The Garden That Listened

At the edge of a sleepy village there was a garden that listened. Not many people knew this, but the old gardener did. He would whisper to the tomatoes, hum to the beans, and tell the sunflowers about his day. And the garden, in its slow and leafy way, listened.

One summer a curious child named Juno moved in next door. She had never had a garden before. The first time she sat among the rows of vegetables, she felt very silly. "Hello?" she whispered. Nothing happened. She tried again. "Hello, garden." A bee bumbled past. A leaf turned over to feel the sun.