Its said that there is a well where lost children go to make wishes. This well is located in the forest where large thick vines grow over the chipped clay bricks and only the tears of lonely children rest within its depths. The well itself is an old and ancient well of unknown origin. Many say that the well was created by a wizard to help lost children find their way back to their homes. But this is meerly a myth. However, every child that ever lost his or her way in the forest always returned to their respected homes. Though the well was always happy that the children returned safely to their homes it was always sad to see them go.
One day a small child, about the age of 6, approached the well slowly dragging his feet. The young boy wore an oversized brown suit with multiple patches sewn into it. The suit covered the boys hands and feet and the long polka dot tie was so long that it dragged along the dirt and grass with the boys feet. The boy didn’t look up, not even once, and kept his eyes to the ground in a shy uneasy manner. His eyes where so focused on the ground that he didn’t see the well before him. He soon collided with the brittle well and found himself laying on the floor wide-eyed. “Oh. Its just a well.” said the boy indifferently. He picked his self up and walked a few steps before plopping on the ground and leaning his back against the well. He closed his eyes, sighed, and then raised his legs to his chin and hugged them in a defensive manner. “Why are you so sad child? Is it because you are lost. If so I can tell you how to get back to your home.” The boy looked a little startled when he heard the voice of the well. He looked around him but saw no one. After a while he concluded that it was the well that was speaking to him. “I see no one around me. Is it you, the well, that speaks to me?” “Yes child it is I who speaks. Now would you like for me to point you home?” answered the well in a gentle well meaning voice. The boy didn’t look at the well as he spoke but instead kept his gaze low and glued to the ground. “Really now? You can bring someone back to their home when they are lost? I wish that was the case for me. You see Im not lost. I have no home.” The well was quiet for a short while. The well had never come across a child who had no place to return to. Not in all of its existence had it come across a problem like this. “What do you mean you have no home child? Every child has parents and at the very least a shack to live under!” The boy listened quietly and slowly lifted his head. The poor child had only one eye. The other one was covered by a large square plaid patch that had been sewn right onto his face. “Im an orphan. I don’t know whether my parents abandoned me or if they died. I don’t remember their names, faces or voices. I don’t even know my name. I once heard someone call me patch so maybe that’s my name. I don’t have a home. I’ve never had a home. I’ve never even been inside a house before.” “Y-you poor child! If you don’t have a home you can stay here for as long as you’d like to. My roof may be small but it should be long enough to shelter you from snow and rain.” Though the well felt sorry for the poor child it also felt joy in the situation. It would no longer be alone in the forest with no one to talk to but the scared lost children that happened to stumble onto him every now and then. It had a friend it could help shelter from the harsh world that lay beyond the forest. Astonished with a bright smile on his face Patch gleefully hugged the well. “Really I can stay here for a while?” If the well had a face it too would have smiled brightly. “Of course”.
Only a few days had passed before Patch became curious about the well. “Mr well who built you?” asked the boy shyly with his legs crossed and his hands placed playfully on his feet. “ A wizard built me a very very long time ago. I can’t remember his name but I vaguely remember him being very kind. I believe he was also either a school teacher or a doctor as well. Ha ha he always had children around him. He would often come to visit me with the children in tow and would read them stories as he sat on me.” The voice of the well was a mixture of happiness, warmth and also a hint of sadness. “What happened to the wizard? Does he still come to visit you?” asked Patch in a questioning tone even though he already knew the answer. “ No, sadly, the wizard is no longer among the living. He died many eons ago. Like all living things he expired. Even I’ll expire soon” “Im sorry. Where is he buried? I can go put flowers on his grave for you.” The well laughed to itself leaving Patch confused. “ He he. What a sweet child you are but that isn’t necessary. You see the wizard is beneath you. I am his grave marker.” “R-really?!” Patch almost seemed horrified that he had been sitting on a dead mans grave without even realizing it. “Its alright child. He doesn’t mind. Because he’s buried beneath me I can speak to you. He’s also the reason I can grant children’s wishes to go home. So there’s no need to be afraid of him.” With the voices reassuring tone Patch felt relieved. Patch soon got curious again and his mind filled with questions about the well. “You’re a wishing well right?” “Yes... I am.” A brick fell off the well as it said this. It tumbled into the mouth of the well without the boy or the well noticing. “Um...well..do you only grant the wish to return to ones home or can you grant different wishes?” The well thought for a moment. “Actually I can grant almost any wish. However, I do have restrictions.” As soon as the boy heard this he jumped up from where he was sitting and turned to face the well. “I wish for paren...” Before the boy could finish the well interrupted him. “Sorry but I can not bring the dead back. Nor can I create people from nothing.” The boys hopeful smile soon faded to a frown. “Bu-but how do you know?!” “Because child I have already tried it.” The wells voice was powerful and stern but had a layer of melancholy underneath its strong tone. “The wizard.” The boy said quietly, almost under his breath, with his face to the ground. The well didn’t reply. “I can only grant one wish per person. Almost all the children who have run across me have wished to go home. But you are different. Since you have no home you can ask me for something else.” Patch didn’t hesitate to give his answer. Besides parents there was only one other thing he wanted. “I want a home.” “I..Im sorry Patch but I can’t grant that wish either. It has to be more simple.” By the time the well finished its sentence Patch had already sunk to the ground and was drawing something in the dirt with a twig. Somehow he knew those two things were unattainable to him. So instead he drew a house in the dirt with a little window and a chimney with smoke hurdling out of it. Beside the house was a stick figure family. The well saw this and was stricken with guilt that it could only grant the simplest of wishes. Soon after the boy had finished drawing he curled up next to the drawing. After he fell asleep the wind carried away the simple drawing until nothing was left of it.
