The Hidden Garden
a retelling of The Secret Garden
edited by Jane Mouttet
Chapter 25 – Rainy Days
The hidden garden was teeming with life, and each morning brought something new to discover. In the robin’s nest, there were eggs, and the mother bird sat on them carefully, warming them with her soft feathers. The robin, her mate, was always on guard, keeping a close eye on everything. Even Dickon, who could talk to animals, didn’t go near the nest. He waited for the robin to trust him, knowing that the little family was experiencing something very special.
The robin knew that everyone in the garden understood how vital the eggs were. If anything happened to them, it would feel like the whole world had fallen apart. So, the robin and his mate were careful, but over time, they realized that everyone in the garden cared about the eggs just as much as they did.
At first, the robin was a bit nervous around Colin and Mary. He trusted Dickon right away—he could see that Dickon was like a bird himself, just without wings. But Colin was different. The robin noticed that Colin didn’t walk at first; he was pushed around in a strange chair with wheels. This made the robin cautious, and he watched Colin closely, thinking he might act like a sneaky cat. The robin even talked about it with his mate, but she became so worried that he stopped bringing it up.
Then, something amazing happened—Colin began to stand up and walk on his own! At first, he moved slowly and rested often, and the robin was puzzled. But then, the robin remembered learning to fly. He took short flights, then had to rest before trying again. He realized Colin was learning to walk just like birds learn to fly! The robin shared this thought with his mate, and she felt much better. After all, the eggs would learn quickly when they hatched, even faster than Colin, she thought.
As time passed, Colin walked with increasing confidence. He even started running and digging in the garden. The robin no longer worried about him. In fact, the whole family of birds felt peaceful knowing their eggs were safe. Even rainy days couldn’t spoil their happiness.
One rainy morning, Colin was feeling restless. He had to stay inside, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how much energy he had. “Now that I’m a real boy,” he said to Mary, “my body is so full of Magic, I can hardly keep still. When I wake up in the morning, I feel like jumping out of bed and shouting for joy, just like the birds outside!”
Mary giggled. “If you did that, the nurse and Mrs. Medlock would think you’d gone crazy! They’d send for the doctor!”
Colin laughed too. He imagined how surprised everyone would be to see him standing and running around. “I wish my father would come home,” he said. “I want to tell him myself. But I can’t keep pretending to be sick for much longer. I’m just too different now!”
That’s when Mary had a brilliant idea. “Colin,” she said, “do you know how many rooms there are in this house?”
Colin thought for a moment. “About a thousand, I suppose.”
“There are about a hundred rooms no one ever goes into,” Mary explained. “One rainy day, I explored them. There are all sorts of secret places! We could go explore them, just like we explore the garden.”
Colin’s eyes lit up. “Let’s do it! You can push me in my chair, and no one will know where we’re going.”
Excited, Mary rang the bell, and when the nurse came in, Colin gave her instructions. “I want my chair. Mary and I are going to explore some of the unused rooms. John can push me to the picture gallery, but after that, we want to be alone.”
Soon, John wheeled Colin into the gallery, and then he left, just as Colin had ordered. Once they were sure they were alone, Colin hopped out of his chair. “I’m going to run from one end of the gallery to the other!” he said, “and then we’ll do our exercises.”
And that’s precisely what they did. They ran, jumped, and did all their special exercises. They looked at the old portraits and found a painting of a little girl in green, holding a parrot. Colin pointed at it and said, “I think that’s one of my great, great aunts. She looks a bit like you, Mary—at least how you used to look.”
Mary laughed. “You’re right! But now I’m a lot healthier—and so are you!”
They explored even more rooms, finding strange old furniture, tiny ivory elephants, and secret staircases. They had so much fun discovering new things, and it felt like they were in a completely different world, far from everyone else in the house.
“This is amazing,” Colin said, smiling. “We’ll have to explore more of the house every rainy day. It’s like a whole new adventure!”
After all that running around, they were so hungry that when lunch arrived, they ate every single bite. The nurse was so surprised by their empty plates that she took the tray to the kitchen to show the cook.
“Look at this!” she said. “Those two children are mysteries! They eat so much, but they’re getting healthier every day!”
“If this keeps up,” said John, the footman, “Colin will be twice as heavy as he was a month ago. I’ll have to stop pushing his chair soon or I’ll hurt my muscles!”
