Lavender Heart
04-23-2006, 07:36 PM
Hello all!
I am trying out this forum for the first time. My hope is that I will entertain some of you and invite you to share with me your thoughts on my stories and ideas. Below is one of my short stories. I'd love to know what you think?
The Wishing Well
By Lavender Heart
“Closed” the sign said. Charlie gazed at it, shaking his head.
“Think anyone will be interested in buying this place?”, Charlie asked walking into the bar that housed the sign.
“Probably,” the man responded turning his head, “Bars are popular places.”
Charlie watched the man walk toward the fountain. “Ah, there lies the culprit,” he said.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” the man asked as he started to drain the well.
“The wishing well. They say it determined the fate of this place.” he explained.
“Well that’s ridiculous! How can a gadget be responsible for what happened? The man died.” He responsded shrugging his shoulders.
“That ‘gadget’ my friend, is a symbol of a man’s greed and it has a curious sense of humor,” Charlie said, “People say it let to the closing of this bar.”
”Riiight.” The man smirked and continued to clean out the well.
“Well, let me tell you how and you tell me what you think.” Charlie insisted.
“Pete, who was the owner as you know,” Charlie began, “decided to have that well installed sometime ago,” he continued finding a glass to pour himself a drink, “I remember asking him about it.”
“Hey Pete! Nice fountain!” I said.
“ You like it?” Pete asked, “The ‘Wishing Well’, get it?” He added, laughing.
“Yea, we get it.” I said.
“Thought it would drum up some business,” Pete explained, “Add a little class.”
“What, we’re not classy enough for you?” Dave asked laughing.
“Dave and I use to meet here every Thursday night after work,” Charlie explianed, “We use to kid around about ‘The Well’ never running dry.”
“The well was a quaint little addition, but after the novelty wore off, most people ignored it. Everyone, that is, but Dave.”
“Dave was a superstitious kind of guy. The kind to carry a rabbits’s foot and throw salt over his shoulder. Anyway, he go it in his head that if he tossed some coins into that thing...”, Charlie continued pointing to the foundtain, “he’d get someting more out of life.”
“So he tossed a coin in and asked for $10,000. It was an outrageous amount of money and he kenw that, but he said that while he was wishing, he might as well go big.”
“Of course, he never got the $10.000, but a curious think happend. Dave’s broker called him that following week and told him that his stocks has taken an unexpected dive. He lost quite a bit of money. All together he lost about $10,000.”
“So it was coinsidence.” The man at the bar said, joining Charlie in a drink.
“Yes , it woud seem that way,” Charlie agreed, “but let me go on.”
“That same night, we noticed Pete was in an especially good mood.” Charlie moved on.
“Hey Pete,” I said, “you’re in a good mood. Did you get lucky last night?”
“Nah, can’t say that I did. But things are certainly looking up!” Pete explained,
“Made some good investments that paid off. About $10,000 dollars worth.” Pete
raved.
“That’s great Pete!” Dave said looking over at me.
“Yea Pete, that’s wonderful,” I said, “some guys have all the luck!”
“Dave was determined to experience some good fortune of his own. He thought he could use a new car, so he tossed another coin in the well. That following Thursday, he told me that during a business trip, his car was vandalized and totalled.” Charlie recounted.
“Now, I don’t believe that you can get something for nothing, so I would have quit while I was ahead. Not Dave!”
“He wished for a promotion and was laid off, went to the casino and lost a lot of money, after wishing for a big win, and asked for some insights into the stock market and made some real bad investments.”
“Poor Dave had a miserable time of it,” Charlie added, “He really got himself into debt.”
“Tough luck,” the man said, “But I still don’t see how that has anything to do with this place.”
“Well, what I didn’t tell you,” Charlie continued, “was that ironically Pete’s luck soared. He put money down on some property, bought himself a new car and just about trippled his money on Wall Street.”
“It was as if for every wish that Dave made, Pete won out and Dave got just the opposite.” Charlie speculated.
“Great story!” the man replied, “But I’m still not convinced it had anything to do with the well or Pete. Pete was hit by a druken driver.”
“What happend to your friend?” the man asked.
“Dave?” Charlie asked, “I saw him a few weeks ago and asked him if he was still making wishes,” Charlie reflected. “He told me he had lost faith in that wishing well. Made one last wish and gave up.”
“Oh yeah,” the man said putting the last chair up, “What’d he wish for?”
