see thousands.

A sea of petals.

It will make your heart sing, for it's a beautiful sight."

"But how will I get to the top of the mountain?

I can't fly, and I only come out at night."

But the traveler had heard this before.

"You seek the rarest flower from the top of the tallest mountain in the world.

If you want to see them enough, you will."

Luna was scared and excited in equal measure.

"I think I will find my mother and father there."

The traveler smiled. "You have much to learn, child.

Are you sure you want to continue on this perilous quest?"

Keep going.

I don't know what happens next.

But I want to know the ending.

Will you have tea with me tomorrow?

After work.

Yes, please.

That would be lovely.

Well, until tomorrow, Bella Brown.

Under the old cedar tree in the park. 6:00.

Bella.

Bella, wake up.

Billy.

It's not Billy, it's... It's Vernon.

Come on.

I have work at 9:00.

Billy's his name, yeah?

He's wonderful, Vernon.

I'm seeing him again tonight.

What does Mr. Wonderful do?

He invents mechanical animals, and he makes me feel like I can fly.

So, he's got prospects then?

See you later!

What?

You're fired.

But Luna knew that whatever obstacles stood in her way, her quest could not fail.

She had been greatly inspired by the words of the wonderful traveler.

He would stand by her.

Come on, Bella, what's wrong?

I'm not feeling well.

Ah, my son. How long since your last confession?

Bella's ill.

What's wrong with her?

I don't know.

She should snap out of it.

Right. Well, I'll be sure to pass on your words of sympathy and support.

Come on, Bella, what's wrong?

Bella.

Come on, whatever's happened with Mr. Mechanical Genius, you've got to get this garden finished.

O'Brien's going to be here on Monday.

Bella.

Okay, Bella, I've got a pain au chocolat here and I'm going to eat it here without a plate.

Yeah, there is no plate here.

Okay, well, don't say I didn't warn you.

There's flakes going all over the carpet here.

Leave me alone please.

How's the patient?

Well, it's more than medicine can fix.

Unless you've got something for a broken heart.

I could have a word with her if you think it might help.

But gently does it, yeah?

Yes, of course.

Bella, open the bloody door.

Don't make me ask you again.

You look a mess.

Alfie!

Vernon, give us a couple of minutes.

Why don't you go and rustle up some of that nonexistent black pudding that I saw in the kitchen just now?

Okay, then.

I brought you a present.

Ask me that personal question.

Anything you like.

Have you ever been in love?

She was called Rose.

She was a free spirit.

She said I was a stuffed shirt.

You fell in love?

Yes.

It took about 20 minutes.

It took her a bit longer.

You were happy together?

As happy as two people can be, I think.

She well and truly unstuffed the shirt.

Then we traveled everywhere, we shared everything.

She was a horticulturalist, the best.

She wrote the book.

Yeah, she did.

She thought that "Arthur Mildmay" sounded more credible than "Rose Milton".

In those days, it was impossible to publish a female horticulturalist.

But she was a... She was a bright spark. And if she believed in something, she gave it all she had.

She taught me how to live.

And then, she died all of a sudden in childbirth.

Well, it was many years ago.

No warning, just... Just gone, both of them.

But the garden, it's, uh, helped me to cope.

Rose had a passion for life, and I see the seeds of that in you.

And it upsets me greatly to see you lying here, withering on the vine.

So, I say...

I say, grasp the nettle, you stupid girl, and stop feeling sorry for yourself.

You're right.

I am stupid.

Stupid enough to fall for a liar and a cheat.

And I thought he actually cared.

Well...

Did you know I represented my country at clay pigeon shooting?

No.

Well, this boy you're talking about, this robot-builder...

I think I may have to shoot him.

Then one night, alone in the forest,

Luna resolved to find the magic flowers herself,

even if it meant confronting terrifying demons.

She had nothing left to lose.

Oh, God.

What the hell is she doing?

Everything else is wrecked.

We'll never fix it in time.

I don't care about your hay fever, we've got work to do.

Here she comes.

You know, I told you that in some parts of the world, they celebrate when it rains.

Well, we think it would be healthy if we celebrated this little storm, too.

"Celebrate"?

The garden's ruined, I'm ruined.

No, it's been the making of you, Bella.

Trees blew down, Hedges blew down, but you saved the one thing that needed to be saved.

Anyway, enough of this. We think you should have a day off.

Yeah, our treat.

I'm not exactly in the mood.

Oh, come on, have the day to yourself, cheer yourself up.

So, off you go.

You're both mad.

People in glass houses, Bella.

Well, that's settled then. So, off you go. Milly will go with you.

Anything to keep that doctor away from me.

♪ I may roam ♪

♪ On land or sea or foam ♪

There you go. To the left there.

♪ You always hear me singing this song ♪

♪ Show me the way to go home... ♪

Oh, perfect.

It's very dark in here.

What?

Hello, Bella.

- Hi, Bella. - Hi, Bella.

We've been working all day to get the pond ready for the fish.

It looks wonderful.

- Come on, come on. - All right, look at this.

Look, I've got some of these for you, and some for you,

and some for you if you want.

All right, now, just feed the fish.

And make sure they don't bite your hands off.

Oh, they're just beautiful!

Lovely!

- Has she been drinking? - Yes.

- Be nice to her. - Of course.

All right, come on, sit down, everybody.

Who else wants a drink?

Oh, please.

- Oh! There we go. - Okay. White.

Cheers!

You didn't have to do this.

Thank you. Again.

