It was one of those lazy Saturday afternoons when everything feels boring. Rahul sat slumped on the living room couch, flipping channels, hoping to stumble upon something interesting. “Bro, life is so dry. Kuch toh karte hai, yaar,” he groaned, tossing the remote aside.

Priya, his younger cousin, peeked up from her book with a sly grin. “Let’s go outside? Explore?”

Rahul raised an eyebrow. “Explore what? The same boring park, auntie’s samosas, and Shyam kaka’s constant chitchat about the weather?”

“Nope!” Priya declared, her eyes gleaming. “I saw something cool yesterday. Follow me!”

“Priya, are you sure this is a good idea?” Rahul muttered as they stood before a tall, rusty fence hidden behind rows of wild bushes. A crooked sign on the gate read:
“KEEP OUT!”

“Rules are for boring people,” Priya said with a wink, already climbing over the gate. Rahul sighed, muttered something about her being crazy, and followed.

On the other side, the world changed.

“What the…” Rahul gasped.

The ground was covered in soft, glowing moss, and massive flowers taller than them swayed gently, as if whispering secrets. Fruit the size of footballs hung from trees, sparkling as if coated with sugar.

“Is this a garden or a dream?” Priya whispered, wide-eyed.

“Forget that,” Rahul said, staring at the ground. “What’s with these massive footprints?”

Just as Priya bent down to examine the footprints, a loud THUMP shook the ground. Then another.

THUMP. THUMP.

“Run!” Priya hissed, dragging Rahul behind a bush as a shadow fell over them.

Peeking out, they saw him—a giant. Not the scary, roaring kind from the movies. This one looked... oddly comical. He was at least 15 feet tall, wearing a striped shirt, suspenders, and one broken slipper. His nose was big enough to balance a watermelon on it, and he scratched his head, muttering, “Where did I leave my hat?”

“Dude, is that a giant?” Rahul whispered.

Priya nodded, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “We’re in a giant’s garden. This is epic!”

“Epic? We’re gonna get squashed!” Rahul snapped.

The giant plopped down near a massive sundial and started snoring. Priya nudged Rahul. “Look at that sundial! It’s glowing.”

“Who cares? Let’s get out of here before he wakes up,” Rahul whispered.

But Priya was already moving toward the sundial. She ran her fingers over the carvings and gasped. “Rahul, listen to this!” she whispered, pointing at an inscription:

“All who enter must leave before the last ray of sunlight, or they’ll remain forever.”

Rahul froze. “What does that mean? ‘Forever’ as in… forever?”

“Exactly,” Priya said, her voice shaky.

Rahul looked up at the sun, now low in the sky. “We’re doomed.”

“Not if we hurry,” Priya said, grabbing Rahul’s arm. But as they turned, they heard a loud yawn.

The giant stretched, spotted them, and grinned. “Ah, visitors! Stay for tea!” he boomed, reaching for them.

“RUN!” Priya screamed.

They darted through the oversized garden, dodging giant pumpkins, leaping over puddles of golden honey, and squeezing between towering cabbage heads. The giant chased them, huffing and puffing, his broken slipper flopping loudly.

“You kids! Come back! I’m lonely!” the giant called.

“Lonely? He’s trying to kidnap us!” Rahul yelled.

“No, really! I just want company!” the giant pleaded, stopping to catch his breath.

Priya suddenly stopped. “Wait, Rahul. What if he’s telling the truth?”

Rahul skidded to a halt. “You want to trust that thing?”

Priya turned, hands on her hips. “He doesn’t seem dangerous. Just… sad. Look at him.”

The giant had sat down, his head in his massive hands. “Nobody ever visits. Everyone’s scared of me because I’m big,” he said, sniffing.

Priya took a step forward. “We’ll have tea with you if you help us find the way out before sunset.”

Rahul stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “Are you serious?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Priya shot back.

The giant’s “tea” turned out to be a feast—giant cups of steaming hot chai served with biscuits the size of frisbees.

“You kids are brave,” the giant said, smiling. “Most people run away screaming.”

“Well, you do have big, scary vibes,” Rahul admitted, munching on a biscuit.

“I’m just misunderstood,” the giant said with a shrug. “Here, take this.” He handed them a glowing compass. “It’ll lead you to the exit. But hurry—the sun’s setting.”

With the compass glowing brighter with each step, Rahul and Priya sprinted through the garden. The sun was dangerously low now, casting long shadows across the glowing moss.

“There! The gate!” Priya shouted.

They reached the rusty fence just as the last ray of sunlight disappeared. Tumbling to the other side, they lay on the grass, panting.

“We made it,” Rahul said, laughing nervously.

“Barely,” Priya replied, holding up the compass. It had turned into an ordinary rock.

As they walked back home, Rahul smirked. “You know, Priya, you’re crazy. But that was… kinda fun.”

“Told you,” Priya said, grinning.

They glanced back at the fence, now hidden in the shadows.

“Do you think we’ll ever see him again?” Priya asked.

“Hopefully not when I’m hungry. His biscuits were terrible,” Rahul joked.

They both laughed, heading home with a story no one would believe.