Wishing on a Well
"You came."
Shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight, Elizabeth smiled up at the tall man approaching her. His brown hair was beginning to thin out on top, and the wrinkles lining his eyes were more prominent than when she had last seen him months earlier. Even so, he looked just as handsome as ever.
"Of course," Terry said. "You look lovely, dear."
Elizabeth scooted over on the bench for him, her smile growing wider when he pressed a kiss to her cheek. She reached for his hand, marvelling at how warm it still felt, and more so, how it seemed to fit hers so well.
"Such a charmer," she said, rolling her eyes.
It only made him grin, and he leant in to press another kiss to her cheeks. Pulling back, she watched as he then straightened his back and tried to get comfortable on the seat. He wriggled about a few times, letting her hand go at one stage to place his underneath him.
"I forgot how uncomfortable these park benches could get," he said. With a huff, he slouched against the wooden seat back and looked at her.
Her cheeks grew hot and she stared down at her feet. Of course, it was just like her to forget something so obvious. It had been months since she had sat on a park bench, and even longer than that again since she had had to avoid a splinter.
A hand touched her shoulder, and when she looked back up, she saw Terry smiling at her.
"At least it isn't covered in bird manure this time," he said, his pale blue eyes twinkling.
"You hope," she said.
The smile returned to her lips as she remembered the time her husband had the misfortune of choosing a seat he thought had been covered in white paint. It had been on one of their first dates, and it had been the way he had managed to laugh off the incident that won her over.
A small chuckle escaped her lips when she saw Terry's eyes now trail down to the wooden surface, feeling underneath himself again for any possible droppings.
"Relax, I already checked when I got here," Elizabeth said.
"I wasn't checking," Terry said, but the crimson creeping up his neck betrayed him. Tugging his shirt collar around his neck to hide his blush, he changed the subject. "So, how has, er, how has life been going lately?"
Part of her smile faltered. Shrugging, she said, "Nothing more than usual. Pretending to sleep, pretending to eat, watching as time goes by…"
"Oh."
"But, it's not that bad when I get to see you," she added.
Terry nudged her in the forearm. "Now who's the charmer?"
"Still you," she said and, taking a leaf out of his book, leant over and kissed him on the forehead. When she pulled back, she asked, "So, how are the boys? What have they been up to lately?"
Her husband's eyes lit up, and he straightened his back again. "Oh yes, I almost forgot—you're going to love this."
She watched as the man dug around in the satchel he had brought, his tongue protruding from the side of his mouth. It took him a moment to rifle around in its contents, but with a sigh, he fished out a small bit of paper and handed it to her.
She took the paper and examined it. It was a photograph, and when she saw the two people in it, identical grins on their faces, her heart gave a flutter.
"Colin took this," he said. "He's got a real gift."
She nodded, tracing her fingers over the two people. The picture showed Terry waving at the camera, his hand resting on their youngest son's shoulder. Dennis had a smudge of chocolate over his mouth, but it was the way he looked much taller than she remembered, his head reaching past his father's waist, that caught her attention. She only wished that Colin was in the picture too so that she could grasp how much he had changed.
"I took them over to that park in Exmoor on Saturday," Terry continued. "The boys wanted to see the wishing well, and I thought it would cheer them up a bit."
Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat, and she looked up at Terry. "You took them to see Ffynnon sy'n dymuno?"
The man beamed at her. "Yep, and they loved it. You should have seen their faces when they ran over to the well, coins in their hands. They were a bit upset that they didn't have the 'magic coins' with them but were soon laughing and mucking around nonetheless. Told me it was the best day they'd had in a long time."
She swallowed a lump in her throat and turned back to the photograph. Sure enough, there behind the two boys was the large, stone well. Something churned in her stomach, and Terry's words faded into the background. Terry had taken their sons to the well. To her well.
June 1987
"Now, boys, it won't be forever," Terry said.
He tried to put a big smile on his face as he stared at their sons, but Elizabeth could see that it didn't quite meet his eyes. She placed a hand on his shoulder and focused back on the boys.
