A Wish For All

It was June 12. It was raining heavily in Oakhaven, and the atmosphere was as gloomy as the dark clouds overhead. A stranger stood waiting at the bus stop. He smiled at few people, but none smiled back. Leo was watching this unfold, he felt sad about how people responded coldly to each other. He knew no one in his town ever smiled or talked to each other. With a heavy heart, he trudged back home.

Finally, the day arrived, a month after his mother passed away. With trembling hands, he wrote on the piece of paper- I want my father to open up, be with me, and talk to me, just like my mother. With a glance at the sky, which was Now a lurid pink, he wrenched open the jar’s lid and slipped in the note. His mother had believed in a long-forgotten custom that required a wish to be written and sealed in a jar before the sky returned to its ordinary colour. Then, the wish would be granted.

Just as Leo was leaving the room, a strong gust of wind blew through the room. The glass jar rocked gently, before toppling and….. smashing into a million pieces. Leo felt his heart drown, as he watched the note inside flutter away with the storm.

That night seemed to stretch before him endlessly. He tossed and turned in his bed, before eventually falling asleep. The doorbell rang, jerking him awake. He went to get the milk from the milkman. “Thank you” he muttered, the memory of the broken wish jar still weighing heavily on his mind. The milkman grinned a big broad grin, before waving and going back.

 “Son, come fast! The match is about to begin!” Leo’s father yelled out for him. Leo’s heart skipped a beat. He joined his father on the sofa, who was already settled in with a huge bucket of popcorn. “Surprise!” his father yelled. Leo grinned, and hopped on, as the match

began. For the first time in a while, he felt his mother was around again.