The Garden of Deeds
A Young Dreamer
Once upon a time, in a warm kingdom, there lived a young boy named Regi.
— Regi! It's time to wake up! Go brush your teeth! — Mmm, five more minutes! — Regi? — Ah!
Regi loved to laze around, daydream, and take things easy.
— Regi! The bus is here! Eat quickly!
But he took things so easy that he ended up wasting a lot of time.
Regi loved to be in his own world. Anytime, anywhere, he was almost always daydreaming.
— Regi, wake up! — Me?
— Alright, children! Today's lesson will be important, so please pay attention! Regi! — No! — Especially you, Regi!
— Now, children, please turn to page... — This lesson is so boring. I wish I could sit under that tree over there.
— No! Wow! This is where I'd love to be! I wish I could go there, lie down in the cool shade, and do absolutely nothing. Mmm.
A Magical World
Regi was astonished when he saw that he was no longer in the classroom, but in this magical and wonderful place.
— No! Where am I? Did I fall asleep again? Am I dreaming? — Oh no, dear! You're not dreaming at all!
— Welcome, Regi! Welcome to the Garden of Deeds! — The Garden of Deeds? — Yes! It's a very special place, where only a few lucky children are allowed to enter! — Wait! You mean, how am I not dreaming? — Ouch! — See? It's not a dream. — Unbelievable!
— I'm Florence, and she's Hazel. — Hello!
— You see, this garden has two parts. In my part, children can eat whatever they want and never, ever have to work! — Never? — Never. — Wow! That sounds fantastic! And what about your part, Fairy Hazel? — In my part, children eat after a hard day's work. — Work? — Yes! They exercise, play, and learn a lot about nature too. — Learn? No way am I choosing that side! Fairy Florence's side sounds much better to me.
Florence's Garden
And as he said that, Regi happily turned and ran after Florence, who led him into her garden.
— Oh, wow! Is it all real? I've never seen anything like it in my life! Wow! — Go wherever you want and you can make a mess. Others will clean up after you. — Now go! Eat whatever you want!
Regi was amazed by everything he saw.
— This is so good! I'll never get tired of this!
He wandered everywhere and ate as much as he wished.
But soon, after eating too much, he started to feel sleepy.
— I'm tired. Those jelly beds look very comfortable. Maybe I'll sleep on them. — Hello, Regi! Are you feeling well? — Very well, Fairy Florence, but I'm a bit tired, so I was thinking of taking a nap. — Sleep? Sleep? Oh, my dear, nobody sleeps here! You're not allowed! This place is for eating and having a good time. That's all! — But... but I'm sleepy. — We can fix you! Here! Have this super delicious apple pie! It'll keep you awake all day long! — I don't want to! — Say ah! — No! — Regi, wait! You haven't finished the pie! — I have to escape!
Regi ran from the palace as fast as he could. Considering how much he'd eaten, he was very slow.
— I have to... I have to... — Regi! Soldiers! After him! — Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! — No! No! Leave me alone! — Stop! — No! Please, please, don't take me! — Oh, well, now I won't take you. — Wait! Is that all? — Oh! Oh, of course, dear! You're far from the other line, see? — But... but... — Say hello to Hazel for me! Bye! — I don't understand!
Hazel's Garden
Regi was very tired and fell asleep immediately. After some time, he woke up feeling very rested.
— Hello, Regi! — I see you've changed your mind. — No, no! I want to go home! — But you can't go home! You can only choose between Florence's garden and mine! It's your choice, you know!
Regi looked at Florence's side and swallowed hard. He didn't want to go back, and since he couldn't go home, he decided to try Hazel's side.
— Okay, I'll come with you. — Perfect! Come on! Oh, we're going to have so much fun! — Yes, fun. — Oh, definitely! You'll love it a lot!
— Look, over there! — Strawberries and raspberries, full of vitamin C! They make your body strong and keep you happy forever! — Wow! Oh! — Oh! Do you feel good, finally? — I... I want to go home! — You know these strengthen your immune system, which helps you fight off colds and illnesses. Try one, you're sure to like it! — Carrots help you see! They're full of vitamin A! They're sweet and crunchy! Sweet and crunchy! — Oh! Wow! And crunchy! Hip hip, hooray! — What? I still want to go home, but I think I'm having fun. — Well, now let's do some exercises! — Exercises? — You know, some jumps, some leaps. Jump! Two, three, four! — Oh no! I don't like fruit and vegetable songs. I'm going to play with the carrot. — Come on, little pea! We need to make you healthy! — No!
Hazel took Regi to a huge place where all the children were playing different games and doing sports.
— Oh! Oh, wow! — Come on, Regi, let's jump! — Come on! That's it! — Hit it! Hit it! — No! Ugh! — Yay, you did it! — Regi, what do you say to joining that race? — A race? No way, Fairy Hazel! You won't be able to convince me to do that! — You can do it! — Hey! No slacking! Get ready! — Oh no! What am I going to do? I can't win! — Start! — Regi, think of something scary, as if you're running away from it! — Something scary! — Regi! Have another cake, dear! — No! — Oh! — And Regi wins! — You did it! You won! I'm so proud of you, Regi! — I... I won! I did it! It was so much fun! — Regi! Regi! Regi!
The Lesson Learned
— Regi! Regi! Regi! — Huh? Are you dreaming again? Tell me what we were talking about. — You were talking about the importance of a healthy life? — Ah! And what can you tell me about it? — Well, we should eat lots of fruits and vegetables, because they are vital for us and give us many minerals and vitamins. They strengthen our bodies so they can fight off illnesses or bad bacteria. It's the same with exercise. Although it might seem hard at first, it can help you have stronger and more resilient muscles and be healthier. So, happier!
The teacher, though surprised, was pleased to hear this. From that day on, Regi started paying attention in class and also enjoyed playing. Not because he had to, but because he felt good when he did. He played properly, ate properly, thus being healthy and happy.
The fairies from the Garden of Deeds taught him that just dreaming, without doing any activity, makes you feel sluggish.
