1 The Final Goodbye

"Mama, give me a coin, give me a coin," said the 8-year-old girl, Aria, with excitement, her dark hair bouncing as she jumped and looked up at her mother. She stood on the rocky floor around the old well, dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, a cap, shoes, and a small backpack on her back.

Her mother, Rose Waverly, a dark-haired woman with a ponytail peeking out from her cap, opened the fanny pack around her waist, retrieved a coin, and closed it again. She was dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, trekking shoes, and socks, with a backpack on her back. Rose smiled down at Aria, handing her the coin.

"Of course, sweetie! Here's a coin for you," Rose said with a warm smile, handing the coin to Aria. She stood by the old well with her husband, Jim Waverly, enjoying this family moment.

The well was just a couple of feet away from the plunge pool at the base of a magnificent waterfall cascading down from a towering rocky mountain. The surroundings were lush with vibrant green flora, adding to the mesmerizing scene. What added to the fascination was that both the plunge pool and the well were situated within the ruins of an ancient temple, now covered in wild vegetation.

The temple, with three walls, was a captivating sight. Two of the walls formed a U-shaped corridor, each corridor adorned with intricate carvings of numerous deities. These carvings were done on the walls of the corridor, giving it a fascinating and mysterious aura. The corridor had a roof and a width of about 10 feet. Once you emerged from this corridor into the central open garden, you were greeted by a picturesque scene: trees, grass, the stunning waterfall named Nebula, the inviting plunge pool, and the ancient well.

Nebula was the highest waterfall in the island country of Meru, situated in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Meru itself was a substantial country, primarily composed of the expansive Meru mountain range that stretched an impressive 1500 kilometers from one end to the other.

There was no one else in the vicinity of the waterfall, except the Waverly family. As Rose bent down to give a coin to her 8-year-old daughter, Aria, she said with a smile, "Remember, the water in the wishing well comes directly from the land of the gods, and the fishes in the well will one day transform into a mermaid after they succeed in delivering an honest wish, not driven by greed, to the god of wishes, Astika. So, when you're making a wish, try not to be greedy or selfish. Close your eyes, whisper your wish into the coin, and with a pure heart, throw it into the well."

"Okay, mama," said Aria with a huge smile on her face as she took the coin from her mother's hand. She closed her eyes, faced the well, brought the coin closer to her mouth, and whispered, "I wish for lots and lots of chocolates!"

That was the first wish she ever made at the wishing well. After that, the Waverly family visited the wishing well every year, and Aria would make a wish at the well.

"I wish for lots of candies," she'd say one year.

"I wish for a room full of toys," she wished the next.

As a child, her wishes were simple and childish, and her parents secretly fulfilled them without letting her know it was them. However, as she entered her early teens, she began to suspect that her parents were the ones granting her wishes. Still, like any other human being, she had a soft spot for the legends of the wishing well. So, whenever she visited the waterfall, she made sure to make a wish at the well.

"I wish for a wallet always full of money," she stated on one visit.

"I wish to be the most popular person in school," she wished another time.

"I wish to find true love," she whispered, her heart sincere, on yet another visit.

Even though the wishes never seemed to come true, she was never truly disappointed. However, one day her world fell apart when she found out that her mother was suffering from an incurable disease, and she had only a few months left.

In those fleeting months, she visited the wishing well many times, and every time she made the same heartfelt wish, "I wish for my mom to be cured."

She desperately longed for her wish to come true, but deep down, she knew that the wishing well was just a myth, and the specter of death loomed over her mother.

Each time she tossed a coin into the well and made her wish, her heart felt a mix of hope and sorrow. "Please, let my mama get better," she whispered, clinging to a glimmer of belief that miracles could happen.

On Rose's last day, Aria and Jim were in the hospital by her side. Tears streamed down their faces, impossible to control. Various medical devices were connected to Rose's frail body, not to save her, but to grant her a little more time with her family.

Even though Rose was struggling to speak, she made an effort. "Cupcake… can you tell me about that prank we pulled on your father once?" she asked, her gaze fixed on Aria's tear-streaked face.

