Arranged Melancholia

Ten Years Later


"Darren Hurry up, your breakfast is getting cold!" June Hayes shouted to her ten year old son.
"Coming Mummy," He shouted back. He was standing in front of his parents' mirror reciting Shakespearian sonnets. He wanted to be an actor someday, and he knew his parents disapproved of it. That's the reason every morning when his mother was making breakfast he recited work, and every evening he paid the beggar boy down the lane to do his chores so he could sneak into tt\he theatre to watch the works of the great Shakespeare himself. He so badly wanted to work with Shakespeare, but knew he would never even come within ten feet of him, much less work with him. Thatr morning he had decided to tell his mother he was sick sos he could skip church. He had seen the most beautiful garden that seemed to be completely abandoned. It was surrounded by high walls, and he couold take a script he had copied from one of Shakespeare's plays and fully act it out. It was a new one, called Romeo and Juliet. How he wished that he like the beautiful Juliet could fall in love, but unfortunately, his parents had prevented that. He was betrothed to the awful snob Hugh Jones "The Barren Baron". (LOL) He'd only seen him once, at church, and yes, he was quite attractive, but much too snobby for Darren's tastes. He Pulled on his shoes and raced down the hall, trying to raise his temperature. When he reached the kitchen, he was out of breath and burning up. June looked at him and asked him if he felt alright. "No, Mummy, I feel terrible. Maybe I'd better not go to church this morning. I think I sould rest instead."
"Well. maybe you should, but I hate to leave you alone-"
"Oh, no, mum, don't worry about me, I'll be just fine."
"well, are you sure ,because I could stay home,"
"But what for mom, you're not sick. Do you think the Lord would excuse that?" That did it. June kissed him on the top hof his head and left to join hher husband in church. As soon as DArren felt sure they were far out of sight, he walked out the door and ran to where he had seen the garden. He climbed over one of the high h\walls and fell smack on top of a sleepong boy.
"Oh I'm so so sorry," he stammered, as he stared into the most beautiful face he had ever seen.
"It's quite alright, the boy said, looking at DArren in much the same way. "I'm DAniel, Daniel Jones; and you are...?"
"Hayes, Darren Hayes," he murmured, unable to stop staring.
"Oh, no, I know who you are. You're betrothed to my brother. I pity you."
Darren laughed. "Not if I can find a way out of it," He replied uneasily.
"Say, what's that you've got there?" DAniel asked pointing to the papers in Darren's hand.
"Uh, uh it's nothing," Darren said, embarrased that this angel had nioticed it.
"Oh, come on, it looks like a script. I love theatre, now tell me is it or isn't it?"
"Well yes, actually, it is. I thought I'd come here and act it out, but I didn't realize anyone owned this gardenso I can um leave if you wanmt me to-"
"Nonsense! Acting out a play sounds terrific. I tell you what Darren. If I let you use my garden, will you let me be in that play, too?"
"Sure! I'd love to have a partner. It's a new Shakespeare peice called Romeo And Juliet. It'sd a tradgedy. Very SAd actually." And so they became a team. Every morning after breakfast and Danioel's lessons, they met in the Garden and acted out plays until dusk. As they practiced the growth became unrulier and unrulier. And that's how the Secret Garden became the Savage Garden