The Great Garden Gift

Queen Neena, a curious and adventurous queen, walks joyfully through a row of colorful market stalls draped with red, yellow, and blue fabric, her hand raised in a friendly wave. In the background, a grand castle with tall golden towers rises against a bright blue sky.

Queen Neena loved her bright and bustling kingdom more than anything in the world. Every morning, she walked through the colorful market stalls, waving to the bakers, the painters, and the flower sellers. She asked them questions about everything—how bread rises, why the sky turns pink at sunset, and what makes roses smell so sweet. Queen Neena was the most curious queen the kingdom had ever known.

Brutus, a fun-loving purple warthog with a curly tail, small tusks, and bright cheerful eyes, trots along a stone garden path with his snout lifted in a big grin. In the background, enormous oak trees cast cool shade over a lush green garden with blooming flowers.

Her very best friend was a fun-loving purple warthog named Brutus. Brutus went everywhere with Queen Neena, and he always had a joke ready to make her laugh. "Hey, Neena!" Brutus said one sunny morning, trotting beside her through the lush castle garden. "Why did the queen bring a ladder to the library?" Queen Neena grinned. "I don't know. Why?" "Because she wanted to reach the highest level of reading!" Brutus snorted and wiggled his curly tail.

A magnificent treasure chest made of dark polished wood with golden swirls carved along its edges, its heavy lid open to reveal sparkly red rubies, blue sapphires, green emeralds, and five books with golden pages and jeweled covers. In the background, a dusty stone room with a small arched window letting in a beam of warm sunlight.

That afternoon, Queen Neena explored a dusty room at the very top of the tallest golden tower. Behind a heavy velvet curtain, she found something that made her gasp. It was a magnificent treasure chest made of dark polished wood with golden swirls carved along its edges. She lifted the heavy lid, and her eyes went wide. Inside were the most beautiful sparkly gems she had ever seen—rubies red as cherries, sapphires blue as the summer sky, and emeralds green as fresh grass. Tucked beside them were five exciting books with golden pages and jeweled covers.

Queen Neena, a curious and adventurous queen, kneels beside the magnificent treasure chest made of dark polished wood with golden swirls, letting sparkly colorful gems tumble through her fingers with a look of wonder on her face. In the background, the dusty stone room with a small arched window and a heavy velvet curtain pulled aside.

"Brutus, come look!" Queen Neena called, her voice echoing down the spiral staircase. Brutus scrambled up the steps, his hooves clacking on the stone. When he saw the treasure chest made of dark polished wood with golden swirls, his jaw dropped so far it nearly touched the floor. "Whoa!" he squealed. "Those gems are shinier than my snout after a mud bath!" Queen Neena laughed and scooped up a handful of the sparkly gems, letting them tumble through her fingers like a rainbow waterfall. "They're mine," she whispered happily. "All mine."

A group of excited village children of different ages stand beneath an enormous oak tree, their arms reaching up and their faces bright with hope and excitement. In the background, colorful market stalls and the grand castle with tall golden towers under a sunny sky.

Word about the treasure spread through the kingdom faster than a rabbit with roller skates. By the next morning, a group of village children gathered in the lush garden beneath the enormous oak trees. "Queen Neena! Queen Neena!" they called out, their faces bright with excitement. "Can we please see the sparkly gems? Can we read the books with the golden pages?" Queen Neena clutched the treasure chest tighter against her chest. A squirmy, uncomfortable feeling crept into her belly, like butterflies that wouldn't sit still.

Queen Neena, a curious and adventurous queen, stands alone hugging the magnificent treasure chest made of dark polished wood with golden swirls tightly against her body, her expression worried and conflicted. In the background, the lush green garden with enormous oak trees and a few children walking away with drooping shoulders.

"I... I don't think so," Queen Neena said quietly, looking down at her shoes. "These are really special. What if someone loses a gem? What if someone bends a page?" The children's smiles faded like candles blown out by the wind. They walked away slowly, their shoulders drooping. Brutus tilted his big purple head and looked at Queen Neena with gentle eyes. "You okay, Neena?" he asked softly. Queen Neena hugged the treasure chest and sighed. "I just don't want to lose them, Brutus. Is that so wrong?"

