The Wishing Well

For the moment, it appeared that our conversation had hit the wall. A truce was declared, and we all realized just how far we had walked along the creek. Under a road we walked and then the creek seemed to turn parallel along a small rise for a short bit. We shouldered on and saw this amazing sweeping pasture with long grasses and wooden fence pole of some kind.

Up a small bank we climbed, and could see a few horses grazing in the distance. On top of the hill was a blue gray house with a silo adjacent to it. We followed the fence bordering the creek and spotted an immense oak tree maybe fifty yards away. Right next to it, under its huge wingspan of branches, was a stone well.

We decided to climb through the fence and approach this massive tree that cast elongated shadows over the well. Cindy wondered out loud who lived in the big old house, and whether we should be on the property or not. It was a reasonable thing for fourteen year old kids to contemplate and ponder. However, we kept walking as our curiosities overpowered our sense of reason. The well just drew us in like an invisible long hand that wanted to say hello. It was beautiful, somewhat spooky, and haunting. The unknown does that and we were mesmerized.

What a sight it was too!! Made of old gray stone blocks stacked perfectly on top of each other, it rose about four feet high and had a large wooden crank handle on one side. A small roof rising another three feet or so covered up the entrance secured by bolts in all four corners of the top base. The roof was painted light blue with yellow trim. We all looked down the well and could faintly pick out a wooden bucket some fifteen feet down or so. Just below the wooden handle, drilled into the stone blocks, was a metal contraption of some kind. Once the bucket had water in it and was pulled to the top, you could secure the rope to the handle. We had stumbled upon a wishing well that would enlighten us more than we could imagine.

David decided to pull the crank handle toward him effectively lifting the bucket up the well. As the bucket had water in it, this was more difficult than he had anticipated, but it slowly rose to the top as the strain to pull harder showed. Maureen wondered if there would be a magical reflection of some kind; perhaps in belief that some pretty maiden would begin to speak to the first person who established eye contact. Cindy said, “We better be ready to make a wish or say something right? Otherwise, the wish may not be granted.” I wasn’t sure whether to buy this magic stuff, and looked at David who didn’t say anything. Maureen just closed her eyes and started to think real hard about what she wanted to say as if a magic moment was going to happen.

Once the bucket arrived at the top, the rope was tied off to the metal handle. Maureen said not to look inside the bucket as any pending wishes we might have would be denied. I decided to make my wish, and it was an easy one for me. My mother was recovering from kidney surgery, and I wished for her only good health and a normal life moving forward. Cindy declared that she had made her wish. David stated the same after some deliberation.

Maureen took charge and asked that everyone hold hands in front of the wishing well. Her eyes were closed and she was in a semi-hypnotic state. And, the following words parted through her lips:

“Please talk to us, you beautiful wishing well. We have so many wishes that we need
to tell. Children have magic in their twinkling eyes and we crave to see your reflection
under the blue skies.”

My hair came off my skin as if I had entered some electric force field. David asked Maureen if she had just made a wish. Maureen nodded that she had. “What did you wish for?” he asked. She replied, “I can’t say as it is between me and the wishing well.” We all looked inside the bucket at the same time. I didn’t see a pretty maiden smile back at me, but something very special had just happened to the four of us. On a clear and sunny day, in a beautiful pasture, with the gentle wind blowing across the grass, something profound had just occurred. Collectively, our four wishes had petitioned forces far greater than our minds could comprehend.

As we were on private property, we decided to walk up the grass hill to the big old house. We followed the wooden fence to the very top where it curved back to the banks of the creek. There was a dirt driveway that led directly to the house. Up the stairs we went to a huge porch area that had all kinds of flower pots hanging from the ceiling. There were tulips, orchids, geraniums, and every flower imaginable hanging from the ceiling. The colors and their combinations were magnificent and elegant in a perfect way, blending together with precision and personal taste. I thought I was in paradise, possibly heaven, and maybe we all were.

The porch had to be sixty feet in length or more, and there was a wicker based table with circular glass on top of it. Four empty chairs waited for their guests. Further down and facing the house at an angle was a big old loveseat with large cushions on it. We decided to help ourselves against our better judgments. We had walked a long way and it felt good to lean back and close our eyes for a moment. Cindy then jumped off her cushion and said, “We ought to ring the doorbell or knock on the door to see if anyone is home.”

Within our group, there were simple rules that required adherence to. One of the most important ones was the first volunteer or person that makes a suggestion does the work. Cindy was stepping up to the plate and knocked on the door several times. There wasn’t an answer. She rang the doorbell and said nervously, “Someone is coming down the stairs.”

The door opened and there she was. The woman said, “Good afternoon kids. How may I help you?” Cindy said, “Good afternoon Maam. My name is Cindy, and these are my friends Maureen, David, and Mark. We were walking along the creek for some time and hit the section where it forks. We decided to stay to the right and followed it up to the fence. Then, we climbed through the fence and saw the big tree with the wishing well underneath it. We looked down the well and cranked the handle so the bucket would come up. We held hands and then the wind started to pick up. Then, Maureen spoke magical words while we silently made our wishes. Oh my God, we shouldn’t have” as her words trailed off. This girl was talking so fast and nervously, while we had been staring at a beautiful woman in a cotton red dress with a small gray and white apron on. She had long blondish hair with very small gray streaks running along her ears, all neatly wrapped in a stylish ponytail.