There was just something about her. She exuded this sort of radiance and had such a warm aura that even the grumpiest of people would enjoy having a little chat with her. Everyone in town loved her, she was always there to lend a helping hand and would go out of her way to make sure you were taken care of. She had beautiful and soft features, but you wouldn’t think she was out of place when she was running around with the kids, climbing trees and getting muddy down by Lily Lake trying to catch tadpoles or wading across the river to get to prime fishing spots. She kept her beautiful white hair short after an incident where I found her tangled up in a loom she had been working while covering for a sick neighbor, that was a funny sight and she swore me to secrecy not to tell anyone about it, but that awkward image of her is seared into my mind. She also had a knack of knowing exactly when I was thinking about that moment and would elbow me in the ribs before I could get a good smile or chuckle going.

Once a year, it was said that majestic willow tree, giant sweeping branches dancing in the wind above the town would be visited by fairies. If you made your way up the winding path to the base of the tree, you could make a wish and the unseen fairies flitting about might take your wish and present it to the tree. If you were pure of heart and had noble intentions, the grand willow tree might then grant your wish. When that time of year came around everyone in town would be talking about things they might wish for, from better crops to more business, to the newest toys or fashions, everyone had relatively simple wishes, but also seemingly personal and maybe even a but selfish. Year after year someone might comment that they had a better yield that year, their soil was better, they sold more or were able to get that new toy, but it seemed more like they had directed their focus on those goals and achieved them on their own rather than a tree having granted their wishes.

There was one year that sticks in mind though, there was a terrible drought, and all of the farms were struggling to keep crops alive and the major fishing holes had dried up; it was looking like it was going to be a really tough year all around. My father had always believed in the magic of that tree but had always reminded us of the “pure of heart” and “noble intention” clause to the legend and would rarely make his way up the hill when that time of year came around. However, that year he took me and my sisters up the winding path and told us all to wish for an end to the drought. Since it was a rare occasion for him to make the trek, we all obliged and went up the path together one evening and made that wish at the base of the willow tree. What really sticks in my mind though, is that less than 2 days later a storm rolled through the area, and we had to scramble to build barriers by edges of the river to stop water from flooding parts of the town. It was a huge torrential downpour that lasted for more than 3 days. Luckily, with everyone of able body in town pitching in, we managed to build up a barrier and direct the overrunning river water past the town and into Lily Lake. We never experienced a drought or storm like that since.

During that storm, she was instrumental in coordinating the placement of the barriers we built to redirect the overflowing water away from the parts of town that could have been submerged. And she was right there with us in line passing sandbags along to build up those barriers. If there was anyone in town that didn’t like her before that point, they certainly like her now. Running around in the rain and rallying everyone together to enact her brilliant plan sparked something in me.

I’ve known her for basically my entire life; we were both born in the same small-town hospital only a week apart. Our families are neighbors, and she has two older brothers and one older sister, with her being the youngest. I have two older sisters and one younger sister, making me the middle child considering my two older sisters are twins. Our families spent all the holidays together and were always there to help each other with anything. We spent so much time together it was like we were all one big family.

I think that might be why I never noticed what was stirring in me until that storm. Feelings, for me, are like those tadpoles we’d chase at the lake—it’s easy to see the ripples, but a little more difficult to catch what’s underneath if you’re not paying attention to the source.

After the storm passed, everything was sharper and more in focus. We had a town-wide celebration in the mayor’s field in honor of everyone coming together as a community and working to avert disaster. It was unseasonably cool and very damp for July. She showed up in a t-shirt three sizes too big (must have been one of her brother’s) and her hair was still stained with bits of river weed. We setup a huge bonfire and soon enough she led everyone in a makeshift, foot-stomping line dance around it. I watched her from a distance, as she had her arms looped around neighbors and kids, when a sudden tightness smacked me in the chest and knot formed in my throat making it hard to swallow. When she eventually caught my eye, she put on that mischievous grin I was so familiar with, then mimed a little twirl like you would see from an elegant socialite at a fancy upper-crust ball. As she gracefully twirled and came to a stop looking back at me, she still had that grin, but there was something softer about it, something that seemed more intimate, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen that moment in the glow of moonlight and fire. That singular moment, that singular gaze began stretching into eternity when suddenly time snapped back into motion when my little sister poked me in the ribs. She continued to dance and play with the kids around the bonfire as I looked over to my little sister with the biggest shit-eating grin on her face. “It’s about time!” she cackled at me then skipped off to play her and the rest of the kids enjoying themselves bouncing around the bonfire.

