Swamp Thing (Volume 2) Annual 7

## "A Child's Garden Revisited"

"*How do you know what I wanted? You didn't ask me! You're as bad as the grownups you complain about!*"
―Maxine Baker
## Synopsis

### "A Child's Garden Revisited"

Left alone in the Louisiana swamp, Tefé Holland misses her mother and father. Meanwhile her friend Lady Jane is trying to help Swamp Thing find Tefé's mother Abby, leaving Tefé by herself. At first, she is pleased to be free of her parents' rules, but ultimately, being alone is boring for her. Knowing that all of those that she loves are gone, she feels unloved, and cries.

Suddenly, she hears a voice calling her name. It is a boy named Puck. He sympathizes with her loneliness, convincing her that her parents have neglected her. With little prompting, Puck convinces Tefé to join him on a journey to his home of Free Country, a place for children who have been abused by adults to live forever in paradise. By playing a game of One Potato, Two Potato, they create a portal to Free Country. Just as they pass through it, the Dead Boy Detectives arrive too late to stop Puck from taking Tefé away.

Puck shows Tefé all the wonderful places in Free Country, like a town made of candy, and another full of toys. In Toy Town, she encounters her long-lost Dollie, who acts as her companion and tour-guide. Puck and Dollie take Tefé to a petting zoo, where she meets Maxine Baker, a girl with powers like hers. While Tefé has access to The Green - a force which connects and pervades all plant life - Maxine has access to The Red, which connects and pervades all animal life.

Maxine joins the group, but wonders who takes care of all the animals and children in Free Country. In answer, Dollie takes them to meet Grandma, an old woman who looks after children who miss having someone to care for them. Grandma introduces the girls to all of the children she has taken in. Each one has a story of pain and suffering at the hands of adults, which prompted them to come to Free Country. Puck explains how Free Country began after the Children's Crusade, where the surviving children were sold to slavery, imprisonment, or brothels and escaped to Free Country. Puck reveals that he himself was one of those survivors.

Suddenly, a talking dish and spoon arrive to announce that a big meeting is being held at the storybook castle. The children all go to the castle, where Princess Maya explains that Free Country is under threat from Thundermugg, King of the Gobble-You-Ups. She indicates that both Tefé and Maxine have abilities which can help them stop Thundermugg from using a stolen ruby to destroy Free Country. The girls agree to help, while Dolly, Puck, and some of Grandma's children volunteer to support them.

Deep in some dark woods, the children are attacked by some Gobble-You-Ups and bandersnatches. In the ensuing panic, Dollie is torn to shreds by the bandersnatches. Meanwhile, Puck and the other children are captured while Tefé and Maxine run. Dollie, barely alive, tells Tefé to save the others.

Elsewhere, Thundermugg brags to the captured children about his plans to convert Free Country into a dead land of swamps. He is interrupted by the appearance of Tefé, who accesses The Green and envelopes him in vines while the plants untie her friends. Thundermugg sets loose the bandersnatches, but Maxine easily calms them. Despite their apparent success, Thundermugg mocks the girls' efforts, claiming that he has already set Free Country's destruction in motion. Righteously enraged, Tefé accesses The Green again, attempting to recreate everything. However, she is not powerful enough to do it all alone. Maxine offers her help, and together they access both The Green and The Red to recreate all plant and animal life, thwarting Thundermugg's plan.

Back at the castle, the effort she put forth seems to have been so taxing on Tefé that she collapses. It is then revealed that the whole activity had been a test of their devotion and abilities, much to Maxine's disgust. Puck and his friends explain to her that Free Country really is in danger, because the coming influx of children threatens its sustainability.

Unfortunately, Tefé's condition is quickly worsening. Maxine attempts to heal her using The Red, but because Tefé is half plant, there is nothing she can do for her. Maxine concludes that if Tefé isn't returned to the real world, she will die because she is too far from The Green. Reluctantly, Puck agrees to return her to where he found her. Before leaving, though, Tefé asks Maxine if she will be coming too. Maxine declines, thinking there is more to know about Free Country.

Back in the swamp, Tefé is revived and happier, remembering that things will be alright, even if her mother is missing, because she is her daddy's little girl.