Later that afternoon, Mary noticed something different in Colin’s room. She had seen it the day before but hadn’t mentioned it. Now, she couldn’t help but stare at the picture over the mantel. The curtain that usually covered it was pulled aside. Finally, Colin spoke up.
“I know what you’re wondering,” he said. “You’re curious why the curtain is pulled back. I’m leaving it like that from now on.”
“Why?” Mary asked.
Colin’s face lit up as he explained, “It doesn’t make me angry to see her anymore. Two nights ago, I woke up and felt the Magic all around me. The moonlight was shining in, and it made me want to pull back the curtain. When I did, she was smiling at me, as if she were glad to see me standing. Now, I want to see her smiling all the time. I think she must have been a kind of Magic person.”
Mary looked at Colin and said, “You’re starting to look just like her. Sometimes I wonder if you’re her ghost, come back as a boy.”
Colin thought about this for a moment. “If I were her ghost,” he said softly, “maybe my father would be fond of me.”
Mary asked gently, “Do you want him to be fond of you?”
“I used to be angry that he wasn’t,” Colin admitted. “But now, I think I’d like it if he cared. If he grew fond of me, maybe I’d tell him about the Magic. It might make him happy again.”
Chapter 26 – A Garden Visitor
Colin and his friends believed in the Magic more and more every day. After their morning’s work in the garden, Colin would often give what he called “Magic lectures.”
“I like doing it,” he said, “because when I grow up and make great discoveries, I’ll have to give lectures about them. So, this is good practice. I can’t give long lectures yet because I’m still young, and besides, Ben Weatherstaff would probably fall asleep if I did.”
“The best thing about lecturing,” Ben said with a grin, “is that a fellow can say whatever he likes, and no one can talk back! I wouldn’t mind doing some lecturing myself.”
But while Colin spoke, Ben didn’t fall asleep at all. He stared at the boy with great interest, not just because of the words he was saying, but because Colin looked so different now. His legs were getting straighter and stronger, his face was fuller, and his eyes were bright. Ben kept watching him with a mix of amazement and affection. One day, Colin noticed Ben staring and asked, “What are you thinking about, Ben Weatherstaff?”
Ben answered, “I was thinking you’ve probably gained three or four pounds this week. I’ve been looking at your calves and your shoulders. I’d like to see you on a scale!”
“It’s the Magic,” Colin said with pride. “And Mrs. Sowerby’s buns and milk, of course. You see, the experiment is working!”
That day, Dickon was late coming to the garden. When he arrived, he was out of breath from running and his face looked more cheerful than usual. Since they had a lot of weeding to do after the rain, they all got to work. The rain had helped the flowers grow, but it also helped the weeds, which had to be pulled up before their roots could spread too far.
As they worked, Colin talked about the Magic. “The Magic works best when you work yourself,” he said. “You can feel it in your muscles. I’m going to write a book about Magic one day. I’m learning new things about it every day.”
Not long after saying this, Colin put down his trowel and stood up. He had been quiet for a while, and Mary and Dickon noticed that he was deep in thought, probably thinking about his next lecture. Suddenly, he stretched out his arms and stood as tall as he could, his face glowing with excitement.
“Mary! Dickon!” he called out. “Look at me!”
They stopped working and stared at him.
“Do you remember the first time you brought me into this garden?” Colin asked, his voice full of wonder.
“Yes, we do,” Dickon said, watching him closely.
“Just now,” Colin continued, “I remembered it myself. When I looked at my hands digging, I had to stand up to see if it was real. And it is real! I’m well—I’m really well!”
“Aye, that you are!” Dickon agreed.
“I’m well!” Colin repeated, his face turning red with excitement. He had felt it before, but now it was like a wave of joy rushing over him, and he couldn’t help but shout.
“I shall live forever and ever and ever!” he declared. “I’m going to find out about everything—people, animals, and plants—just like Dickon. I will never stop making Magic!”
Ben Weatherstaff, who was nearby working on a rose bush, glanced at him. “You could sing the Doxology,” he said with his usual dry tone.
Colin was curious. “What’s the Doxology?” he asked.
Dickon smiled. “It’s a song they sing in church,” he said. “Mother says she believes the skylarks sing it every morning when they rise.”
“If your mother says that, it must be a good song,” Colin said. “Sing it, Dickon! I want to hear it.”
