950 Wishes

     All the older Kacheek could do was nod her head and smile. Her daughter never seemed to tire of this daily excursion. It warmed her heart that after many, many weeks of nothing in return, Lila was still ever so determined.

     As Vera followed her daughter down the dirt road of the Neopian Plaza, a green Blumaroo was standing outside the Pizzaroo, offering free samples.

     “Hi, Miko!” Lila exclaimed, running over to give him his daily hug. Miko almost dropped his pizza in the process, as he attempted to provide her with a one-armed embrace.

     “Great to see you, Lila. Here, taste our speciality of the day! Tropical Fruit Pizza.” Handing the small purple Kacheek a slice, Lila grabbed it, gobbling it down.

     “So yummy! Thank you, Miko.” She offered him another quick hug, and frolicked away, continuing through the Plaza.

     Vera walked over, shrugging her shoulders as Miko handed her a slice of Tropical Fruit Pizza. “That one’s never worn out, is she?” Miko asked.

     “Nope, never,” Vera confirmed, taking a bite of the slice. A burst of several fruity flavours exploded across her tastebuds; it was incredibly refreshing. “Miko, this is delicious, thank you so much, as always.”

     Miko offered her a sympathetic smile. “Any time, Vera, truly,” he said, looking her up and down. “And really, I know I say this all the time, but if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

     Suddenly very self-conscious of her bedraggled appearance, Vera pulled her torn shawl closer around her body. Her shoes had several holes and her pants were ripped at the bottom.

     “Thank you, Miko. But I- Lila and I are fine. Really. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Vera walked away, as Miko raised his hand as a sign of goodbye, a troubled look across his face.

     Vera caught up with Lila, who was standing in front of the Plushie Palace, staring longingly at the window display. As Vera patted Lila’s shoulder, Lila sighed. “One day, I’ll buy every single one of these plushies, Mama.”

     It broke her heart that she couldn’t afford to buy Lila even one of these plushies; the best she had been able to do lately was cobble together a straw doll for her. Lila adored the doll, but she knew that she would have loved a plushie even more.

     That couldn’t happen, though. Food, clothes, shelter – those all had to come first.

     Before Vera knew it, Lila was trotting off again toward their destination: the Wishing Well. Vera hurried along to catch up, knowing Lila would not wish without her.

     “Mama, do you know what today is?” Lila's eyes shined brightly, her smile seeming to consume her entire face.

     “What is it, sweetie?”

     Lila started jumping up and down. “One of us gets to make our 950th wish!” Whipping out a worn notebook from her pocket, she flipped furiously through the pages. Lila always recorded her wishes so she could remember them. “Can I make the wish, Mama? If you wish first, yours will be the 949th and mine will be the 950th!” she squealed.

     “Of course, Lila,” Vera agreed, thankful she could contribute to her daughter’s happiness, at least in some small way. “What will you wish for?”

     Angered, Lila stamped her foot. “Mama! How many times do I have to tell you? If you say your wish out loud, it will never come true!”

     “Okay, okay,” Vera said, throwing her hands up, chuckling. “Here, I’ll wish now,” she said, digging in her pocket for a donation for the well. Terrifyingly, it was very roomy in that pocket, save for the two Neopoints she removed. She stared at the lonely Neopoints in the palm of her hand, her eyes starting to burn with the threat of incoming tears. Taking a big breath in, then out, Vera passed one of the Neopoints to Lila. “Good luck, honey.”

     Vera turned toward the Wishing Well. The sight of it made her both optimistic and disheartened. Neither Lila nor herself had ever been granted a wish, so why would now be any different? Looking down at the Neopoint again, its surface gleamed back at her. What should she wish for?

     Of course, she wanted to wish the world for Lila – she desired more than anything that she could gift Lila every plushie in the Plushie Palace window display. But that simply couldn’t be. They needed food.

