The Magic Fruitcakes

As she occasionally did upon seeing her first star of the night, Melodie started reciting: “Star-light, star-bright, first star I’ve seen tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.” With that, she closed her eyes tightly and whispered, “I wish all the kindness and the good cheer would last not just for one month, but all throughout the year.” She smiled to herself at the rhyme she just had spoken. She liked it so much she said it one more time. She looked back to the sky and hoped that someone way up there had heard her, but she knew that was most unlikely. Melodie brushed her teeth and her hair, got into her pajamas and tucked herself into bed. But the night brought strange dreams that made Melodie toss and turn in her bed. She dreamt that she was lying in a lush green field looking up at the night sky through the tree branches. There were bright sparkles of light like fireflies dancing around the trees and floating in the air above her. She extended her arm and thought she felt their warmth like tiny light bulbs. One of the lights floated down to just inches near her face and when she reached out to touch it, it popped with a loud crack that woke her up and made her sit upright in bed. She rubbed her eyes and shook the dream out of her head. “Wow”, she said, “too much meatloaf. Next time, I’ll stick to mostly veggies.” “Nothing wrong with a little extra helping of meat loaf, Melodie.” The voice was deep and soft and almost musical. Melodie spun in her bed and there, sitting on a chair five feet away, was a little old man in a colorful flowing robe made of shimmery green fabric like a rolling field. Patterns of stars and moons decorated the robe, which seemed to glow brightly in the room. His head of full white hair was tucked into an attractive velvet hat that seemed to be made of gold thread that also had its own glow. He had a fluffy white beard, rosy cheeks and deep kindly blue eyes. He lit up the whole room. Wide eyed, “Melodie asked, “Who are you?” “Why I’m The Wizard of Wonderful Wishes. You sent for me.” “I did?” “Yes, you sure did. Remember, just before you went to bed, you closed your eyes and thought of me as you whispered a wish to the skies. I heard your wish and whenever I hear a real grand wish from a real nice person, I just can’t resist it, so, here I am.” There seemed to be a glow from the wizard’s skin as he got to his feet and gave Melodie a little bow. He seemed to be floating in the air even as he began to walk slowly back and forth as if he was examining Melodie’s room more closely. Melodie couldn’t take her eyes off him and wondered whether she was still sleeping or actually awake. “Am I dreaming, or am I awake?” she said, more to herself than to him. The wizard looked at her and smiled. “ Maybe a little of both, Melodie. Tell me more about your wish.” With much enthusiasm, Melodie did. The wizard sat and stroked his flowing beard as he listened. He chuckled and when he finally spoke, there was much warmth and merriment in his voice. “Hmmmm, people nice to each other all year long, eh? A splendid thought, real splendid indeed. There would be nothing to report in the newspapers if everyone was nice and polite all year long. I suppose it would be a refreshing change to read about some of the really nice people around us and many of their acts of kindness. And just think how much more enjoyable school would be just by ending the bullying and having kids be nicer to each other. I totally agree with you. It would be a welcome change from what we have to put up with now, wouldn’t it? I like your wish, Melodie. No, I love your wish. I love it so much, that is why I’m happy to be here now.” The wizard paused. He stroked his beard and seemed deep in thought. He was so still that Melodie thought he might be asleep. But, he turned to her, suddenly and asked her a question that surprised her. “What do you think we can do to make your wish come true?” Melodie gulped at the question. “I thought you were the one who made wishes come true.” “Well, yes I do, sort of. You see, I really can’t do it alone. I need the help of the person making the wish. If I just waved a magic wand, then this special wish would be too easy and it wouldn’t be so special. No, a wish as wonderful as this one requires a lot of work from both of us. So, that is my first question to you. What are you willing to do to make your wonderful wish come true?”