Short Story: The Most Beautiful Garden🌸🌼
Everyone agrees this is the most beautiful garden. Only one person knows how long this garden has been here.
He tells anyone who wants to hear the story. We believe him because he is the oldest man in our village.
The story never gets old though. It is one of the best and most fascinating stories I’ve ever heard. I guess you are curious and you want to know what it is about.
*****
Once upon a time there was a very rich family in this same village. They were not the wealthiest people in the country but they had a lot of land and cattle. Their food baskets were the fullest and their clothes were made from the most colourful and expensive fabrics any one could get.
However, they were not happy. In fact, they were the unhappiest family in the village and no one could understand.
Isn’t their property enough to make them cheerful?
They walked about with slumped shoulders and sad eyes. No laughter came out of their mouths and no joy could be seen in their home. Their conversations were dull and full of melancholy.
One day, the head of the family decided to do something about their problem. He called his younger brother.
“ My dear brother Misozi, listen to me. I think I’ve found the solution to our troubles.”
“Do not tell me that Mavuto. Our problems are the worst in the whole world and we will never be able to solve them.”
“ This will work, believe me.”
“ I hope this will not turn out to be the craziest scheme you have ever come up with.”
“ Don’t worry. Just wait and see. You will be the most surprised person in the entire universe.”
The following day, Mavuto chose a piece of land not far from their house. It was dry and full of weeds. No one wanted to use it because it was difficult to tame.
“ I will turn this into the most beautiful garden anyone has ever seen.”
Like a mad man, he started digging and digging, removing stones and rubbish so as to prepare the ground for planting. He watered the ground every single day until it became soft and luscious. Soon, it was time to plant flowers, trees and vegetables.
His mood got better as time passed. He laughed more and his happiness was contagious. Later on, his wife and children joined and helped him to take care of the garden. What a sight! The complaints and fights had disappeared. What remained was the loveliest family in the whole village. The children shrieked with unfettered joy and the adults no longer shouted at one another for no reason at all. It was the most beautiful thing to see.
A lot of time has passed since then. The old man says that the garden has been tended by at least three generations. Today, the family is not as affluent as it used to be. Rumour has it that they say that the garden is their most valuable possession. They take care of it as if it was an egg that could break at any moment.
The most beautiful garden in the village is the key to their happiness.
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Further Exploration: (The Most Beautiful Garden)
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Read:
- English Grammar: Lesson 5-Dialogue with Comparatives
- English Grammar (Comparatives and Superlatives): Lesson 4-Quiz
- English Grammar (Superlatives): Lesson 3-Talking About Extremes, Learn English With Africa, May 2019
- English Grammar (Comparatives): Lesson 2-Talking about Similarities, Learn English With Africa, May 2019
- English Grammar (Comparatives): Lesson 1-Talking about Differences, Learn English With Africa, May 2019
- Learn more about Comparatives with this well-structured and comprehensive lesson
- English Grammar in context, The Verb BE, Learn English With Africa, September 2017
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About the Author
Thandi Ngwira Gatignol is the founder of Learn English With Africa. She was born on June 11th, 1981 in Blantyre, Malawi. When she was 19, she left her country of birth for France. She currently lives with her two daughters and husband in Poland.
Thandi holds a Bachelor’s degree in English studies obtained at the Université Paris X Nanterre in France and a Certificate in Journalism from Malawi. She has taught English as a French Ministry of Education certified teacher both in France and in Poland. She speaks six languages fluently, including French, Polish and Italian. She is now learning Kiswahili, German and Spanish. Salt No More is her debut novel and you can find her other books here on the website or on Amazon.
Course Title: English Short Story🌺: The Most Beautiful Garden (Level A1-A2), with Superlatives🌷© Learn English With Africa, May 2019
