Garden of Enchantment

Long long time ago, along the banks of river Tressa was a village named ‘Godzilla’. The village of Godzilla had abundant natural resources. Though the children of Godzilla were living, their lives were dry and dull. The children in the village of Godzilla longed for some fun and recreational activities. The children were often lonely. 

A young boy named Derick was a leader among the children. The children would often approach Derick to find solution to their problems. Derick was ingenious, sharp and witty. Using his wit Derick would often find solutions to the problems of the villagers. Derick observed that the children in the village of Godzilla were leading a lonely and dull existence. He often felt empathetic sensing the plight of the children. Derick had only heard about the garden of enchantment from some of elderly men in the village. The garden of enchantment was unlike any other garden in the world. In order to reach the garden of enchantment, one had to walk along the village roadways for about 40 kms to reach the banks of the river ‘Tressa’. One had to then cross the river ‘Tressa’ and reach the island of Zunzibar to reach the garden of enchantment. 

 

Derick felt the only way to end the misery of the children of Godzilla was a visit to the garden of enchantment. A visit to the garden of enchantment would re-vitalize the senses of the children and instill new life to their otherwise mundane existence.

       However, a visit to the garden was a herculean task. Would Derick be successful in reaching the garden after a strenuous walk along the village roads? It was monsoon time and the river Tressa was roaring in full rage. Would he able cross the river Tressa on a boat? 

    Derick was slightly apprehensive about his journey to the garden of enchantment. In the greater interest of the children of Godzilla, Derick would have to lead the expedition.   

       Derick decided to travel to Zunzibar with the children of Godzilla early After a ride on a boat in the river, Derick would reach the island of Zunzibar early morning, the next day. The children trusted their leader Derick and with complete faith in him, decided to accompany him to the island of Zunzibar. 

           Early next morning at dawn, the children of Godzilla assembled in a queue at the location decided by Derick. Slowly and steadily the children led by Derick walked through the woods. They walked through fields of corn and barley. They then crossed orchards of apples and oranges. After nearly a walk of eight hours, Derick reached the Longham bridge. There were a few straw sheds across the bridge. The sheds offered a perfect place to relax during the night time. The children slept in the straw sheds during the night. 

       The next day the children walked further ahead. After a walk for the next two hours, the children led by Derick reached the banks of the river Tressa. Since it was monsoon time, the river Tressa was tumultuous and roaring mightily. Derick asked the boatman in latin asking him if he would row the boat to the island of Zunzibar along with the children. The boatman was old and dressed in a brown shirt and long black boots. The boatman said that travelling during the monsoon time in the river Tressa could prove to be a slightly risky proposition. The children too were un-nerved with the idea of travelling during the monsoon times. It was quite a windy day. The winds blew strong and created a hissing sound. Derick told the children that they would have to be brave and bold to reach the garden of enchantment and experience fun and excitement there.

       The children accompanied by their leader Derick gradually started boarding on the boat. Derick clasped the hand of each child as he/she ascended the boat. After about thirty minutes a total of 30 children boarded the boat. After all the children had boarded the boat, Derick mounted on the boat himself. He then waved his hand to the boatman signalling him to start the journey towards the island of Zunzibar. 

    Strong winds and incessant rains continued to lash the boat as Derick accompanied by the children travelled in the boat. The boat jumped up and down with each mighty wave in the river. After a ride of nearly four hours, the children reached the island of Zunzibar.

        Zunzibar was unlike any other island the children had ever seen or experienced before. Dense vegetation and foliage were seen along the edges of the island. Derick helped each child make way through the dense vegetation. As the children walked past the edge into the interiors of the island, they noticed two strong and sturdy pillar like structures. Across the two pillars was a huge board that said “Garden of Enchantment”. The children jumped with joy. Their efforts towards the search for one of the most beautiful gardens in the world had yielded positive results. Derick embraced a few of the children as they had succeeded in reaching a magnificent garden unlike any other garden they had seen or experienced before. 

       As the children entered the garden, beds of flowers greeted them. Roses, Sunflowers, Daisies, Lilies were spread across the beds. The fragrance of the flowers refreshed the children and instilled new life into them. 

           Gradually each child walked from within the entrance to the interiors of the garden. As the children walked past the entrance, they found a beautiful cascading waterfall.

       This waterfall was not an ordinary waterfall. Sizzling chocolate was flowing from the top of the waterfall to the bottom resulting in the most delightful aromas the children had ever smelt. There were big glass mugs kept alongside the waterfall. Derick took the lead and demonstrated to the children how they could fill their own mugs with the sizzling chocolate. Chocolate seemed to just melt through in the mouths of the children. This seemed like a dream come true for the children. Some of the children filled their mugs a number of times and treated themselves to multiple rounds of hot chocolate. After having chocolate to their heart’s content the children moved ahead in the garden of enchantment. 

       Superheroes the children had only read about in books and comics came alive in real life. Superheroes like Batman, Superman, Spiderman came forth in supersonic vehicles. Spiderman caught a few children in hand and took them for a ride across the garden in his supersonic vehicle. Superman too held a few children and gave them a ride across the garden in his vehicle. The children experienced thrill and excitement like never before. A visit to the garden of enchantment resulted in a soar in their adrenaline levels. After multiple rides in the vehicles of the super heroes, the children moved ahead further in the garden of enchantment.

           As the children moved further ahead in the garden of enchantment, the children were thrilled to find a gigantic adventure park. The park had rides across giant wheels. The giant wheel soared to a height of about 25 feet above the ground. Some of the children took multiple rides in the giant wheel. Some children took rides in Merry Go Rounds while some others flew in aeroplanes. After having spent several hours in the adventure park taking rides of various kinds, the children moved further ahead in the garden of enchantment.

              The garden of enchantment had a huge auditorium like structure that was a planetarium. The children led by Derick entered the planetarium and took their individual seats. For the next two hours, the children watched in fascination as they unlocked the mysteries of life in space and beyond.

       Next in the garden of enchantment was a huge food court. The children satiated their hunger by having pizzas, pastas, rolls and frankies. They had cheese cakes, black forest pastries, chips and soft drinks. 

        The children of the village of Godzilla would remember their visit to the garden of enchantment for a lifetime. The children had built some beautiful memories and experienced some unforgettable moments. Derick was naturally the hero among the children who had led them to the garden of enchantment. The children heralded Derick as their hero and cheered for him a few times. The children led by Derick started on their return journey to the village of Godzilla. Memories of the visit to the garden of enchantment would continue to linger on in the minds of the children of Godzilla for quite some times. 

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