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one spring, long ago, a lonely maiden wanders through the woods, all by her lonesome
she stumbles upon a clearing, in which sat an old wishing well, long since dry. so desperately lonely was she, that she tossed a coin, and made a wish, upon that lonely well
"o fae of this well, I beg of thee
please find someone to spend time with me"
a light, weak voice floats from the echoing depths, much to the maiden's surprise
"thank you, child, I haven't much power, but I shall try to grant your wish"
the maiden, still disbelieving, thanks the fae, genuine gratitude in her heart
"may I have your name?"
"alas, t'is unwise to share mine, but my appreciation is true, o guardian of the wishing-well"
the well's guardian fae, having gone without offerings for so long, and yet longer without companionship, tells the maiden to return on the morrow, bearing more offerings
and she does, but the next coin she tosses down into the well does not ring against its walls, instead flying back out after a couple moments had passed
"just berries or morning dew-drops shall suffice, and some for yourself"
came the voice from the well
"the granting of your wish requires your presence"
the fae spoke, in their airy voice, of days long past, of still waters broken by coin, of voices asking for help
and asks the maiden of her own tale
in words chosen with care, the maiden told the fae of village markets, of open fields, of flowery maypoles
of her eyes watching, but feet still
when the fae asks her to return the next day, and the next, the maiden does so with a spring in her step
the days grew warm, and the two continue their exchange of stories, of daily lives past and present, of hopes and dreams
and though neither one have seen the other before, the two gradually become friends, and so the first wish was granted
—
idle days passed, and the pair grew ever-closer. the days grew colder, and visits grew shorter, the chill unsuitable to picnicking by the well
one autumn day, the scarlet and gold draping the ground rather than the trees, the maiden tells the fae
"with winter fast approaching, I fear I will not be able to visit quite as often.
so, before I must leave.. "
the maiden tosses a second coin into the wishing-well, and makes her wish
"o fae of this well, hear mine plea,
for t'is thyself, I wish to see"
a gale whips through the clearing, the noise almost hiding the forlorn lament
"I cannot come to you, dear maiden"
the fae's voice was but a whisper
"for I fear I will be swept away by the wind"
the maiden laid her cheek upon the cool stones of the well, heart sinking
"but, if you would trust me, dear maiden
you may gaze in, to catch a glimpse"
her head rises from the edge of the well, and over the lip. the dried-up well ran deep and dark, and far below, a dense fog obscures her vision of the true bottom
"alas, o fae, I see naught but mist"
in the depth, the pale cloud swirls, and rises. from within the twisting fog, features seem to emerge, as if flowing into a vial, shaped into a lovely face
the lips move, and a familiar voice emerges from them, ringing hollow
"but alas, t'is I, dear maiden,
for without ground-water
this is all that's left of me"
a shiny tear spills from the maiden's eye, falling into the well, caught by a wispy hand
"I would not have been able to manifest myself at all, were it not for your offerings, my dear"
"thank you, for granting my wish
may the winter be kind on us all"
—
the winter came, and the maiden's visits grow short and sparse
with berries preserved into jam, and dew drops being replaced by ice-crystals at the end of evergreen needles, the fae's voice grew weaker
"o fae of the well, I must apologise,
for the winter is harsh,
and I cannot offer more without putting my family at risk"
"better your wellbeing than this well-being's, my dear, I'll live"
a gentle laugh turns into a cough, rattling from the depths
solemn understanding hanging in their shared silence
at last, when the first buds of spring peek through the snow, the maiden returns
the maiden tosses a third coin into the wishing-well, and makes her wish
"o fae of this well, grant mine boon,
for thine poor health, to better soon"
"i... pardon?... oh, my, thank you, love"
the voice behind those words, echoey as they are, becomes more solid, turning more watery with each word
from the depths, a gentle drip, drip, drip on soil, turns into a trickle, then into a distant splashing from far below.
it builds, and builds, until a sudden crr-aack! and the sound of rushing water echoes as it fills the depths below
the maiden leans bodily over the edge, peering down into the well
"do be careful, love! I wouldn't want you to fall in"
the voice that speaks is clear and smooth, serene like a still lake, and the newly-gathered water ripples upwards
up from the depths, the water snakes upwards, growing more humanoid as it stretches and fills out
the lovely features from that autumn day meet hers with a smile, now far more solid and tangible
as the maiden leans backwards away from the edge, the water fae emerges from the well, inhaling deeply, the light refracting through their form casting lovely shadows upon the melting snow
"it's good to finally see you, love"
the inhale causes a bubble to form inside the fae, bobbing around lazily. it rises, wavering slightly, through the fae's watery form, before floating to the top of the fae's head, bursting with a light 'pop!'
the maiden chuckles lightly at the sight, then louder, the relief hitting her all at once
before she realises what happened, the maiden cries tears of joy, sobbing and laughing into mittened hands
"it, it's- good to see you too, dear fae"
a watery hand reaches out for her teary smiling face, caressing her cheek
the fae wipes away tears with care, tear-tracks blending with the wetness to become indistinguishable from each other
"weep not, love, I'm alright now"
the maiden murmurs, half into the palm by her lips "..... my name, dear fae"
how a being of water can manage to weep is a mystery to them both, but the fae's lips curl into a smile
"please, let me share the latter half, if you'd allow it"
the maiden's heart stutters, and she gives the fae watery smile of her own
"yes, I do"