A month passed and the well grew quieter with each passing day. Many of the bricks of the well had long been knocked off or chipped away by bad weather and the vines squeezed the well tighter and tighter with each passing day. It had much fewer bricks now then a month before. But the boy didn’t notice the well’s slow death. He spent most of his time at the river where he would bathe and fish. The water was rapid and dangerous. The river was also very deep for being so narrow and would swallow a child the size of Patch in an instant. Even though the well was in constant pain it managed to tell Patch to be very carful. Very often the well supervised as Patch was bathing or playing with the water. This was possible due to the well being only about 50 inches away from the river. On the other side of the river lay a town where many of the children the well had helped resided.
One day on a very quiet peaceful day Patch went to the river to play with the water. The well was being very boring and quiet again. Even after a month Patch still didn’t know what to wish for. As he played with the water, splashing and distorting it, he saw a white reflection that was foreign to him. “Hi” said a sweet and gentle voice. Patch looked up and saw a little girl about the same age as him. Her skin was tan and contrasted greatly with the white cotton dress she wore. The dress had no sleeves and ended at her knees. It was very plain compared to her thick wavy dark brown hair that fell at her shoulders. The girl had her arms tucked behind her in a playful manner with an energetic smile on her face. “H-hi. My names Patch what’s yours?” Patch was very excited to see another person after so long. Especially since it was a pretty girl. “Nice to meet you Patch!” The girl sat down on the grass adjacent to Patch. As soon as she sat down she frowned. “You have a very nice name. I wish I had a name as nice as yours.” “Thanks but what’s your name? It can’t be that bad a name! Its better than having no name at all right!” “Actually I’d love to even have an ugly name. You see I don’t have a name at all. Im nameless.” The boy was a little puzzled by the girls words. He just couldn’t rap his mind around the thought that not all things had names. “Why don’t you just give yourself a name?” “It just isn’t the same as someone naming you. Like a parent naming a newborn. Its supposed to be special!” The girl looked at the water as she said this and the ripples the water made distorted her face momentarily. Somehow the boy felt a very strong connection to the girl. They were very similar. “I’ll give you a name.” The girl quickly shifted her gaze to the boy. “Really! Can you tell me it now?” “No I want to wait to give you a name. I want it to be special.” “Hehe ok I can wait. See you tomorrow!” With that the girl disappeared into the brush she came from. The boy thought for hours about what to name the girl but he couldn’t come up with a name suitable for her. Days passed until Patch saw the girl again. She was by the river just like the first time he met her. The girl was playing with some twigs before she saw Patch approach the river. Even though Patch had days to think of a name for the girl he still didn’t know what to name such a beautiful girl. “Hi Patch! So have you come up with a name for me yet?” “Um well I’ve spent all day and all night thinking of one that would fit you perfectly but I can’t find a name perfect enough for you.” “Its ok but when you tell me my name I’ll give you your surprise.” The girl and the boy continued their conversation until it was sunset. “So you don’t have a home Patch? How sad.” “Its ok. Im sure I’ll find one eventually.” “Hm maybe I can help you find one.” The girl smiled a big smile revealing her white teeth. Her two front teeth were missing. Patch giggled at the space between her missing teeth but also because he was happy he wasn’t alone anymore. Suddenly the silence was broken by an angry harsh voice. “Girl where are you!” It was an older woman’s voice. The girl quickly got up to leave. Patch could see her tremble as she got up. When she turned around he finally noticed the bruises on her arms and back. They looked a lot like hand marks. This realization made Patch feel very sick and powerless. “Is-is that your mother?” was all that Patch could manage to say. The girl didn’t answer. “Bye” Was all that she said as she disappeared toward the angry voice.
