The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde

            There was a large lovely garden.  It was the Giant’s garden.  Every afternoon the children used to play in the Giant’s garden.  The Giant had stayed with his friend for seven years.  One day the Giant came back.

  He saw the children playing in the garder.

            The Giant built a high wall.  He put up a notice-board.  ‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’.  He was a very selfish giant.  The children had nowhere to play.  Then the spring came.  Only in the garden of the selfish Giant it was still winter.  The birds did not care to sing.  The trees forgot to blossom.

            One morning the Giant heard some lovely music.  A linnet was singing outside his window.  The spring came at last.  The Giant saw a most wonderful sight.  The children had crept in through a little hole in the wall.  They were sitting in the branches of the trees.

            Only in one corner it was still winter.  A little boy was standing.  He was very tiny.  He could not reach up to the branches of the tree.  The tree was covered with frost and snow.  The Giant’s heart melted.

            The Giant went out into the garden.  The children saw him.  They all ran away.  The garden became winter again.  The little boy did not run.  The Giant put him up into the tree.  The tree broke into blossom.  The little boy put his two arms around the Giant’s neck and kissed him.

            The Giant knocked down the wall.  The Giant was playing with the children in the garden.  But the little boy was never seen again.  The Giant felt very sad.  Years went over.  The Giant grew very old and feeble.  He could not play.  He sat in a huge arm-chair.  He watched the children at their games.

            One winter morning the Giant looked out of his window,  He saw the little boy under a tree.  The Giant ran in great joy.  There were prints of two nails on the palms of the child’s hands.  There were prints of two nails on the little feet.

            The Giant asked the little boy who had wounded him.  The little boy answered that those were the wounds of love.  The Giant asked the little boy who he was.  The little boy said that he would take the Giant with him to Paradise.  In that afternoon the children found the Giant lying under the tree.  He was covered with white blossoms.