The Wishing Well

We’d bought a cottage, but sight unseen

At the edge of a thickety wood,

We’d had enough of the city scene

And thought it would do us good.

At one with nature, with birds and bees,

The owner was eager to sell,

He didn’t tell us it had no power,

And water was drawn from a well.

 

He wouldn’t leave us his new address

So we saw it after he’d gone,

I looked at Ellie and she at me,

She said, ‘I think we’ve been done!’

The thatch was leaking, the walls were cracked

And it needed a coat of paint,

‘Oh well, we’re stuck with it now,’ I said,

‘But a palace it certainly ain’t!’

 

The one surprise was a fairy dell

That lay at the edge of the wood,

And in the midst was a Wishing Well,

Under a Witch-Hat hood.

A wooden bucket was still in place

And hung from an oakum thread,

‘We’d better replace the rope on that,

Or you’ll be fishing,’ she said.

 

The ground was covered in bluebells, for

They bloomed, that time of the year,

And all around them were butterflies,

Testing their wings in the air.

‘Oh Jack,’ she said, ‘what a dainty place,

What a marvellous, magical scene,’

I had to admit, it moved me then,

So different to where we’d been.

 

We roughed it there for a day or so

While I fixed a couple of leaks,

I hinged the door and I blocked the draughts

Though the cracks would take me weeks.

We bought an antique paraffin lamp

For a little light in the gloom,

And lay on cushions that Ellie brought,

Made love on the floor of the room.

 

The water level within the well

Was high with the Springtime rain,

I only dipped the bucket a foot

To fill it with iced champagne,

The water there was so pure and clear

And cold, from the Wishing Well,

I said, ‘This couldn’t be water, Ell,

It’s more like a fine Moselle.’

 

We worked by day, then we sat and read

In the pale white evening light,

Then rose with the early morning sun

After a dreamless night.

But after a fortnight Ellie rose

And she said she was feeling queer,

I said it was probably just a bug,

‘It’s the flu time of the year!’

 

But the pains, she said, got worse, she said,

She began to sweat and grieve,

She couldn’t eat, but she drank a lot,

And then she began to heave.

I fed her the water from the well

And said it would flush it out,

But she soon went into convulsions,

And I panicked then, no doubt.

 

The doctor took over an hour to come

And that must have sealed her fate,

For Ellie lay, and she breathed her last

As he entered the garden gate.

He took one look at her pale white face

As I wept, and held her hand,

‘I think it’s a case of cholera,’

He said, ‘Do you understand?’

 

The white coats swarmed all over the place

And took in the Wishing Well,

Wanted to know if we drank from it

And I cried out, ‘God in Hell!

They grappled down to the very depths

And their hook was jagged at the bed,

Then hauled on up to the surface by

The hair, was a woman’s head!

 

She’d been down there for a month or so,

Was starting to come apart,

The rest they got the following day

And took away on a cart.

I drained the well in the Autumn, and

I filled, with gravel and shell,

I should have known by the Witches-Hat

It was under an evil spell.

 

They caught the guy in another state,

They fairly ran him to ground,

He hadn’t left a forward address,

He thought he’d never be found.

He’d killed his wife and had weighed her down

And had dropped her down in the well,

I pray to the God of just rewards

That his soul will burn in Hell!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Avinash]

This tells a tragedy in a very engaging way and every line leads to offer something new. Which starts like a fairytale ends up in a dark place. But the imagery is quite vivid and leaves you motionless at the surprise twist in tale. A masterpiece from a seasoned writer which has an effect of a high quality old wine.

[Claire in VA]

Thrilling! I enjoyed every word, from beginning to end.
You'd be in my "Gifted and Talented Class."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Claire~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[A Soap Mess Stories]

A very tragic ending...and very surprising twist...good story David...

[Leigh]

Quite a story, with many twists and turns, this could be made into something much longer as every verse contains a whole scene of action. A book or film perhaps. Love your work David, keep writing.

[melissa]

This is amazing poem keep up the great work and keep sending me more to read i love reading them

[Lyn Anderson]

This totally reminded me of a Stephen King short story. Well done.

[Marie]

Oh goodnes. He should have dealt with a reputable realtor. Although thaty fair dell did sound beautiful. And drinking the icy, clear water from the well made me thirsty for it--until I reached the end of the poem.

[Taylor_McCutcheon]

Another great poem. I really enjoy reading your poetry.