     Walking up to the Wishing Well, Vera clutched the Neopoint, as her old shawl blew around her in the light breeze. Looking into the depths of the Well, she wondered how many others had made wishes today. How many others were depending on their own wishes coming true.

     Knowing she had nothing else to lose – literally nothing else, as she was about to lose the last of her savings – Vera dropped the coin into the well, hearing it clink a few seconds later as it hit the bottom. She had wished for something modest: Chicken Curry. Simple, yes, but it would serve its purpose to fill their bellies for another night.

     “949!” Lila yelled, scribbling a note in her pad. Lila took no time at all to scramble up to the mouth of the Wishing Well, fueled by her never-ending enthusiasm. Grinning from ear-to-ear, she threw the coin in the air above the Well and watched it as it made its way into the darkness, until it, too, clinked at the bottom. “And…950! Amazing!” Lila ran off, notebook in hand, to make an entry for the 950th wish.

     950 wishes, Vera pondered as she made her way towards Lila, to wait for the granting announcement. Clearly after 950 wishes, they had been wishing for several days now, seemingly to no avail. Why would today be any different?

     Vera and Lila had arrived unusually late to make their wishes, and only had to linger a few short minutes before a crowd of Neopets began to form around the bulletin board where the results of the granted wish would be posted. Vera remained on the edge of the crowd, as Lila bounced around her.

     Soon, a blue Kougra, a member of the Wishing Well Committee, ushered the crowd backwards. “Stand back, everyone – I will be approaching the Well, and then I will post the results.”

     Whispers whistled through the throng as it shifted backwards. The secrets of how the Wishing Well worked its magic were unknown to most; only the Committee knew how to assess which wish had been granted.

     There was a sizable crowd awaiting today’s results, only serving to dampen Vera’s spirits, knowing that their chances were slim. Vera took Lila’s hand, ready to console her when things didn’t work out.

     It always surprised Vera how quickly the granting process took place; the Kougra was striding back to the bulletin board just moments later. He approached the bulletin board, scratching away the date, winner, and the granted wish. Rotating toward the crowd, he declared, “today’s wish has been granted,” and shifted swiftly out of the way to avoid the rush of Neopets.

     Immediately several members of the gathering read the bulletin board and trudged away, emotions of disappointment, disgruntlement, and depression etched across their faces. Lila pushed forward, Vera trying to keep up with her pace.

     When Vera reached the front of the crowd, she readied herself to join the other disheartened faces, then proceeded to read the words:

     On the 12th day of Storing, a wish has been granted to Lila: a job for her mother at the Pizzaroo.

     Utterly confused, Vera turned around to see Miko standing a few paces away. When he noticed her staring at him, he began to bounce over. “Lila came to me months ago with the idea – all I did was run it by the Wishing Well committee. They agreed, only if her wish was granted, fair and square.” Shrugging, Miko continued, “And it was perfect – I knew you’d never accept it otherwise. But to grant Lila’s wish, it’s essentially obligatory that you agree.” Miko winked. “You’ll start tomorrow, and on top of payment, I can offer you and Lila a free meal – that you cook yourself.” Miko chuckled. “What do you think? You don’t want to disappoint your daughter, do you?”

     Vera was at a loss for words. Her eyes displayed the passion that her mouth could not express; she burst into uncontrollable tears. After a few moments, she attempted to compose herself and glimpsed her daughter – her selfless, perfect daughter – grinning at her. Lila had not wished for a plushie, or even food; she had wished for something that would change their lives.

     She dashed over to Lila and squeezed her tightly. She had a wonderful child, and now a sustainable way to earn a living; nothing, absolutely nothing, could disrupt this mo–

     – Lila’s stomach growled ravenously, so loudly that even Miko, who was standing a few paces away, raised his eyebrows. “Hey, Miko! Got anymore Tropical Fruit Pizza?”

     “I think we just might,” Miko laughed, waving an arm to her. Lila and Vera followed him toward the Pizzaroo, knowing that their lives were approaching a new beginning all thanks to the 950th wish.

     The End.