The sun has yet to rise over the horizon when Youngjae wakes up.  He trips over the blanket on his bed in his haste to get up.  He can hear his dad snoring in the other room, and he suppresses a giggle; his dad sounds like a lawnmower when he sleeps.

Youngjae rummages through his suitcase that his mom packed, trying to find a somewhat decent outfit for the day.  Today is wishing day after all!  In the darkness of the guest bedroom, Youngjae has a rough time trying to distinguish whether the shirt he's holding is black or blue.

He decides on the shirt in his left hand, and he quickly changes out of his pajamas.  He tiptoes out of his room, quietly opening the wooden door and praying it didn't squeak.  Youngjae didn't want to wake up his parents.

Successfully making it into the hallway, Youngjae hurries downstairs.  He's surprised to see his grandparents awake, his grandpa watching early morning news on the tiny tv in the living room in his recliner and his grandma working on breakfast.

“Oh, good morning, Youngjae,” his grandma says, smile bright.  “I didn't expect you to be up so early.”

“It’s wishing day!” Youngjae exclaims, beaming.

His grandpa laughs from the living room.  “Found the wishing well, did ya?”  

“Yeah!” Youngjae happily says, jumping excitedly in place.  “Grandma says you make a wish and fulfil a request, and it comes true!”

“That's the legend,” his grandfather muses.

“Have you ever made a wish?” Youngjae asks.  He walks into the living room and plops down on the loveseat across from the recliner.

He shook his head.  “No, Youngjae.  I have everything I need right here.”  He affectionately glances at his wife with a tiny smile.

Youngjae tilts his head, confused.  Who wouldn't want to make a wish?

“Can I go to the well now?” Youngjae asks.

“After breakfast, Jae,” his grandma answers.

Youngjae whines but doesn't say anything.  He sits back in the loveseat and watches the news with his grandpa quietly.  He'd rather watch cartoons.

The sun starts to rise; light softly seeps through the cracks in the blinds, illuminating the inside of the house.  The rooster begins to crow, waking up the other animals as well as Youngjae’s parents.

His parents mosey downstairs, clad in pajamas.  His dad yawns wide, hair messy and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  His mom is in the same state--she looks like she could use a few more hours.  

“Good morning!” Youngjae chirps.

His father tiredly returns the greeting while his mom flops next to Youngjae on the loveseat.  She cuddles her son, fingers combing through his dark hair.  Youngjae half-heartedly tries to push her away, but she doesn't move.

“Why are you up so early?” his dad asks around a cup of coffee, sitting on the other side of his son.

“It’s wishing day!” Youngjae answers.  “There's a wishing well in the backyard!”

“You be careful around that thing,” his mom says.  “It's very old; I don't want you falling in.  Grandma and I are going into town while dad and grandpa work on the barn.”

“I'll be careful, mommy,” Youngjae promises.

“Breakfast is ready!” his grandma calls.  

Everyone shuffles into the kitchen and help themselves to pancakes, eggs, and sausage.  Youngjae is the first to finish--his grandma’s cooking is always delicious--and fidgets in his chair.

“You can go outside, Jae,” his mom says when she notices her son’s behavior.  “Don't go too far from the house, alright?”  

Youngjae is already out of his seat, slipping on his tennis shoes and unlocking the backdoor, and he quickly says a rushed “Love you!” before he is dashing outside.  

He runs across the back lawn, smiling ear to ear.  He spots the wishing well and heads towards it.  It looks exactly the same as yesterday.

He's panting as he stops in front of it, mindful of any bricks hiding in the grass.  He peers down the well, tiny hands holding onto the wood of the roof, but he didn't see much besides more white brick.  The well came up just below his waist.

“Hello?” he calls.  His voice echoes down.  “I wanna make a wish!”

He didn't get a reply.  He briefly wonders if he should've asked his grandparents for instructions.

Suddenly he hears a plop, like water dripping into a puddle, and he leans further, eyes squinting to see what made the noise.

“Hello?” he calls again.  

The support beams holding the roof let out a groan, and it's suddenly toppling over.  Unable to grasp anything, Youngjae topples with it, falling face-first into the well.

He screams as he falls into the darkness.  He sees a faint light, and before he knows it, he's out of the darkness.  He's no longer between brick walls, but free falling in air.

Youngjae flails as he approaches a flowing river, trying to turn his body so that he'll break through the water feet-first.  He in a breath of air a moment before he makes impact, and he sinks all the way down to the bottom.

The current carries him, and he struggles to swim to the top.  He's not a strong swimmer by any means; in fact, he barely knows how.  He can't hold his breath for much longer, but he can see the surface.

So..close…

Youngjae reaches a hand out, hoping he can maybe grab on something.  What he didn't expect, is another hand reaching into the river to grab his.

He's hauled out of the current and pulled onto the banks of the shore.  Youngjae coughs, flipping onto his back and heaving a sigh of relief.

When he catches his breath, Youngjae sits up, looking at his surroundings.  He's in a forest, but the trees and plants didn't look like anything he's ever seen before.

The trees twisted into swirls, creating intricate designs and patterns.  The leaves were a deep green with yellow accents and were shaped like stars.  The flowers were neon-colored, the petals in different shapes than what Youngjae was used to.

Entranced, Youngjae stands, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes.  He walks closer towards the trees and places his hand on the bark.  Youngjae breathes out a “wow” when it's soft and not rough.

The branches above him ruffle, and he lets out a shout when he sees hazel eyes looking back at him.

A boy not much bigger than himself sits on a swirled branch about twenty feet above Youngjae.  He's not wearing shoes, and his left foot is wrapped in a cloth-like gauze.  Youngjae can see claws on the boy, as well as horns coming out of his long silver hair, right above his eyebrows.

He smiles down at Youngjae and slides off the branch.  Instead of falling, the boy floats down until he is hovering right above Youngjae.

“Hi.”