The Scarecrow's Garden

There was a scarecrow at the bottom of an old garden. He stood alone all day and all night. No children played there. No one visited.

One day, the scarecrow looked at the dry earth around him. Some small plants were there, but they looked very sad. "They need water," the scarecrow said quietly.

But the scarecrow had no arms. He could not carry water. He stood and thought. Then he had an idea.

Slowly, he pulled the post out of the ground. He walked to the old tap at the end of the garden. He filled an old bucket with water. Then he carried it back to the plants. He watered every single one.

Every day, the scarecrow brought water to the garden. He pulled out the bad plants. He put new seeds in the ground. Soon, small green things started to grow.

Two children from the house next door looked over the wall one morning. They saw tomatoes, carrots and big green lettuces!

"Who did this?" asked the girl. "Who grew all this food?"

The scarecrow said nothing. He just smiled in the sun.

The children ran to get their mother. When she saw the garden, she laughed with surprise. "This is wonderful!" she said.

After that, the children visited the garden every day. They brought the scarecrow a new hat. They watered the plants together. The scarecrow was not lonely any more.

That autumn, they all ate the vegetables together. The garden was never abandoned again.