"Yeah, I know, I was dumb back then. Anyway, my curiosity beat out my hunger. I had to know if the fountain worked." He grinned. "And it did."
"You still haven't told me what you wished for."
He scratched the back of his head. In a whisper, he said, "I... wished for Headmaster to slip on ice and fall on her butt."
The confession was so out-of-the-blue that I laughed. "You did?"
"Yeah. Told you it was embarrassing. But like I said, my wish came true."
I recalled what Pascal was talking about. The evening he came home wearing that smug grin on his face (now I knew why), Headmaster went out to scold him, then slipped on a patch of black ice and fell.
"That wasn't necessarily because of your wish," I said mildly. "It was winter. It was a coincidence that she slipped."
He raised a brow. "Have you seen Headmaster fall any other time?"
"Well, no..."
"See?" He grinned. "It was because I wished for it. Simple as that."
I laughed. "Okay. I think it's time for bed."
"Fine." He slumped into his own bed. "All I'm saying is, wishing into the fountain is worth a shot."
"Goodnight, Pascal."
He let out a wistful sigh, realizing our conversation was over but he had tried his best. "Night, Florian."
He blew out the last candle by the nightstand, plunging the room into darkness, then crawled into his own bunk. He was quick to fall asleep, his gentle snores soon filling the air, but despite the fatigue weighing on me, I couldn't get to sleep. Although my eyelids and muscles felt leaden, my mind was consumed with spiralling thoughts. As soon as the distractions were gone, I was back to thinking about the future.
What was going to happen to me now? What could I possibly do to save myself from the dire situation I was facing?
I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. My mind kept straying back to what Pascal said about the fountain. It was childish and ridiculous, and I knew that, so why was I so drawn to the concept? I knew better than to be so naïve. Wishes didn't come true simply because you asked for them.
But… there was no harm in trying, right?
Just before falling asleep, I made a deal with myself. If I had a scrap of spare time tomorrow evening, and all my other chores were completed, I would allow myself to visit Pascal's so-called magical wishing fountain. If the stars didn't align and I had no time to do so, I'd put it out of my mind forever.
5
Florian
By the timeI woke up and was thrown back into my usual routine, I'd forgotten all about the fountain and wishing and all that nonsense. My schedule was too rigorous to daydream, especially now that I needed to be extra meticulous to avoid drawing Headmaster’s attention. The stress spiked my flaring pain, but I soldiered on, pushing past the aches and jolts in my muscles and fulfilling all my tasks in a timely manner.
Headmaster didn't say a single word to me all day. She went out of her way to avoid me, and if we happened to be in the same area together, she never met my gaze. I didn't know if that made me feel better or worse. Would I have preferred if she went about everything normally, as if she hadn't just promised to throw me out of my home in a week? I didn't know.
I woke up tired, but by the time the sun was setting, I was exhausted. I slowly sank to the ground on the orphanage’s front step, where I'd been sweeping. My body demanded a break.
"You okay, Florian?" Pascal asked, coming up behind me.
"Yeah," I said without opening my eyes.
I felt him sit down next to me, pressing his shoulder gently against mine. He lowered his voice. "You know, I can cover for you."
At first I didn't realize what he meant. Then I understood. I let out a soft laugh. "You're still thinking about that fountain, aren't you?"
"You're not?"
Frankly, I still thought the whole thing was childish, but I didn't want to make my friend feel bad so I kept the words to myself. Instead, I shook my head.
