Bear and the Three Wishes
Bear finds a well that grants wishes, but every wish has a surprise.
At the end of a winding lane, Bear found an old stone well covered in moss. Written on the side were the words: ‘Make a wish, but think it through.’ Bear grinned. ‘Easy!’ he said.
‘I wish for a mountain of ice cream!’ Bear cried, dropping a coin into the well. The water glowed gold. There was a splash, a sparkle and a puff of glittering smoke. And there it was, right in front of him.
It was wonderful for about an hour. By lunchtime the whole mountain had melted into a sticky pink river that flooded the street. Bear frowned. ‘That didn’t go the way I thought,’ he said.
‘Try another wish,’ said Sana. So Bear wished to fly like a bird. Whoosh! He soared into the air, but then he couldn’t get down, and it got very cold up in the clouds. ‘Help!’ he called.
Sana fetched Dani the deer, who looked after the well. Dani said a quiet word, and Bear floated down like a feather. ‘Wishes are powerful things,’ said Dani. ‘You must wish wisely.’
Bear sat and thought. Then he noticed the village was getting very dry. The river had shrunk and the crops were wilting. He got a coin and wished, ‘I wish for rain for everyone.’
The sky darkened. Rain came falling softly, the flowers lifted their heads, and the river sang again. The villagers came out dancing in the puddles. ‘That was a wish that worked,’ said Dani.
Bear smiled. He didn’t have a pile of treats or any magic powers. But he had a village full of happy faces, and that felt better than any wish he could have made for himself.
The little lesson
The best wishes are the ones that help others as well as ourselves.
Let’s talk about it
- Which of the wishes made the biggest problem?
- What would you wish for if you could help everyone?
Finish stories to collect Bear as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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