Without hesitation, Dickon took off his cap, looked around, and said, “You must take off your cap too, Colin. And so must you, Ben.”
Colin and Ben both took off their caps, and Dickon began to sing:
“Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him, all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye Heavenly Host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.”
When Dickon finished, Colin looked thoughtful. “It’s a nice song,” he said. “Maybe it means what I mean when I want to shout out that I’m thankful to the Magic. Maybe they’re the same thing.”
He paused for a moment, thinking. “Sing it again, Dickon. Let’s all sing it. It’s my song now.”
So, they sang it again. This time, Colin and Mary joined in, their voices blending with Dickon’s. And even Ben Weatherstaff, though he was rough and grumpy, sang along with surprising strength. When they finished, Mary noticed that Ben’s face was wet with tears, just like the time when he realized Colin wasn’t a cripple.
“I never thought much of the Doxology before,” Ben said, wiping his face, “but I might change my mind. You’ve probably gained five pounds this week, Mister Colin.”
Suddenly, Colin’s eyes widened as he looked across the garden. “Who’s that coming in?” he asked.
They all turned to see a woman walking through the door in the ivy-covered wall. She stood there, smiling, with the sunlight shining through the trees, making her look like a picture from a storybook. She wore a long blue cloak, and her face was warm and friendly, full of kindness.
“It’s Mother!” Dickon cried, and he ran to her.
Colin and Mary followed, their hearts beating fast.
“I knew you wanted to see her,” Dickon said when they reached her. “So I told her where the door was.”
Colin held out his hand shyly, his eyes bright with joy. “Even when I was ill, I wanted to see you,” he said. “You, Dickon, and the hidden garden. I never wanted to see anyone or anything before.”
Tears filled Mrs. Sowerby’s eyes as she looked at Colin’s face. “Oh! Dear lad!” she said softly. “Oh! Dear lad!” She spoke with such warmth that Colin felt a surge of happiness.
“Are you surprised that I’m so well?” he asked.
She placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling through her tears. “Yes, I am!” she said. “And you are so like thy mother, it made my heart jump.”
“Do you think my father will like me now?” Colin asked, a little awkwardly.
“Yes, for sure, dear lad,” she answered. “He must come home now—he must.”
Ben Weatherstaff came closer, grinning. “Look at the lad’s legs,” he said to Mrs. Sowerby. “Two months ago, they were like drumsticks! Now look at them!”
“They’ll be fine, strong legs soon,” Mrs. Sowerby said with a laugh. “Let him keep playing in the garden and drinking milk, and he’ll be as strong as any lad in Yorkshire.”
Then she turned to Mary, putting her hands on her shoulders. “And you, lass,” she said, “you’ve grown just as strong. You’re looking hearty, just like our Elizabeth Ellen.”
Susan Sowerby walked around the garden with them, admiring all the plants and flowers. She talked to the flowers as if they were her own children, and the robin followed her, chirping happily. When she heard about the Magic, she listened with interest.
“Do you believe in Magic?” Colin asked eagerly.
“That I do,” she replied. “I might call it by a different name, but it’s the same thing. It’s the Good Thing that makes the sunshine and the seeds grow. It’s the same Magic that made you well, lad.”
Later, when they sat under the tree to eat the food Mrs. Sowerby had brought, she made them laugh with her stories and taught them new words in her Yorkshire accent. She even laughed when they told her how hard it was to pretend that Colin was still sick.
“We try to look serious,” Colin explained, “but we can’t stop laughing when we’re together.”
Mrs. Sowerby chuckled. “You won’t need to pretend much longer,” she said. “Your father will come home soon.”
Colin’s face lit up. “Do you really think so?”
“I’m sure of it,” she said kindly.
As it was time for Mrs. Sowerby to leave, Colin stood close to her, holding onto her blue cloak. “You’re just what I wanted,” he said quietly. “I wish you were my mother, too.”
With tears in her eyes, Mrs. Sowerby bent down and hugged him close. “Oh, dear lad,” she said softly. “Your mother is here, in this very garden. And your father will come back to you—he must.”
Miss previous chapters of The Hidden Garden? You can read them here.
Come back next week for the next chapters in The Hidden Garden.
Do you enjoy this story? Click on the like button to help others find this story.
Check out my lists on Benable
Want to help support this blog? You can leave a tip here. Or make any purchase on Amazon with my link.