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The Wishing Tree (1): A Destiny City Star Festival Tradition to be held every year; In Town Square, there is a beautiful tree with spreading branches. It is tall, but the lowest branches are easily reached. The city has decorated the tree with small, starlike ornaments and glistening lights. Thick leaves and beautiful purple flowers dangle from the branches, along with a myriad of different colored papers with handwritten wishes. Next to the tree is a stack of blank paper with twine attached, and a handwritten sign that explains:

Write your wish on a sheet of paper and tie it to the tree. Take one wish off the tree and do your best to grant it. When you have granted the wish, bury the paper in the park.

The papers are biodegradable and filled with seeds. There are no rules for wishing, but you are encouraged to wish for something vague enough that it can be interpreted in many ways so that it can be granted; you do not write your name on it, but it is encouraged to write something that doesn’t wish for self gain, but rather something that can make the world a better place. Some wishes dangling from the tree already include things like “I wish there wasn’t so much litter in the park,” “I wish someone would clean the graffiti off the old historic buildings,” and “I wish there were more volunteers at the shelter.”

If you choose to use the Wishing Tree, what do you wish for? If your wish is private, you may write it on the paper and choose a spot in the park and bury it yourself instead of hanging it on the tree.


As she'd walked into the middle of the Town Square she'd been handed one of the keychains. She hadn't even done anything to acquire it, it was just one of those little trinkets that were handed out as part of the festivities. She hadn't come here with the intention of collecting it yet, but as she turned it about in her hand and appreciated the hint of pearlescence on its blue surface, she was rather glad she had come in when she did.

She was here as a matter of tradition though, with the Star Festival came the opportunity to make a wish. Not only that, she could spare a moment or two of her time and try to grant one for someone else as well if she were able. It wasn't necessarily public charity, nor would anyone receive fame or glory out of it, but there was something comforting about taking one of those wishes and simply doing something nice.

Last year she'd had an easy one, it had been in relation to some litter. Well, it had been in relation to both the litter and the source of the litter, and over the course of the week Liliane had addressed it. Every now and then she did wander passed that spot now and it seemed to have stayed clean so she'd count that as a win, whether they had moved elsewhere though was another story entirely.

And thus, she was back again this year.

Another year, another wish requested and another granted!

She swept up towards the tree, now decorated with fluttering coloured paper. Some of them were much higher up in the trees than Lily could hope to reach, but others she did stand a chance of jumping up to get. She'd address that little bit later though, for now, she made a beeline towards the table where others had gathered. Collecting her paper, she rummaged in her purse for a pen and calmly took a seat on one of the nearby steps. Legs splayed out comfortably, she pursed her lips and considered what might be best this year.

Suffice to say that no one could ensure that she passed her exams, absolutely no one would do her dissertation for her, and the art of meditation was entirely personal so no one could silence her brain other than to knock her out cold so...

Oh!

I wish that someone might find the time to fix the rose garden at the retirement home.

Her grandmother was there, but Liliane didn't have the best of green fingers. Sure she might have had window plants and they did manage to bloom properly, but when it came to much larger and delicate flowers things rarely went well for her. It would have been nice to be able to fix it herself but when it came to that overgrown garden she knew better - any attempts for her to prune and tame some of those hedges and flowers would result in a very dead garden.

She smiled and folded the paper up, wove the ribbon in to it and then made her way back over to the tree to tie it to a branch. Perhaps she'd get lucky this year and someone with a bit more talent (or luck) than her would find it and have a go. All being well they'd be able to walk in that garden with a little more ease if it happened, and at just the right time too!

Her wish now made, she selected one of her own to grant and slipped it in to her bag for the time being. She'd look at it later when she had a free moment to come up with any plans she might need to grant it!

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