🌿 The Secret Garden – Chapter 4: The Robin Who Showed the Way

Mary began to spend more time outdoors.

Every morning after breakfast, she put on her cloak and went into the gardens. The cold wind no longer bothered her. She liked walking through the paths, looking at trees, walls, and hidden corners.

One day, as she wandered behind a rose-covered wall, she saw a flash of red. A bird landed on a branch near her.

It was a robin.

Mary stopped. The bird looked at her with bright, curious eyes. He didn’t seem afraid.

“Hello,” she said softly.

The robin chirped and hopped closer. He moved from one branch to another, always staying near her.

Martha had told her about robins. “They’re friendly birds,” she’d said. “If you talk to one, it might answer you back.”

Mary watched the robin closely. For the first time in a long while, she felt something like joy.

“You’re not afraid of me,” she whispered. “I like that.”

Each day, the robin returned. He seemed to wait for her in the same part of the garden. Mary began to talk to him. She told him about the locked garden. About the crying she heard. About how alone she felt.

The robin chirped as if he understood.

Then something amazing happened.

One day, as the robin flew over a wall, Mary followed. Behind a curtain of ivy, she saw something she hadn’t noticed before.

A tiny door.

It was hidden in the wall, covered by thick vines. Mary’s heart raced. She pushed the ivy aside and touched the door. There was no handle, only a keyhole.

“A door!” she said aloud. “This must be it!”

But there was no key.

Still, her heart beat with excitement. The robin sang from a nearby branch, as if proud of what he had shown her.

She ran back to the house and asked Martha, “Have you ever seen a key in the garden?”

Martha looked surprised. “A key? No. Not for that garden. They say it was buried when Mr. Craven locked the door.”

Mary’s eyes sparkled. “Then I will find it.”

She returned to the garden the next morning. She searched near the door, under leaves and grass. The robin watched her closely.

Then, something shiny caught her eye.

A small, old key lay hidden under the soil.

Mary picked it up carefully. Her hands were shaking.

“I found the key,” she whispered. “Now I just need the right time to use it.”

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📖 Glossary

Word/Phrase	Meaning
Wandered	Walked without a fixed direction
Chirped	Made a short, high sound (like a bird)
Ivy	A climbing green plant
Keyhole	The small hole where a key fits
Sparkled	Shone brightly with excitement or light
Soil	The dirt or ground

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❓ Comprehension Questions

1. What does Mary do every morning?

2. What kind of bird does she meet?

3. How does Mary feel when the robin comes close?

4. What does she discover behind the ivy?

5. Why is the door important?

6. What does Mary find under the soil?

7. What does she plan to do next?

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✅ Answers

1. She walks in the gardens.

2. A robin.

3. She feels happy and not alone.

4. A hidden door in the garden wall.

5. It’s the entrance to the secret garden.

6. A small, old key.

7. She plans to open the door when the time is right.

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