The Legend of the Wishing Stone

Chapter 1

Victoria's P.O.V

Heavily rocking back in forth I tried my best to get a good look out the carriage window to see more of this unfamiliar town I had entered. People went about their daily business, walking along the semi-dirty cobblestone roads and talking about the usual 'important things'. My heart was jumping in excitement at the fact we were in a new place, a whole new country even. But the reason why we were wasn't so thrilling.

Reaching my hand up to my chest I rubbed the old silver chain that hung around my neck, hiding the stone pendant under the purple dress I wore. Feeling the slightly warm metal under the pads of my fingertips the memories of my grandmother telling me stories filled my thoughts.

(Flashback)

"Grandma! Tell me the story again!" My child self shouted, demanding the old woman to repeat the story I loved so much.

She chuckles, her already wrinkly skin creasing at the corners of her eyes with her smile, "Which story my little Victoria? I have so many."

"Tell me the story of the Wishing Stone!"

"That one again? I've told you that story so many times."

"But it's my favorite! Please grandma?" I stuck my lip out, giving the best pout I could.

She sighed with a small laugh, reaching out to lift my small body onto her lap, "Okay. The Legend of the Wishing Stone."

With a gentle rocking of her chair she thought about the story she had told me so many times before but I didn't care. I loved it even more each time it was told.

"A very long time ago the people of the land and the people of the sea had always fought in terrible wars. Many people were lost and good just became another word until one day a powerful object known as the Wishing Stone was created by the gods of the sea. It was created to keep the peace between the ocean folk and the land folk. The stone had the power to grant any wish anyone may have."

"So if I wished for more toys the stone can give it to me?"

"Yes it can. But the gods found it difficult to keep the stone safe at sea because of all the slithery creatures wanted to take the stone for themselves."

I gasped out of fear, "Did they take it?"

"No, the gods decided that the only way to keep the stone safe was on land because nobody from the sea would look for it there. So they went to a place right where the sea met the Earth and entrusted a young girl to protect the stone with her life."

"Did she keep it safe?"

"Yes, she kept it hidden away from everyone but sometimes she would take it back to the ocean so the gods can continue to use it. But one day while the girl was upon the shore a pirate ship caught her."

"What happened next?"

"The pirates demanded the girl to hand over the stone so that they can rule the land and seas but the girl refused. Just when they were about to take it the gods of the sea helped the girl to escape the fifthly pirate ship and brought her back home. There was no safe place for the stone to be so the gods decided to hide it in a place where no one can find it again. But they gave a special key to the girl that could open the pathway up to the stone in case it was ever needed again."

The woman's boney fingers reached underneath her dress to pull out a necklace on a shiny silver chain. A dark blue stone hung off of the end of he necklace, all polished and smooth. The back was covered with silver as a tiny gemstone was sitting in a little dip above the big one. I've always noticed she wore this necklace everyday and every time I asked for her to tell me this story, she always pulled it out for my sparkly young eyes to see.