Loli and Mara looked at each other and smiled. The kind of smile that reached the depth of their hearts. They had just finished wrapping up the last batch of presents for the year and it left them feeling rather fulfilled. They lived for the thrill and excitement that enveloped the children whenever they had their wishes delivered.
Sitting on their twin recliner, the dim light from a table globe illuminated the soft creases on their firm yet delicate faces. Their twelve cats had snuggled and curled around each other beside the fireplace. Tired from the hassle of the day, they purred and sniffled into a deep slumber.
“I remember when it all started like yesterday.” Loli’s eyes lit up.
“I sometimes wonder what life would have been like if we didn't follow the bottle that day. The day our lives changed.” Mara whispered. Her smile reached her eyes as she drifted into memory lane.
It happened forty years ago when Loli and Mara were only ten-year-old kids walking the streets of Elms. The girls had caught up with the other kids that evening on their way to the river.
The tall mahogany trees were at their best during the holiday season. Their lush wide evergreen leaves gave off an effervescence that made the atmosphere smell fresh and new. Together with the mild evening breeze that let out soothing majestic hums, the children sang sweet melodies as they jollied down the road to the riverside. The holiday season always felt so magical and the children of Elm Street always looked forward to it.
Each kid had a letter in a bottle. They were going down to the river to release their wishes. It was a legendary tradition on Elm Street from time immemorial. The children would write down letters about what they wanted for the holiday. They would put them in a bottle and let them flow to the bend of the flowing river.
It always worked. The children whose bottles flowed to the bend and disappeared with the water often had their wishes come true. Those whose bottles merely flowed to the other side sadly had to wait till the next year to write their wishes again.
Loli could not wait for her wish to come true. Her wish was grand. Although Loli wasn't exactly sure what she wanted, she knew it bordered on making people happy. She wanted something magical and so she wrote an open wish. She asked whatever it was that granted their wishes to add something enchanting to her life.
One by one the children lowered their bottles into the river. They all crouched on their knees in anticipation as they watched their bottles being carried by the current. Their eyes popped and sparkled in excitement. They whispered and prayed silently. When the first bottle reached the bend, Mara exclaimed, “Yes! Now I'll surely know where our wishes come from. Mara was dying to meet Wish Fairy as they fondly called whoever it was that delivered the exact gift they wanted.
Every night before their gifts arrived, the children would always stay awake just to catch the fairy that delivered their gifts at midnight. None of them ever did. The last time Mara tried to stay up by her window, the cat lady that lived at the end of Elm Street scared the life out of her. She would never forget the image of the woman in a black cloak. Her hair was flowy gray and the wind blew sonorously. She just stood there watching Mara’s window as her cats purred around the street.
The cat lady was one mysterious woman that everyone feared. She never really spoke to anyone and she always had her cats as company. After that night, Mara didn't dare to stay up again. She then came up with the brilliant idea of making a wish instead.
All the letters in their bottles made it to the Riverbend except for Loli’s. A swift current had pushed it to the other side. Loli felt so sad she would not leave the river bank.
“Come on Loli. You can write another wish next year. The fairy will always be there.” Mara held Loli’s shoulders trying to comfort her. “Or perhaps, when I meet the fairy, I'll ask her to make your wish come true.”
“No Mara. I don't want to wait. I really want my wish.” A tear rolled down Loli’s eyes. She crumbled into the ground and began sobbing. Suddenly, she got up and began running to the other side.
“Loli stop! We never go to the other side.” Mara ran after her.
Loli would not stop. She picked a stick and began shoving her bottle to the Riverbend. She kept on shoving while Mara tried to stop her.
“Loli, please. It is starting to get darker and creepy out here. Let's go already.” Mara begged but Loli would not stop. She turned to find that they were very far from the other side now.
Soon the air turned colder and there was still silence. Loli and Mara paused. Their bodies turned cold and the hair on their skin stood. Suddenly, they heard whispers in the distance.
“There are lots of bottles this year.”
“Arrgh! So many wishes to pack. It is going to be a long night.”
Loli and Mara sighted two very furry brown cats on the bank of the Riverbend. They were unusually bigger than the average cat. Loli and Mara froze when they saw the cats throwing the bottles into a bag. They rounded them up and turned to leave.
“Huh! Come on. Let's go after them.” Loli moved faster before Mara could decline. They both came to a cottage deep in the woods. Creeping beneath the window to take a peek, what they saw that night blew their minds away.
In the dimly lit cottage was the cat lady sitting on a recliner beside a fireplace. She held dozens of letters that were being taken out of the bottles by the cats. One by one, she read the letters as the cats busied around sorting and wrapping presents. Little flickers of light would twinkle and illuminate the room at intervals. Then more gifts would magically appear.
Loli and Mara became dumbstruck. They could not believe their eyes. They exchanged glances.
“Hot cups of cinnamon tea would do for the long night.” The cat lady paused from her reading and said to one of the cats beside her. “Add two more cups to that,” she added.
“Why so?” the cat purred before replying.
“We’ve got company,” she muttered. Without looking at the window, she pointed her cane and bright blinding lights revealed Loli and Mara’s startled faces.
“And that was the beginning of a magical holiday with Winona every season. I miss her so much.” Loli whispered between thoughts.
“We got our wishes, you know. Here you are making children happy with exceptional gifts.“ Mara sipped from her cup. “And I got to meet the wish fairy…well, cat lady.” They both laughed.
“It looks like we are going to have an early retirement, Mara.” Loli picked up her cane and shot bright lights from it straight to the window. It revealed the innocent face of a curious little boy.
They both winked at each other.