From that night and into the Fall I had that image of her and my little sister’s words at the front of my mind. Everything continued on as it always did, enjoying the summer with everyone, chores around our family farms, helping townsfolk with odd-projects and general sereneness of small-town living. But even though I tried acting like I always did, I could not get her off of my mind and as we got into Autumn getting everything prepped for winter, I felt like I had maybe closed down a little and drifted away from everyone, and especially her. I didn’t want to upset the balance of our friendship and our family dynamics, and I started to get nervous and withdrew so I wouldn’t mess anything up.

As Autumn lingered on, we reached that time of year again when the invisible fairies would be dancing around the magic willow and could carry your wish to the willow to be granted if you were pure of heart and had noble intentions. Maybe I could wish for things to go back to normal, to not mess everything up, so our families could continue on their merry way as it had always been. As I was contemplating how to present a wish like that to the fairies, all three of my sisters came into my room trying to hide mischievous smiles. The twins were able to hide it well, but my little sister wasn’t so good at it, and it tipped me off they were up to something. But all they did was tell me that that evening was when the magic was supposed to be the strongest at the willow tree. As they left my little sister turned around at the door and gave me a death stare and proclaimed, “don’t blow it!” Then quickly turned around and skipped off to catch up with the twins. It reminded me of what she said at the bonfire, but the last thing I wanted to do was ruin the relationship with my best friend and cause any sort of rift between the families, so I decided I would ask the willow to make everything normal again.

I bundled up in my favorite jacket and wrapped a scarf around my neck and made my way to the front door. As soon as I opened the door and bounded out, I collided with her as she was making her way up our front steps. We nearly tumbled to the ground but caught ourselves just in time. We were holding on to each other for balance and as our gazes met, we awkwardly let go and took a small step back.

“Heading up to the willow?” She asked.

“Haha, yeah, sorry about running you over there.” I chuckled nervously.

“Hehe, not like it hasn’t happened a hundred times before.” She playingly remarked.

“y..yeah, of course, hehehe.” I continued nervously. I tried to gain my composure a bit and asked, “did you maybe want to walk up there and make our wishes?”

She smiled at me, “I was just coming to ask you that!” And at that she grabbed my hand and led me towards the trailhead leading up to the willow. I was happy I had my scarf on because at that I seriously started to blush and didn’t want her to notice. As we receded from the house, I could hear faint catcalling probably coming from my sisters.

We made our way up with winding path and soon reached the base of the willow. It loomed larger than life over us and there was a majestic purple glow that seemed otherworldly, and we both looked around in awe at the magic sight. After being entranced at the vivid scene for a while, she approached the tree and put her hand on it and closed her eyes. I could see her mouthing her wish but couldn’t make out anything that she might be saying. She then finished and turned around and looked at me expectantly. I approached and put my hand on the tree just as she had and closed my eyes. Was this now the time to wish for everything to return to normal? Before I started to make the wish, a memory resurfaced in my mind, it was my dad telling us about the legend. You had to be pure of heart and have noble intentions, but there was another part I had forgotten about, you needed to be true to yourself. Did I really want everything to go back to normal? No, I didn’t. She was amazing, and we had so many unforgettable adventures together and she was always there for me. She was also such a kind soul and would help anyone in need and never ask for anything in return. I was in love with her, but more than that, what I really wanted was for her to be happy, in whatever way that manifests. That was my wish, for her happiness, even if it was not something I was able to do for her. My heart sank at that thought, I wished for her happiness even at the expense of my own. I loved her with all my heart, but if I was not the one that could provide that for her, so be it. As the wish materialized in my mind and those thoughts floated out, I suddenly felt very light, like I was floating just above the ground. I opened my eyes to the sight of my wish materialized and glowing with the faint outline of wings sparkling around it carrying it up into the tree. I looked down at me feet and saw that I too was floating and with eyes wide in amazement I looked over at her. She too was floating just above the ground, and I could make out the translucent wings of dozens of fairies sparkling with magic carrying her. Our eyes locked and a smile crept across her face as we were floated towards each other.

She softly spoke in a tone I was not yet familiar with, “you, you are the one that makes me happy, always have been and always will be.”

As we drifted close, our arms wrapped around each other, and we shared a tender kiss beneath the sprawling branches of the ancient willow. Its leaves whispered softly in the breeze, and the fairies danced as they celebrated our long-awaited union. The dappled moonlight rippled across our faces, and the willow continued to sway gently, performing a joyous dance, happy that we finally realized our destiny together.