The Land of Bright Wishes

………..On each birthday after, as the candles were lit, they could make a wish. Whatever the desire, whispered or shouted, innocent or cunning, reality itself yielded. Every year, one truth could be changed.

For generations, this seemed a paradise. A mother might wish away illness, a father might summon good harvests, a child might dream of ponies or endless sweets. Wishes shaped Elaria, carving the world with hope.

But paradise, when stretched too long, frays into peril……………….