Brutus, a fun-loving purple warthog with a curly tail, small tusks, and bright cheerful eyes, sits under an enormous oak tree with a leaf stuck on his snout, grinning up with a silly expression. In the background, dappled sunlight filters through the wide green canopy of the enormous oak tree.

Brutus sat down beside her under the biggest oak tree and was quiet for a moment, which was very unusual for him. Then he grinned. "Hey, Neena. What did the gem say to the other gem?" Queen Neena shrugged. "What?" "'You ROCK, and I'm glad we STICK TOGETHER!'" Brutus snorted so hard a little leaf blew off his snout. Queen Neena couldn't help but giggle. Brutus bumped her arm gently with his head. "You know, Neena, sharing doesn't mean giving your stuff away forever. It just means letting someone else enjoy it for a little while."

Five books with golden pages and jeweled covers are arranged in a neat fan shape on a soft patch of green grass beneath dappled sunlight. In the background, the trunk of an enormous oak tree with thick gnarled roots.

"But what if something gets broken?" Queen Neena asked, biting her lip. Brutus nodded thoughtfully. "That's a fair worry! Here's an idea—what about taking turns? You could let one kid hold a gem at a time, and you could read the books out loud so everyone hears the stories together. That way, you're still in charge, and everyone gets to have fun." Queen Neena tilted her head. Taking turns. She liked the sound of that. It meant she didn't have to hand everything over all at once. She could share a little at a time and see how it felt.

Queen Neena, a curious and adventurous queen, stands tall and brave beside the open magnificent treasure chest made of dark polished wood with golden swirls, which sits on a colorful blanket spread on the grass. In the background, village children running joyfully toward her across the lush green garden.

Queen Neena took a deep breath and stood up tall. "Let's invite the children back," she said, her voice a little shaky but brave. Brutus let out a happy squeal and galloped across the garden, calling, "Come back, everyone! Queen Neena has something wonderful to share!" The village children came running, their eyes wide with surprise and hope. Queen Neena set the treasure chest made of dark polished wood with golden swirls on a blanket under the enormous oak tree and slowly lifted the heavy lid.

A sparkly red ruby held up by a small child's hand catches the sunlight, sending tiny red sparkles dancing outward in all directions. In the background, a circle of amazed children's faces lit up by the ruby's red glow under the enormous oak tree.

"We're going to take turns," Queen Neena explained, holding up a ruby red as a cherry. "One gem at a time, and please be gentle with them." The first child held the ruby up to the sunlight, and it sent tiny red sparkles dancing across everyone's faces. "It looks like magic!" the child whispered. Queen Neena felt something warm bloom in her chest. It wasn't the squirmy feeling from before. It was something better—something bright and full, like sunshine filling up a room. Watching someone else love her treasure made her love it even more.

Brutus, a fun-loving purple warthog with a curly tail, small tusks, and bright cheerful eyes, stands on his hind legs in a dramatic silly pose, acting out a story for a circle of laughing children sitting on a colorful blanket. In the background, the lush garden with blooming flowers and the grand castle with tall golden towers in the distance.

Then Queen Neena sat cross-legged on the blanket and opened one of the books with golden pages and a jeweled cover. She read the story out loud, using funny voices for every character. Brutus acted out the silly parts, stomping around and making the children laugh until their bellies hurt. The garden was filled with the sound of giggling and clapping and pure, noisy joy. "See?" Brutus whispered to Neena between chapters. "The fun didn't get smaller when you shared it. It got BIGGER." Queen Neena smiled wide. He was absolutely right.

Queen Neena, a curious and adventurous queen, sits peacefully beside the closed magnificent treasure chest made of dark polished wood with golden swirls, gently resting her hand on its lid with a contented smile. In the background, a glowing orange and pink sunset sky behind the grand castle with tall golden towers.

As the sun dipped low and painted the sky in shades of orange and pink, the children headed home with big smiles and happy hearts. Queen Neena carefully placed each gem and book back into the treasure chest and closed the heavy lid. She ran her fingers over the golden swirls and thought about the afternoon. The gems were all still there, every single one. But now they held something extra—memories of laughter, of shared wonder, of friends discovering magic together. "Same time tomorrow?" Brutus asked, nudging her hand with his warm snout. Queen Neena grinned. "Same time tomorrow."

The Great Garden Gift

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from the Fable Public Library