Colin and Dennis were both teary-eyed. Their breakfast remained untouched in front of them, their cups of tea now cold and stale. Dennis hugged his teddy bear to his chest whilst Colin simply refused to look at either of them. His attention was instead focused on the pile of cardboard boxes stacked up against the wall, each labelled with a room in permanent marker.
She couldn't really blame them for being upset; she herself had spent many a night that week crying in front of the television when the boys were tucked up in bed. She loved the house. It was the house that Terry had carried her into after their honeymoon, apologising profusely when he got a little too carried away and banged her head against the door frame. It was the house with the room that she and Terry had painted pink, even when they knew they would be having a son; after all, the baby books that Terry had bought her in a panic said that babies were influenced from a young age, and they didn't want their son to be prejudiced. It was the house with the small living room where Dennis threw up his very first bowl of carrots, and Terry had insisted he be the one to clean up the mess since he had given their son the food in the first place.
The house was their home, yet with Terry being made redundant, it would soon be someone else's.
"Our new apartment will be close to the city," she said, hoping to gain the boys' attention.
Dennis sniffed and brought his teddy bear closer to his chest. Colin folded his arms and huffed.
"If you like, we can go for a visit now and check it out. You can even choose which bed you want," Terry said.
Colin huffed again and stared up at them. Tears streamed down his red cheeks as he said, "What I want is to stay here forever."
Terry looked to her for help and she held up a hand. "We can't, sweetie, but maybe one day we can return," she said.
The brunet sniffled. "You can't promise that. We'll never get to come back, never! I hate that we're poor!"
Terry took a step forward, but she shook her head. An idea had formed, and now she knew what she could do to make things a little better.
Still smiling, she walked over to the coat rack and took down the boys' coats as well as her own.
"I've got some things to finalise," Terry said noticing what she was doing, but she waved him off.
"It's okay, I'm just going to take the boys out. Colin, Dennis, I have something special to show you. Quickly, come and grab your things and I'll take you there."
"I hope it's not that stupid—" Colin began, but when Dennis gasped, he changed his words. "I don't want to go to the new place."
She winked at him and walked over to the door. "I pinky promise that we're not going there today."
Dennis looked at Colin, who nodded. Scraping back his chair, the elder brunet helped his brother down, placed the teddy bear in the chair instead, and walked over to her. Bundling them up in their cloaks, she led them out the door.
The air on the walk up the hill was fresh and crisp, drying her boys' tears. They still continued to sniffle, however, and she quickened her pace.
The large stone well was still where she remembered it being from her childhood. Moss climbed up the brown and grey stone framework, and the small wooden roof hutch was missing a few beams. When she leant over the edge, careful not to lean on the well in case it broke off, she could only see an endless stretch of darkness.
"What is this?" Colin asked, looking around the grassy knoll. He was clutching onto Dennis' hand, who was too preoccupied pulling apart the dandelions surrounding the well's bottom.
Elizabeth grinned at her son, a twinkle in her green eyes. "This is called Ffynnon sy'n dymuno. It is a wishing well."
Fishing around in her pocket, she took out a small velvet bag and tipped the contents into her palm. Three small bronze coins fell onto it, each one a little tarnished.
"Are we going to use those to buy our house back?" Colin asked, standing on his toes to get a better look.
His eyes lit up when she handed him one of the coins, and he ran his finger over the goat pattern etched onto it.
"I'm afraid not," she said with a chuckle. "These are just play coins my grandmother gave me when I was little. She has hundreds of them, but you can't use them to buy real things. They're her 'magic money.'"
"Oh."
She chuckled again, knowing exactly how Colin was feeling. When her grandmother had shown her the coins decades ago, Elizabeth had tried to buy a few sweets with them. The shopkeeper had laughed her off, and her grandmother had to explain that they weren't real money. She never knew why the old woman kept them anyway, but as it were, the coins now took up room in her sock drawer, and they would be better used now to cheer her children up.
"No, silly billy, what we are going to do is throw them in the well. You see, if we toss them in, close our eyes and make a wish, it might just come true."
