# The Secret Garden
Lucy sighed as she stared out the window at her backyard. It was a gloomy Saturday afternoon, and she was bored out of her mind. Her parents were busy with chores, and none of her friends could come over to play. With nothing better to do, Lucy decided to explore the overgrown corner of the yard that her family had neglected since moving in last month.
As she pushed through the tall grass and weeds, Lucy noticed something odd - a small wooden door set into the trunk of an ancient oak tree. *That's strange*, she thought. *I don't remember seeing that before.* Curiosity piqued, she reached out and turned the tarnished brass doorknob.
To her amazement, the tiny door swung open with a creak. Beyond it was not the inside of the tree as she expected, but a shimmering portal of swirling light. Lucy's eyes widened in wonder. Without a second thought, she stepped through.
Lucy found herself in a lush, magical garden unlike anything she had ever seen. Flowers of every color bloomed as far as the eye could see, their petals shimmering with an otherworldly iridescence. Butterflies with gossamer wings fluttered by, leaving trails of sparkling dust in their wake. In the distance, Lucy could make out the spires of a crystalline palace rising above the treetops.
"Hello there!" came a cheerful voice. Lucy spun around to see a rabbit in a waistcoat hopping towards her. "Welcome to the Eternal Gardens, young miss. We don't get many visitors from the human realm these days."
Lucy gaped in astonishment. "You... you can talk!"
The rabbit chuckled. "Of course I can talk. All creatures can speak here in the Fae realm. I'm Jasper, Royal Gardener to Queen Titania. And who might you be?"
"I'm Lucy," she replied, still hardly believing her eyes. "I found a door in the old oak tree in my backyard. How is this place even possible?"
Jasper's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Why, magic of course! The borders between realms grow thin in certain places, allowing portals to form. That old oak must be one such threshold."
He gestured for Lucy to follow him down a path lined with glowing mushrooms. "Come along then! There's so much to see. The queen will be delighted to meet a human child - it's been centuries since one last visited."
As they walked, Jasper explained how the Eternal Gardens were the heart of the Fae realm, a place of natural wonder and powerful magic. Lucy marveled at the floating islands overhead, each one home to a different type of fairy. She saw nixies splashing in a stream made of liquid starlight and watched a group of pixies painting the sunset colors onto flowers.
When they reached the crystal palace, Lucy was awestruck by its impossible architecture - delicate spires that seemed to defy gravity and walls that shimmered with rainbow hues. Inside the grand throne room, she was introduced to the radiant Queen Titania and her court of elves, sprites and other magical beings.
The Faerie Queen welcomed Lucy warmly. "What a delightful surprise! It has been far too long since we've had a human child visit our realm. You simply must stay for the Midsummer Night's feast."
And so began Lucy's fantastic adventure in the hidden world beyond her backyard. Little did she know, it was only the first of many magical journeys to come...
Rocket
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