THE GARDENS OF THE NEVERSEEN LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 88, 15 April 1933, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE GARDENS OF THE NEVERSEEN LAND.

(Winning entry- by Phyllis Hughes, "Sunny Brae," Feilding; age 15.)

Right In the midst of the Neverseen land, there grew three beautiful gardens, and each was -watched over by a lovely spirit. The guardian of the Garden of To-day was called Present, and every day a million weeds sprang up in. her garden. Sometimes the 'weeds grew and grew until they had choked many of the prettiest flowers, or perhaps they themselves would bloom,. and, thinking them pretty, Present would leave them for a while. But when the little weedflowers died, they left in their places a thousand seeds, and the Spirit had to work very, very hard to prevent the Garden of To-day becoming a tangled wilderness. But there were other flowers, too, in her wonderful garden. Beautiful, beautiful flowers that sprang up in a single night. Sometimes \ they bloomed for weeks, and sometimes, they hung their heads and' died, e'en e'er they had unfolded tlieir petals. The. Garden of •To-day was a lovely place, for every flower that blossomed there was a good kind thought, and every weed, a bad. On the left-hand side of the Garden of To-day was the second garden of the Xeverseen Land. It was called the Garden of To-morrow, and the Spirit Future was its keeper. TheTe were a few weeds in this garden, for every inch of ground grew a tender green plant. These never came during the night. • They took years and years to grow, and Future watched over them with, tender care and anxious forebodings. Some grew much more, quickly than others. They grew and grew until at last upon the very top of the plant a flower would unfold. But there were not many flowers in the Garden of To-morrow* The plants that grew there often wilted before they could bloom. Sometimes if they were brave and strong they shot up from the bottom again, but Future was accustomed to watching them die, for every plant in her garden was a dream and every flower was a dream fulfilled.

Tliie last of the three gardens of the Neverseen Land was on the right-hand side of the Garden of To-day. It was perhaps the most beautiful garden of all, for it was the Garden of Yesterday, and its Spirit was Remembrance. Sweet, old-fashioned blossoms made the air heavy with their perfume; while butterflies and bees and goorgeously-hued birds haunted it. There were weeds here, too. Some of them died as the years passed, but others grew larger and stronger with every speeding day. It was different with the flowers. They seldom ever died, but bloomed for years and years. Should a flower die, Remembrance was very sad, for every blossom in the Garden of Yesterday was a sweet loving memory, and every weed a memory best forgot. One day the God of Nowhere came to the Xeverseen Land. With him he brought a wonderful flower. It was said to be the most beautiful flower in the world, and the God of Nowhere had proclaimed that .she who could show to him a blossom more lovely, should become his wife. Thousands and thousands of flowers had come to him from every corner of the world, but not one was even half so beautiful as his own. And then there came to the god, news j of the three wonderful gardens of the Xoverseen Land. At once he hastened to see them, and upon his arrival he ordered each of the three spirits to bring to him the loveliest flower growing in her garden. Present was the first to go. In her hand she carried a- gorgeous bloom. It was a noble generous thought, and it had sprung up in the Garden of To-day that very morning. But when the god produced his beautiml blossom, the flower trvt Present held, looked pale and insig-ni(ii-a:it beside it. Sadly the spirit turned back to her garden. , As went, another came. It was l i'tr.ve trom. tiie Garden of To-morrow. Silently she held out her flower to the god. It was'a wonderful dream, fulfilled that very day. But the god showed her hi , own wonderful llower, and the dream that had seemed so lovely was suddenly small u:id plain. It was evening when Remembrance stood before the god. She had come

empty-handed. "Where is your flower?" he asked her. And the spirit replied, "It blooms in the Garden of Yesterday, if you would see it, oh God, then must you come to it. For it is the memory of a .little child, and I cannot pluck it.*' For a | moment the god was very angry. Then for the first time ho looked up at the spirit's face. Even as lie gazed, he fell passionately in/love with her. Silently, as in a dream, he rose and followed Remembrance to her garden. In his hand he carried his famous flower. Down the flower-bordered path glided .the keeper of the Garden of Yesterday, the God of Nowhere behind her. At last she stopped, and stretching out her hand, she lovingly touched the velvet petals of a lovely white flower. •It wis the most beautiful thing the god had ever seen. Purer than the whitest snow, its virgin petals gleamed in the last rays of Apollo's Chariot. TJie god held, out his flower beside it, but the gorgeous colours of his blossom were gaudy and hideous beside the spotless purity ■of the white flower. Without a word the god dropped it on to the path and ground it beneath his heel. Then slowly he turned to the watching spirit. "I have never seen a flower one half so beautiful," he said. ''Remembrance, I shall make you my wife." But Remembrance slowly shook her head. "It cannot be," she said. "For I must stay here, in the Neverseen Land and guard the Garden of Yesterday." It was in' vain that the god begged and pleaded with her, and at last heartbroken, he turned away. "I shall never forget you, my spirit of Remembrance," he said, and with the words he was gone. The next day there sprang up. in the Garden of Yesterday another flower, and, only Remembrance knew that it had been born, of a broken heart.