“Oh Olive, you have to take your medicine.”

“No mother, it makes me sleepy.” Olive argued.

“You’re seven years old; you’re going to fall sleep anyways.”

“No!” Olive refused.

She ran up the first flight of stairs, and up the second until she reached her room on the third floor. She jumped onto her bed and began to cry. She hated the taste of medicine so much. Her eyes began to hurt, her throat swelled, and her whole little face just started to feel so tired. She closed her eyes.


One sheep, two sheep, three sheep…

“Wake up!”

Olive opened her eyes. There was a boy standing by her bed. He was wearing a black and white striped sweater. His eyes were bright blue, but he had hair as black as licorice.

“Who are you?” Olive asked the strange boy.

“My name is Oliver, nice to meet ya!” he held out his hand but Olive just looked at it.
“Hi, Oliver. Where did you come fro--” Oliver didn’t let her finish.
“Do you want to go somewhere? It’s a secret place, so you can’t tell anyone!” he offered.

“Okay” Olive agreed.

“Pinky swear that you won’t tell?” Oliver held out his pinky.

“Pinky swear,” Olive assured and took Oliver’s pinky in her own. They smiled.

“Let’s go!” Oliver grabbed Olive by the hand and took her to her window. She watched him open it and sit at the edge.

“Oliver?” she reached for him and gasped as he let himself go.

“Oliver?!” She ran closer to the window and discovered something that brought a smile to her face faster than an old man could say bingo.

She climbed the window and sat on the edge just like how Oliver did. She closed her eyes and squeezed her face together as if she had just licked a lemon. Then, she let go.

Oliver had his arms spread out ready for Olive to land in as she slid down the big bright yellow slide that connected to her window. She hugged him tightly and couldn’t get rid of the smile on her face, not that she wanted to.

“I knew you’d like it!” said Oliver.

“How did you know yellow was my favorite?” Olive was still smiling.

“It doesn’t matter, but c’mon! The secret place, remember?”

Oliver led the way but where he was going raised Olive’s eyebrows in dread.


“Are we going in there?” asked Olive. She pointed to the woods that separated her home from the rest of the small town.

“Yes, yes we are.” said Oliver.

“Mother says I’m not supposed to go into the trees. She says I could get lost.”

“And since when do you listen to your mother, Olive?”

Olive smiled. It was a smile only Cheshire cat would wear. She stuck her nose in the air and said, “You’re very right, Oliver.” He smiled sweetly and grabbed her hand, “Well let’s go already!” He said.

As they walked further into the woods, it got darker. Olive began to hear little noises. The little noises grew to be more startling. Olive looked back. She could no longer see her home. Behind her was only trees covered in darkness.

Olive…

Olive looked at Oliver. She looked behind her and side to side.

Olive, you must go back…

“Did you hear that?” Olive asked Oliver.

“No” he said, cocking his head to the side.

Olive, my love, it’s your mother. Go back before it’s too late.

Olive’s eyes widened a bit. She started walking with hesitation. She opened her mouth to tell Oliver that she wanted to go back until he said, “We’re here!”

There, in the middle of a circle of trees, was a pile of bricks. As they got closer, Olive discovered it wasn’t just a pile of bricks. The bricks were circled and stacked around a hole.

“Are you coming?” asked Oliver.

“Coming where?” Olive was confused and scared.

“Down the wishing well”

“What?” she said with more terror than before.

“Olive, you have to. That’s why I went to go get you, so we can go together.”

“Why would we do that, Oliver? It looks so dark in there.”

“Because it’s the wishing well! It’s where kids like us hide. It’s a hiding place, Olive. A place where no one can tell us what to do and where we will never be old and grumpy!” explained Oliver.


Olive, I need you to turn around and come take your medicine.

Olive thought hard for a minute. She really did hate the taste of that medicine, and she never wanted to be old and grumpy either.

Olive, sweetie, please.

Olive clenched her fists with courage and put her chin in the air.

“No, mother!” Olive yelled to the sky. She grabbed Oliver’s hand and they walked closer to the well. They climbed onto it until they were sitting on the edge, their legs dangling over the darkness.

“On the count of three…” Oliver said.

Olive, no.

“One” whispered Oliver.

Olive, get off of the well.

“Two” Olive said slowly.

Comeback, Olive.

“Three!”

They squeezed each other’s hand as they both slid off the edge of the well and began to fall. As they fell, the little bit of light there was began to fade. It started to get colder and colder. Olive squeezed Oliver’s hand in fright but suddenly felt nothing.

“Oliver?” she shrieked.

“Oliver!” she hollered. It was so dark. She couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t feel Oliver next to her anymore. Olive began to cry. She cried as she continued to fall.

“Olive” said a voice.

“Oliver?” she asked looking up and down, side to side, even if there was only darkness to see.

“I told you so.”

“What?” Olive was confused. She was so scared.

Suddenly, there was laughter. The laughter was loud and it echoed the walls of the endless well. Olive began to cry. She didn’t want to fall anymore. Olive wanted to go home.

She closed her eyes and began to count. She hoped it would end the nightmare.

One… two… three.
When she opened her eyes, she saw her mother. She was giggling.

“Oh Olive, I told you so. I told you that you would fall asleep whether you took your medicine or not.” said Olive’s mother.

“Mommy!” she sat up and hugged her mother.

“Olive, my love, did you have a bad dream?” she asked. Olive nodded and squeezed her mother tightly.


“Would you like to tell me about it? Did you go somewhere scary? Where did you go?”

“I can’t tell you” Olive explained

“Why not, love?” asked Olive’s mother, stroking her hair.

“I pinky sweared.”