Once upon a time, in a quiet little town, there lived a twelve-year-old girl named Zara. She was not like other children; Zara was painfully shy, introverted, and often lost in her thoughts, which her friends found odd. On her days off school, she preferred to sit reading books in her cozy window nook rather than hanging out with friends.
One sunny afternoon, little Zara sat by the window, watching the happy children play in the vibrant park across the street. But that day wasn’t just special because of the weather. No, it was Zara’s grandmother’s birthday. She planned to visit her that very hour.
Her grandmother lived in a delightful little cottage just past the park. Every year, Zara’s family held a picnic party in her backyard to celebrate. Their delightful garden was filled to the brim with blooming flowers and singing birds. That day, as her mom led Zara through the archway of the old wooden gate, the smell of blooming roses made her smile. But something was different. Wasn’t there a peculiar iron latch Zara had never seen before added to the tall gate separating her and the main garden? Zara thought, how strange.
“Happy birthday, Mother!” Zara greeted, hugging her grandmother tightly. But her thoughts raced back to the strange gate.
Zara’s eyes danced around the lavishly decorated picnic tables. There were freshly baked cheesecakes, just mixed salads, and towers of ensure soft-serve ice cream. The children played hide and seek, and the adults attempted to one-up each other while playing badminton.
But Zara’s attention soon slipped back to that gate, which stood tall and mysterious next to her grandmother’s backyard. She watched as her cousins, Tony and Samantha, approached her.
“What are you looking at, Zara?” asked Samantha, always bursting with enthusiasm.
“Uh, nothing,” Zara replied quickly, trying to shake off their attention.
“Let’s go in there!” Tony exclaimed, pointing to the gate Zara had been watching. It then dawned upon her that her cousins had seen it as well.
“Not a good idea,” Zara said cautiously, shaking her head.
“Nonsense! Let’s explore,” Tony insisted, running toward the tall gate.
“But it’s locked!” Samantha warned, her excitement turning to concern.
“Is it now?” replied Tony. Zara watched as he inspected the latch closely. A moment later, he sprinted off toward the picnic table.
“Don’t even think about it!” Zara warned Tony, as her heart raced with worry.
But Tony was quick. He returned, grinning like a Cheshire cat and holding a bunch of keys. He inserted one, but it didn’t fit. The next key went in, but the heavy sound made Zara quiver. And the peculiar sound of the gate creaking open only added to her fright.
“See?” Tony laughed confidently. “Nothing to it!”
But ever the worrier, an idea slipped into Zara’s mind. “You guys should be careful. There could be something very dangerous in there!”
But Tony and Samantha were already disappearing through the vine-laden gate, eager travelers headed for unknown lands. And Zara felt a surge of bravery wash over her. She decided that she couldn’t let them venture there alone.
So, slightly trembling, she picked up a garden trowel that had been left on the grass and marched into the garden before the gate closed behind her cousins. What awaited her? Brightly colored flowers blooming atop trees resembling umbrellas, luminous insects flitting about like playful fairies, and delightful little birds that seemed to lead the way.
It was all just as she’d imagined—the perfect secret garden hiding behind her grandma’s home for her entire life. And it was every bit as magnificent as its description in her fairy tale books.