Lena loved exploring. While other children stayed close to the village, she wandered beyond the hills, searching for hidden places no one else had seen. One golden afternoon, as the wind carried whispers through the tall grass, Lena spotted something unusual—a narrow path curled behind a wall of ivy.
She had never noticed it before.
With a curious heart, she pushed aside the leaves and stepped through.
What she saw made her breath catch in wonder.
A secret garden stretched before her, bathed in warm sunlight. But this was no ordinary garden. The trees stood tall and wise, their trunks thick with age, their branches stretching toward the sky like outstretched arms. And then- One of them spoke.
“Welcome, little traveler.”
Lena spun around. An ancient oak tree, its bark etched with deep lines like the wrinkles of a storyteller, moved ever so slightly.
“Did… did you just talk?” Lena whispered.
The oak chuckled, its leaves rustling like laughter. “Of course. All trees talk, but few people listen.”
Lena’s eyes widened. “I’m listening.”
The trees swayed, their voices weaving through the air like a gentle song.
“I have seen a hundred summers and a thousand storms,” said the willow, its branches dancing like silk. “I’ve learned that patience is the root of great wisdom.”
“I have stood through the fiercest winds,” said the pine, standing tall and proud. “Strength is not in resisting the heavy storm but in flexible so you do not break.”
“I have watched birds build nests, year after year,” said the cherry blossom tree. “Joy is found in the life’s smallest moments.”
Lena sat beneath them, listening to their stories—tales of changing seasons, of laughter carried by the wind, of time moving like a river. She felt as if she had stepped into a world where the past whispered secrets only the trees could remember.
As the sun dipped lower, the oak tree spoke once more.
“Will you share what you’ve learned?”
Lena nodded. “I will.”
She stood, brushing the grass from her dress. The garden seemed to hum with warmth, as if it were smiling.
With one last look, Lena stepped back through the ivy, returning to the world she knew. But from that day on, she carried the voices of the trees in her heart, ready to share their wisdom with anyone willing to listen.
And so, the garden’s secrets lived on.