Aria couldn't hold back her tears and hiccups as she looked at her mother. She was so devastated that forming words seemed impossible. Watching Aria like that, Rose weakly held her daughter's hand with what little strength she had left. She looked at Aria and whispered, "Please, tell me…I am struggling to remember."

And so, to honor her mother's wish, Aria wiped her tears and began. "It was 2 years ago, the night before dad's birthday. I guess…it was just 30 minutes before midnight when the power went out. But, dad didn't know that I was the culprit behind it." Aria chuckled and continued, "In the meantime, I came to your bedroom with my phone's flashlight on. You were awake just like we planned, and Dad was asleep. As planned, I groaned in pain, holding my belly. Dad woke up, and both of you looked at me with concern. You quickly came to me and asked, "what happened?" And I told you, "My belly is hurting very bad."

"Then I climbed into your bed while you told dad to bring some candles. I remember dad was pretty scared back then," she chuckled and continued, "He went to the dining room to get some candles while you and I were laughing. He came with the candles pretty fast though and lit them on the bedside table."

"Then you asked him to bring medicine. You told him that it was in the kitchen. He searched for the medicine with the flashlight on his phone. He kept on shouting and asking you for the location of the medicine, and you kept on answering him from the bedroom. Sometimes you told him the medicine was in the kitchen cabinet, while other times you asked him to check in the dining room. I remember he was pretty annoyed and scared at the same time."

Jim was also smiling as he listened to the event from Aria while standing at the back. Everyone had a smile on their faces as Aria continued, "Then when it was 12 AM, you told him to look in the fridge. He looked in the fridge and saw a cake. And beside the cake, there was a note saying, "THE MEDICINE," in big capital letters. Dad must have felt a bit embarrassed at that moment, I guess."

"Yes, I was embarrassed," said Jim with a smirk.

Meanwhile, Aria continued, "So, with an embarrassed face, he walked back to the bedroom with the cake in his hands. When he was near the bedroom, he saw that the door was closed. He knew we were planning something behind the doors. Irrespective of that, he opened the door with the cake in his hands. And as soon as he did that, we burst confetti before him and shouted, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY." We placed the cake on the table, where already many candles were lit. Dad literally arranged the cakes and candles for himself that day."

Aria smiled and continued, "I can still remember the moment. I never want to forget it."

As soon as she finished, she felt her mother's grip loosen on her hand. Aria's heart started to race as she slowly turned her head to look at her mother. Rose's eyes were closed with no strain, and a peaceful smile adorned her mother's face. It looked like she was in a serene dream.

The joy that was there just moments ago had now morphed into profound sadness. Aria burst into tears and started crying on her mother's lifeless body, while her father stood at the back, struggling to control his tears.

Aria was first introduced to the wishing well as a child, and she completely believed in its legend. As she grew up, she understood that it was just a myth, but some part of her still held on to that belief. However, when her mother was dying, and she repeatedly went to the wishing well to wish for her mother's cure, and even after that her mother died, she lost faith in the fabled wishing well completely.

Some days had passed. Aria was still recovering from her mother's death. One day, Jim gave her a small box wrapped in gift paper, saying that Rose wanted her to have it.

Aria sat on her bed, in her neat and clean room, holding the gift box, reminiscing about her mother. She slowly proceeded to unwrap the gift box, and when it was unwrapped, she found a box and a note on top of it. She picked up the note and slowly unfolded it, recognizing her mother's handwriting. Tears welled up in her eyes as she read the note. It said,

"Sorry Cupcake. I guess I have to go on my last trek. Be a strong girl, and give some of your strength to your dad. I have left you something which was very precious to me after you and your dad. So, keep it with you at all times."

Aria put the note aside, tears flowing down her cheeks. She then opened the box and saw an unusual copper coin. Picking it up to have a closer look, she noticed three shooting stars carved on it and a snake carved on its edge. On the other side of the coin, there was a carving of a well and a snake along its edge.

Aria was surprised to see the coin, as she had never seen it before, even though it was a precious possession of her mother.