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.
Kathryn wasn't sure what it was that drew her to the grounds upon which sat all the local attractions to have been set up for this years Starfest Festival. Perhaps it had been the encounter with Casablanca that had stirred up enough curiosity in the young woman to actually investigate what it was that she was constantly missing. Ever since Tallulah had left Kathryn had been pretty much living like a recluse, back in her childhood home and trying to scrape enough money together to afford the things that she needed. It wasn't like she was poor, no, she just needed to start another solid base of savings before she was to attempt moving out again.
Sadly having one roommate just up and disappear didn't exactly leave a glowing mark on one's renting experience. But Kathryn wasn't the type to give up. If she could tuck enough of a nest egg away in order to live on her own, then by all means she would gladly do so. As it was though, she sat at a table that was close to the tree that she was currently studying. Her gaze followed individuals as they wrote down their wishes and then tied them up into the branches. Some people took other wishes down and went on their way with pensive expressions about how they could grant a wish ... and all Kathryn could think about was how it seemed that it was sort of sad that it was only around this time of year that people made wishes and granted others. Shouldn't that be a year-round experience. Clutching her own neatly written out wish Kathryn waited for a moment in which it didn't seem like anyone was around before walking to the tree and making sure that her wish was secured good and tight.
If anyone were to pick hers, they'd find the following message:
Quote:
I wish someone would spend an afternoon reading to the children at the Destiny City Library summer reading program
It certainly wasn't a wish that would benefit her personally, but professionally it would allow Kathryn a moments reprieve at the place that she still was employed. It would allow her the time to spend getting caught up if someone were to take over that duty, just for a day.
xSeiana_ZI
Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 2:43 am
Zebulon wasn't sure what brought him to the wishing tree.
Perhaps if it had been a few weeks prior, he might have written a wish about keeping in touch with those they loved, no matter the challenges to that. Now? Now, he didn't know. He had gotten back in touch with the one he--and they all--were missing. It had been a total upheaval for all of them, and Zebulon wasn't sure how long it was going to take to recover from that. He was ... happy to have Teegan around, sure.
Life had felt wrong without him and it would have felt wrong without him once more.
He wasn't sure what to do in the aftermath, though, and while he was glad to have him around, the betrayal also burned deep.
What was he supposed to wish for? 'Don't let your loved ones betray you'? That was honestly an impossible ask.
As he debated, he spotted someone else dropping off her own wish at the tree. He supposed he was supposed to pick one up before dropping one off. Zebulon would confront that in a bit once he decided which one he wanted to drop off in the first place-- "Ah, hey," he offered, with a hint of awkwardness since he wasn't sure if he was supposed to greet a fellow wisher. "Pick up a good wish?"
Kathryn's gaze appraised the stranger as he neared her position. She kept her opinion to herself before she shook her head in response. It was true that she'd not chosen a wish to pull down yet but there were just so many to choose from. Instead of remaining silent thought Kathryn put an effort into at least trying to be helpful before gently running her fingers through the various scraps of paper that still lingered from those who had come before her, "no, I'd just finished tying my own wish into the tree when you asked. I'm trying to decide if there is any one wish that, well, calls to me."
Figuring that could have probably have been met with a blank look Kathryn extended her left hand before tapping a tied up wish before continuing, "like this one seems to have been tied up with the utmost of care whereas that one," and she pointed to a random wish that had seen some wear & tear, "seems to have been placed in a hurry. It sounds weird but it's from those wishes that are tied up with care that I want to take my pick of."
Still scanning the bits of paper Kathryn sighed before stepping to the side to allow this individual access to the branch she'd been looking over. Her own wish was now firmly entrenched amongst the others but she could pretend to scan more possible selections to see what this individual put up or took down.
"Pretty sure I'm making a big deal out of what to choose, but it's how I like to think about those around me."
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 3:11 am
It turned out to not be as terrible a question as he thought it was.
