Flowers and their Beautiful Garden

“Flowers and their Beautiful Garden” is one of the outstanding stories of the first biannual International Short Story Contest 2018 written by Victoria Panteleymonchuk, Zhytomyr Secondary School 21, Ukraine.

Flowers and their Beautiful Garden

Once upon a time there was a big garden. It was very old and beautiful. There were a lot of different types of flowers in it and each of them was unique.

They lived friendly and merrily listening to the birds’ songs and dancing according to the wind’s melody. Each flower in the garden woke up early in the morning with the first rays of the sun, washed itself with cold clean dew and then told each other about their sweet and incredible dreams. They listened to the stories, smiled and were very happy.

But one day a bad wicked witch from the thick old forest saw that beautiful garden and those wonderful flowers. She got angry because there weren’t any flowers in her gloomy dark forest. She thought a little and decided to take some flowers to her forest.

That’s why she turned into a nice butterfly and flew to the beautiful garden. It was a sunny and warm July morning. The flowers were enjoying themselves friendly speaking to each other. First she flew to a red peony.

Good morning to you! You are so pretty, - the witch began, - Oh, no, you are the prettiest in this garden. Come with me, please and you will be the princess of my forest.

The red peony liked the butterfly’s words and pleasant voice but she liked her garden much more.

You are very kind, but I can’t leave my friends and my garden. This garden is my favourite place. It is fantastic and exciting, so it is the best place for me.

The bad witch got angry and flew to a tender white lily. Its smell was so strong and it was very nice.

Good morning to you! – The butterfly began again. I’m sure you are the princess of this garden. But if you come with me, you will become the queen of my forest!

Thank you for your invitation, but this garden is my home and I can’t imagine my life without it.

The crafty witch got angrier:

But you will be the queen, - cried she.

I don’t want to be a queen, - the lily replied quietly and smiled to the sun.

But the witch didn’t want to give up and flew to the next flower. It was a fascinating pink rose.

Good morning to you! I have never seen the best flower than you are! I want you to be the queen of my forest. You will get all you want. I promise you!

It’s very kind of you. But this garden is my home, these flowers are my sisters. I can’t live without them.

The bad witch was astonished:

Nobody wants to be a queen! I can’t believe it!

And she screamed franticly:

Who wants to be a queen? Who wants to own my forest? Who wants to come with me?

But she couldn’t hear any answer.

Only the affectionate wind whispered:

There is no place like home.

The offended witch flew away lonely to her thick gloomy forest.