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.


Nearly a decade of roaming the stars would be an entire spectacular chapter in the lives of most people. For a being like Kurma, however, it was a simple moment in his life, one he had experienced countless times before and would experience countless times again. He was with the universe. He was the universe. It was his default state of being, as basic as breathing.

What was really fascinating, what was really amazing to him, were things that were basic and simple to most people. When his boots settled on the ground again, he was delighted to be on the ground again. With a huge grin on his face, he tested the gravity with a couple of hops. And then he tested the air with a couple of indulgent breaths, while waving his hands vigorously in front of him to feel the resistance. He twirled around on a foot, marvelling at the horizon and the sky. It had been just a moment since the last time he experienced all these things, but it still felt all new and delightful again.

And the streets of Destiny City were filled with lights and sounds and smells and people. There was a festival going on! A party! The cosmic sage couldn't have picked a better time to dip back in.

There was so much food lining the streets to sample. He wandered about for a bit, occasionally floating up off the ground, observing. The exchange of money that happened first confused him initially, but after some hard thinking he remembered the routine well enough. It would be easier to do if he powered down, he realized. So, with a thought, he held up his buoy of stars and let it disappear.

And then the gravity of his long absence slammed down on Perry's psyche.

Eight years.

He'd been gone for eight years.

s**t.

The strange part was, it only bothered him for a moment. It should have been devastating... but it felt more like he had showed up late to an important meeting. Stressful, but not life-ending. Before he'd set out on his journey, he'd put his affairs in order: quitting his job, buying a storage unit, and so on. He knew he'd be out for an indeterminate time, and potentially never return at all. The Earth was a nice place, but it wasn't really his home, and he was okay with that. Even now, in his more human state, he felt like a visitor to this world. He probably wouldn't be visiting for long either.

So, the smile returned to his face as he decided to enjoy his moment here.

The Star Festival must have been new, because he didn't remember it happening in the few years he had lived in Destiny City. He loved the idea, though, and the people around him seemed to as well. The Town Square had a delightful, decorated tree in the spot where Princess Kaguya had once attempted to establish a throne. It was a good change. He approached it with an eager curiosity. The crowd of handwritten wishes hanging from the branches filled him with a sense of inspiration he couldn't have found out in space. Maybe that's why he was here.

It took a couple of attempts for him to remember how to write, but eventually he succeeded. His handwriting had always been kind of messy anyway. The latest wish that was added to the tree read: I hope someone makes a traveler feel welcome here.