The Wishing Tree was known to grant wishes to anyone who was in need of something. The tree had the power to grant any desire- that is, within reasonable expectations. After hours of travel, two friends, Maya and Cami finally caught sight of the tree. Hand in hand, the ran up to the tree and, as custom was, placed their right hands upon it. The two closed their eyes and made their wishes. Maya, who had long been an only child, used her wish to ask for a sister: someone who she could trust with her very life and spend hours and hours with without tiring of her company. Someone who made her feel less alone. Cami wanted a reason to keep going. Her grades weren’t the best, she didn’t have much talent for anything, and her parents weren’t the most supportive of the things she wanted to do in life. The one thing she wanted was just one thing to make this life worth living. As Maya and Cami concluded their thoughts, they backed up from the Wishing Tree and, in anticipation for the fulfillment of their wishes, clasped eachother hands and waited. Secodns passed, then minutes. They waited and waited, yet nothing changed. Cami did not feel a new sense to keep living. No sister materialized before Maya’s eyes. “I don’t understand,” Cami said, as a deep fear began to struck her heart, “why did the tree not grant our wishes?” The girls thought fearfully about why the Wishing Tree had ignored their wishes. Had they not been good enough to deserve the tree’s aid? Was something about them underserving? As these thoughts passed through their minds, Maya felt Cami’s grip on her hand tighten, and then it hit her. “Cami…I think the tree granted my wish… I have a sister!” she cried. Cami looked at her with a smile. “Where?!” she asked, eager to meet the product of Maya’s deepest want. To her surprise, Maya held up Cami’s hand, still clenched in her own. “Right here,” Maya declared sincerely. Cami stared at her, dumbfounded. “I guess I never realized, but you’ve been more of a sister to me than an actual sister would be, Cami. I just needed to realize that my missing sister was you.” A smile shone on Cami’s face. She turned to Maya and let out a breath of laughter. “I guess the Wishing Tree solved mine then, too.“