I loved the Secret Garden growing up. I connected with the isolation of Mary, and longed for a garden of my own. i wanted to be the one to bring it to life, to sit next to Dicken and learn, to get my hands dirty, to bring a book into the locked walls and spend hours with only myself for company. And now I've found a way. Kind of.
I'm really excited about writing in this world. When I was little not only was it one of my fav books, but I adored the Hallmark movie based on the book. It started out in the future, with Mary as a nurse, and told the story through flashbacks (it ended with Dicken arriving in the garden and they kiss.) I always thought Mark and Dicken would end up together.
I was listening to the musical recently. It has this great song at the end (in the Broadway version sung by Mandy Patankin) or rather 2 songs. Where in the World and How Could I Ever Know. The first song is Archie lammenting the fact that he is being haunted by Lily, and where can he go to get away from the memories. The second part is Lily's responce. She didn't know that she would have to leave him, but her wish is for him to take that love he feels for her and give it to their son.
I started thinking about that idea, and wanting to expand it. How did they meet? She must have loved gardens very much. I can see her mucking around in the dirt, and her mother getting exasperated. "Why can't you be a proper lady?" And she has a sisiter who moves to India and has a child. What was that relationship like? Were they good friends? Or did they just tolerate each other?
How did they meet? Was it love at first sight? And what about the other characters. Did Lily know Mrs. Medlock? Did she ever hold Dicken as a baby? Was she friends with Ben Witherstaff or Susan Sowerby? Was the robin that friended Mary the child or grandchild of a robin that was around when the garden was first built?