Whispers from a Wishing Well
Once upon a time, in a small village between green hills and wide fields, there lived a little girl named Nina. She had brown eyes, messy black hair, and a big smile. Nina loved to explore. She would run through the meadows, climb trees, and chase butterflies all day long.
One sunny afternoon, Nina was following a bright blue butterfly through the woods. She laughed as it flew faster, trying to stay ahead of her. Deeper and deeper into the forest she ran, until suddenly, the butterfly vanished.
“Where did you go?” Nina asked, looking around. That’s when she saw it.
A stone well, hidden behind some bushes. Moss grew on its sides, and wildflowers danced around it. Nina had never seen this place before.
She walked slowly toward it. “Hello?” she said, even though no one was there.
She looked inside the well. It was very deep and dark. She could not see the bottom.
Then, a whisper came from inside the well. It was soft but clear.
“Make a wish, and it shall come true.”
Nina gasped. “A wishing well?” she whispered.
She looked around again. “Is someone there?” But she saw no one. Only trees and shadows.
She thought for a moment. Her favorite doll was old and missing one eye. She loved it, but she wanted a new one.
“I wish for a new doll,” she said softly.
Then she ran home, her heart beating fast.
The next morning, she saw something amazing. A beautiful doll was lying on her bed. It had golden hair, a pink dress, and shiny black shoes.
“Wow!” Nina said. “You’re so pretty!”
She named the doll Bella and played with her all day. She showed it to her mom and dad.
“Where did you get that?” her mom asked.
“I found it,” Nina said, smiling.
But when night came, strange things started to happen.
Nina was about to sleep when she heard a whisper in the dark.
“Play with me forever, or I will haunt your dreams.”
She sat up quickly. “Who said that?”
The doll was sitting on her chair, looking at her with wide eyes.
“Was… was that you?” Nina asked.
The doll didn’t move. But the voice came again.
“Forever... or else.”
Terrified, Nina grabbed the doll and ran to the attic. She put it in an old box, shut the lid, and ran downstairs.
The next day, she went back to the well.
“That doll was scary,” she said. “I need something else.”
She closed her eyes. “I wish for a basket of ripe, juicy apples.”
As soon as she opened her eyes, there it was—a big basket full of red, shiny apples. They looked delicious.
Nina smiled and took a bite.
“Mmm, so sweet!” she said.
But as she chewed, she saw something strange. The apples started to multiply. One turned into two. Two into four. The basket overflowed. Apples rolled to the ground, then more, and more.
“Stop! That’s enough!” Nina shouted, jumping back as apples surrounded her feet.
“I wish the apples would stop!” she cried.
Poof! The apples vanished.
Nina sat down, breathing hard. “That was close,” she said. “This well is… weird.”
Even after all that, she couldn’t stop thinking about the well.
A few days later, she came back again.
“Okay,” she said. “One more try.”
She thought carefully this time. Then she smiled. “I wish for a puppy. A cute, small puppy.”
The next morning, Nina heard barking outside.
She ran to the door and saw a tiny brown puppy wagging its tail.
“You’re perfect!” she said. “I’ll call you Max!”
Max was playful and sweet. He licked Nina’s face and followed her everywhere.
But after a few days, something strange happened. Max grew bigger. And bigger. Soon, he was the size of a horse! He knocked over chairs, ate too much food, and broke the fence.
Nina’s parents were shocked.
“We can’t keep him like this!” her mother cried. “He’s too big,” her father said. “What did you do, Nina?”
“I… I wished for him,” Nina whispered.
That night, Nina ran back to the well.
“I wish Max was normal size again,” she said.
The next morning, Max was small again—but too small. He was no bigger than a teacup. He could hardly bark, and he looked tired and weak.
“Oh no, Max,” Nina whispered, holding him in her hands. “I’m sorry.”
She went back to the well and sat beside it. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” she said.
Then the whisper came again.
“Think carefully, young one. Every wish has a cost.”
Nina looked at the well. “You gave me what I asked for,” she said. “But you never told me what would happen next.”
There was no answer this time. Just silence.
She stayed there for a while, thinking.
Then, she heard footsteps. It was her friend, Tom.
“Nina? What are you doing out here?”
She looked up. “Tom! I found a magic well. It gives you what you wish for. But everything comes with a price.”
Tom raised his eyebrows. “A magic well? That sounds cool!”
“No, it’s not,” she said. “It’s dangerous. My doll spoke to me. The apples wouldn’t stop growing. And Max… he changed.”
Tom sat beside her. “So what are you going to do?”
Nina looked at the stones of the old well. She stood up slowly.
“I know what I have to do now.”
She closed her eyes.
“I wish for the well to be sealed forever, so no one else falls into its tricks.”
The wind blew. The ground shook a little. When Nina opened her eyes, the well was gone. All that was left was a patch of grass and some wildflowers. The air was quiet. No whispers.
She smiled a little. “It’s over.”
She and Tom walked back home. The sun was setting, and the trees swayed gently.
Her parents were happy to see her. Max was still tiny, but he got stronger every day. Nina didn’t wish for anything again.
Instead, she helped her mother bake pies, played fetch with Max, and picked apples from the tree behind their house. She laughed more, even without magic.
One night, she sat with her parents outside. The stars twinkled above.
“Nina,” her mother said, “you seem different. Happier.”
Nina smiled. “I learned that wishes don’t always make life better. Sometimes, they make things worse.”
Her father nodded. “Wise words, little one.”
The well was gone, but the lessons stayed with her.
And deep in the forest, if you listened closely, you might still hear a soft whisper carried by the wind…
“Make a wish…”
But Nina never listened again.
