Alonso's Wish
The air was warm and the water was a shining blue at the spot where the sea kissed the land, but Alonso was worried. He was poor and he was sent by his family to get some food, and if he did not come back by sundown, he would not get anything to eat for dinner. Alonso was very hungry and he could not find anything to bring home but one small fish. His parents gave him a bag filled with ground corn for his hunting trip. He knew his parents would be mad at him if he only brought that tiny little fish home, when yesterday his brother, Cocono, found a bunch of berries and the biggest fish he ever saw. Alonso did not want to disappoint his parents, but he did not want to hurt any animals either. Alonso saw animals he could have easily hunted but could not bear to kill them, he only got the fish because it was washed up on the shore and was already dead. Alonso decided that he would go to the jungle to look for berries or other fruits he could find.
The air in the jungle was muggy and Alonso couldn’t find any berries. He found a lot of odd looking fruits, but they looked poisonous. Then suddenly, Alonso came across a hutia, a small little rodent. It was what everybody loved to eat at feasts. Alonso was about to hunt it down when something peculiar happened.
“Please don’t kill me!! I just need some food and I cannot find any. Do you have any morsels to spare?,” the hutia said.
Alonso was in shock, for he didn’t know that animals could speak! But the rest of his family did. No wonder the townspeople were always talking about begging animals.
“Hutia, I couldn’t kill you. I just can’t bear to think that I could be the reason for the death of many poor animals. I only have some ground corn. Here you can have half of my bag,” Alonso replied, still staring at shock and reaching his hand out to feed the rodent some corn.
The Hutia ate it gratefully and then spoke again.
“Dear boy. You have fed me well and have shown a great deal of kindness and sacrifice. For this I will show you something that all we animals keep a secret for you have earned a favor from me. Come with me.”
Alonso followed the Hutia into the depths of the jungle, not knowing what to expect. Alonso thought about all that could happen to him at home while he was walking.
Alonso did not know what to expect of the animal secret but it was definitely not this. Light shining in on a little clearing through the breaks of the canopy of all the different colored trees. Leaves and flowers of all colors were on the ground surrounding the shining heap of rocks in the middle of the clearing. As Alonso followed the Hutia to the stones, he realized that this was a well. Not any well, but a legendary wishing well! Hutia and Alonso approached the magical well and Hutia spoke.
“This is the wishing well of the animal kingdom and for showing great kindness, the well would like to offer you a wish. All you have to do is throw a hair into the well and wish.”
Alonso thought carefully and finally made his wish. He plucked a hair from his head and dropped it into the bottomless well.
“Alonso, I give you this plate of leaves and you shall bring this home and all you have to do is look at it and wish for the food you want. This is to satisfy your wish of no more hunger.”
Alonso took the plate of leaves he identified as banana leaves and thanked the well and Hutia and quickly ran home. How happy his family would be when he would show them the magical plate.
“There is no need to thank me, I should be the one thanking you,” the Hutia replied as Alonso ran into the horizon.
The sun was just setting when Alonso arrived home. Alonso came in happily and set the banana leaves on the table in his tepee made of buffalo skin and wooden poles.
“Where is the food you are supposed to bring? You spent all day out hunting,” his mother asked as soon as he got in.
Alonso pointed to the plate of banana leaves.
“Banana leaves!! You could have at least have gotten a banana!!” His father answered furiously.
Alonso told the whole story to his family, but they didn’t believe him. Alonso wished for some berries, then on the lump of banana leaves appeared red, lush berries. Alonso’s family was shocked, they never knew that a thing like that existed. They only heard of it in myths. They enjoyed a good meal of fish and bananas and never worried about being hungry again.
The air in the jungle was muggy and Alonso couldn’t find any berries. He found a lot of odd looking fruits, but they looked poisonous. Then suddenly, Alonso came across a hutia, a small little rodent. It was what everybody loved to eat at feasts. Alonso was about to hunt it down when something peculiar happened.
“Please don’t kill me!! I just need some food and I cannot find any. Do you have any morsels to spare?,” the hutia said.
Alonso was in shock, for he didn’t know that animals could speak! But the rest of his family did. No wonder the townspeople were always talking about begging animals.
“Hutia, I couldn’t kill you. I just can’t bear to think that I could be the reason for the death of many poor animals. I only have some ground corn. Here you can have half of my bag,” Alonso replied, still staring at shock and reaching his hand out to feed the rodent some corn.
The Hutia ate it gratefully and then spoke again.
“Dear boy. You have fed me well and have shown a great deal of kindness and sacrifice. For this I will show you something that all we animals keep a secret for you have earned a favor from me. Come with me.”
Alonso followed the Hutia into the depths of the jungle, not knowing what to expect. Alonso thought about all that could happen to him at home while he was walking.
Alonso did not know what to expect of the animal secret but it was definitely not this. Light shining in on a little clearing through the breaks of the canopy of all the different colored trees. Leaves and flowers of all colors were on the ground surrounding the shining heap of rocks in the middle of the clearing. As Alonso followed the Hutia to the stones, he realized that this was a well. Not any well, but a legendary wishing well! Hutia and Alonso approached the magical well and Hutia spoke.
“This is the wishing well of the animal kingdom and for showing great kindness, the well would like to offer you a wish. All you have to do is throw a hair into the well and wish.”
Alonso thought carefully and finally made his wish. He plucked a hair from his head and dropped it into the bottomless well.
“Alonso, I give you this plate of leaves and you shall bring this home and all you have to do is look at it and wish for the food you want. This is to satisfy your wish of no more hunger.”
Alonso took the plate of leaves he identified as banana leaves and thanked the well and Hutia and quickly ran home. How happy his family would be when he would show them the magical plate.
“There is no need to thank me, I should be the one thanking you,” the Hutia replied as Alonso ran into the horizon.
The sun was just setting when Alonso arrived home. Alonso came in happily and set the banana leaves on the table in his tepee made of buffalo skin and wooden poles.
“Where is the food you are supposed to bring? You spent all day out hunting,” his mother asked as soon as he got in.
Alonso pointed to the plate of banana leaves.
“Banana leaves!! You could have at least have gotten a banana!!” His father answered furiously.
Alonso told the whole story to his family, but they didn’t believe him. Alonso wished for some berries, then on the lump of banana leaves appeared red, lush berries. Alonso’s family was shocked, they never knew that a thing like that existed. They only heard of it in myths. They enjoyed a good meal of fish and bananas and never worried about being hungry again.