Joneses – 7.3 The Hidden Garden

On Jared and Asia’s first day off—Tuesday—they decided to spend time together away from the house. Because of their schedules, naturally they rarely ever went out. It didn’t bother them because both enjoyed staying close to home. However, Jared decided that they should experience something new together. He took her to the Hidden Garden in Newcrest. It was a beautifully manicured park—not very well hidden—with little pockets of hidden beauty throughout.

As they explored the grounds, the beauty which surrounded them influenced their moods. It was hard to be in such a beautiful place with the one he loved and not express that love to her.

After his expressions of love, Asia wanted to sit in the sun and take in the sights. They found a bench on the upper level and did just that.

“Hey, Jared…what do you think is behind that gate?”

He looked over his shoulder. “I don’t know. Wanna check it out?”

Of course she did.

She gasped. “It’s a wishing well!”

“Oh wow. I didn’t think those things were real.”

“Of course they’re real!

“What should I wish for?” She asked.

“Wait, you’re gonna use this thing? I don’t know about this Asia…”

It was a bit too whimsical…a bit too ethereal for him. She once opened his mind to the notion of faith, and now it’s part of his life. But a wishing well? It was a bit of a stretch for him. Who was really listening in that well? Was there a fog machine that made the mist come up? Where did all the money go? If someone was really getting paid to operate the well, how did that person actually grant the wishes? It didn’t make sense.

“Jared! Come on…it’ll be fun!”

“You go ahead. I’ll watch.”

“Bah. You’re no fun!”

She thought about what to wish for. She was happier than she had ever been, so she definitely wasn’t going to wish for happiness. They had been old once and were now young again—an experience she was much grateful to have—so youthful vigor was anticlimactic. They were going to try for a baby soon, so wishing for a baby seemed pointless and a bit hasty. They could always use more money, but she felt guilty about asking for wealth especially after her confrontation with Eliza weeks ago. She just got a promotion and felt greedy about asking for another. Besides, she and Jared were going to try not to get promoted for a while. Finally, she settled on a skill boost. Whether she was trying to get promoted or not, she could always use higher skills to get better at her craft.

She tossed a coin into the well. “I wish to boost my skills!”

As silly as Jared thought it was, he looked on at her in admiration. He thought it was great that she could suspend her disbelief and believe in things like this. It took a while for the coin to reach the bottom, but finally they heard the kerplunk as it crashed into a sea of other coins. The mist began to rise from the well, and the eyes on the face of the well began to glow.

“GOOD HEAVENS, JARED! LOOK!”

He laughed. He loved watching her get excited over little things. The mouth on the face opened, and they both expected it to say something. It’s just a well, silly, Jared thought. What would it say? The mist coming out of the well began to envelop her, and that made Jared uneasy.

“Asia…maybe you should come back over here.”

“It’s working, Jared! It’s working! I feel smart!”

When the production on the wish had ceased, she turned around and faced Jared. He was glad to see that she was ok. She hadn’t physically changed at all, but for some reason she seemed to be extra beautiful. There was an innocence about her. She was always open minded about new experiences. He needed someone like her in his life, and she complemented him very well. He walked over to her and yanked her body against his. “Smart girls are hot.”