Charlie put his glass down, smiled at the man and said, “He wished he was dead.”
I am trying out this forum for the first time. My hope is that I will entertain some of you and invite you to share with me your thoughts on my stories and ideas. Below is one of my short stories. I'd love to know what you think?
The Wishing Well
By Lavender Heart
“Closed” the sign said. Charlie gazed at it, shaking his head.
“Think anyone will be interested in buying this place?”, Charlie asked walking into the bar that housed the sign.
“Probably,” the man responded turning his head, “Bars are popular places.”
Charlie watched the man walk toward the fountain. “Ah, there lies the culprit,” he said.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” the man asked as he started to drain the well.
“The wishing well. They say it determined the fate of this place.” he explained.
“Well that’s ridiculous! How can a gadget be responsible for what happened? The man died.” He responsded shrugging his shoulders.
“That ‘gadget’ my friend, is a symbol of a man’s greed and it has a curious sense of humor,” Charlie said, “People say it let to the closing of this bar.”
”Riiight.” The man smirked and continued to clean out the well.
“Well, let me tell you how and you tell me what you think.” Charlie insisted.
“Pete, who was the owner as you know,” Charlie began, “decided to have that well installed sometime ago,” he continued finding a glass to pour himself a drink, “I remember asking him about it.”
“Hey Pete! Nice fountain!” I said.
“ You like it?” Pete asked, “The ‘Wishing Well’, get it?” He added, laughing.
“Yea, we get it.” I said.
“Thought it would drum up some business,” Pete explained, “Add a little class.”
“What, we’re not classy enough for you?” Dave asked laughing.
“Dave and I use to meet here every Thursday night after work,” Charlie explianed, “We use to kid around about ‘The Well’ never running dry.”
“The well was a quaint little addition, but after the novelty wore off, most people ignored it. Everyone, that is, but Dave.”
“Dave was a superstitious kind of guy. The kind to carry a rabbits’s foot and throw salt over his shoulder. Anyway, he go it in his head that if he tossed some coins into that thing...”, Charlie continued pointing to the foundtain, “he’d get someting more out of life.”
“So he tossed a coin in and asked for $10,000. It was an outrageous amount of money and he kenw that, but he said that while he was wishing, he might as well go big.”
“Of course, he never got the $10.000, but a curious think happend. Dave’s broker called him that following week and told him that his stocks has taken an unexpected dive. He lost quite a bit of money. All together he lost about $10,000.”
“So it was coinsidence.” The man at the bar said, joining Charlie in a drink.
“Yes , it woud seem that way,” Charlie agreed, “but let me go on.”
“That same night, we noticed Pete was in an especially good mood.” Charlie moved on.
“Hey Pete,” I said, “you’re in a good mood. Did you get lucky last night?”
“Nah, can’t say that I did. But things are certainly looking up!” Pete explained,
“Made some good investments that paid off. About $10,000 dollars worth.” Pete
raved.
“That’s great Pete!” Dave said looking over at me.
“Yea Pete, that’s wonderful,” I said, “some guys have all the luck!”
“Dave was determined to experience some good fortune of his own. He thought he could use a new car, so he tossed another coin in the well. That following Thursday, he told me that during a business trip, his car was vandalized and totalled.” Charlie recounted.
“Now, I don’t believe that you can get something for nothing, so I would have quit while I was ahead. Not Dave!”
“He wished for a promotion and was laid off, went to the casino and lost a lot of money, after wishing for a big win, and asked for some insights into the stock market and made some real bad investments.”
“Poor Dave had a miserable time of it,” Charlie added, “He really got himself into debt.”
“Tough luck,” the man said, “But I still don’t see how that has anything to do with this place.”
“Well, what I didn’t tell you,” Charlie continued, “was that ironically Pete’s luck soared. He put money down on some property, bought himself a new car and just about trippled his money on Wall Street.”
“It was as if for every wish that Dave made, Pete won out and Dave got just the opposite.” Charlie speculated.
“Great story!” the man replied, “But I’m still not convinced it had anything to do with the well or Pete. Pete was hit by a druken driver.”
“What happend to your friend?” the man asked.
“Dave?” Charlie asked, “I saw him a few weeks ago and asked him if he was still making wishes,” Charlie reflected. “He told me he had lost faith in that wishing well. Made one last wish and gave up.”
“Oh yeah,” the man said putting the last chair up, “What’d he wish for?”
Charlie put his glass down, smiled at the man and said, “He wished he was dead.”