Chapter 1

Garden

 

         Soft mist hovers over the turquoise pond in the garden, lily pads lay peacefully in the calm water as rays of sunshine mend in the ripples. Schools of fish swim gracefully canvasing the pond, creating a slow ripple. The botanical garden has remained unchanged for centuries; nature has found sacred ground located in a rural part of Europe located far from the current dweling of the land owner, very few ever cross its path. The last the garden had been visited was many many years ago and all the wildlife in the garden had become quite fond neighbors.

 

     A lady bug named Samantha crawls on a stem that arches over the water, below on one of the lily pads is the king toad of the garden named Ben. Everyday  Samantha visits her friend Ben to talk about the latest in the garden, such as who has created new offspring and what the schools of fish have been conversing about in the pond. A turtle named Smith has been dwelling in his side of the pond for over 50 years and is considered the wise elder of the garden, all come to him for guidance and support. Smith also acts as the one to handle subtle disputes among the locals of the garden such as the bees having territory differences with the hummingbirds and the owls having differences with the crows. Winter is coming and all are preparing for another blistering winter, by now though, all have figured out how to make it a joyous time of year.