THE WISHING STONE 

  One evening, Ada was returning from the neighbouring village when she stumbled upon a stone by the riverbank, smooth and glowing faintly under the moonlight. She picked it up, and a whisper filled her ears,

  “One wish, anything you desire.”

  She laughed at the absurdity, but hunger gnawed at her belly. Her parents and siblings waited back at the hut for her return. Earlier in the day, Ada’s mother sent her to her Aunt who resides in the neighbouring village for foodstuffs that can sustain them for two days but met her absence. Her Aunt’s neighbours told her that she travelled with her family.

  Ada did not know what to do. Going back home empty handed was out of the question as her family relied on her to come home with some foodstuffs. Upon seeing the stone and listening to it whisper granting of wishes lifted her spirits. She chose not to say anything back to it until she arrived her hut.

  As Ada approached her hut, her parents and siblings who saw her coming stood up quickly and waited for her to come to them. She didn't, instead she sat on a mat in front of her hut and whispered back to the stone.

 “I wish for food—enough to fill our bellies tonight.” 

 In an instant, baskets of yam and steaming pots of stew appeared. Her parents and siblings were elated upon seeing the food. They ran towards her hut. Her family settled down and ate to their satisfaction as their laughter echoed through the night. The next day, Ada tried again. 

 “I wish for gold,” she said. 

  Gold rained into her lap, heavy and dazzling. She kept making wishes upon the stone and it kept granting her wishes without hesitation. Ada enjoyed every bit of it. With the stone in her possession, she turned the fortunes of her household around. With the same stone, she turned her’s and her family member’s hut to a house, their rags to silks. Neighbors bowed, traders envied, suitors lined her doorstep.

  As months kept dragging on, Ada didn't bother about the effects the stone was having on her as a result of its constant use. She was just after the greatness and riches she intend to acquire with the stone. With every wish, the stone grew dimmer… and Ada grew weaker. By the time she wished for a throne, her skin was pale as paper, her breath shallow. The stone crumbled in her palm like ash, and she collapsed among her riches. The villagers whispered for generations after.

  “She had everything she wanted, be that as it may, everything comes at a price.”

- Amy King

Writer/Storyteller/Creator, Fiction in a Flash