Hana and the Three Wishes
Hana finds a well that grants wishes, but every wish has a surprise.
At the end of a winding lane, Hana found an old stone well covered in moss. Written on the side were the words: ‘Make a wish, but think it through.’ Hana grinned. ‘Easy!’ she said.
‘I wish for a mountain of ice cream!’ Hana 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 her.
It was wonderful for about an hour. By lunchtime the whole mountain had melted into a sticky pink river that flooded the street. Hana frowned. ‘That didn’t go the way I thought,’ she said.
‘Try another wish,’ said Arlo. So Hana wished to fly like a bird. Whoosh! She soared into the air, but then she couldn’t get down, and it got very cold up in the clouds. ‘Help!’ she called.
Arlo fetched Poppy the pony, who looked after the well. Poppy said a quiet word, and Hana floated down like a feather. ‘Wishes are powerful things,’ said Poppy. ‘You must wish wisely.’
Hana sat and thought. Then she noticed the village was getting very dry. The river had shrunk and the crops were wilting. She 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 Poppy.
Hana smiled. She didn’t have a pile of treats or any magic powers. But she had a village full of happy faces, and that felt better than any wish she could have made for herself.
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 Hana as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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