The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wild.

Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the giant's garden.

It was a large, lovely garden with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars,

and there were 12 peach trees that in the springtime broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn

bore rich fruit.

The bird sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games

in order to listen to them.

How happy we are here, they cried to each other.

One day the giant came back. He'd been to visit his friend,

the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over,

he'd said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he determined to return to

his own castle. When he arrived, he saw the children playing in the garden.

What are you doing here? He cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.

My own garden is my own garden, said the giant. Anyone can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself.

So, he built a high wall all around it and put up a notice board.

Tresspassers will be prosecuted.

He was a very selfish giant.

The poor children had now nowhere to play.

They tried to play on the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and they did not like it.

They used to wander around the high wall when their lessons were over and talk about the beautiful garden inside.

How happy we were there, they said to each other. Then the spring came and all over the country

there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of a selfish giant it was still winter.

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