Quote:
The Wishing Tree (1): 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.
Wordcount: 633


The festival was bright and colorful, cheerful and fantastical, it was what every child dreamed of when it came to city wide parties. Dawn was having a fantastic time looking at all the stalls and booths. The games were just as entertaining as the food was good but what really drew her attention was the large tree covered in colorful papers and sparkly ornaments. The tree was already quite beautiful since the leaves were thick and vibrant, the purple flowers just accenting the whole plant. The city apparently decided to make the tree into one of those wishing trees that were seen in animes and mangas, or at least that's what Dawn thought when she saw the little sign that explained what the papers were for. The concept seemed the same except instead of personal wishes for things like money or to fall in love or the like the city was going a more selfless route.

The wishes were meant to be vague but useful since every wish that was hung up was also taken down to be granted, hopefully. Bright blue eyes surveyed the colorful slips and wondered just how many had actually been ‘granted’. There were still quite a lot of paper still in the tree and even more was being added. Unsure of what wish she wanted to make, and sticking to the spirit of the wishing tree Dawn wanted to wait to grant a wish until she had come up with a wish of her own first, the young woman drifted around the festival trying to rack her brain for good ideas. She could write ‘more volunteers for animal shelter’ or for the library or any of the summer programs that the city ran. Dawn knew that there was normally a lack of volunteers for most beneficial and community oriented programs. Unfortunately. And as much as she wanted to write down ‘less violence in the city’ she knew that would never happen. Besides, if someone actually picked that particular hypothetical wish they could be seriously hurt if they actually tried to do something.

So something safe but not cliche. Helpful and community minded. Something that everyone, regardless of age, could do. This is really hard! The young girl mentally grumbled even as she made her way back to the wishing tree. She reread the description of the ‘event’, the sign set up next to the blank paper, and realized that she didn’t have to write down a wish. At least not yet. But she could take one off the tree and do her best to fulfill it and since the paper was embedded with seeds she would also be beautifying the park when she buried it as well.

With a little slight clap of excitement the young girl bounced up to the tree and after a moment she jumped and snagged one of the hanging wishes. “‘I Wish The City Was Cleaner’,” she read off the pale blue paper. “Oh that's quite simple!” She knew exactly what she was going to do and it was perfect since the festival was leaving behind a sad amount of trash already. Just cleaning up a bit in the park itself would fulfill the wish, not quite as much as the wisher probably wanted but it was better than nothing. Besides who said that Dawn only had to pick up trash only tonight. She could, and did tend to do so, always pick up litter when ever she saw it.

Yeah! That worked and it was great for the city and the environment! She loved it! With a grin that was nearly ear to ear the bubbly teen went off to bury the paper before starting her ‘job’ of picking up the trash in the park, and the city in general.