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The Wishing Tree (2) : Your wish is only said to come true if you grant the wish of someone else; when you write your wish, you must also take one off of the tree and do your best to grant it. What wish do you pull off, and how do you intend to ‘grant’ it? Do you work with someone else to grant this wish, or do you work alone? You may get approval from another player to use the wish their character hung up, but no names are attached so your character may not ever know who wrote it!
July 1, 2024
The wish she’d picked from the tree had mentioned a specific park, by name, that the person wanted to see cleaned up. Considering it was a small park, near some nice homes, and it wasn’t one of the bigger more populated parks Mahari assumed this park was close to the person's home…so it was personal, perhaps it was a child or a parent even. Either option meant it had to get done!
That had led to Mahari scouting out the little park, wanting to see just how messy it was…and it was a mess. There was litter everywhere and the garbage can was overflowing. The playground needed a good paint job and it really was small - too small. After some time, and talking to her family and co-workers a plan had been made. It became a small project for those she’d brought in to help her accomplish things. It had started as a Saturday at the park spent picking up the trash, bagging all the dead leaves left from last fall and winter, allowing the grass the freedom it needed in order to grow. Some flowers had been planted, two of her co-workers taking to filling in places with flowering plants.
There had been other things to be done, in order to fix things like Mahari wanted, and it took a lot more to accomplish those things. She had, along with many other people, put in calls to town hall about the playground and its need for paint - because peeling paint wasn’t safe. While Mahari would like the playground changed, made bigger, they would start with asking for new paint so the place was less dangerous and some child wasn’t likely to eat the flaking paint.
She’d gotten word back, the day before, that a small crew was being sent out to strip down the playground and repaint it and seal it. She was planning something bigger, something more long term and time consuming, but Mahari was pleased with what was happening right now. Better would come…better would just take time. But right now, as things were being planted and trash was being picked up, the playground equipment was getting a coat of paint in bright new colors that children would love.
Closing up another bag of leaves Mahari picked it up and hefted it, rather slowly, towards the gathered bags they’d already gotten up off the ground. They would be picked up by the trash collectors in the morning.
Making her way back to where she’d been working, bending to help scoop more leaves into a large bag, there were still leaves on the ground though not as many as when they’d first arrived. It was almost done but it had taken hours, something they’d all come prepared for. Mahari had made food for everyone, along with a few of her sisters and sister in laws, and brought it down for the group here helping her fulfill the wish she’d pulled from the tree.
This was, as she looked around whilst standing up, a time Mahari was so glad to have such a large family. The youngest members were running around while her siblings were helping with the clean up. Her co-workers, the few who came to help, were enjoying things and talking to her siblings as everyone dealt in medical so the conversations flowed nice and easy amongst them all.
This was what mattered most to her..this was family. This was what Mahari loved about her life the most - so many people close to her.
When it was all done, nearly an hour later, Mahari helped get children into cars as some of the little ones were over tired and exhausted. Her siblings were thanked, as were their spouses, as Mahari finally loaded her own car up and as the other cars were leaving, Mahari headed off as well. Smiling as she drove, Mahari stopped off to bury the wish by the tree, she had fulfilled it. There would be more to come, because she saw a way to go a step further in things, but the wish had been granted. The rest to come would just be more - her own choice.
The pink haired woman had convinced her family, who were working on the people they knew who lived in the city, to push the city council to build a whole new playground using recycled materials as it would be good for the city and the park. They were asking for some solar panels as well so they could power the lights that were on around the little park late at night for those who might walk through it on their way home or be walking a dog. It would provide safety, as the lights there already did, but at less to no cost to the city.
It was a whole idea they were working up to present at the next city council meeting as well as every following one - as many as it took to get this accepted and done. It wasn’t a selfish idea or even something they thought would be that expensive, it would benefit many, and it would in the long run help with costs for the running of the lights there. The proposal of the idea was still being worked on, by herself and her family, but it was being written out to show the city how beneficial the idea would be…something to make them want to do this for the community.
With any luck it would go through at the next meeting, which was coming up, and than the money would be put towards it and hopefully sooner rather than later this little park would have a new playground for the local children. There would be new tables and chairs for parents to sit at, as well as people walking their dogs, they had proposed a small water fountain for dogs as well. The whole plan was one which they thought made sense…now to hope the city did as well.
Pulling up to her small apartment building, tony but pricey, Mahari parked in the small lot the tennants used and heading out of her car she headed for the front door. Today had gone well and her hands were dirty from burying that wish by the tree in the city center, but she was home now and could wash her hands and get some food.
She could be proud of the good she was doing for this city.
Word count: 1,078