Colin nodded slowly, and soon a smile broke out on his face. "Really? Is magic truly real?"
"It can be if you believe." With a wink, she lifted Colin up over the well. "Now, close your eyes and make a wish."
Colin did as he was told and tossed the coin into the well. It was almost a minute before they could hear a small 'plop', but Colin turned to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"I can't wait for it to come true," he said.
"Me next! Me next!" Dennis shouted. He was now standing up, his chubby hands reaching out to her.
She lifted him up as she had for Colin and pressed a bronze coin into his hand. Guiding his arm, she helped him drop the coin.
"Your turn, Mummy," Colin said, holding out the pouch she had left with him.
Taking the last coin, she closed her eyes and threw the coin in. 'Plop!'
"What did you wish for?" Colin asked, trying to look into the well.
Elizabeth shook her head, pulling him back from the stone structure. "If I tell you, it won't come true," she said.
Colin pouted. "Please?"
With a sigh, she took both his and Dennis' hands and swung them as they walked back down the hill. "Alright, alright. I wished that we would always be together," she said.
Dennis looked confused, but after a moment, his brother nodded. "I like that wish," he said.
"The boys kept going back and maki—" Terry tilted his head and looked at her. "Is everything alright? You look a bit pale."
Elizabeth blinked a few times before hastily fixing a smile on her face. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking."
Terry nodded and smiled. "They are fine boys, our sons; it is hard to believe how grown up they've become."
Like she would know; she wasn't the one who got to see their sons grow up. The same pain from before hit her stomach, and she placed a hand over it. No, she was being foolish.
Her husband didn't seem to notice her discomfort, though, and continued to prattle on.
"Why, it's almost time to take Dennis shopping for his own school supplies. You should've seen his face when he got his acceptance letter. Two wizards in the family, Liz, two!"
Elizabeth bit her tongue and simply nodded. It was yet another thing Terry had gotten to see that she had missed out on. Fantastic.
"You know, I think you will be proud. I've been able to save enough from my job to afford new robes for Dennis. He won't have to borrow Colin's like we thought he would. Isn't that exciting?"
It was almost unbearable now for her to nod and pretend everything was fine. All she could think of was that the list of important moments in her sons' lives were all being played out without her. It was bad enough that she had already had to miss out on Colin's school shop two years before.
June 1992
"What else does it say?"
"The only pets I can have are a cat, an owl or a toad." Colin looked up at them, his eyes sparkling. "Can I please get a pet owl? That would be wicked!"
Terry laughed and shook his head. "I don't know how we're even going to find half of this stuff in London. That stern woman who came did mention something about a pub… where'd I put that other letter?"
Elizabeth pressed a kiss to his cheek and ruffled Colin's hair. Putting on her coat, she then walked around the table to give Dennis a kiss. The boy grimaced and wiped her lipstick off his face, but when she gave him a small pout, he leant up and gave her a hug.
"Alright, dinner is in the fridge, you just need to heat it up. I'll come home to change first—I'll probably get back around nine—and then we can all head off for our shopping adventures." Grabbing her purse, she blew her family another kiss and headed out the apartment door. She didn't even bother checking the small glass jar sitting on the counter; even if there weren't that many savings coins inside, she was certain they'd be right to buy Colin's school things. She had returned to nursing and her shifts were increasing. If they kept at the rate they were going now, she'd probably even be able to afford a going away present for him.
Her breath was heavy as she climbed down the stairs, a small jarring pain catching her in the ribs, but she quickened her pace. The sooner she got to the hospital, the sooner she would start her shift, and the sooner she could knock off.
Or so she had thought. Upon walking through the sliding glass doors and into the corridors, her heart sank. Beds were being wheeled back and forth along the clean linoleum floor, and the constant wailing of sirens from the emergency department echoed throughout the building.
"Oh, thank goodness you're here. Mary Allen called in sick—again—and we're understaffed. C'mon, we're in Ward C first." Without pausing for breath, her colleague grabbed her by the hand and whisked her off down the hallway.
