Speaker 1: It was drawing one of our fights, after the screaming
had turned into an uncomfortable silence, that Kira had suggested
it maybe we just need to get out of here
start somewhere new, she said with a trembling voice, staring
at the wall. I honestly did not think it would
solve anything. Would a change of scenery really be our
saving grace? But as I looked into her eyes, we
were desperate. I realized that when you reach your boiling point,
any solution seems better than a lack thereof. We had
been grasping at straws for months, between the arguments, sleepless nights,
and the growing depression between me and my wife Kira,
it felt like our little family was getting unraveled. Day
by day, we were suffocating. Kira and I met in
high school, and it spiery romance was now reduced to
ice cold embers, the sort of love that had simply
grown too familiar, too accustomed, and too routine. Soiled by
years of exhaustion, stress and the demands of raising Lily,
our fights had become unbearable. Insignificant things like dishes left
in the sink or unwashed clothes would explode into massive
shouting matches, and neither of us could stop. Kira's eyes
would now hollow, and a laugh which used to make
me feel like I was on top of the world,
had become all too rare. We were losing ourselves entirely,
and our sweet little girl was caught in the crossfire.
She had become quieter. She clung to a toy's, her
eyes masked with sadness, watching us from the corner of
the room, as if she understood far more than we
ever gave her credit for. The drive to the town
was quiet, but I could tell we all had hope
for our future. It felt like we were shedding our skin,
leaving behind layers of hate and resentment, the ghosts of
our past, one mile at a time. We did not
speak much during the trip at all. The hum of
the tires against the road filled the vehicle interior, accompanied
by the low murmur of the radio and Lili's humming
from the back seat. Around late afternoon, we left, trading
the city skyline for wide roads and endless fields stretching
on forever. The sun was setting as we neared our
two be home town. The air outside the car grew cooler, fresher,
and away. I cracked the window, breathing in my surroundings,
feeling the weight of the past few years left, if
just slightly off my chest. Kira seemed a little lighter too.
She glanced out the window, a small, hopeful smile playing
on her face. Lily had fallen asleep at this point,
her little hands clutching a stuffed rabbit tightly. I let
myself believe, if only for a moment, that this move
might actually work, that we could escape. The road led
us down a winding path flanked by towering pines. The
canopy grew thicker, blocking out the little sunlight that was left.
I glanced at Kira, who was staring straight ahead with
a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. She caught my eye
and offered a reassuring smile. Finally, we pulled into the
driveway of our new home. The house was small, a cozy,
old build that stood in line with the many other
houses like it. It was adorned with a neat yard
and a white picket fence that framed it like a postcard.
I felt a flicker of hope once more. Moving in
was a sort of blur of activity. Boxes stacked and
nestled in every single corner inside and out. Lily ran
around the house with joy as she explored her new room.
Kira and I worked in tandem, and I realized this
was the first time we had truly done something together
in a long time. It started to reignite the reason
we married each other all those years ago. We almost
finished unpacking when we met her. I was unloading the
very last of the boxes from the car when I
noticed her standing at the end of the driveway watching us.
An older lady dressed in a sweater and long skirt
with silver hair tied into a bun. She had a thin,
angular face, her age showing with each crease and fold
of her skin, but her eyes were sharp, too sharp
for someone her age. There was something just a tad
too vibrant about her, as if she was much younger
than she looked. Hello, there, she called, in a sing
sung tone. She waved as she walked up to my
family and me, a plate of cookies in her hand.
Kira and I smiled and waved back, Nervous but excited
to meet some of the locals. Welcome to the neighborhood,
she chirped, offering the cookies. She had in hand. I'm Margaret,
it's so lovely to see a young family move in.
Thank you, Kira replied, grabbing her cookie off the place.