Hearing the logic of why one wish might call to her versus another actually gave him some insight as to what he should be doing if he ever tied his own to the tree. If he wanted anyone to take the wish that he left, he should probably look like it meant something to him. Which, in retrospect, made sense.
But could he find something that meant something to him, or was he at such a loss for what he wanted for his own self that he wouldn't be able to find anything at all?
"I like that, honestly. Shows that they've put some thought into the wish they put up, and would probably show the same care to the one they take."
Probably, at least. He hoped that carried.
"I can see you took that same care in how you put yours up too. Think it makes sense that you'd like that mirrored." Which meant but if he was going to do this, he should at least try to put his heart into it. It all felt a little silly in the end, but maybe not as goofy as he thought if people were taking this so seriously.
At least her idea behind her delay in choosing a wish wasn't rebuffed. That was always a good sign. Kathryn felt a sense of relief actually when the stranger made it a point to make the effort to understand her response. Acting now on pure instinct she held out her free hand, the right one, towards the individual that she was chatting with before quirking a small grin in his direction. If he wanted to shake it, or not, she wouldn't think anything worse of him, "I did take a bit of time to make sure that the wish I tied up wasn't damaged in any possible way if I could prevent it, that's for sure," and her voice turned a little playful as she continued to side-glance at him, "so, who do I have the honour of meeting underneath this impressive tree?"
Kathryn's right hand was still extended towards the man and now she turned to face him fully before she grinned, "I'm Kat. Well, Kathryn but Kat works fine."
As she stood waiting to see if her greeting would be returned Kathryn's gaze locked on a wish that was just past the stranger's turned aside profile before she made a mental note. It would be that wish, she'd pull down that one, if she could and if this individual didn't snag it for himself.
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:55 am
The pure instinct was met with a grin of his own, and he clapped his hand to hers, giving it a firm shake. "Zeb." There was no point in giving his full name; he rarely did unless it was necessary. Well, he would add, "Unless you go to DCU."
Well, even if she did, he wouldn't make her call him professor outside of school, but in some ways it was the principal of the thing. That degree had taken a long time to earn, and he was proud of it. Having Zebulon Raymond Castaneda, Ph.D. be his formal title felt nice.
Maybe that could be the wish he could put down. Pursue a minor thing they'd be dreaming of.
He guessed he had that... He sure had dreamed of Elliot's Teegan's return.
Zebulon noticed her gaze drift elsewhere and wondered, "Did you see one you wanted?" He wouldn't snatch it from her if she did, but what other people did had always been a curiosity for him.
Kathryn's gaze lingered on the wish that she had zeroed in on choosing before grinning back at Zeb. "Sadly, I've not found the time to check out the DCU campus. I'm basically full-time employed and would need to save up more funds before I could even think of taking more than just the average refresher courses. Like 'upgrading'. It's not that I wouldn't want too, it's just right now it's a delicate balance between saving up the money I earn from my job and finding the right things to spend it on."
Kathryn paused before contemplating something, "although I'm pretty sure there are options that could work instead of a university program ... you know, as another option that is open for me to investigate."
Hopefully Zeb wasn't the one to take offense at the small slight against the DCU campus. Given he'd made mention of it made Kathryn curious if it had been brought up for a reason. Did Zeb teach there? Was that why?
Realizing that Zeb had asked if she'd spotted something that intrigued her Kathryn gave a short nod as a reply before shifting her position to slowly circle around his form before snagging the paper that had caught her attention. The wish was placed into the pockets of her jeans. It'd be read later on but it had been one of the neatly tied up wishes that she'd made mention of earlier. The added bonus was the tiny little heart that the wisher had doodled on the outside of the rolled up paper.
"I have a feeling this is the wish I need to fulfil. What about you? See anything that calls out yet to you?"
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2023 7:25 am
"Auditing courses is a way to sit in on them that costs less if you ever want to consider that." Zebulon, as a full-time academic, always found it sad when people found themselves unable to pursue that higher education if they wanted it. While higher education wasn't for everyone--and it shouldn't be forced to be--people who wanted it should be able to access it. And while auditing wasn't exactly a way to earn a degree...
