The Time Garden

Behind Oliver's school, past the rusty fence and overgrown bushes, lay a garden that no one seemed to notice. Oliver stumbled upon it when chasing a butterfly one sunny afternoon.

The moment he stepped through the garden gate, everything changed. The sun seemed to slow in the sky, and flowers bloomed and wilted in the span of seconds. A sundial in the center of the garden spun slowly backward.

"Welcome to the Time Garden," said an elderly gardener who appeared from behind a rose bush. "Here, time is yours to control."

The gardener explained that in this magical place, Oliver could speed up time to see flowers grow, or slow it down to watch a hummingbird's wings in perfect detail. He could even step into the past to see what the garden looked like years ago.

Oliver visited the garden every day after school. He learned that while time moves quickly in the busy world, it's important to slow down sometimes to appreciate the small wonders around us—like the way a flower opens, or how raindrops create ripples in a pond.