The Wishing Well

Chapter 12

“I went for a walk,” she began at last, hugging herself tightly with trembling arms. “Everything was so stressful. I needed to get away from the—things, the creatures, whatever they are! But when I turned the street that would have led to town, I...couldn't find it. It's hidden, Olivia.”

Olivia jumped a little at actually being addressed directly. Was she being blamed? But one glance at the girl's face told her this was not the case. Tess was too scared for that.

“There's a forest there that just...grew...and everything that was there is gone...I don't know where it came from, but I know the well had something to do with it! The wish you made! Olivia, my family is out there! They can't get back in!” She was sobbing now. “I know because I tried to walk through it and something—something happened and all the trees formed a wall—just everything's wrong—” Now her voice failed, and she gave up, hiding her face in her hands.

Olivia sat up and tried to breathe steady. She wasn't ready to speak to anyone, to have the responsibility over anything again because she knew it would be a disaster. But she couldn't keep quiet, either. “You're serious, Tess?” she stuttered at last, feeling her whole body go cold. “Please don't be joking with me...”

“I wouldn't joke about something like this!” she practically screamed.

Olivia glanced at Ian, alarmed. Even though she didn't really want to leave the house, couldn't try, didn't know what to do—she couldn't leave things like this, either. At least she ought to face the aftermath of the mistake she made. We have to go take a look.

Ian didn't argue, but helped her back up. “We're going to go see. Do you want to come?”

Tess shook her head. “No. I don't want to see it again...not yet.”

Olivia exhaled slowly, trying to remember how to walk. Finally she nodded, in a manner that she hoped was understanding and not simply resigned. “Stay here. We won't be long—I hope.” Those last two words slipped out, and she immediately wanted to take them back. But she had managed an artificial calm that might shatter the moment she saw what Tess was talking about. Olivia pulled herself together and stumbled outside with Ian, staying close by him. For all she knew, people would start a mob against her for taking their good wish.

Olivia squinted through the houses, past a unicorn, and refused to look directly at it. There was no space to see in between those houses. They hurried down the sidewalk, heading in the direction of the bakery. She realized early that the bakery could not be seen, but wanted to believe it a mirage.

“It was her!” Olivia heard someone call. “She took the wish!” Ian took her arm, and they sped up.

As much as Olivia hoped she was hallucinating, there was no denying it. When they reached what should have led out into the street, instead they came to what was undeniably the edge of a thick forest. It was bad enough with the garden statues and the fairy, but those only came out at night, for the most part. Here, there was a massive, thick forest—out in broad daylight, and they obviously weren't going to disappear with the sunrise.

Olivia’s legs felt weak, so she stopped, feeling something inside her wither up...again. It wasn't enough anymore to focus on breathing. This was scarier than anything else she witnessed since the move here, especially since she knew it was her fault. “Where did it come from?” she whispered at last. It was her final defense to try and seem naïve, even though Ian was the last person she would fool. It was worth trying to fool herself for just a little while longer.

Ian did not reply. Instead, he took a hesitant step forward, as if attempting to go into the forest. As soon as he was within a foot of it the trees all seemed to bow to the left or right, interlocking to create a wall that nobody would dare to climb. The trees were alive. They came out of nowhere, they were alive, and all the houses and buildings behind them seemed to have vanished. She had never seen something so insane in her life.