THE ROSES OF THE ENCHANTED CASTLE

Once upon a time, there was a castle, long abandoned, surrounded by a large garden; only two gardeners remained to care for it and cultivate the flowers. The roses, with their vivid colors, shone in every season on the green lawns and flowerbeds. The castle overlooked an old town. From a distance, it appeared magnificent, and perhaps it had been.

"What secrets might lie inside the castle?" the roses wondered.

One evening, after sunset, they discussed this with the fireflies, who were also naturally very curious.

The Red Rose, always the most adventurous of the group, approached whispering to the fireflies with a confident and velvety voice: "Friends, how about an adventure in the castle tonight?"

The brightest firefly, Lucilla, responded enthusiastically: "It would surely be fun! But how will we get in?"

"Ah, I heard the gardeners talking about a key hidden under the third stone near the old well," said the Yellow Rose, joining and rubbing its petals as if sharing a precious secret.

The Blue Rose intervened timidly, "But we must be careful, I've heard that the castle hides ancient mysteries and playful spirits."

Lucilla laughed lightly, "Oh, do not fear, Blue Rose. With our light and your beauty, no mystery can withstand us!"

"And what if we encounter some obstacle?" asked the White Rose, always the most prudent of the group.

"We will face them all together," replied the Red Rose with determination. "After all, we are not just flowers and insects, we are the explorers of the enchanted castle!"

The decision was made and in the dark and magical night, they bravely made their way along the path leading to the castle's entrance. After a short stop at the well to get the key, they approached the great door silently. Unlocking it, they pushed with all their might and with difficulty, managed to open it a crack.

A rusty and scraping sound echoed: SCREEEK. CRREEK. SCREEEK.

All the geckos, insect eaters, got scared and running up and down the castle walls fled away in an instant along with the bats. The fireflies, followed by the roses, sneaked into the grand hall, where a very high ceiling was decorated with the most fantastic designs; majestic and fantastic statues stood on the sides—a shiver of magic made the rose petals tremble. Moving together, they entered a huge hall, resembling a museum: medieval soldiers' armors with swords on one side, and Japanese samurais with their sharp, gleaming katanas on the other.

Every room in the castle was fascinating and rich in history, and there were so many of them! Halls, corridors, staircases, and secret rooms to discover. The explorers were enchanted every time they opened a door or turned a corner, but when they realized that the first light of dawn was approaching, the roses hurried back to the garden, and the fireflies, having become invisible, disappeared into the air. In their flight, the roses tripped over each other, and a cloud of lost petals of various colors fluttered in the air. Fortunately, the gardeners, rushing to their aid, glued them back with dew. By now, they had discovered the theft of the keys and the great movement of the night. All the flowers and insects in the garden, upon waking, whispered to each other the tale of the magical night:

"What secrets are yet to be discovered in the castle?"

The following evening, there were no speeches. In front of the castle's entrance were the roses and fireflies, but also tulips, ladybugs, crickets, lilies, bees, butterflies, camellias, grasshoppers, and even two sunflowers, tall and imposing, who took the lead in front of the group.

Again, the great creaking: SCREEEK. CRREEK. SCREEEK.

Once inside, all together, they climbed a wide staircase. At the top, there was a dark tunnel with a large carved door at the end, which, touched by the two sunflowers, magically opened. Inside, a wonder! A large, dusty hall containing shelves overflowing with books large, small, and medium-sized. It was the castle's secret library!

Surprisingly, there was a lot of movement: books jumped from one shelf to another, shaking off the dust, and words came out from the open pages and filled the hall with a great chatter. Every book wanted to have its say because it had been so long since anyone read or listened to them. One of the roses, along with a camellia, were resting and chatting on a wooden bench when a small children's book fell on the rose's corolla. "Oh, oh, oh, who's the culprit?" she exclaimed almost amused, and at the same time, an idea came to the two flowers, lighting up their petals with joy.

"Wonder of wonders!" said the rose, "We must make this library known to all the children and inhabitants of the town. Each of these dusty books is waiting for nothing more than to be opened, read, and cherished with care!"

So at dawn, the group of explorers, while returning to the garden, were already devising an action plan for the following night. Sunset came again, and with it the night and its magic. That evening, in front of the castle staircase, there were really everyone: the roses and fireflies, tulips, ladybugs, crickets, lilies, bees, butterflies, camellias, grasshoppers, and the two sunflowers from the previous night but also dahlias, irises, centipedes, geraniums, beetles, petunias, spiders, and even the two gardeners who were now in cahoots and agreed on what to do.

Once again, the great door was opened with the usual great creaking: SCREEEK. CRREEK. SCREEEK.

Once inside, all together, they climbed the staircase and walked through the dark tunnel to the library. At the entrance, this time appeared the old librarian custodian, who had been there for time immemorial and who had not shown himself the previous evening because he wanted to see what would happen. His hair was gray, he wore a cloak faded from use and all covered in cobwebs, two half gloves full of holes, and a pair of glasses perched on his nose, without which he couldn't see from here to there.

Intimidated, the garden inhabitants stopped, except for the roses who, bowing, greeted the old librarian and expressed, on behalf of everyone, the desire to open the castle to the children — particularly the enchanted library, where books could be consulted, read, and appreciated by everyone in the town.

What did the old librarian custodian of ancient secrets think of this idea? "This is an enchanted castle," he said, "with goodwill, anything can come true!"

No time was wasted, and the company immediately began with the preparations. During the night, they dusted and reorganized the shelves, and by dawn, only the final touches were left. The gardeners dressed as butlers, with dark suits, white gloves, and black shoes, to greet the children at the entrance. The roses went to the beautician to smooth their petals and trim their thorns: their task was to accompany the curious boys and girls and provide all the information the young visitors wanted to know.

Now everything was ready. The gardener butlers, the roses, and all the garden inhabitants sprang into action. The little visitors were amazed, impressed by the armors, paintings, and secret passages. But once they reached the library hall, they wasted no time and began to choose books to read. The sunflowers, perched on two ladders, made sure that the books jumped from the shelves into the hands and backpacks of those who had requested them. At the exit, the butlers made a grand gesture of thanks to each visitor, handing out three sweets: two to munch on and one to give to someone else.

The enchanted castle had returned to its splendors, and everywhere stories and wonders of its past were told while the roses and fireflies, satisfied, had become the guardians of the garden, together with the two faithful gardeners. What a beautiful adventure they had started together! "Come in, come in, little explorers of the enchanted castle! Choose a book and a new adventure will start immediately!" — said a sign at the entrance of the blooming garden: "You're all welcome!"