All it takes is a wish... (ON HOLD)

Prologue: The tree

    There was once a tiny, old house in the middle of the woods. In it, lived an old man whose only visitors were his grandchildren, who came every year to hear his story of a tree, a special one.

    "Once, there was a tree." He would start by saying this phrase. And each year, the story would still be as magnificent as it was the year before and the year before that. 

    "... With wooden bark as smooth as velvet, leaves as glittering as sunlight and branches as strong as if it could hold the weight of seven grown men. But as you may have guessed this was no ordinary tree. Once every year, this tree would deliver a miracle to someone who desperately needed one, it could be anything. From something so tiny to something very tall--" 

    His grandchildren loved the story, and each year, when they came to visit their grandfather, they would leave their parents bewildered at their excitement to hear the same story again. This was so because like all kids that have grown up, they forget. And thus, they had. They had forgotten their childhood memories taken around the house, their secret explorings they'd done and most of all, they had forgotten the story that the same old man had told them. Once forgotten, it remained so, buried underneath everything. 

  "...It could make your problems disappear, one by one..." he would say, putting a finger down for each one he said. "...by one. There are many stories of the tree doing miracles for people, but one of the most famous of all is one of a little girl, ..." He sighed. "But maybe, we should save that for another tim--"

   "Tell us the story, Grandpa!!" His grandchildren would plead. 

   But as always, he would cave in and tell them the story.  "When she was little, the girl had a perfect life. She and her parents lived in a nice, cozy house in a village so she lived a very secluded, naive childhood. But as always, life doesn't have to turn out the way we want it to be. It all started with the rumors, he said grimacing. 

  "See, rumors are nasty, little things. They creep around, and soon everyone knows. No one knew who started it, all they knew is that the girl, who was normally so talkative, became quiet, as if she was trying to be invisible. Some blamed her parents, others blamed the school she had recently switched to. But there was no evidence to prove either. The girl, by her 10th birthday, was now so shy that you couldn't get her to say anything other than a greeting from time to time. Stunned by her abrupt change, the villagers, one by one decided to ignore her. Soon, only her parents stood by her. The girl was so angry that the people were ignoring her that she actually started spending her days at home, instead of school. " He continued.

   " And to pass the time, she drew pictures. She drew a magnificent stone castle, pictured from the distance. The castle with stone turrets, a moat and a single flag waving in the distance. She also drew underwater sketches and ones in the sky... as she drew, she dreamed of living out her sketches, far away from the dreadful villagers. Not only that, but it seemed that her whole life was being planned in front of her." The old man said, pausing for effect. It had worked. His grandchildren were staring at him in awe. It was as if they were hearing the story for the first time. 

   "But, slowly, as days turned into months and months turned into years, she began to lose hope of ever escaping there. That is until she met a boy named Gerald. Gerald was the son of her neighbor. Before she had become shy, they'd been friends. She had the fortune of meeting Gerald on her way home from a little errand her mother gave her. Gerald looked ordinary enough, but that wasn't what was special about him. The thing that was special about him was his stories. See, Gerald's father was a merchant who traveled to and from villages selling his merchandise. When he came back to Gerald and his mother, he would tell the boy the gossip of the lands far and wide. The story he'd told the girl was a true one, in fact. It was, of course, about the Miracle Tree." If someone with perceptibly good hearing was nearby, they could tell that his tone was rather wistful, as if remembering an old childhood memory. 

   "He told her of the tree and that of all what the tree could do. He even told her he'd take her there if only she'd come with him. At first, she refused, thinking she was better off without a big adventure of sorts. But then, as she reflected upon it later, she realized that this was the thing she'd been waiting for. So, she packed her bags quickly and left the next evening as Gerald and she had planned...and after many days of hardships, they made it to the tree. " he said, settling himself in his chair.

  "And what was her name, Grandpa?" one of his granddaughters asked, timidly. She had curly brown hair and vivid, blue eyes. 

  The old man smiled. "Kaia. Her name was Kaia." 

TO BE CONTINUED...