The shift had only gotten busier from there. Apart from an elderly man who refused to be bathed and another missing nurse (who Elizabeth could have sworn she had seen disappearing into the alley behind the waste station with Dr Gregson), the endless amount of patients that night had seen her shift extended well into the afternoon.
Throwing on her coat, Elizabeth didn't even bother to fix her makeup or hair. With her purse slung precariously over her shoulder, she ran out of the hospital and down the narrow London streets. She would have to go straight to that pub on Charing Cross Road and try to find her way from there.
Her chest heaved up and down as she finally entered Charing Cross Road. She allowed herself to slow down, and after another moment to catch her breath, she peered around the street. The whole west end looked a little worse for wear. Most of the shops were run down, their doors boarded up and windows dark. Those that were open had grubby handprints on the glass fronts or, like the shop boasting 'fresh records at low, low prices,' had music blaring so loud passers-by crossed the street to avoid it.
There were no pubs on the street, however, and her heart began frantically beating again. Had she got the address wrong? What had that woman told them? Something about the pub being invisible to Muddles? Mubbles?
Just as she ran a hand through her hair and prepared to look for a public telephone to ring Terry, she spotted the man standing outside the shabby-looking mannequin store. He was holding on to Dennis' hand, and Colin was right behind him, his skinny arms laden with bags and parcels. All three of her boys had smiles on their faces, their eyes dancing with merriment.
She gave a sigh of relief and ran over to them.
"Mummy! You missed the best day. That place is magical. We went through a brick wall and to a big white bank and there were these goblins. Goblins! Can you believe it? And then we headed into this shop, oh and look, I got my wan—"
"Calm down there, mate. Your mother needs a minute," Terry said, ruffling a hand through Colin's hair.
Colin's cheeks grew red and he pulled his new wand to his chest. "Oops."
Elizabeth smiled and wrapped an arm around him. Placing her other arm around Terry, who was still holding onto Dennis, she walked with them back down the street.
Her stomach gave a funny flip as she realised she'd missed out on everything. Even so, as Dennis prattled on about all the ice cream flavours one shop had, she found herself still smiling. They had had a good time, and that's all that mattered.
"Dennis really wanted to get an owl, but I—" Terry stopped and looked at her. "No, something is definitely wrong. What is it?"
Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. "Nothing."
"I made sure that we still have enough money left over for food and stuff," Terry said, reaching for her hand.
The pang in her stomach reared its ugly head again. She took his hand, hoping it would stop, but found herself quickly letting go of it.
"Liz?"
She wrung her hands together. Why couldn't she just be happy that Dennis had everything he needed?
"It's just that… No, it doesn't matter."
"Honey, you can tell me—"
"Fine, you know what's wrong? What's wrong is that I am stuck here whilst you get to run off and have fun with our sons!"
Terry reeled back, blinking. "I—"
She hated the way he looked so crestfallen, but she couldn't help it. The green-eyed monster inside her was pushing her forward, telling her to let it all out.
"Oh, and it's not just since I di—since I left, either. You've always gotten to do the fun stuff, to have our sons like you best."
August 1992
"Honey, you should really lie down. I've got it covered."
Elizabeth shook her head and looked at the long list in front of her. Her stomach was cramping and her eyes felt heavy, but she refused to give in to her exhaustion. There was too much to do, and she wanted to make sure that Colin had the perfect going away party. The extra shifts at work and lack of sleep would all be worth it when she saw his face.
"Did the magician call? I know he might be a bit cheesy considering where Colin is off to, but I don't want the kids to be bored tomorrow."
"Nothing you do could be cheesy," Terry said, walking behind her chair. He massaged her shoulders for a moment before pulling her chair out. "He confirmed this morning, remember? Now go and get some rest. We have a big day ahead."
She opened her mouth to protest, but when a yawn came out instead, she nodded and stood.
Her head was throbbing. "I'll just take some aspirin first," she said. "I'll meet you in bed."
"This is brilliant!"
Elizabeth sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Her head still hurt, but that didn't stop her from throwing back the blankets when she saw the time on the clock radio.
