“Where is the garden? But it was here when I passed by a few minutes ago. What must have happened to it? Why do we have to see an empty field without a garden?” All the villagers were wondering and were just left with some questions to which no one knew the answers.
The garden has been a source of some magical powers. The flowers, and the powers of the dried and wet leaves, were gone. The garden has the power to save the sick. You may see your future when you trend in it. Entering it would give you the answers you ever wanted. Any question left unanswered would receive an immediate solution when it got to the garden.
It's a garden anyone can trend into, as well as strangers. It welcomes strangers without spending a dime. There has been a set-aside rule over the garden. No one must use it as a means of trading. The king of the land had an issue with the Okija village and would not want to deal with those classes of people. One of them came to the community to seek answers to her immediate question. When she was seen, news got to the king about her presence. The king immediately summoned her and seized her luggage.
“You must pay before you will be allowed to step in the garden”, the king said in anger. Without wasting time, the young woman paid, since she needed an immediate answer to her problem.
Her questions were answered, and immediately all the plants, the magic, and everything in the garden vanished, leaving the ordinary field behind. This left the villagers in surprise and somehow in terror.
“Our only medicine and healer have gone”, the king said, without knowing the cause of the disappearance.
An old woman who had come from nowhere went to meet the king and told him the garden would be restored by a little girl who was yet to be born. Everyone was waiting for the day it would be restored, but it was not revealed when or how.
Years passed, and everyone had almost forgotten about the garden before the barren queen, Elixir, gave birth to a baby girl. It was a great celebration in the palace. She was named Zina. She was so pretty and was growing so fast to become a pretty girl. After five years, she came across a painting in the sitting room and was very curious about the painting. Being the inquisitive type, she asked her father, the king,
“Father! Tell me about this painting that looks like a little girl in a garden.”
“This garden is the garden of mystery. How it vanished was a mystery. It was a garden that was made to save everyone and also a garden that was set aside to answer any form of tough questions ever”, the king responded.
“It's a beautiful garden, and I wish it came back to life just for me to witness its blossom shape”, Zina said as she shook her head.
“An old woman gave a prophecy that it would be revived by a little girl who was not yet given birth to”, the king responded.
Zina went straight inside, and immediately, a book fell from nowhere onto her path. She looked around but saw nothing more than the book. She picked it up and opened it. Smiles emerged from her face as she read the book. She was carried away and was filled with sudden happiness. She left for her dad's palace and said, “Dad, I found something so surprising”, Zina told her father. The king was shocked to see the book about the garden with his daughter.
“This book has been missing since the garden became extinct. Where did you find it?” In happiness, the king asked.
“I saw it in front of me. I don't know where it came from”, Zina replied.
The king opened the book and showed Zina some items in the garden. Zina was not satisfied but left with the book. She searched thoroughly and saw a paper in the middle of the book. She opened it and discovered that it was a map of where the garden was located. Likewise, she got to the garden and saw that everything in the book was true, except for the fact that the garden was left with just a space without plants in it. Not only that, but she just wished it would come back to life.
After observing the garden, she was about to leave when she heard some kind of rearranging sound from behind. She turned and saw that everything in the garden had been revived and was back to life. She was so happy, but then everywhere was closed, as was her way into the garden. Likewise, she immediately threw the book and the map out, just for someone to know her whereabouts.
Zina became trapped in the garden without finding her way out. She began to lament for searching and for being so inquisitive about the garden.
Meanwhile, her parents began to search for her and set up a search team. The king quickly remembered that her daughter was so inquisitive about the garden and immediately rushed to the garden gate. He saw the book and the map of the garden. This was when he discovered that his daughter had been trapped in the garden.
Suddenly, that same old woman who had told him about the garden appeared yet again. She told the king that “your daughter may not come back to you again except if you apologize to the garden for what you have done”.
“What have I done wrong?” The king asked the old woman.
“You violated the rules of the garden, and so it vanished, leaving people suffering. You collected money from an outsider just because her people were your enemies”, the old woman said.
Without hesitation, the king apologized and promised to respect the rules and never violate them again.
After the apology, the garden's gate opened, and everywhere began to glow as Zina came out with a white garment and a crown. Everyone present was surprised by what they had seen and bowed to Zina as the queen of the garden. With joy, her dad, the king, embraced her as well as her mom.
The garden started flourishing and was helping people just like before, with Zina.
Participate in the #hivegarden contest