That night, Little Pine fell asleep with a hundred images from the past few days swirling through his mind. The arrival of the Spirits of Fun seemed almost too magical to be true. And yet he had laughed and played with them from morning until night for days.
They had romped throughout the woodland, carrying songs and laughter to its farthest reaches, greeting everyone they met along the way. The Festival of Light was always a special time of year, but with their presence it was more joyous than ever.
He wished they could stay forever. But he knew they would have to return to their own world at the Festival’s end. Even so, he was overjoyed that he had met them. And tomorrow, on Festival Day’s Eve, the Elf King would be coming! What would that be like?
His thoughts danced around for a while, and then Little Pine drifted into dreams.
Overhead, stars glistened softly in a velvety black sky, and, above him, Little Pine saw a beautiful white bird settle onto one of the branches of his mother tree. “Hello, Little Pine,” she sang.
“Hello, white bird!” he said. “Who are you?”
“I am The Wishing Bird,” she said. “I collect the wishes of the children of Earth. As the year draws to its close and the Festivals of Light are celebrated, many wishes arise from Earth’s beings. I gather them and translate them into the true wishes of the heart. Then I deliver the true wishes to Dream Central, which works to help wishes come true.”
“What do you mean by the true wishes of the heart?” Little Pine asked.
“Well, sometimes what you think you’re wishing for isn’t what you truly want. A sparrow might wish for bright, blue feathers, for example. But what she really wants is to feel beautiful. Or a squirrel might wish for a wolf’s howl when what his heart wants is to know that someone hears him when he speaks. Sometimes a dandelion will wish she could live in a fine garden and wear the petals of a rose. But what she really truly wants is to remember how important and valuable she is and to know that she brings joy to the world.”
“Oh!” Little Pine said. “It’s sort of like you find the wish inside the wish, right?”
“Very good, Little Pine,” she said. “You are a wise little tree.
“You know, as I was flying here, I heard you make a wish. Do you remember it?”
Little Pine thought for a moment and then said, “Yes, I wished that the Spirits of Fun could stay in our woodland forever. And I really, really do!”
Wishing Bird laughed a gentle little laugh and said, “Would you like to know what I hear your heart truly saying?”
“Sure!” said Little Pine. He didn’t think his heart could want anything different.
“Your heart wants for you always to have joyous companions and an enduring spirit of fun. And I can promise you, Little Pine, that your heart’s wish has already been granted. You see, once you have tasted fun, you can always choose to find it again. And your own sense of fun will bring out the joy in every one of your companions.
“As for the Spirits of Fun themselves, they are never any farther than a thought away. And that is true for everyone who ever meets them or even imagines that they exist.”
And with that, the Wishing Bird faded into the stars, and Little Pine slept happily through the night.