I forced a polite smile as Margaret's gaze drifted behind
me to Lily, who had just wandered out of the
house her stuffed rabbit in hand. Margaret's smile seemed to widen,
her eyes lingering on Lily. It looked like she was
sizing her up. You have a beautiful daughter, Margaret said,
her voice soft. I cleared my throat and straightened my posture. Yeah,
that's Lily. She's the light of her lives. Margaret's eyes
flicked up to mine, her smile steady. I'm sure she is,
and she's so full of life, she said, as Lily
excitedly darted in and out of the house. As we
exchanged the basic pleasantries, I noticed the small girl standing
behind Margaret, whom I had not noticed before. She look
to be around Lily's age, but there was something off
about her. She stood perfectly still, her face was pale
and her eyes dark, lacking any expression or life. Margaret's
voice pulled me back to reality. If someone hasn't told
you already, there's a wishing well that is a town's
tradition to use. You should take Lily there. I'm sure
she'll love it. The wishing well, I said, more to
fill the silence than out of genuine curiosity. Yes, Margaret's
tone shifted slightly. It brings good fortune to those who
offer a wish and toss a coin. The well has
been part of this town for generations. I'm sure you
will want to give it a try. Many have. I paused,
and then nodded on shore how to respond. I was
on the far side of superstition, never putting much stock
into that thinking, and my wife was the same. But
how her eyes gleamed when she spoke about the well
made it look like she was dead serious about it.
There was something strange about her enthusiasm, almost like she
was too eager. She waved goodbye and walked back toward
her house, with a small girl slowly shambling like a
zombie behind her. As soon as she was out of sight,
I turned to Kerr. That was really odd. Kira shrugged.
She's probably just one of those overly friendly neighbors. Besides,
it's a small town. Of course, they're gonna have their traditions.
That was a fair reasoning, but something about the woman
put me on edge. I tried to brush it as
the usual unease I get when I meet new people.
Over the coming days, the town felt like a breath
of fresh air. The change in the atmosphere did wonder
us for our little family. Despite my doubts, the tension
between us eased, and Lily seemed to thrive in the
open space and yard. The town was quiet and quaint,
with charming little shops adorning every corner, and the locals
were friendly. It was the perfect place for us to restart.
But something stayed on my mind. The well. It kept
coming up in conversation in places where it shouldn't have.
In the grocery store, the cashier mentioned it in passing.
The well changed my life, she said, with a smile
that stretched her face. At work, my new co workers
casually talked about how the well is fixed their relationships
and increased their pay like it was normal. Everyone was
talking about something relating to the well. Everywhere I went
and turned, the same eerie tone was in their voices
and the exact same, too happy expressions. Everyone had some
sort of story how they'd wished for a marriage proposal,
good health, a new job, and their wishes apparently came true.
It was always talked about with a strange mixture of
playfulness and a sense of caution, as if it was
something much more serious, but also a joke. One evening,
as Kira and I sat in the living room, I
finally mentioned it to her. Have you noticed how people
keep talking about that? Well? She laughed, but it was
a nervous laughter. Yeah, it's a little weird, isn't it.
Everyone seemed so obsessed with it. I agreed, It's like
they're all selling their same story. Ki a smile faded.
Maybe we should just ignore it. Let's not question it
in case it insults them. It seems to mean a
lot here, and for a while we did. It began
with the small things. Despite my efforts, my hours at
work were cut down, and my coworkers became colder and
more distant. The town, which had felt so welcoming when
we first arrived, seemed darker and gloomier. The sky constantly
seemed overcast, and the air felt heavy. The roads became
littered with trash, not overwhelmingly, but noticeably so. It felt
like some unseen force was pressing its weight down on us.
Kira's mood shifted to the happiness we'd found after moving
seemed to slip away from us. She became quieter and
more withdrawn. The fight started again, sharper and crueler than before.
Was the excitement of moving here the only thing that
placated us. I was frustrated at our situation that we
were unraveling again, and I didn't know any way to
get my frustrations out. That night, after a particularly brutal argument,
I found myself walking through the town and forest, the
cold air biting at my skin. I just wanted to
clear my head away from the situation. Usually I walked
until my head cooled and then headed back, but the
argument was so heated that I just kept walking and walking.
I hadn't meant to go this far out, but I
ended up deep into a trail in the woods. This
somehow led me to the well. Though the well was
often mentioned, I had yet to actually know where it was.
No signs marked its location, so it must have been
known only to the locals. The old stone structure stood
in the middle of a small clearing, surrounded by tall,
twisted trees. The moonlight cast long shadows over the moss
covered stone, making it look like something out of a painting.
My breathing slowed to a crawl. I did not know
why I arrived at the well, but in desperation to
get my life back on track, my mind returned to
all the glowing testimonies I had heard about the well.
