The Sphinx's Secret Pool

Lily pushed aside the tangled vines and gasped. In the middle of her grandmother's overgrown garden stood a creature she had only seen in books—a great stone sphinx with emerald eyes that blinked at her.

"I am the Guardian of the Wishing Pool," the sphinx rumbled in a voice like distant thunder. "Only those who bring two gifts from opposite ends of the earth may swim in my magical waters."

Lily's heart raced. She wanted to make a wish more than anything—for her grandmother to feel better.

She looked down at her lunchbox. Inside sat a wrinkled papaya from her aunt's farm in Florida, and a bunch of fresh spinach from the community garden down the street. Opposite ends of the earth? Close enough!

"I have these!" Lily offered them bravely.

The sphinx smiled. "Ah, but gifts must be given from the heart. Do you love them both?"

Lily hesitated. The papaya was sweet and sunny like summer mornings. But the spinach? She wrinkled her nose. She hated spinach.

Suddenly, something fuzzy brushed her leg. A small brown bear cub peered up at her with chocolate-colored eyes.

"Please," the cub whispered. "I'm so hungry."

Lily looked at her lunch, then at the hungry cub. Without thinking, she knelt and held out both the papaya and the spinach. The cub gobbled them happily, even the spinach.

"Thank you!" the cub beamed. "For your kindness, I'll share a secret." The cub touched her nose with his paw. "The truest gifts are the ones you give away."

The sphinx's emerald eyes sparkled. "You have solved my riddle, young one. The pool is yours."

Lily stepped into the shimmering water. It felt like a warm hug. She closed her eyes and made her wish. But somehow, as she watched the bear cub splashing happily beside her, she didn't need to wish anymore. Her heart already felt full.

Some wishes, Lily discovered, are answered before we even make them.