Image: one-of-a-kind gift presentation of a Fermata Conductor Baton Rest, and the inspiration for this story.

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A girl and her grandmother were walking to the bay for a late afternoon picnic. Along the way, they found a penny.

“Look there, child. A penny.”

“But it’s on tails. It’s not lucky if it’s on tails.”

“Lucky? Who said anything about luck? Always good to have a penny on one’s person, I always say, should they happen upon a magic wishing well. Now pick it up, or I will.”

“A wishing well?”

“Have you lost your marbles, child? Do you not believe in magic? Hmph,” she scoffed, knelt to pick up the penny, then slid it into her left front pocket.

They continued on, passing a park where people generally met to play cards. A dozen or so small tables filled the center circle. The surrounding trees provided shade for hot days, and the clearing allowed for enough natural light to play by. The park was empty.

“Look there. Someone’s left behind a deck of cards.”

“It’s unopened.”

“Oooh. Freshies! Consider the possibilities. Let’s have a see.”

“What if someone comes back for them?”

The grandmother slowly scanned the perimeter. They were definitely alone. “There’s no one else here, dear. Would you have us leave a note, perhaps?”

“Yes, please. I believe that’d be proper. I’d hate to come back and find my deck of cards missing, especially them being unwrapped and all.”

“We’ll leave a note then. Let’s see… Have your cards, thought you wouldn’t mind if we had a play. Come join us if you please, we’ll be up by the bay.”

“Thank you.”

“And thank you, child.”

“No! Add thank you to the end.”

“Oh, yes! Fine point… and thank you. Perfect. Well done.”

The girl took the cards and slid them into her left front pocket. They continued walking. As they neared the shore, the wind carried with it the scent of smoke and brine.

“It’s a magical day indeed!”

“What is it?”

“Just over there.”

Just over the next dune, a circle of stones stood like sentinels, blackened with the remnants of a fire.

“Has the makings of a proper wishing well, if I’ve ever seen one.”

“This pile of stone and ash, a wishing well?”

“Ah, good. You see it, too.”

“A well?”

“Help me clear the debris. Now you dig in the sand while I set up our picnic.”

“Dig a hole between the stones?”

“Yes, of course, darling.”

“What am I digging for?”

“Water, of course. It is a well, it just doesn’t know it yet.”

“A wishing well?”

“Well, yes, obviously. Whether or not it will accept a wish will be up to us.”

The girl began to dig, and her grandmother laid out a proper picnic.

“Fine work on the well, love, water is already starting to trickle in. This will do just lovely.”

“Can I make a wish now?”

“Before we dare attempt that, we’d best enchant it, don’t you think?”

“That feels… a bit redundant.”

“Precisely. I find when you only need one of something, it’s nice to have two. Do you have a wand?”

“A wand?”

“Oh, no matter. Fetch a reed from the dunes. Chop, chop. We’re losing the light.”

The girl ran up to the dunes, looking at all of the reeds swaying in the wind. None of them spoke to her. But one did. It lay at her feet, detached by natural means. She lifted it high above her head and ran back down to her grandmother.

“Wonderful, darling! You’re a natural. Now, I’m certain you know the magic word. Share it with your well.”

“Abracadabra?”

The grandmother laughed with mild amusement. “Uh, no. That’s a good one, but no.”

“Please?”

“Right! Give it a go.”

The girl closed her eyes, lifted the wand to eye level, then opened them both at once. “Please!”

The well glimmered.

“Did you see that?” The girl shouted.

“I believe so.”

The well glimmered again, twice.

“There it goes again!”

“Yes. I believe you’re right.”

The well glimmered a third time, thrice.

“What is that?” said the girl. “Is there something in there?”

The grandmother leaned forward and looked into the well. “Come, look. There’s something under the water buried in the sand. I can’t reach it.”

“What is it?”

“See if you can grab it.”

The girl slowly climbed over the blackened stones into the well. “Okay, I see it. I think I’ve got it!”

The object was filthy, caked with sand and soot. The girl took it to the bay to rinse it off. It appeared to be made of solid copper, and its natural patina had taken on a beautiful verdigris.

“What do you think it is? It’s really heavy.”

“Looks like an old oil lamp. Not from around here, I don’t think. Not from around now, either.”

“It’s lovely. I think I can rub off a bit more of this soot.”

Just then, a man walked over the dunes calling to them. “Hello there. Hope I didn’t startle you.”  He smiled. “That’s my lamp. Please be careful.”

“I’m sorry. Who are you?”

“I’m Al. You invited me, actually. I have your note.” He held up the note they had left at the park. “We’ll be up by the bay, you said. I believe you have my cards, too.”

“This lamp can’t be yours. We just found it buried here, about four feet deep.”

“That’s quite close, actually. 1200 millimeters, to be exact.”

“Under a fire?”

“Yes. That was mine, too.”

“Wait. You buried an oil lamp four feet in the sand, then lit a fire on top?”

“Nearly that, yes—1200 millimeters. Had to keep it warm.” He shrugged. “Bit heavy to carry around, too.”

“Are you homeless?”

“No, no… I have a place… hard to explain, really.” He smiled. “I do just fine, though, thank you.”

He gestured to the girl, “May I?” He took the lamp and brushed off a bit of soot with his little finger. “Why were you digging here anyway?”

“It’s a wishing well,” the girl chimed in.

“A wishing well? Why didn’t you say so? Wishes happen to be my speciality. Do you know what you were going to wish for?”

“Oh yes, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.”

“Tell me.”

The girl leaned toward Al, her eyes sparkling, and whispered her wish into his ear. He listened closely, nodding slowly. Her grandmother watched with pride as Al’s face told her all she needed to know.

“That’s a lovely wish,” he said. “And you have a coin, have you?”

The girl’s grandmother reached into her pocket and pulled out the penny. “Viola!” she said.

“This was the first bit of copper we found today,” said the girl.

 “Well now, I’d say it really is your lucky day. Go on, whisper your wish into your well this time, and toss it in.”

They watched the coin tumble through the air, the sun’s reflection on its face, landing with a soft plunk and sending little ripples across the well water.

“Al, did you…?” The girl spun to find that Al was gone. A sudden gust combed the dunes, sweeping sand over the footprints where he’d been, as if conspiring to hide any evidence of his existence. Her eyes darted back to her grandmother, who simply raised an eyebrow. “Where’d he go?”

“I don’t know. He seems the sort not to linger,” said the grandmother. “And not much for goodbyes.”

“Did it work, my wish?”

“I don’t know that either, dear.”

“Well, I believe it did.”

“Good! What I do know, child, is there’s never any magic without that.”