I did not take this town's tradition seriously, but I
was desperate and helpless. I needed to get my family
out of the hole we were in. I approached the
edge of the well and looked down into the abyss.
The walls were smooth and slick with age, and a faint,
metallic and earthly scent rose up to meet me. There
was no real movement, no wind or swaying of the trees,
just an eerie silence of an impossibly empty forest. I
felt like the trees were watching me, waiting to see
what I would do next. Then she appeared, Margaret. Her
presence made me flinch. How had she gotten so close
to me so quietly, I wondered to myself. She stood
about ten feet away from me, her face bathed in
moonlight and a smile even wider than before. There was
something strange about her once more, something predatory you came,
she said, her voice like the shuffling of dead leaves.
I I didn't mean to, I stuttered. My hands gripped
the cold stone rim of the well. She moved closer
to me, her eyes gleaming with something I wasn't able
to place, satisfaction. Perhaps it's okay, she purred, It's all
right to feel lost, But this well it can help.
It's helped so many before and will help many after you.
I swallowed, noticing how dry my throat was getting. I
don't know if I believe that, Margaret. Margaret tilted her
head like a curious animal, a smile, unwavering. Believe isn't
necessary here, only the action you'd take, She paused briefly,
and her eyes locked onto mine. You've been struggling. I
can see it in your eyes, the feeling that it's
not enough no matter what you do. This well can
change that. Her words filled my mind like poison. I
had tried everything, Kiera and I had tried meditating and
couples counseling, and now we've even moved across state and
started fresh, and yet our problems remained steady. I had
nothing to lose Margaret's eyes slid down toward my hand.
A coin, she whispered, and a wish. I didn't even
remember reaching into my pocket and pulling out to warn
and dull quarter. My heart raised and my fingers trembled
as I held it over the more of the well.
My back was turned to her, but I could feel
Margaret's smile grow sharper, make your wish, I hesitated. I
did not know what A wish for happiness, peace, for
Kara and I to stop fighting. I did not know.
I just wanted things to be okay. I wanted to
have my family again. A semblance of control, I muttered.
The first thing that came to mind. I wish for
everything to be better. The coin slipped from my fingers
and tumbled into the darkness below. I never heard it
hit the bottom. For a moment, nothing happened. The world
stood still. I could feel Margaret watching me, waiting, and
then she laughed, low and soft. That's all it takes,
she said, turning and walking away. I stayed momentarily, hoping
to feel something divine wash over me, before realizing how
childish this all was. So I headed back, following the
trails I had walked to get there. I woke up
drearily tired from the previous night's long hike. I slowly
made my way to the kitchen, fully prepared for a
snid argument with Kirrer before seeing Lily after school. She
held back the shouting for when Lily was not around,
but the passive, aggressive comments somehow hurt worse. When I
got to the kitchen, my nose was hit by a
heavenly smell pancakes. I don't know how, but Kirara made
pancakes that could put the best breakfast franchises out of
business if she were ever to go pro. She smiled
at the table, her plate waiting for me. I sat down,
cautious but optimistic, and we did something we had not
done in a long time. We laughed over breakfast, something
we hadn't done since our first few days here. Lily
was more animated, running around the yard with a wide
grin on her face that made my heart swell. Things
were somehow better. The improvements became undeniable. My job picked
up again, my hours were restored, and I even got
a sizeable raise. Kira was happier and more engaged. The
arguments stopped entirely and They were replaced with quiet, peaceful
evenings spent watching TV or reading something together. We were
invited to neighborhood barbecues and town events. At these events
and at my job, people congratulated me for finally making
my wish. I thought it was weird how they knew,
so I figured. Margaret informed every one. It took me
a while to complete the town's tradition, but everybody was happy,
and I was finally officially part of the town. It
was late one evening when the first cracks began to show.
I was in bed, half asleep after an outing with
some friends I had made in the neighborhood when Lily screamed,
shattered the silence. My heart nearly exploded out of my
chest as I leapt out of bed, rushing to her room.
