
The Wishing Stone
The girl woke, right at the stroke of midnight.
What woke me? She wondered, looking about, noticing how bright her room had become. It almost seemed as if it was day - instead of night. Unsure if she had fully closed her curtains, she got up and went to the window to look out. The full moon shone brightly, but, it wasn't making the light that pierced through her curtains. She frowned as she searched the origin of the bright light. Seeing the glow through the woods, her frown deepened - and curiosity arose. That’s weird, she thought. Grabbing her cloak, she headed out of her room to find the glow.
As the girl began walking through the woods to the light, she saw a ghost standing next to a pink glow. She nodded her head towards the ghost, carefully inched forward. As she moved closer, she noticed that its mouth was moving, as if it was speaking. Scrunching her face, she touched her ear in the universal gesture for “deaf.” The ghost looked around, as if it was thinking of how it could communicate to her. Finally, it made gestures with its hands, creating a shimmer in the air, before blowing gently on the shimmer, that then created words.
Make a wish. It said.
The pink glow, with just a hint of purple, that was light she had seen that turned out to be a crystal that was sitting on a rock. She reached to pick it up, curious about who had left such a pretty - and valuable - stone. She didn't typically have very good luck and definitely did not expect what the ghost said next. Seeing the ghost go through its complicated version of communicating out of the corner of her eye, the girl waited for the words to appear.
It’s for you. Make a wish.
She pointed to herself, as if asking "ME? Who, me?" The ghost nodded. “Who left me a powerful stone that can grant a wish?” She asked, her hands dancing lightly in sign language. The ghost looked at her, confused, unsure of what she had just said. Sighing, she cleared her throat and pushed out the words, sim-comming. She didn't like talking if she could avoid it, though she had years of speech therapy as her family didn’t sign and she could speak - she just preferred signing.
The ghost seemed to brighten, smiling a little, before it started its communication again. The words appeared: I am not sure. But, this wish is for you. Choose wisely. And remember, will only last for this All Hallow's Eve. As soon as its message was finished, the ghost disappeared.
The girl looked at the crystal in her hand. “Choose wisely,” she mumbled with one hand, the other squeezing the stone with all her strength. After thinking of an impossible wish, she moved the stone to both hands and wished. The girl waited. Nothing seemed to happen but she watched as the crystal’s bright glow dissipated, leaving just its pink color and wondered if that meant the wish would come true. The girl kept waiting. Nothing happened yet and started thinking perhaps, this was just one of her vivid dreams. Shrugging when nothing seemed to have changed, she headed back out through the woods and towards her room and and back to sleep.
*
The next day dawned bright and early; she was never one for the morning. Feeling something in her hand, the girl opened her fist and saw the crystal, memories of the night before suddenly rushing through her mind. In the morning sun, the girl studied the crystal more. She couldn’t tell exactly what it was - though she thought it might be either an azurite or a quartz. She wanted it to be azurite, though its color was unusual and she couldn’t tell. The girl believed in magic, but she had never paid much attention to crystals and their meanings before now. After returning to her room last night, she had spent time researching and trying to figure out what kind of crystal was the wishing stone. The idea behind the stone azurite – that it was good for communication – intrigued her. Seeing her lights flicker, the girl stretched before getting out of bed. Breakfast was ready according to her mom. Quickly dressing, she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her mother looked up as she noticed the girl walking in.
“Good morning,” she signed. The girl halted at the entrance, unsure of what she had just seen, her thoughts stuttering.
“Mum?” She voiced, confusion displayed on her face. Her mother raised her eyebrow, unsure of what her daughter was asking with her own confusion.
“Yes?” She finally signed, prompting the girl to continue.
“When did you learn sign language?” The girl eventually asked, sim-comming, not sure how to ask politely, and instead was very blunt.
“What do you mean, sweetie? Everyone signs.”
The girl gasped. “No, they don’t.” Then she whispered to herself. “Could it be?”
“What, sweetie?” Her mother tapped to get her daughter’s attention. “I don’t lip-read. What did you say?”
