20 Wishes of Maple Woods [Currently Rewriting] ✓

He definitely didn't see this one coming. . .

I wish to get a tattoo.

“Err . . . mom this was just a joke. Who wishes for stuff like that? I’m gonna go read a book. Okay. Bye,” Maple scurried away dodging the glare her mother threw at her.

“Jason . . .”

“I’ll take care of this aunty,” he replied interrupting her.

He felt really disappointed for he’d craved to make every wish of Maple’s come true; however, there seemed a glitch in the plan. He really didn’t know what he’d do now.

“Get a butterfly or a little ladybug, okay?” Illeana almost whispered.

Jason turned back and saw a slow, sad smile on her face. He went to her and hugged her fragile frame. Pulling back he kissed her cheek gently and gave her a grin. Then he took her farewell to find that nimble best friend of his.

Her room was completely void of presence. Jason called out to her but received no reply. He thought that she might have run to the library or her MaplePoint. He turned around to go away to one of these destinations when his eyes fell on something.

He grinned.

“Ah! As Maple is no longer in her room, I might as well sift through her book collection with my dirty cookie hands. Or maybe I could check that folder of hers in which she keeps stuff I haven’t ever seen. Hmm . . .  what could that folder contain that’s so forbidden for my eyes?” Jason spoke aloud trying to muffle his laughter.

He took a step towards her PC and counted to ten. Right at the tenth count he was tackled down to the floor and someone was sitting on him with a flushed face. He grinned foolishly at the back head of the heaving figure mounted on him.

He tapped her shoulder but she paid no attention. He knew very well she was reading some book and his pleas for her to get off would be ignored.

So he tickled her.

She started chortling with joy. He dismissed her begging for a breather and continued till she got up and ran away to another corner.

He got up as well and sat Indian style on the floor gazing expectantly at her. He loved the way her knee-length hair was cascading down her back. This was a rare moment when she’d kept her hair open.

“So how did you know I was hiding?” she asked him still gasping for air.

“Did you ever hear this joke about the elephant and the ant?” he smirked at her.

“Shut it Jay. That’s not what I asked. Answer me or I’ll again sit on you.”

He gestured with his index finger for her to come near. Winking at her, he puckered up his lips and closed his eyes making kissing noises. She scowled at him.

“So I was saying this joke, right? How did the ant come to know that the elephant was inside the fridge?”

“Well, first of all this joke is stupid. Second an ant and an elephant can never be friends. Third I think you are very stupid to think that a creature like an elephant can fit inside a fridge,” she glared at him.

“Damn Maple. You do know how to make a joke turn into the most boring thing ever said. By the way the answer is - it saw the elephant’s slippers outside the fridge. That’s what I saw too. Plus Madame hygienic here never goes around with slippers so it wasn’t really twelfth grade maths that I couldn’t figure that.”  

Her scowl grew more prominent and she plopped down on her bed. Her feet started swaying and she hummed a tune while flipping the pages of her book.