Kira was right behind me. We burst through the door
to find Lily in her bed, her eyes wide with
pure terror, clutching her stuffed rabbit to her chest, shaking. Mommy, Daddy,
there's a monster outside my window, she cried, and pointed
towards the window with a trembling finger. I ran over,
throwing the curtains aside, but saw nothing, just the night
sky and the faint outline of the trees beyond. I
let out a sigh of relief and tried to calm
her down. I told her it was just a bad dream,
but the look in her eyes was all too real.
She was terrified. It's real, Daddy, she whispered, I heard
it talking to me. We tried to reassure her to
the best of our abilities. She calmed down when we
let her sleep in our bed with us, so we
could protect her from any monsters if they came back.
This made her feel safe enough to fall back asleep
and rest enough for school the day after. However, this
was only a short term solution for what became a
long term issue. The screams came again the next night
and the night after that. Each time Lily was more petrified
than the last, more insistent that something was just outside
her window. Her childish demeanor faded, replaced by dark circles
under her eyes and constant anxiety. She became quiet and withdrawn,
and this affair did us too. The sleepless nights caused
my performance at work to worsen. Then one night she
didn't scream. This would ordinarily be a sign of progress
with the issue, but I still wanted to check up
on her. I crept up to her room to avoid
waking her if she was deep asleep. I was met
with a cold draft of wind. When I opened the door.
The window was open, the curtains fluttered in the cold breeze,
and her bed was empty. I sprinted outside and shouted
a name into the empty streets, with no regard for
the neighbors, who were probably all asleep. I received no
answer apart from the echo of my own voice. The
street stood still, and I felt my heart beating. Kira
was in a state of complete disrepair, sobbing, screaming, unable
to collect herself whatsoever, She was inconsolable. The only thing
I could do was called the police. When they arrived,
they were disturbingly calm. The senior officer, a burly man
with graying hair, simply nodded along as I explained what
had transpired. Still, his eyes showed no signs of urgency
or concern. She probably just ran off, he said, with
a shrug. Happens all the time around here. I stared
at him in disbelief. What do you mean she ran off?
She's seven years old. He gave me a sort of
placating smile. Don't worry, She'll turn up. They always do.
There was something horribly familiar about his tone, the same
tone I had heard from the townspeople when they talked
about the well. It made my skin crawl. A younger
officer stood at the side of the senior officer, and
he looked uncomfortable. His eyes filled with something like pity,
and he avoided my gaze. I wanted to scream, shake them,
to make them understand that my daughter was missing, but
he felt like no matter what I did, they wouldn't
take anything I said. Seriously, the senior officer said, call
us if she doesn't come back in forty eight hours,
and they left. Kira collapsed into my arms. Her sobs
racked a body. I did not know what to do.
I felt powerless, as though everything was against us. The
next forty eight hours were hell. I scoured the town.
I knocked on doors, asking anyone I could find if
they had seen Lily. Every response was the same, calm, detached.
No one seemed to show even the slightest bit of concern.
Some people even congratulated me, as if losing my daughter
was something to be celebrated. It made no sense nothing did.
While canvassing the streets, I would hear whispers conversations behind doors.
After I'd finished asking them for information about Lily. I
tried to listen, in attempting to pick up any information
they were withholding from me. I heard some familiar words
I'd heard a lot of my time in this town,
tradition and well. I tried changing my tact from asking
about Lily to asking about the well. I tried to
be indirect, but it seemed word of Lily going missing
was known across town, so every time I got close
to understanding, some one would interrupt me with a smile,
and others with congratulations for making my wish, and never
expanding beyond that. I was a complete wreck. By the
time the forty eight hours were up. Kira shut down completely,
refused to leave the house and barely spoke. I was spiraling.
When the police returned, a different senior officer accompanied the
younger one. I screamed and shouted at them that the
forty eight hours were up and that they had to
look for my daughter now. The senior officer looked at
me with a confused expression. Why did you wait forty
eight hours to inform us what, I stammered, You should
have notified us as soon as she went missing. The
likelihood of a missing child being found drastically decreases the
longer it has been, he said with authority. I was stunned.
There was so much I wanted to say back, but
the thought swirled in my head so much that I
couldn't pick a single train of thought to stick to.
So I just stood there, mouth agape, emotions mixing within
me rapidly. The younger officer then interrupted and asked this
superior officer if he could take notes for the case.