Well, it'd be a way to absorb the class nevertheless.
He seemed overall unbothered by the slight against the university. Honestly, as a professor, he understood. He definitely understood, considering how much time and money it had taken him to get to where he was...
Zebulon watched as she plucked one off the tree and tucked it into her pocket, a satisfied smile on his face at picking out the right one. She turned it around on him, though, and that drew a hm of thought as he debated what was in front of him. Did he want to take a wish? He hadn't written one yet, but perhaps taking one would help him make a decision on if he should add to it or not.
Fulfil a minor dream you've had felt like a nice one.
As Zebulon settled on that, he decided to take one written on a green paper tied onto a higher branch, getting on his tiptoes to snatch it down. Too bad he hadn't recruited Tobias--.
"Yeah." He snorted as he turned it over and then tucked it into his own shorts' pocket. "They clearly wanted to make this one less possible. I want to know what it is."
Kathryn gave Zeb a thoughtful look as she took in the words that he'd spoken about sitting in on random classes. Auditing courses, he had called it. Maybe that was something that she could look into doing. For now though she was content as it were with what she was accomplishing. Even working at the library there were chances for advancement.
Watching as Zeb himself stood on tiptoes to reach up and grab a green-papered rolled up wish she gave him a small ovation for managing that feat before chuckling. "I think we've got the best wishes around in our possession. I'm not hanging around for too much longer but I wish you all the best in whatever you need to do to grant that request to the best of your abilities."
Kathryn's hand went to the pocket in which she had slipped her own chosen wish into before she gave a sigh, "I'm going to definitely do the best job I can with this wish."
She gave the tree a fond look before turning her gaze back to Zeb. "Thank you by the way for the advice about auditing courses. I'll definitely look into what more would need to be done because even if it's not taking the full course, it'd allow me to get a taste of academia again."
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 5:51 am
The small ovation earned a playful bow. Well, maybe he didn't need Tobias with him right now if getting the item off the functional high shelf would earn him applause. "I think so too. Not sure what this one says, but," but he'd fulfil it, if he was playing this little game, if he wanted someone else to try and pursue a minor dream. It was better to play along. "I'll get this one fulfilled."
And to hear how much meaning people gave to something seemingly minor was ... nice. After so many heavy things, it was a relief.
He glanced toward her with a grin when she mentioned she was considering auditing.
"Yeah, no problem." Zebulon winked at her. "If you do, see if any courses by Professor Castaneda are available for auditing. If you're interested in chemistry, anyway." Castaneda could either be himself or Diryas, of course. He thought either professor would be an excellent choice, of course, but he was a bit biased in that regard.
Would Teegan be auditing any courses while he tried to get back used to ... well, everything?
Kathryn gave an small look of intrigue when Zeb mentioned a Professor Castaneda before filing the name away for another time. Was it possible that Zeb was the professor in question? Well if she chose to take in this process of auditing a course maybe she'd find out one way or the other. There was also the idea of researching the faculty staff but that was probably being a bit too nosy.
Just like it would be probably prying to much to know what Zeb's wish said. Considering that she would read hers later on in peace and quiet though, she wouldn't and couldn't fault him if he chose not to share it.
Instead Kathryn glanced once more at the remaining wishes knowing that the wish she had placed up there was still safe before lowering her gaze for a moment. "I hope everyone who has either made a wish or helped grant one feels good about themselves for trying to better Destiny City. It was a pleasure to meet you Zeb. Maybe I'll see you on campus if I decide to audit some courses after all."
And with that parting Kathryn began to walk away, knowing perhaps that what was written down on the paper she had grabbed would keep her occupied for the next few days and she turned once to contemplate Zeb's profile before continuing on her way home. Questions swirled around in her mind about this prospect of having learned something new ... and what she could do with the information. Maybe it had been a good day to come to the festival.