“Outside of the kids in my school, I don’t know anyone else who signs – or who is Deaf or hard-of-hearing.” She finally said, signing slowly, as if she couldn’t trust what her mother had implied.
“Everyone is deaf. Everyone signs. Sign language is the only language we have, sweetie.” Her mother looked at her, a little worried about what was going on with her daughter.
The girl shook her head in wonder. “The wish,” she muttered, and seeing her mother give her a questioning look, the girl closed her mouth. Waving off her words, she shook her head again in disbelief. This is like my wish, she thought. Well, somewhat. She amended.
Thinking back on the wish she had made the previous night, the girl wondered what it meant that the crystal took a simple desire - a simple wish of 'understanding what everyone was saying' to instead, remaking the entire world like her – deaf. Everyone signing, everyone deaf. In a way, she thought, it did actually give me what I asked for – a way to understand everyone. But at what consequence? She sat quickly down as she thought about the consequences of everything becoming deaf overnight – transportation, media… everything.
After the confusing start to her day, the girl ate breakfast with her family. For the first time, her shoulders unknotted, and the tension drained out. She could understand her family – and they her – through sign language. The conversations had her laughing and wondering, How can I go back to no communication? She wanted this kind of breakfast every day - not just today.
After breakfast, she decided to spend time around other people. If it was going to be a deaf day, she thought, I will do everything I can to socialize - and I’m going to enjoy myself – go to the coffee shop and order a coffee, go to the bookstore, get some books, I will go people watch and go hang out at the park - just living my best life. And enjoy myself.
So, she went to the places she typically avoided - unless she went with family or friends. Everywhere she looked had people signing. But as wonderful as it was that she could understand anything and everything that was said, the girl realized that she was still different - she still stood out. The girl realized she had seen no one else voicing, and she saw no one reading lips, or sim-coming - except for her.
Saddened, she wasn’t sure what to think. She had hoped that with everyone having the same capabilities – deaf, using sign language – and with the same accessibility - that everything would be just…. Perfect.
But it wasn’t.
People could still be the snarky, rude people that she struggled with daily. They signed over her, not listening to what she was saying. People would still make fun of how she would sim-com and use her voice. People may be able to understand her, but they didn’t pay attention to what she said - or even care. Nothing had really changed.
As the day passed the girl came to realize, she liked her differences. She liked being able to put on her hearing aids and listen to spooky music. Or to take them out and have silence – so she could think and have a hearing break - from the listening fatigue. She loved communicating in sign language; she believed sign language was the prettiest of them all.
The girl sighed as she waited for midnight to approach again. The wish did not go like she had thought, as she had planned. As the night grew later, and feeling a little defeated, the girl walked to the rock where she had found the wishing stone in the woods. Pulling out the simple thank you card she had made from her cloak – she placed it on the rock with the crystal holding it down just as the ghost returned.
“Thank you,” she sim-commed. “But, I do question, why me?”
The ghost smiled slightly and began its communication dance – the words floating lightly in front of the vapor.
It was for you. So you would know that you are special and cherished. You are worthy. Not just because you have magic, but through your view of the world. We don’t need every person to be the same. Being unique is important too. Just like not all deafness is the same, neither are all hearing – every single person is unique in their own ways - is important. Always be yourself. Be you. Be hearing at times, deaf at others.
She had forgotten that the stone, azurite, could also be used for insight. While the crystal was mostly known to be used for communication, it could also help you gain insight on an issue. The girl had learned something - had gained insight from her wish and that would stay with her always. Be yourself.
While the girl was thinking, the ghost disappeared, making the crystal glow slightly again. Seeing a golden tint along with the glow, the girl picked up the stone once more, only to notice that it had become a necklace. A reminder for her. As she placed the necklace over her head, the feeling of pride and comfort settled over her.
It’s not a bad thing to be different. Being deaf wasn’t her only identity, and she could be proud of her hearing aids, of her sign language, of her culture, and of her deafness.
Always remember to be yourself - to be you. You are loved. You are important.
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