The senior officer nodded in agreement, looking disgusted as he
left the room. I'm sorry, he whispered, his eyes darting nervously.
This happens more often than you'd think. What are you
talking about, I demanded, my voice shaking. He hesitated, glancing
at his superior just standing behind him. There's nothing we
can do. She The senior officer came back in and
cut him off. It seemed he was listening from just
outside the doorway, and pulled him away before he could finish.
Of everything we need. We will do our best to
find her, he grumbled, before leaving. I tried to get
his attention and ask him about what was truly happening,
but they just left. I needed to find answers, and
the only clue I had to go off was she.
And the only person that came to mind about all
of this was Margaret. That night, I went to knock
on the one door I had been avoiding this entire time,
but there was no answer. I wanted to take this
as a sign that this wasn't the right line of thinking,
but in my mind I already knew where to find her.
I followed the trails through the thick woods and arrived
at the well. Margaret was waiting for me, her figure
bathed in the dim glow of the moon. Once more.
You understand, now, don't you, she said, her voice almost gentle.
The well gives, but it also takes. You wished for
a better life than the well granted it, But there
is always a price. I stared at her, my mind
reeling what price? What are you talking about? Did you
really think the price of everything you got would only
be a quarter? She asked, stepping closer, and you made
a pretty big wish. I panicked, shaking my head, trying
to piece it all together. You've already made your wish,
Margaret said coldly, But there is still time. You must choose,
as we all have before, your daughter or your wife.
One will stay, one will go. The words hit me
like a punch to the gut. I wanted a scream
to run that this was all superstitious, nonsense, coincidence at
its finest. But I couldn't deny that what was happening
was real, and that this was my last piece of agency.
You have about twenty four hours from now, Margaret said,
before walking away. Make your choice. I wandered aimlessly back
to the town. I was getting consumed by the reality
of the impossible choice I had to make. I thought
of Kira, broken and lost, and Lily, her innocent face
twisted by fear. How could I choose? The next day
went by in a blur, lost in thought about everything,
But in the end I made my decision. In the
dead of night, I knocked at Margaret's door. My heart
pounded in my chest, still unsure about all of this,
she answered, this time, her eyes gleamed with a dark satisfaction.
Have you made your choice? I swallowed her, my throat
constricting with emotion. I choose my daughter. Margaret nodded, her
expression unreadable. It will be done, she murmured, and closed
the door. He was so unceremonious, and yet my insides
felt like I had swallowed glass. That night, I lay
beside her and looked at her, unable to sleep. She
was completely unaware, oblivious to what was going to happen,
to what I had done to her and our family.
My heart was on the brink of tearing from guilt
and sorrow, but there was no other way now. I
drifted off to sleep, and she was gone. In the
early hours of the morning, I woke to an empty bed,
the space beside me cold and undisturbed. There was no
sign of a struggle, hor a fight, no trace of
where she had been. I couldn't cry or scream. I
was numb, hollowed by the weight of what I had done.
I heard a froul voice calling to me from down
the hallway. I rushed over to where I heard it,
and when I opened Lily's door, there she was. She
stirred from asleep as if she had never disappeared, just
as Margaret had promised. But she wasn't the same. She
was a shell of the bright, happy girl. She had
once been silent and withdrawn, her eyes dull and lifeless.
She stared at me. There was barely any recognition and
no warmth, just an emptiness that mirrored my own. Days later,
as I stumbled through town, I saw her, the little
girl from Margaret's house. She was laughing, running down the
street with a group of children. She wasn't a pale,
lifeless figure I had seen before. The stark contrast from
when I first saw her woke me from my stupor.
She was full of life now compared to the shambling
zombie of a child when we first moved in, and
I realized that Lily now resembled that shell she had
been drained before, just like Lily, the well had taken
Lily's life and now had given it to her. This
must have been Margaret's wish, and she had tricked me
into paying the price. I stood there in the middle
of the street as the cold reality finally washed over me.
This was how the town worked. There was no bureau
to complain to about this, no authority that operated the rules.
I couldn't get one back on her. Margaret played the
game and I lost. But now I was a part
of it. As I neared my house, I noticed the
for sale sign on a house a few doors down.
If I wanted Lily to be back to how she
was before, I had to play the game just as
Margaret did. Maybe it's time for another family to make
a wish.