### "Rise and Fall"

Tefé Holland encounters a group of singing and dancing flowers, who seem to be living in a period of primitive tribal law. Eventually, one of the flowers grows giant, and battles Swamp Thing, then eating innocent humans. Angrily, Tefé drains the flower of its life as punishment.

Soon the other flowers begin to build a civilization, where they sacrifice rats to an effigy of Tefé, worshipping her as god. Their civilization soon develops to a point where it mirrors the roman empire, then the invention of the printing press, the invention of the steam engine, and finally a futuristic mega city filled with flying cars.

A flower named Mr. H. Atom sneaks off in his vehicle and buries an object in the earth near a pond. As he looks up, he realizes that he is in the shadow of a sign advertising the development of a shopping mall. Desperately, he tries to explain to the other flowers that the end is coming, but to no avail. He builds a spaceship, and as the flowers' civilization is destroyed, Mr. Atom places his baby child into the spaceship and sends it away, in hopes that it will find a better life.

### "Beauty and the Beast"

Lady Jane tells Tefé Holland the story of *Beauty and the Beast*:

There was a rich merchant who suddenly lost all of his wealth and was forced to move into a cottage in the woods with his daughter Beauty. One day, he had to go on a trip to the city, and Beauty asked that if he got her anything, he should get her a rose. In the city, he found no rose, but on his way home, a freak snowstorm got him lost. He found himself at a splendid castle, where he took his rest. He woke to find a full table, from which he ate.

He then set out to return home, but noticed that the path out of the castle was lined with rose bushes. As he picked one, a frightful beast appeared. The beast demanded to know why the merchant would show such ingratitude as to pick a flower without permission when he had been granted food and shelter without question. The merchant begged for his life, making excuses for himself. The beast offers that the merchant may have his life if he will allow his daughter to enter into the beast's custody of her own free will.

The merchant returns home and confesses the bargain he struck, and Beauty agrees to go to the beast. She was surprised to discover that she was welcomed with decorations and courtesy. The beast gets on his knees and begs her never to desert him until she has saved him from his cruel misery. In time, Beauty grew to be a true friend to the beast, and he to her. But still, she missed her father. Sadly, the beast agrees to let her return to her father, but that if she does not return within a month's time, she will find her beast friend dead of a broken heart.

She was happy to see her father again, but when it came time for her to go, she felt guilty leaving him, and put it off. For several weeks, she waited, and finally one night, she had a dream in which the beast lay dying. The dream frightened her so much that she returned to the beast, but found him lying near-death in the rose garden. Woefully, Beauty confessed that she loved him, and upon hearing this, he turned into a handsome prince. They were wed the same day.

Lady Jane finishes her tale as Tefé falls asleep, noting the similarity between the fairytale and the story of Tefé's parents' love.

## Appearances

### "A Child's Garden Revisited"

#### Individuals

* Tefé Holland
* The Dead Boy Detectives
	+ Edwin Paine
	+ Charles Rowland
* Maxine Baker
* Dollie ***(Dies)***
* Puck
* Grandma
* Princess Maya
* Thundermugg/Nibb
* Lady Jane
* Swamp Thing
* Cliff Baker ***(Flashback Only)***
* Grandma's Children
	+ Eric
	+ Alan
	+ Amanda
	+ Bryce
	+ Wesley
	+ Josh

#### Locations

* Louisiana
	+ Houma
* Free Country

#### Concepts

* The Green
* The Red

### "Rise and Fall"

#### Individuals

* Tefé Holland
* Swamp Thing
* Abby Holland
* Mr. H. Atom

#### Locations

* Louisiana
	+ Houma

### "Beauty and the Beast"

#### Individuals

* Abigail Holland (as Beauty)
* Swamp Thing (as Beast)
* Tefé Holland
* Lady Jane

#### Locations

* Louisiana
	+ Houma

## Notes

* *"Beauty and the Beast"* is based on the fairy tale of the same name by Madame de Villeneuve, with Swamp Thing characters cast in the main roles.

## Trivia

* The final scenes of "Rise and Fall" closely mirror the origin story of Superman.

## External links

* *Swamp Thing (Volume 2)* Annual #7 on DC Wiki
* *Swamp Thing (Volume 2)* Annual #7 on Comic Vine