Nina and the Library of Lost Wishes

7-9 min read
17 pages
8+

Nina has lots of wishes. She wants to travel, to grow a flower garden, and to fly in a hot-air balloon, but she forgets them fast. One evening she sees a strange light from her window, goes to look, and finds a glowing library of forgotten wishes, with a book that has her own name on it. Seed by seed, and with help from her friends, Nina grows the garden she wished for.

Nina lived in a small, cozy town. She loved to gaze up at the sky and wonder. She loved to draw in her notebook, too.

Nina was always making up wishes. She wished to travel far away. She wished for a big garden with flowers from all over the world. She even wished to ride in a hot-air balloon! But each wish slipped away fast. A game came along, or school, or supper—and poof, it was gone. One evening, Nina sighed in her room. Then she saw a strange glow outside her window. Her eyes went wide.

Far past the rooftops, at the edge of town, a tiny light flickered. Blink… blink… What could it be?

Nina wondered so hard that she buttoned up her coat to go and see. The town was hushed and sleepy, like a lullaby. Her heart went thump-thump, but on she went down the narrow streets. At last she reached an old building with peeling walls and shaggy bushes.

The door stood half open. The same soft light spilled out. Nina held her breath.

Nina stepped inside. It was a library, so big and so tall! Shelves rose up and up, with hundreds—maybe thousands—of books. Each book glowed softly, like a night-light. Nina tiptoed to a shelf and took one down.

The cover said, “Max’s Wish: To Be a Musician.” Inside, a boy named Max held a guitar. Strum, strum! He wished to play it every day. But then Max found new games, and he forgot. On the last page, his guitar stood in a corner, gray with dust. Nina’s smile faded.

“What is this place?” Nina asked. Her voice floated into the quiet. An old woman in glasses and a long dress stepped out from the shelves. Nina jumped. But the woman smiled kindly. “This is the Library of Lost Wishes, dear,” she said. “It keeps the wishes people forgot.”

Nina looked up at all the glowing shelves. There were so many. “Are all these books somebody’s wishes?” she asked in a small, sad voice. The woman nodded. “Yes. When people forget a wish, or feel too scared to try it, it comes here.”

Nina thought about her own wishes. She’d had so many, and she’d forgotten them so fast. “I’m Nina,” she said softly. “Is my wish… is it here?” Smiling, the woman took her hand. They walked deeper and deeper between the tall shelves. Then Nina stopped. One book had her name on it: “Nina’s Wish: A Big Garden with Flowers from All Over the World.”

Nina opened the book very gently. “My garden wish!” she whispered. There it was, bright and clear: red poppies, bluebells, and tall yellow sunflowers, from all over the world. Nina felt warm all the way down to her toes.

The woman patted her hand. “Your wish didn’t go away,” she said. “It was just waiting. If you remember it, and want it very much, it will come back to you.” Nina hugged the book tight. Then she put it back on its shelf. “Thank you,” she said, with the biggest smile. She hurried home through the sleepy streets. Tomorrow, she would plant her garden!

The next morning, the sun was bright. Nina went to a little shop that sold seeds and bought a handful. In a meadow near her home, she dug two tiny rows. Pat, pat. Nina hummed as she planted her first flowers.

Nina told her friends about her garden, and they came running to help. Some brought seeds and new plants. Others watered and pulled weeds. Day after day, sprouts turned into buds, and buds into flowers! Everything was more fun together.

Before long, there were flowers everywhere—red and blue, yellow and pink, big and tiny. People came from all over town to look. Everyone smiled. Nina stood in the middle of it all. Her wish had come true!

Nina had planted this garden with her own two hands. Her friends had helped it grow. Nina beamed. They’d done it!

One day, Nina sat in her garden and watched the flowers sway. She thought of the glowing library and the book with her name on it. Her wish wasn’t waiting on a shelf anymore. It was blooming all around her! Nina smiled. It all began, she thought, with one small handful of seeds.

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Nina and the Library of Lost Wishes

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