The Selfish Giant

From dream to tale...

 The children of The Village didn't know where to play, even when they were allowed by their parents (and by the Evil Weather) to leave home to stay together outdoors. Everything seemed to be dull and boring, and the kids had always to make up something new to have fun. All the adults didn't care about them, because they didn't understand anything but working. The Village was a poor working class town, where having fun wasn't of course a priority.

It was a clear spring day when one of the kids, called Daniel, the youngest of the whole group of playmates, but also the most ingenious, told to the others that I had heard about a Mysterious Castle, not too far from The Village, in the middle of the Deep and Dark Forest, which every child had been taught to be terribly afraid of. 

Daniel was born seven years before that day in a very humble family and he'd never been able to prove his courage. He was unbelievably smart, but incredibly underestimated by the adults, who used to mistrust him because of his curly red hair. It wasn't right to be born with red hair in The Village! He'd to be something wrong, everybody was sure about it! And then, he'd got those frozen eyes, that painted on his face the sight of death. Most of parents suggested to their sons or daughters to avoid him, to protect them from his devilish soul, eventually inherited from his famous ancestor Berta, a woman with the same red hair who had been burnt as a witch years and years before.

 But on this peaceful day, forgetting all the bad rumors, every child of the village, poor or rich, with blond or brown hair, were fascinated by the strange tale which Daniel was recounting: «When most of you were infants and I wasn't born yet, in this hidden castle lived an old giant, taller then an elephant, although he had become hunchbacked, due to his senility. It is reported that he had been very much feared a lot of years ago, maybe more then a century, but it isn't clear at all. It seems he had been very cruel in his youth and he claimed the main part of the harvest of the village each year, because he detested working and refused farming. The only one activity he had done had been taking care of the vast garden of his castle. And evidently he had been strong enough to force the farmers of the village to give him their products. He had dedicated his life to his garden, because he had wanted to be the owner of the mod beautiful flowers of the world. When the giant grew old he gave up exploiting the village, having lost his physical strength, and he wasn't seen at all coming out from the forest. Time over time this cruel tall gardener has been forgotten, becoming almost a legendary figure, and his garden, where nobody has never been, lies hidden, unknown and probably abandoned. My mother told me the giant didn't still live in the castle and he had surely left the country. In my opinion he could be dead and certainly he won't turn back to the castle, as a ghost or alive but extremely old and unable to move. I think it we could find out this mysterious place and run to play in the secret garden I've just told you, dear friends of mine!». Everybody was bewitched by Daniel's words and all the group was ready to follow him to discover the castle and transform its garden in a place to play outdoors. The main idea in their minds was to plant a lot of flowers and, taking care of those, resuscitate the dead garden. No one had doubts, all the playmates believed the little humble Daniel, who was able to carry his dreams in their minds. The adventurous spirit of children was stronger then any kind of prejudice transmitted from adults. 

 It was the early afternoon and the sun was shining when Daniel and his friends began that adventure. They reached the forest in a few minutes, walking so quickly, excited by curiosity. Furthermore, the group proceeded across the wood, without fear. Daniel walked some steps ahead and the others followed him like shadows. Suddenly a massive castle appeared to their inquisitive eyes. It had two high towers and an impassable wall, which completely hid the desired garden. Daniel suggested that they had to cross the win door they could admire in front of their eyes, supposing that it must have been left open, because the giant, who had never been afraid of anything, hadn't bought any key in his long life. Moreover they realized that the door didn't have a lock. Then, they could enter into the castle and arrive at the lost garden.

 The mysterious giant's garden looked like a jungle and smelt of death, because it was really abandoned. The only image they could see was the shabby deterioration of all that longtime ago was colourful and flowered. The children decided they couldn't ignore this sad situation and they would join the cause of its regeneration. This would be the most amusing way to play outdoors for them. Daniel coined a name to their new game in the giant's castle, which was "We are the spring!". It immediately began and only few months after showed his effects: flowers grew everywhere, giving colours to the whole garden, which lived a fresh start. This hidden place seemed to become magic again and the children were really enthusiastic for their work. All the boys and girls of the village recognized that if they hadn't believed to Daniel's words, they would never have lived this daydream. This showed them that it's always good to hear everybody, knowing that a genial idea could come from anyone. The children have learnt that red hair was simply red hair, nothing to be afraid of, only red, as red roses and red tulips which grown everyday in their garden. 

 The children continued taking care of the secret garden until summer, but one day there happened what nobody could foresee, because the old giant, who wasn't dead yet, came back home. He arrived when the group was playing in his garden and he didn't appreciate that. He was really extremely old, with white hair, wrinkled skin and a disgusting hunchback. Then he couldn't provoke fear, but his voice was even so fearsome, having a disquieting timbre and expressing an impetuous anger. «If only I could kill you like annoying insects, oh damnned children!» screamed the giant, shaking his hands in the air. And then: «This is my garden and it's forbidden to enter for anybody who isn't me! Don't ever come back here!». Daniel tried to explain to him what they have done for the garden, but without success. «It's true, now I've a living garden, but, hideous beasts, this is not my garden! I hate you! You should escape before I catch you and I break your bones!». Listening to these words the children fled and turned back to the village. Suddenly the giant destroyed all that the fellowship had created, cutting the flowers and pulling the plants, as if they were weeds. The children never came back to the castle, although they had nowhere to play.

 One year after, at the beginning of the spring, occurred a bizarre drawback in the castle where the giant lived: in its garden the spring seemed not to come. The ground remained frozen and it was impossible to plant any seed. There were absolutely no buds and also the most unsightly and annoying shrubbery was going to die. The garden started living a perennial winter. The giant finally understood what had happened when he found and read an inscription the children had made in the bark of the oak which was in the middle of the garden, with written the name of the game: "We are the spring!". He realized that he had driven out the spring from his home and, thinking it would never return, he panicked and started crying, just like child. He thought of his selfishness and he perceived he would always be remembered as "The Selfish Giant".

 In our life there are errors that can't be remedied.