Wishing Rocks

Rivers are plentiful. They provide water for the land, a home for fish and underwater plants, or a place for animals to drink. They carry small rocks and sand downstream, taking them from one place to another. Sometimes, in the light of the morning, one can clearly see the pebbles bouncing along in the current.

Aria was not a stranger to rivers. A small one passed through the woods behind her house, and she often went there in the summer. One Wednesday in August it was so hot that the lilies in the garden had shriveled up, and patches of crisp, brown grass had formed in the yard. The water evaporating out of the dirt was almost visible. It was on this day that Aria decided to dip her feet in the river to cool off.

She walked down the short path, her sneakers crunching on the dirt and rocks below her feet. Up ahead, the sound of the water floated through the trees. She passed a particularly large oak tree and found herself at the riverbank.

She quickly realized she was not the only one there. A small boy crouched down by the shore, sifting through the rocks and sand.

“Jaden! What are you doing here?”

“Look!” he said, and held up a small gray rock. His brown eyes sparkled with excitement.

Aria crossed her arms. “You’re not supposed to go to the river by yourself,” she said, ignoring the rock. “Mom says.”

“I know, but look!” This time Aria noticed a definitive white stripe down the center of the gray rock. “It’s a wishing rock!”

Aria hesitated for a second, wondering whether she should scold him further. Her curiosity won out.

“What’s a wishing rock?” she asked.

“You make a wish and throw it in the river. But it has to have a white stripe or else it won’t work.” The river flowed by, crashing against the sticks and rocks in the middle. This particular stretch wasn’t very wide, maybe thirty yards from where she was standing. But if she threw the rock with just enough force, it might land in the middle, where the current was strongest. That might make it more likely to come true, she thought.

“Let me see,” Aria said, and reached for the rock held firmly in his hand.

“That’s mine!” he said. “You have to find your own.”

For the next fifteen minutes, the two siblings quietly searched the riverbank for more wishing rocks, the sun sparkling on the water.

Aria stood up with a start.

“I can’t find anything,” she said.

Jaden spoke over the grinding of the rocks he was searching through. “It takes a really long time. I’ve only found one so far.”

Aria stared at him. “How long have you been here?” she asked.

“Three hours, probably,” he said.

Aria rolled her eyes. She had been watching Jaden while her parents went to grab something from the store, and they decided to go outside. While she was reading her book he must have gone to the river. That was only ten minutes, at most.

Suddenly, she spotted something gleaming out of the corner of her eye. She bent down to the shallows of the river, where the sun passed through the current to the rocky bottom. Sitting there, among sticks and dead leaves, was a lumpy gray rock about the size of her fist. A crooked white line ran across its face. Aria plunged her arm into the tepid water and grabbed her treasure.

“I got one!” she shouted. She ran to Jaden and presented him with the wishing rock.

“Ooh,” he said, and traced the white stripe with his small finger. He looked at the one he held in his hand. “Mine’s still prettier.”

Usually, Aria would have launched into an argument about that, but this time she didn’t care. She was too busy thinking about all of the things she could wish for: ice cream, string for friendship bracelets, or even more wishes - that would be the smart thing to do.

Not far away, she heard her parents’ car pull into the driveway. “Mom’s home!” Jaden said, and jumped up to go show her his wishing rock. Before she followed him, Aria stood and thought for a few seconds, and tossed hers into the current in the middle of the river.

They found their parents unloading grocery bags from the backseat, and when Aria grabbed one she found it contained mint-chip ice cream - her favorite. She concluded that the wishing rock must have been more magical than she thought, because the only thing she had wished for was more summer days with her brother (and more wishing rocks, of course).