"Terry! Why didn't you wake me? It's past eleven!"
Her husband came through the door, juggling platters of mini mince pies, sausage rolls and cupcakes in his hands.
"Relax, I have everything under control. You need your rest."
Elizabeth snorted and crossed her arms. "Your idea of control is trying to hire a clown and petting zoo. Why didn't you wake me?"
The room began to spin and she groaned. She flopped back against the pillows and closed her eyes.
"Leave it to me, I'll take care of everything. You just focus on getting better," Terry said.
She opened her eyes and went to protest, but Terry had already left. With a sigh, she turned to the window and looked outside.
It was a nice, sunny day—perfect for the party. She could see Colin and a few of his friends running around, sticks in their hands as they pretended to be wizards. A small chuckle escaped her lips, and it if didn't hurt too much, she would have shaken her head; how little those boys really knew.
Terry had placed the trays of food on a table, but before the boys could scoff them down, he held up his hands and led them over to the tall tree in the backyard. Hanging from one of the branches was the piñata she had ordered. It was in the shape of an owl, and she smiled when she saw Colin's eyes grow wide.
Terry clapped his hands together, trying—and failing—to assemble some order as the children milled around. He then bent down and picked up Dennis, who had fallen to the back of the crowd and was being jostled around. With help from Colin, he tied a bandana around their youngest son's eyes and lifted him up to the piñata.
Dennis' giggles echoed across the small yard to the bedroom. She sighed, closing her eyes once more. She wished she could be out there, not in here.
She hadn't realised that her eyes were full of tears until Terry leant over and wiped a finger across her cheek.
"Oh, honey…"
"I will always miss things," she said.
Terry wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her head on his shoulders. He gave a small shudder as the tears soaked into his shirt—she didn't know for certain, but she guessed that they were much colder than normal—but didn't let go.
"Shh… shh…" he murmured, patting her hair.
With a sniffle, she pulled back. "I'm sorry, I'm just being a bit silly."
Terry's own eyes were fresh with tears, yet his lips were pulled into a smile. Digging around in his satchel again, he pulled out another piece of paper.
"You have every right to be upset, dear," he said, tugging on her hand and placing the paper in it. "But perhaps this will help."
She sniffled again. With a trembling hand, she began to read the paper, recognising Colin's tidy but rushed scrawl.
We made a wish for you 2day mummy that you are happy. I know your not here, but sometimes I think you still are. We love and miss you always,
Colin & Dennis xoxox
They hadn't forgotten her, not at all. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes and she leant back into Terry. He continued to stroke her hair, pressing a kiss to her forehead every now and then.
"Now, do you want me to tell you about Dennis' fear of the train?" he said.
Elizabeth chuckled and nodded, a fresh excitement in her heart to hear about her beloved boys. She wasn't missing out, not really.
A/N: This story is written for The Houses Competition, Year 2, Round 2.
House: Gryffindor
Year/Position: Prefect 1 (Written by a third year stand in)
Category: Theme
Prompt(s): 5. [Object] Wishing Well
Word count: 4168 words (according to Google docs)
Just a few quick notes: The name Ffynnon sy'n dymuno and is Welsh for 'wishing well' (supposedly). I'm not actually sure why I picked it or gave it a name, but the Welsh sounded very mysterious and magical. I also apologise for my poor attempt at writing from the hand of a thirteen-year-old (at first he was younger, but I then went to my old and very embarrassing notes from high school for help heh) (so yes, the 'your' is intentionally wrong etc lol). Thanks to a lovely review from another player, I decided to forgo italicising the flashbacks to prevent big blocks of writing being italicised—I hope they're still clear enough though to not disrupt the flow too much.
Most importantly, yes, Mrs Creevey is a ghost, and yes, only ghosts can apparently be seen by wizards or witches. But have you ever wondered how it was possible for two children in the same generation from the same family to be Muggleborns? Just food for thought, plus, as Elizabeth does say, magic is possible if you believe ;)
This story is dedicated to the amazing Kat (roseusvortex)! Xx
A huge thank you to my betas shay, Lumi and Alana!