The forgotten garden of roses

THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN OF ROSES

On the outskirts of a small village, hidden behind an old iron gate, lay a forgotten garden. Most of the villagers avoided it, speaking of it as just an overgrown patch of weeds,But for twelve years old Lila, the garden was a place of wonder.

 She had passed it many times, curious about the wildflowers that seemed to dance in the breeze and the faint scent of roses carried on the wind.

One afternoon, after a particularly rough day at school, Lila decided to finally explore the garden. She pushed open the rusty gate and stepped inside.

The air was cool, and the wild beauty of the place made her feel calm, even though it was clear no one had cared for it in years. 

As she walked through the tangle of plants, she noticed a rosebush, vibrant and alive in the midst of decay,It's deep red roses stood out like they were glowing in the soft light.

 She bent down to examine them closely, feeling the soft petals between her fingers. Without thinking, she picked a single rose.

A gust of wind blew through the garden, and for a brief moment, Lila thought she saw movement. Startled, she turned, and there, standing quietly in the corner, was an old woman, her face etched with years of life, but her eyes was kind.

"Hello dear" the woman said, her voice soft but firm. "It’s been a long time since someone cared enough to visit my garden."

Lila, a bit nervous but more intrigued than scared, asked, “Is this your garden? Why does it look so... forgotten?”

The woman smiled. "It wasn’t always like this. I used to tend to it every day, caring for every flower, every tree. But time... time has a way of slipping through your fingers.

 People stopped visiting, and eventually, I stopped tending to it."

Lila felt a pang of sadness. She thought about her own life—the way people around her, including her family, were always so busy, too caught up in their own problems to notice the beauty right in front of them.

"Can it be restored?" Lila asked, feeling a sense of responsibility.

"Perhaps," the woman said. "But it takes more than just one person to keep something alive. It takes a community, care, and love."

Lila looked at the rose in her hand, its deep red petals glowing in the fading sunlight. She realized then that the garden, much like people, needed attention, kindness, and connection. Without that, even the most beautiful things could wither away.

“I’ll help you,” Lila said quietly. “And maybe I can get others to help, too.”

The old woman smiled again, this time with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “That would mean the world.”

As Lila left the garden that evening, she knew she had found more than just an old forgotten patch of flowers, She had found a small piece of herself and a new purpose in helping to bring something beautiful back to life.

In the days that followed she returned with friends, family, and even some of the villagers who had once written off the garden as lost.

Slowly, the garden began to bloom again, becoming a symbol of how even the smallest act of care can create something lasting and beautiful.