A History of the Garden, Part I: The First Spring
Being the first in a series of historical accounts compiled from the Library's Ancient Records Section, with annotations by Mr. Thistledown, Chief Archivist of Improbable Events
Introduction
The exact origins of the Garden are, like many important beginnings, somewhat difficult to pin down with scholarly precision. The oldest texts in our library speak of a time before time, when magic flowed as freely as water and the boundaries between what was possible and what wasn't had not yet been firmly established.
What we do know, drawn from sources both written and oral, preserved in everything from pressed flower pages to songs still hummed by the oldest trees, is this: There was a First Spring, and with it came the First Garden, and with that garden came the first mice to tend it.
The Time Before
Before the Garden, our histories tell us, there was only the Wild. The oldest books (particularly those bound in bark from the First Trees) speak of a time when all growing things answered only to their own desires, when flowers bloomed in impossible colors and roots grew in directions that defied both gravity and reason.
It was beautiful, yes, but also dangerous. The Wild had no interest in making space for smaller creatures, no thought for those who might need shelter or sustenance. Magic ran unchecked, creating wonders and terrors in equal measure.
The Coming of Order
The change began, our oldest stories say, with a single mouse. Her name has been lost to time, though some texts refer to her as the First Gardener, while others simply call her "She Who Made Paths." What we know of her comes primarily from the memories preserved in Grandmother Elderberry's most ancient jars, and from the songs still sung by the morning glories at dawn.
This First Gardener looked at the Wild and saw not chaos to be feared, but possibility to be shaped. She began small, as all great works must - by clearing a tiny space, no larger than her own tail could sweep clean. In this space, legend tells us, she planted the First Seed.
What kind of seed it was has been debated by scholarly mice for generations. The Library's botanical records suggest it might have been a simple herb - perhaps thyme or mint, something sturdy enough to establish itself yet generous enough to share space with others. Whatever it was, this First Seed represented something revolutionary: the idea that magic could be guided rather than simply endured.
The First Spring
The Garden proper began, our histories tell us, during what we now call the First Spring. It was a season unlike any before or since - a time when the boundary between Wild and Tended first emerged, when magic learned to work with purpose rather than merely exist.
The First Gardener was joined by others - mice who saw the value in creating spaces where smaller creatures could thrive. They learned to speak with plants, to negotiate boundaries with the Wild, to create paths and places that balanced magic with practicality.
This was when the great agreements were made:
With the bees, who promised to help tend flowers in exchange for having their own special corner of the Garden
With the morning glories, who agreed to mark time with their blooms
With the earth itself, which consented to hold space for roots to grow in orderly ways
Most importantly, this was when mice first began to develop the arts that would define our society:
The keeping of records (first on pressed leaves, later in proper books)
The preservation of memories (though Grandmother Elderberry's family wouldn't perfect this art for several generations)
The building of proper burrows and the establishment of the first libraries
The First Winter
The greatest test of the young Garden came with the approach of the First Winter. The Wild, our histories tell us, had never before allowed growing things to rest -- it demanded constant motion, constant change. But the First Gardener and her companions understood that all things need time to dream.
They worked complex magics - spells of rest and renewal, enchantments of preservation and protection. They taught plants how to sleep, how to draw their magic inward and wait for spring's return. They created the first frost spirits to help tend winter's dreams.
This, perhaps more than anything, marked the true beginning of the Garden as we know it — not just a space carved from the Wild, but a place where magic learned to follow the natural rhythm of seasons, where wonder could be cultivated rather than simply encountered.
Legacy
Today, traces of the First Spring can still be found throughout the Garden:
In the way certain flowers always face east, remembering their first greeting of the sun
In the patterns water makes as it flows through our carefully tended beds
In the songs still sung by the oldest trees, if one knows how to listen properly
Most importantly, the First Spring lives on in our continued work -- in every seed planted, every memory preserved, every small magic tended with care and purpose.
Note: Mr. Thistledown wishes me to point out that some of the more dramatic elements of this account (particularly the bit about negotiating with the Wild) may have been somewhat enhanced by generations of retelling. However, he also admits that on quiet spring mornings, when the light falls just so, one can sometimes hear echoes of those first agreements in the way the Garden greets the dawn.
[To be continued in Part II: The Great Migration and the Building of the Library...]
From the Library Archives, annotated by Miss Hazel:
The above account has been compiled from various sources, including:
The Bark Scrolls of the First Trees (very fragile, handle with extreme care)
Grandmother Elderberry's Oldest Memory Jars (the ones that glow like captured starlight)
Songs still sung by the morning glories (though Mr. Thistledown insists their historical accuracy is sometimes compromised by their tendency toward dramatic flourishes)
Various oral traditions preserved by the Library's Story-Keeping Section
For more detailed information on specific aspects of Early Garden History, please consult the following resources:
"On the Proper Understanding of First Magics" by Professor Acorn
"A Theoretical Approach to Early Garden Architecture" by Master Oakenwise
"The Complete Recording of Morning Glory Songs" (currently being transcribed by the Cricket Orchestra)
Filed under: History (Ancient), Garden Origins (Theoretical), and Magic (First Principles)