A Beautiful Wish

• Livia Tropea, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2016

A tear drop landed in the clear water of the well. Katrina, a rather ordinary looking, vain girl, was making her wish in the gold well, as was custom for girls from her village. She became so mesmerised by the well’s beauty that she shuddered when she looked into the crystal clear water at her own reflection. Katrina's wish was that everything in her life would be as beautiful as the gold well.

Katrina returned home and didn't expect anything to have changed. The look on her face was one of pure joy when she saw that her washed out hut had transformed into a white palace, with a large courtyard and magnificent gardens. The walls were lined with Renaissance artworks, and her floors with exquisite tiles.

It was after much gazing and gasping that Katrina noticed her hunger. She had not eaten since breakfast! She took an apple out of her perfectly positioned fruit basket. It was glossy and bright red. Katrina thought it would be a waste to eat such a thing of beauty. She searched her entire house, top to bottom, to find something she could bring herself to eat.

After many hours, Katrina noticed her thirst. She took a glass out of the marble cabinet and filled it with water. There was not a stray droplet, and Katrina’s reflection was crystal clear. She was so shocked at her own stunning reflection that she dropped the glass, and it shattered.

There was water everywhere. Katrina went to clean it up, but the way the rays of sun reflected elegantly off the water and the perfect curve of each individual glass shard that she could not bear to change it.

Soon after, Katrina cut her foot on one of the fragments. Her blood was a deep crimson, spilling out in drops on the white floor. It was too beautiful.

Years passed. Katrina was now withered and tired looking. She rarely slept, ate or drank. One day, when Katrina was about to give up, a young girl knocked on the door and asked to see the ‘House of Beauty’.

Katrina was so taken aback by this rather odd request, and the girl explained the tale of the House of Beauty. Katrina soon realised that her story had become legend. The girl gazed in horror at The House of Beauty, as it had become so filled with blood, scratches, tears and spillages that it appeared hideous. Even the exterior was covered in golden rust and grime.

Katrina realised how hideous her life had really become, and fled. Today, Katina’s whereabouts are unknown. In fact, the only thing we know is that Katrina’s gravestone will read these exact words:
‘Here lies one who made a wish of beauty, and it turned her life into a hideous nightmare. Heed the lesson that she so sadly had to learn. Never, ever make a beautiful wish.’