Grandpa Dean's Wishing Well Stories

"One Wish Wishing Well"

Wells aren’t safe for kids, you know.

The circus came to Wetumpka, stayed for a whole week, and then left in the middle of a Tuesday night. When the last truck left town, the people marveled at the new well that stood in the middle of the square. Most wondered where it had come from, but some recalled a strange man driving that last truck as it pulled away.

Surely, he must have put it there.

The well was odd enough, but beside, and odder still, sat a large wooden chest with a glass top. Inside the chest were piles of gold, silver, diamonds over stacks of money. Written on the side of the chest was a note that read, “One wish is all it takes, but make certain the wish is the right wish.”

People from several counties came to see the well and chest. Some tried to break the glass top, using everything from firecrackers to shovels. It wouldn’t break. Others tried to pick the lock. It wouldn’t open. But they all made their one wish, and that one wish was all the same—a wish for the treasure locked inside the chest.

Things could’ve gotten out of hand, but since Wetumpka wasn’t filled with the kind of city folk who lived in Atlanta or Birmingham, there was never a problem. Oh, there were police and firemen who kept guard, but everyone knew each other and kept trouble in check.

After the well and chest had been there for a month, some of the passers-by reported to the Sheriff that they could hear voices coming from inside the well. Worried that children had fallen inside, two firemen lowered ladders and ropes down the well to explore and possibly rescue.

The two firemen never came back up.

Soon, hundreds of people were coming back to the well again, and even with the voices shouting from deep inside, no one thought to wish for anything but what glittered inside that chest. After two more firemen disappeared inside the well, crowds stopped coming. It was dangerous, as Mr. Wilson was using explosives to blow off the top of the well so that the light could penetrate the darkness. The stone walls of the well were as strong as the glass top of the chest.

A woman named Tina Anna lived about a mile from town, but she’d been visiting her Yankee cousin in Boston for the past two months and only heard about the strange wishing well when she returned.

She had to see it, especially if there was the chance to make a wish for a chest of treasure. Her mother, Anna Anna, lived on a small farm about to go into foreclosure, so Tina Anna saw that well as a chance to save her mother’s farm. One late evening, she headed for the well. When she got there, she could hear voices shouting for help.

Tina Anna felt sorry for the poor souls down there. She forgot about the farm and wished for their safety instead. There was an immediate flash of light. When it dimmed, a little boy and girl were standing in front of the four firemen who went in after them.

The little girl told Tina Anna to hold out her hand and dropped a key into her palm. “You made the right wish,” said the little girl, smiling.

“What does this key unlock?” asked Tina Anna.

“The chest, of course,” answered the little boy.

Copyright © 2010 Lambpants Media.