The well heard all of this and felt even worse for the boy despite the fact that the boy had completely forget about the well. When the boy came back to rest his back to the well he was softly crying. “*sniff* I-I can do anything right. I can’t even come up with a proper name for her.” “Child do you know what you want to wish for yet?” The boy was too busy crying to hear the voice as the voice was very quiet. Due to the pressure from the boys back a few more bricks fell into the depths of the well. The noise startled him as he heard the bricks hit the bottom of the well harshly. The well was in great pain but managed to consult the boy. “If you cannot think of a name yourself why don’t you just wish for the perfect name for the girl?” The boy stopped sulking upon hearing this revelation. “Oh course! Why didn’t I think of that!” “Because you were too busy sulking.” The boy laughed and then asked the well what he should name the girl. The well whispered it into the boys ear. The boy agreed that was the perfect name for her. He thanked the well profusely and then snuggled next to it and went to sleep. The well no longer felt lonely or sad that it would die alone. But it wanted to live long enough to protect the boy from the harsh realities of the world. Like the one the child had just witness. After all the well considered it a substitute parent for the boy even if the boy didn’t realize this himself. Though the well had no arms to hug or hold the child it would still protect him with its soothing voice. Or at least it hoped it could.
The boy woke up early in the morning and waited by the river all day long. The girl showed up later than usual as it was nearly sunset when she arrived. She had her hands behind her back as if she was hiding something. She wore the same dress as the day before and the same one from the first time they met. As much as she wore it the little white cotton dress never seemed dirty. “Sorry Im so late.” “Its fine.” The girl lowered her eyes to the ground. “I have your surprise. I spent all day on it.” “But I haven’t given you your name yet!” “Its ok. My mother says I don’t need a name.” “But I have a name for you!” Yelled the boy. The girl looked up surprised. “You do!?” “Yeah I finally found the perfect one for you!” The girl giggled and cried tears of happiness. “Im gonna have a name. Haha. Im gonna have a name!” She jumped up and down in an excited manner as she expressed her enthusiasm. “Please tell me my name now!” The girl was absolutely elated and eager to hear the name for the first time. As Patch was just about to tell her her name a loud noise interrupted him. Many of the bricks of the well had collapsed and the well let out a painful agonizing scream. The boy immediately rushed over to see if the well was ok. As the boy left the girl stood frozen. She shook herself out of it and placed an object on the ground. “W-wait Patch please tell me my name!” Not the well nor the boy noticed as the girl slowly lowered herself into the river. The girl quickly realized her mistake and tried to grab onto the grass. But the grass was too weak to hold the girls grip. She was silent as the river carried her off. As Patch tended to the well he looked back to see how the girl was. The boy stood frozen in place as he saw the girl being carried away by the current. He saw a rock strike her in the head and he saw the red flow in swirls as the girl was violently thrown from side to side in the river. He watched until the girls body disappeared into the horizon. Despite the well’s tragic protests for Patch to close his eyes the poor boy couldn’t. The well felt helpless that it couldn’t cover the boys eyes itself. But it didn’t have any arms or hands to do so. Bricks fell one by one as the well tried harder and harder to reach out to the boy until it was too weak to even speak. With its last breath the well spoke one last time to Patch. “Im sorry child. I couldn’t protect you from the cruelty of the world could I. Now your tainted and your innocence is gone forever. Please forgive me for not being a proper parent Patch.” Patch stood still and in place as the well was speaking to him. He stood still when the wells voice had died out and he stood still when the well had finally collapsed on itself. Patch didn’t notice that the well had just died. He was too fixated on the object the girl had made for him. Patch slowly dragged his feet to the river. Patch wore the same clothes he always wore. The large oversized brown suit with many patches sewn into it. He still had the plaid patch sewn onto his left eye also. His right eye was gazing at the twig house the girl had made for him. The twig house was small and simple but it looked like the house he had drawn in dirt. Beside the twig house where four dolls. A mommy doll, a daddy doll, a little boy doll and a little girl doll. Patch lowered his head, but still kept his eye on the twig house, and raised his knees to his chin as he hugged his legs defensively. “She made me something I’ve always wanted and yet I can’t even have it. I should have wished to be on the other side of the river.” The house sat on the other side of the river mockingly as the nights darkness set in.
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