I went out for a walk daily and would cross a forest on the way every day. It had a shrubbery area with a lake along it. The place was beautiful beyond words.

I would sit on a bench there for hours to enjoy the beauty of nature. It was a relaxing place, a point where I could chill for hours. I would listen to the chirping of birds, the sound of the lake’s water and the sounds of animals nearby in the forest. There were deer, squirrels and many other animals in the forest.

One day, I was taking my walk as usual. I came to the lake and sat down to enjoy some solitude. Just then, my eyes caught the beautiful sight of a reindeer at a distance among the trees. But strange enough, it was gleaming with an aura of blue light around it.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was rare to see such a reindeer and I wondered if it was a magical creature. I took out my phone and tried to take a picture of it, but found that the deer had ran away and disappeared into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

I began to search for it and went deeper and deeper into the forest. I did not realise that I had gotten lost until I wanted to make my way back and couldn’t figure it out. I wished I hadn’t gotten into the forest in the very first place. I should have known that the forest was a dangerous place. I grew scared thinking what if wild animals came chasing after me!

I sat beside a thick bunch of bushes. I then tried to make a phone call, but there was no signal on my phone. Just then, I heard some whispers and strangely they were coming from inside the bushes beside me.

A voice whispered, “Should we help him?”

The other said, “Hmm… you are right, he looks quite in trouble to me. We should surely help him.”

I gathered up some courage and pushed the bushes apart to see who was talking. I was shocked as well as surprised to see two beautiful tiny fairies. My happiness found no boundaries, for I was seeing fairies for the first time in my life and realised that finally I had someone to help me get out of this thick forest.

I asked them if they could help me. They said that they would grant me two wishes.

The fairies also said, “Think wisely, for there is a boundary we are restricted to.”

I thought I should wish to get all the treasures of this world. Then I thought, “No, I should wish for a healthy life.” Again, another thought struck me, “What about getting my dream car — a Lamborghini?”

Then I remembered that the fairies said I should think wisely, so I made my first wish to get out of this thick forest and then I would carefully think about the second wish to ask them.

I said to the fairies, “I want to get out of this forest. Please make it happen.”

The fairies said, “Why not.”

And with a gust of glitter and wind, I was standing outside the forest. I was very relieved to be out of the forest. I turned back to see the fairies to ask them to fulfil my next wish, but there was nothing.

Just then, I heard their voice, “We told you, ‘think wisely’, for there is a boundary we are restricted to!”

I realised that the boundary they were talking about was the forest. How dumb I had been to make my first wish of crossing that boundary, without realising that I might not be able to see the fairies anymore once I got out of the forest.

I thought I should go back and find the fairies, but couldn’t gather up the courage to do so as I could get lost again and might not be lucky enough this time to find the fairies to help me.

What I learned from my foolishness was to never make any decision hastily, and also to understand the hidden meaning behind words. Be wise and think carefully about everything before making any decision. 'Published in Dawn, Young World, April 20th, 2024