Pinewood Creek wasn't the kind of town you'd find on most maps. Nestled in a valley surrounded by towering pines, it was the sort of place where everyone knew everyone else's business, and traditions were held sacred. None more so than the Annual Wish.
Every year on the summer solstice, when the night was shortest but the stars shone brightest, the entire town gathered in Stargazer's Field. They'd come with blankets and thermoses of hot chocolate, children bouncing with excitement, adults pretending they weren't just as eager.
Mayor Harriet Thompson, all seventy-eight years of her barely contained in a floral muumuu, would stand on a creaky wooden platform and announce in her wavering voice, “Friends and neighbors, it's time for the Annual Wish!”
A hush would fall over the crowd as all eyes turned to the sky, searching for Stella, the unusually bright star that had been the focal point of their wishes for generations. Legend had it that wishes made on Stella always came true, though not always in the way one might expect.
This year, twelve-year-old Tommy Baker was practically vibrating with anticipation.
He'd been planning his wish for months. “I'm gonna wish for a bike,” he whispered to his best friend, Lisa.
Lisa rolled her eyes. “That's boring. I'm wishing for world peace.”
“Now, now,” Tommy's grandfather chuckled, overhearing them. “Remember, the wish has to come from your heart, or Stella won't hear it.”
As the first stars began to twinkle in the deepening blue, a collective gasp rose from the crowd. Stella appeared, brighter than ever, a beacon of hope and possibility.
Mayor Thompson's voice rang out, “On the count of three, everyone make your wish! One… two… three!”
The field fell silent as hundreds of wishes were sent skyward, a chorus of unspoken desires.
Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating hard.
At the last second, unbidden, a different wish slipped out.
Not for a bike, but for his mom to smile again.
She hadn't been the same since Dad left, and Tommy missed her laugh.
As the wishing moment passed, chatter resumed. People began sharing their wishes – for good harvests, for health, for love. Tommy kept his new wish to himself, a bit embarrassed by the change of heart.
Over the next year, Pinewood Creek saw its fair share of changes.
Old Man Jenkins' prize-winning tomatoes grew to the size of basketballs.
The high school football team made it to state finals for the first time in decades.
And most surprisingly, quiet, bookish Lisa started a wildly successful campaign for the town to reduce its carbon footprint.
“See?” Lisa said to Tommy one day. “My wish for world peace is starting right here!”
Tommy just nodded, his thoughts on his own wish. His mom had been going out more, joined a book club, and even started humming while she cooked. But she still hadn't really smiled, not the way she used to.
As the next solstice approached, anticipation built once again. The night of the Annual Wish arrived, and Tommy found himself back in Stargazer's Field, this time with a firm idea of what he'd wish for.
But as Mayor Thompson began her countdown, a commotion broke out near the back of the crowd. Tommy turned to see his mom, laughing and apologizing as she tried to detangle herself from a picnic blanket she'd tripped over.
And there it was – the smile he'd been missing for so long, bright enough to rival Stella herself.
In that moment, Tommy realized two things: his wish from last year had come true after all, and he now knew exactly what to wish for this year.
As the town called out “Three!” in unison, Tommy closed his eyes and wished with all his heart: “I wish everyone's wish comes true in the way they need, not just the way they want.”
He opened his eyes to find Stella twinkling, as if in acknowledgment.
In the years that followed, Pinewood Creek saw many more wishes granted, each in unexpected ways. Gardens flourished, relationships blossomed, and a general sense of contentment settled over the town.
And if anyone noticed that the wishes seemed to bring more joy and growth than ever before, well, they chalked it up to the magic of Stella and the Annual Wish.
But a young boy didn’t.
He had learned that the best wishes come from the heart, and that sometimes, the universe knows what we need better than we do ourselves.
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If you want to listen to this story you can, on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@oliviasands-cozystories
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IA Reading – https://platform.openai.com/playground/tts
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