TheSelfish Giant

by Oscar Wilde

1. Everyafternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play inthe Giant's garden. It was a largelovely garden, with soft green grass. The birds sat on the trees and sang. Oneday the Giant came back after visiting his friend the Cornish ogre. When he arrived he saw thechildren playing in the garden. “What are you doing here?" he cried in avery gruff voice, and the childrenran away.

2. "Myown garden is my own garden," said the Giant; "I will allow nobody toplay in it but myself." So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a noticeboard.TRESPASSERSWILL BEPROSECUTED. He was a very selfish Giant.

3. Thepoor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on the road, but theroad was very dusty and full of hardstones, and they did not like it. Then the Spring came, and all over thecountry there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter.The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the treesforgot to blossom.

4. Theonly people who were pleased werethe Snow and the Frost. "Springhas forgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all theyear round." The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak,and the Frost painted all the trees silver. "I cannot understand why theSpring is so late in coming," said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at thewindow and looked out at his cold white garden.

5. TheSpring never came, nor the Summer. Itwas always Winter there, and the Frost and the Snow danced about through thetrees.One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovelymusic. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the King's musicians passing by. It was reallyonly a little linnet singing outsidehis window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his gardenthat it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world. "Ibelieve the Spring has come at last," said the Giant; and he jumped out ofbed and to have a look outside.

6. Hesaw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. Inevery tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees were soglad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves withblossoms. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers werelooking up through the green grass and laughing.

7. Onlyin one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy.He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree, and hewas crying bitterly.

8. Andthe Giant's heart melted as helooked out. "How selfish I havebeen!" he said; "now I know why the Spring would not come here. Iwill put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my gardenshall be the children's playground for ever and ever." He was really very sorry for what he had done.

9. Whenhe stepped into the garden the children were so afraid of him that they all ranaway, so the garden became winter again. Only the little boy did not run, forhis eyes were so full of tears that he did not see the Giant coming. The Gianttook him gently in his hand, and puthim up into the tree.

10. Thetree broke at once intoblossom, and the birds came andsang. The other children, when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer, came running back,and with them came the Spring. "It is your garden now, littlechildren," said the Giant, and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall.

11. Sincethen, every afternoon the children came and played in the garden. But the littleboy was never seen again. Years passed, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He usually sat in a huge armchair, and watched the children at theirgames, admiring his garden. One winter morning he looked out of his window.Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, for he saw in the farthestcorner of the garden a tree covered with lovely white blossoms. Underneath it stood the little boy.

12. Downstairsran the Giant out into the gardentogreet the little boy. The child smiled whenseeing the Giant, and said tohim, "You let me play once in your garden, today you shall come with me tomy garden, which is Paradise."Whenthe children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under thetree, all covered with white blossoms.