I meant to ask Hatty questions about the garden,' Tom wrote to Peter, 'but somehow I forgot.' He always forgot. In the daytime, in the Kitsons' flat, he thought only of the garden, and sometimes he wondered about it: where it came from, what it all meant. Then he planned cunning questions to put to Hatty, that she would have to answer fully and without fancy; but each night, when he walked into the garden, he forgot to be a detective, and instead remembered only that he was a boy and this was the garden for a boy and that Hatty was his playmate.
In Tom's Midnight Garden, Tom often finds himself pondering questions about the garden’s origins and significance. He writes to Peter, expressing frustration at forgetting to ask Hatty about it, highlighting his tendency to lose track of these thoughts during the day while at the Kitsons' flat. Tom's curiosity is evident as he devises thoughtful inquiries, showing that he wants to understand more about the magical place he discovers.
However, when night falls and he enters the garden, his focus shifts from investigation to play. The enchanting environment transforms his thoughts, allowing him to reconnect with his childhood. Instead of being a detective, he immerses himself in the joy of being a boy with a friend, which emphasizes the garden's role as a space of wonder and companionship rather than just a subject of inquiry.
