Unusual Stories for Unusual People

Kathryn's Wish

There once was a little girl who lived in a small cottage on the edge of a town far away. Her name was Kathryn, and she lived with her mother, father, and brother.

Kathryn had lovely pets, all the toys she could ever want, and her family was well off, but she was not happy, because she was all alone. She may have lived with her parents and brother, but they never played with her or gave her attention. She had no friends, and she spent most of her days all alone.

Every night, before she went to sleep, she would whisper a prayer: "Please, please give me somebody, anybody. I want to love somebody, and to be loved by them back"

One day, Kathryn's wish came true. A girl named Alice moved in with her family just down the road, and Kathryn made friends with her in an instant. There was an undeniable spark between them, one that made every moment they spent together feel like a celebration of life.

Alice played with Kathryn almost every day, and Kathryn loved her immensely. Yet as time wore on, Kathryn began to notice that something was wrong. Alice wasn't happy, but why?

"Why are you so sad, Alice?" Kathryn finally asked one day. "You have me, don't I make you happy?"

"You're wonderful, Kathryn, and I love you very much," Alice told her friend. "But I can never truly be happy. I don't deserve to be,"

Kathryn was stunned. How could someone like Alice not deserve to be happy? She was beautiful, kind, and talented. Why would anyone deny such a lovely girl happiness?

"Alice, you're perfect to me!" Kathryn exclaimed as she hugged her friend. "I love you as I've never loved anyone before. You have me, always,"

"I know," Alice said simply.

The weeks went by, and while Kathryn and Alice went on adventures together and played with one another, Alice's sadness was too strong. Alice seemed to long for something, something Kathryn could not give to her. Kathryn would beg for her friend to explain what it was, what she needed, but Alice never could.

One day, Kathryn woke up, ready for another play date with Alice. She put on her favorite dress and shoes and her favorite bow and went to the breakfast table, only to see her mother waiting for her.

"Alice is gone, Kathryn," her mother explained. "She left during the night, while you were sleeping. She's gone,"

Kathryn could not believe it. She felt sick, angry, sad— why would Alice leave her? How could this happen? Why would she leave without even saying goodbye?

When Kathryn began to cry, her mother said, "Oh, come, now. I know you feel sad, but you will make other friends. You always have your family,"

At these words, a fire burned in Kathryn's body. She could never make another friend. She would never find someone she would love like she loved Alice. And what family? The family that ignored her and treated her like a failure? Kathryn had no family, now.

She stormed out of her cottage, straying away from the town that never loved her and to the bridge which crossed the wide lake.

There, she stared into the water, and she recalled the wish she had made. In the water floated Alice's shoe, and suddenly Kathryn knew what she had to do.

She leaped into the lake, where she froze within moments and slipped into darkness. Just before the water could claim her, however, she looked above her into the sky one final time, and there she saw Alice.

Alice wore a fine gown, and a crown on flowers laid upon her beautiful head. She looked at Kathryn with tears in her eyes, and she cradled her friend in her arms.

"Why would you do this, Kathryn?" Alice sobbed. "I love you,"

Kathryn only smiled, and she touched her best friend's cheek. "I love you too,"

What Kathryn did not know, until this moment, was that Alice was not a human at all. Alice was a Water Nymph, capable of magic and a power beyond understanding.

As Kathryn faded away, the Nymph crumbled her friend's body into a fine, golden dust, which she blew into the wind.

"Find your happiness, Kathryn," Alice told the dust. "I'll find you someday, once you reach it,"

To this day, the wind still carries what's left of Kathryn, searching desperately for a flicker of hope. When it finds it, Kathryn and her Nymph will be reunited at last.