The Selfish Giant Chapter 03

Part Three
White Blossoms
At twelve o'clock people go to the market.
They see the Giant playing with the children in the beautiful garden.
The children play all day.
In the evening they say goodbye to the Giant.
'Where is the little boy?' asks the Giant.
'We don't know,' answer the children.
'You must tell him to come tomorrow,' says the Giant.
'We don't know where he lives,' say the children.
The Giant is very sad and says, 'He is my little friend and I want to see him.'
Every afternoon, after school, the children play with the Giant.
The Giant is very kind to the children.
But he wants to see his first little friend.
'Where is he?' he says to himself.
Many years pass and the Giant grows old.
He can't play with the children.
So he sits in an enormous armchair
and watches the children play.
He looks at his garden and says,
'I have many beautiful flowers,
but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.'
One winter morning the Giant looks out of his window.
He does not hate the Winter now.
He knows that the Spring is sleeping and that the flowers are resting.
Suddenly, he sees something marvellous.
He looks and looks.
He is very surprised.
In a corner of the garden there is a tree with lovely white blossoms.
Its branches are golden and there is silver fruit on them.
Under this tree there is a little boy.
It is the Giant's little friend.
The Giant runs to the garden.
He is very happy.
He runs across the green grass and goes to the child.
When he is near the child he becomes angry.
He says,
'What are these wounds?'
There are the marks of two nails on the child's hands and feet.
'What are these wounds?' says the Giant.
'These are the wounds of Love,' says the child.
'Who are you?' asks the Giant.
The Giant has a strange sensation.
He kneels in front of the little child.
The child smiles at the Giant and says,
'You let me play in your garden.
Today you can come with me to my garden.
It is Paradise.'
When the children come to the garden
they find the Giant dead under a tree.
He is covered with white blossoms.