Lily pressed her nose against the iron gate. Behind it, a wall of green and gold spilled over an old brick wall. She tugged the rusted latch. It would not budge.
A boy arrived with a tin key around his neck. "It's stuck," he said. A yellow butterfly with bright blue wings landed on the gate. "She needs help," it whispered.
Lily knelt in the dirt and pulled a thick vine away from a sleeping flower. Sunny flapped to another vine and tapped it with her wings. The boy lifted a heavy branch off tiny green shoots.
Days passed. Lily watered. Sunny dusted pollen from bloom to bloom. The boy cleared stone after stone. The garden began to wake.
Roses stretched tall. Lavender hummed. The air smelled like honey and rain. Then a soft glow appeared between the flowers.
A tiny fairy stepped forward from the flowers. She smiled. "Hello," she said, and waved her hands.
The whole garden bloomed at once. Pink, purple, gold, and red rushed through the air like a wave of petals and perfume. Lily and the boy clapped.
Sunny circled overhead with bright blue wings flashing. The iron gate swung open on its own. The garden waited for them tomorrow.
