The Hidden Garden
a retelling of The Secret Garden
edited by Jane Mouttet
Chapter 27 – The Garden Made Me Better
Since the world began, people have always discovered amazing things. Each century brings new wonders. In the last century, people learned more than they ever had before. And in this new century, even more fantastic things will be found. At first, people don’t believe these new things are possible, then they start to hope they can happen, and finally, they see it done and wonder why it wasn’t done sooner.
One of the new things people learned in the last century was that thoughts are as powerful as sunlight or as dangerous as poison. Allowing a sad or negative thought to linger in your mind is like allowing a germ to remain in your body. It can make you sick, and you may never get better unless you get rid of it. But happy thoughts can make you as healthy as sunlight makes plants grow.
When Mary was full of mean thoughts, she was pale, sick, and always unhappy. But when her mind began to fill with robins, moorland cottages, springtime, and secret gardens, her face grew rosy, and she became lively and cheerful.
When Colin only thought about his fears and how weak he was, he felt helpless and miserable. But when he let new, happy thoughts fill his mind, his blood ran through him healthily, and he grew strong. His “experiment” was simple—whenever a negative thought came, he pushed it out by thinking of something good. He learned that two things can’t stay in the same place at the same time. Where a rose grows, a thistle can’t!
While the hidden garden was coming to life, a man wandered far away through beautiful places like the Norwegian fjords and the mountains of Switzerland. This man was Archibald Craven, and for ten years, he had let his mind stay filled with dark thoughts. He hadn’t been brave enough to let in light or happy ideas. Wherever he went, his sadness followed, and people thought there was something wrong with him because he seemed so gloomy.
Mr. Craven had traveled far since the day he gave Mary her “bit of earth” in the garden. He visited the most beautiful places in Europe, but nothing lifted his spirits. One day, he was in a valley in the Austrian mountains. He was tired, so he sat by a stream. The water was clear and made a gentle, laughing sound as it bubbled over rocks. As he watched, he felt himself grow calmer, as quiet as the valley itself. He saw blue forget-me-nots growing by the water, and he found himself thinking how beautiful they were. This was the first time in years that his mind had thought about something lovely, and slowly, the dark thoughts began to fade away.
As he sat there, Mr. Craven felt something change inside him. It was like he was waking up, like something in him had been freed. “I feel like I’m alive,” he whispered to himself. He didn’t fully understand it, but something inside him was changing.
What Mr. Craven didn’t know was that on this very day, far away in the hidden garden, Colin had shouted, “I’m going to live forever and ever!”
After that peaceful day in the valley, Mr. Craven slept better, and the nightmares that had troubled him began to fade. Slowly, the light started to creep back into his life. He thought about returning to Misselthwaite Manor, the big house he had left behind.
One evening, after a long walk by the Lake of Como, he sat by the water under the moonlight. The air was filled with the scent of roses, and he felt a sense of calm. As he drifted off to sleep, he dreamed. In the dream, he heard a voice calling his name. It was a sweet, faraway voice saying, “Archie! Archie!” He wasn’t scared; it felt so real. “Lilias!” he called back. “Where are you?” And the voice replied, “In the garden.”
When Mr. Craven woke up the next morning, he felt different, lighter. As he sat by the lake, a servant brought him some letters. The one on top was from Yorkshire, from a woman named Susan Sowerby. He opened it and read:
“Dear Sir,
I am Susan Sowerby, the person you spoke to about Miss Mary. I hope you don’t mind me writing to you again. Please, sir, come home. You’ll be glad if you do. Your lady would want you to come, too.
Yours respectfully,
Susan Sowerby.”
After reading the letter, Mr. Craven decided he would return to Misselthwaite Manor. He thought about his son, Colin, who had been weak and sick for so many years. Memories of the boy filled his mind, and he started to wonder if things could be different now.
When Mr. Craven arrived in Yorkshire, he decided to visit Susan Sowerby. But when he got to her cottage, he found only her children. Susan had gone to help a neighbor with a new baby. The children greeted him with smiles, and he gave them a gold coin to share among themselves. Then he continued his journey across the moor to Misselthwaite.
As he approached the grand house, memories of his last visit filled his mind. He remembered the sorrow, the locked-up rooms, and the boy lying in his bed. But now, something felt different. Maybe things had changed.
When he arrived at the house, Mr. Craven asked Mrs. Medlock about Colin. She hesitated, unsure how to explain. “He’s different, sir,” she said. “He’s growing stronger, but he’s not like he used to be. He goes outside now, every day, but he doesn’t want anyone to see him.”
“In the garden,” Mr. Craven repeated. The words echoed in his mind.
Without thinking, he left the house and walked toward the garden, the one that had been locked for ten years. As he got closer, he heard strange sounds—running feet, laughing voices, and shouts of joy. Could it really be? Was someone inside the garden?
Just as he reached the door, it flew open, and a boy ran out, nearly crashing into him. Mr. Craven caught him just in time. He looked down at the boy, tall and strong, with bright eyes full of laughter. Mr. Craven gasped.
“Who—what—who are you?” he stammered.
The boy stood tall and said, “Father, it’s me—Colin! I’m well! I can run! I can beat Mary in a race! The garden made me better!”
Mr. Craven could hardly believe his eyes. Tears filled them as he put his hands on Colin’s shoulders.
“Take me into the garden, my boy,” he said softly. “Tell me everything.”
So Colin led his father into the garden, where the flowers bloomed in bright colors of gold, purple, and red. The garden was alive, just like Colin.
As they sat together under the tree, Colin told his father the whole story—how he had found the key, how Mary and Dickon had helped him, and how the garden had brought him back to life. Mr. Craven laughed and cried as he listened, amazed at the magic that had healed his son.
When Colin finished, he said, “It doesn’t need to be hidden anymore. I’ll walk back to the house with you, Father. I’ll never use the wheelchair again.”
And so they walked back together, father and son, through the golden garden and across the lawn. Inside the house, the servants stared in shock as they watched Colin walk by his father’s side, tall and strong and full of life.
And from that day on, the garden was no longer hidden. It was a place where joy and life bloomed forever.
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