Fable: Melinda's Wish

Every morning, Melinda looks at her reflection in the mirror, and every morning, she is disgusted with what she sees. Her hair is stringy and gray, her skin is wrinkled and warted, her lips are thin and cracked, and her body is misshapen and disproportionate. More than anything else, Melinda wishes for beauty; the kind of beauty that the young girls of nearby Atessa possess and that always seems to entice young men. Melinda only sees these girls from afar, for she lives in the isolation of her secluded cottage on top a small hill, where no one comes to visit or befriend her.

This particular morning, however, is not ordinary, for it is Melinda’s eighteenth birthday. Like many of her past birthdays, Melinda plans to enjoy it in solitude, perhaps by tending to her cottage, or reading a book, or listening to the birds sing. After gazing at her hideous reflection for what she thought had been far too long, Melinda left her mirror and walked out to her garden, where some unruly weeds had sprung to life in the past couple weeks. She knelt down to start pulling them out by the roots when a billow of smoke accompanied by a loud pop appeared next to her. Melinda jumped back and shrieked in fear, only to see that a beautiful and majestic cloaked woman stood before her. “Hello, my child,” the women said, “I am the Witch of Wishes, and I have come today to grant you a wish. It is your eighteenth birthday, is it not?”

“Y-y-yes it is,” stammered Melinda, “But I do not understand. Why have you come to see me when no one else has?”

The witch replied, “Well, I always grant wishes on eighteenth birthdays, for those who truly wish for something, which almost all of us do. But I must warn you that I cannot give something to you without taking from another, for I cannot upset the balance in the world, you see. So we must find a way to grant your wish together. What do you desire most, my dear?”

Melinda did not need to think long about what she desired most, “I desire to be beautiful, like the young girls in Atessa, so that I can find myself a husband and not be lonely anymore.”

“Well that is simple,” said the Witch, “Simply find a beautiful girl who you can entice here, and I will make you beautiful. Meet me in three days, and make sure you have the girl with you.”

The Witch disappeared, leaving Melinda confused and perplexed. How am I to entice a young girl to my cottage, thought Melinda, and what does the Witch plan to do to her? But instead of dwelling on these questions that she could not answer, Melinda decided to leave for Atessa at once, for she only had three days to complete her task. Melinda left her cottage for the village that very same afternoon, dreading the moment when she would enter the village for the first time. On her path to the village, Melinda found an orange tree, and she thought it to be the most beautiful orange tree she had ever seen. She took from it an orange and tasted it, only to be amazed by the burst of flavor that tingled her tongue. It was the most delicious orange she had ever had. These will surely entice a young girl, she thought. She picked a couple oranges, stashed them in her knapsack, and made her way into the village that very night. For two days Melinda searched for a girl who she could entice, but all who saw her shunned her, too afraid to look at her hideous face, let alone talk to her.

When Melinda was ready to give up any hopes of achieving her wish, a kind and beautiful young girl named Cynthia took notice of Melinda. She said, “You poor soul, all alone here and being shunned by all. What is it in your hand that you are offering?” But before Melinda could answer, her eyes were drawn to the man that accompanied Cynthia, for he was the most handsome man Melinda had ever seen. She immediately fell for him, and knew that she must entice them both to her cottage in order to fulfill her wish. Melinda replied, “I offer to you the most delicious orange that you have ever tasted. And I have many more at my cottage atop the hill yonder.” Cynthia and her fiancé, who was named John, tried the orange and were immediately hypnotized by its taste. They agreed to follow Melinda to her cottage where they were promised more oranges of its kind.

That night, the third night since Melinda had met with the Witch of Wishes, the Witch returned and was pleased to see that Melinda had fulfilled her task. She performed her spell upon Melinda and Cynthia, turning Melinda into a beautiful version of herself, and Cynthia into an unrecognizable and ugly being. The Witch then cast Cynthia back to the village, and left John to live with Melinda for the rest of his days.

Yet John did not wish to stay, for he knew that he could never love any other woman but Cynthia. Even though Melinda was one of the most beautiful women in Atessa as a result of this spell, he could not fall for her, for his heart would always belong to Cynthia. One night, when Melinda was fast asleep, John escaped the cottage and took off for the village in search of Cynthia. He found her at her home, curled up in her bed and crying. She had broken all the mirrors in her home; glass shards were scattered all across the floor. He came to her, embraced her, and whispered that he wanted to marry her the next day, for he still loved her, and Melinda would not be able to keep them apart if they were married. They arranged for a priest to marry them the next day, and by the time Melinda came to reclaim John as her own, it was done. In her rage, Melinda called for the Witch to return and nullify the marriage, and the Witch did come, but this time, she was angry with Melinda. “You cannot call upon me again, Melinda, for I granted you your wish already. I cannot change things that are a matter of the law, and since you angered me, you will be the way you once were.” It was then that the Witch of Wishes reversed the spell, as if the wish had never been made. Melinda returned to her cottage atop of hill, shunned by all in the village who heard her name thereafter. Cynthia and John returned home to raise a healthy family and live a happy life, never to see Melinda or be reminded of her again.