The pleasure, Miss Brown, is all mine.

I'm so honored you gave me that book. Now I know the story.

No, I only lent it to you.

When I'm pushing up the daisies, then you can have it.

In that case, I don't want it.

♪ Bring me sunshine ♪

Care to dance?

Oh, don't be stupid. / Ne csinálja ezt velem.

♪ Bring me laughter all the while ♪

♪ In this world where we live ♪

♪ There should be more happiness ♪

♪ So much joy you can give ♪

♪ To each brand-new bright tomorrow ♪

♪ Make me happy through the years ♪

Do you think this is good enough?

We're about to find out, Miss Brown.

Excuse me.

Gideon O'Brien, the landlord.

Miss Brown is popular with the male of the species.

Bella!

Ah, Mr. O'Brien, welcome. Come on through.

Vernon Kelly, the tenant's boyfriend.

What?

Bella?

I'm impressed, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Obviously, I received no written request for the insertion of water feature, and the keeping of livestock.

But I'm prepared to overlook it given the professional nature of the work undertaken.

Okay, great. Well, that does it then.

So, that only leaves one matter outstanding, the rent increase.

What are you talking about, what rent increase?

If she wants to stay, she'll have to pay an increased figure in line with the new market value.

Section 23 of the contract, watertight.

That's why our legal system is revered the world over.

I can forward you the necessary paperwork if you'd like.

This is her home now. She's done all of this work, you can't just do that.

Allow me to talk to Mr. O'Brien.

- What are you doing here? - Come on.

He won't be bothering Bella again.

Why, what did you say to him?

Who are you?

I'm Billy, I'm looking for Bella.

She's not expecting me, I'm a few days late.

Married? Well, of course I'm not married. But why does she think that?

She saw you all over some woman.

Yes, you stood her up, you weasel.

No, I told you I had an accident, that's why I couldn't be there.

I've been in hospital and I...

- I couldn't get her number. - You got her address.

I got it this morning from the...

From the Adopt A Duck Society.

"The Adopt A Duck Society."

Look, I didn't know she had a boyfriend, all right?

She doesn't have a boyfriend.

Why didn't you call her?

- He's already answered that. - Yeah, I know that.

I'm trying to test him out, see if he changes his answer.

What are your intentions towards Bella?

I like her very much.

All right, now, I appreciate that you two are close family,

but, really, I think I'd rather tell Bella to her face before you two interrogate me any further.

William Tranter.

You have embarrassed and humiliated me.

Now leave... before I let Vernon loose on you.

Bella...

Bella, we've had a word with young Billy.

He says he isn't married, and for what it's worth, I believe him.

I saw him with someone else the day we were supposed to meet.

But, Bella, I was hit by a bus that day.

That's why I wasn't there.

I know what I saw.

Oh, that must have been George.

I know your face, Billy. It wasn't your brother, it was you.

No, he's only seven minutes younger, Bella, we're identical.

- You're a twin? - Triplet, actually.

Yes, and each of us all separated by a whole seven minutes.

Actually, quite the ladies' man, young George.

You know, I would never lie to you, Bella.

I...

Well, actually, I've just been telling your father and your grandfather here that...

- I'm not her father! - "Grandfather"?

You must believe me, Bella.

I've got a couple of friends playing in the park tonight.

I was rather hoping that you might be my guest.

Bella?

Bella?

Bella, are you there?

I'm here.

You're a bit accident prone.

I do seem to be around you.

So, the concert?

I'll come and get you at 5:30

And I'll be sure not to hit any buses on the way.

Promise.

Perfect.

I love it, it's brilliant.

But why didn't you show me before?

Hello?

Right, yes, of course.

Hello?

Come on, girls.

My dear Bella,

as per my somewhat pedantic instructions,

I assume that you are all in your garden,

which I hope is looking as good as I expect.

Vernon should be planting a rather splendid Japanese maple.

Make sure that he packs the earth down and gives it a proper drink regularly.

The reason for planting the tree is, I admit, a selfish one.

I quite like the idea of you telling your progeny

of this objectionable old fool who used to potter around the garden.

So, it is planted for you, and future generations

of spectacularly dysfunctional artists.

The boring details are, as ever, in the hands of solicitors,

but the bare fact is that my home is now Vernon's. mostantól

He and the girls need the space far more than I ever did.

You 'll be able to keep an eye an the daft bugger because I'm giving you your flat.

I owned it.

The unfortunate Mr. O'Brien was merely acting on my behalf.

Or should I say, on behalf of the old Alfie.

You were a wonderful pupil, and a nearly treasured friend.

You helped me remember the good things.

Yours sincerely, Alfred Stevenson.

And as Luna drank in the view,

she was filled with something quite magical.

In the distance, she could see the southern shore of the Caspian Sea,

which isn't a sea at all, but, actually, the biggest lake in the world.

Luna thanked the traveler.

"'Oh, it's nothing. You haven't done the hard part yet."

'"Really?"' said Luna.

"Now, you must believe," said the traveler, and he pushed Luna off the mountain.

Luna screamed to the traveler, "Why did you do that? I can't fly."

"Says who?' he replied.

And the wind lifted Luna off the mountain and she soared.

“Can you see them now?' yelled the traveler.

"Yes," said Luna,

gliding through the air with the wind whistling between her wings.

"'I can see thousands of them.'

And for the first time in a hundred years,

the traveler allowed himself a smile.

This Beautiful Fantastic by Bella Brown

Timing: aurean 2020.