The Wish Rewrite with the Cat

Epilogue

Several weeks later

It was a mostly clear morning, only spotted with clouds.

Bluebirds flew over the hamlet.

Arden whizzed out of the cottage as a ball of light.

"Arden! Slow down!" I took off after them with Valentino, a breeze playing with my vermilion dress.

Sr. Alfaro had returned to his post as official royal census clerk, now fully rejuvenated. Now I was his co-clerk. He told me he'd always be grateful for how I stood in for him. He even said he owed me his life. And it didn't hurt that he let me keep my book and took Magnifico's.

Valentino skipped after us, his new bandana bouncing on his chest.

I let him catch up to me. "What do you think of your new bandana?"

"What do you think of your new bandana?"

"I love it," he stroked its lavender wool. "I will miss my pajamas, though."

"You're becoming such a big goat," I scratched his head and felt the knobs of budding horns. "I'm so proud."

"Oh, thank you," he wagged his tail. "I do my best."

The crossroads rose before us once more. 

The plants had grown taller, and no new graves had been added.

Arden swirled to the ground and into human form.

Valentino bent down to eat some flowers.

I tutted. "Valentino..."

He jerked up. "Right, right," he hurried along. "Not for me."

I paused, reading some of the names. Harris the Hunter. Flora the Painter. Naomi Valencia. They all had lives and wishes like me, but had lost them because of Magnifico.

I touched my heart. "I wish your wishes had come true."

A light wind picked up, blowing the tufts off the dandelions. They danced in the air and flew far out of sight.

Valentino and Arden bounded after them.

"Come on! We'll be late for the wish-guiding party!" I ran after Valentino and Arden.

Queen Amaya's gold crown glinted in the sun as she spoke to a ginger-haired young woman in a blue dress. "Alondra, I hear you long to fly."

"I do, Your Majesty," Alondra rubbed her long blue sleeve. "Even though I know it's impossible." 

"Well," Amaya gestured to a thin, wavy-bearded man in a flamboyant green suit, "Pietro wants to build a flying machine."

Pietro doffed his feathered cap to Alondra. "Buongiorno."

Alondra giggled. "Hi."

Uh oh. I'd have to tell Gabo to break it to her; he was better at delivering that kind of news.

Amaya shared my tight grin. "You two should work together. Let me know how I can help."

I gaped at the detailed drawings under Pietro's arm. "Pietro, those are amazing sketches. I do a lot of drawing, too," I held out my book and opened it. "See?"

Pietro and Alondra laughed.

What was funny? I looked down at my book.

It was open to my cartoon of Magnifico.

"Oops," I flipped to my painting of me and Saba. "I'm not too proud of that one."

Amaya chuckled. "You should be; it's good."