It was a large lovely garden with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers. Also there were fruit trees around the garden.
One day the Giant came back. He went to see his friends in a distant land and stayed with them for seven years. When he arrived, he saw children playing in his garden.
''What are you doing here ?'' Cried the Giant in a very gruff voice. The children ran away.
Every afternoon the children cack from school and used to go and play in the Giant's garden.
''My own garden is my own garden. Anyone can not be understood that. And I will allow nobody else to play in it'' said the Giant.
So he built a high wall all round the garden and put up a notice.
The children had now nowhere to play. There were no gardens around and the roads were busy and crowded. After the school, they used to go round the high wall and talk about the beautiful garden inside.
How happay we were there! they said to each other.
Then came the spring. And all over the country, there were flowers and there were birds. only in the garden of the Giant it was still winter . Here no birds were singing and no flowers blossoming. There were only snow and frost and north wind in it.
''I cant understand why the spring is so late in coming'' said the Giant. He was sitting at the window of his big castle and looking out at his cold, dry, lifeless garden. ''I hope there will be a change in the weather''
But neither spring nor summer came to his garden.
One morning the Giant was laid awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It was so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the kings musicians passing by.
But in fact it was only a little bird singing out side his window.
Then the northe wind stopped and a delicious perfume came to him through the open window. I believe the spring has come at last. Said the Giant.
He jumped out of bed and looked out.
What did he see ?
He saw the most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall, the children crept in and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. In every tree there was a little child. And the tree were so delighted to have the children back again that they covered themselves with blossoms. They were waving their arms gently above the chldrens heads. The birds were flying about and twittering delightfully. The flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing.
But only in one corner of the garden, it was still winter. There under a tree, a little boy was standing alone crying. He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree. The poor tree was still covered with snow, and the north wind was blowing above it.
The Giant felt sorry as he looked out.
''How selfish I have been! '' He said to himself.
''How I know why the spring would not come here''
So he quickly went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter again. Only the little boy didn't run, for his eyes were so full of tears that he didn't see the giant comiing. The giant came behind him, took him gently in his hands and put him up into the tree. And the tree at once broke into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it. The little boy stretched out his two arms, flung them round the Giants neck and kissed him.
The other children saw this. The saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer. So they came running back. And with them came the spring.
''It's your garden now little children'' said the giant. Then he took a huge axe and knocked the wall down. And the people passing by found the Giand playing with the children in the most beautiful garden in the country.