‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œNaomi, you will come to my birthday party tomorrow. wont you? I’™m so excited.’
‘ ‘ ‘  The girls, both five and best friends, spent most of their free hours together sharing all there was to share.
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œHello Girls – Julia, Naomi. Doing anything special?’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œNot really.’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œJust talking, Grandpa.’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œThen come with me, Julia. I’™ll show you something really exciting – I think you’™ll just love.’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œWhere?’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œJust over to the fountain ‘“ there.’ Pointing.
‘ ‘ ‘  Not only the family loved the fountain at the flower corner of the garden, the many birds that visited to drink and wash had made it their own soon after it had been set up.
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œMaybe you don’™t know, girls but many birds carry seeds from place to place. Many trees and some flowers are planted this way. See this flower? It’™s called Nasturtium. I didn’™t plant it. Probably it was brought here by a bird.
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œNow you would never think that there’™s anything special about this Nasturtium ‘“ but there is. Oh! Indeed there is. And not many are they who know the secret.’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œtell us, Grandpa. Please! We won’™t tell anyone else ‘“ will we, Naomi!’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œNo. We’™ll keep it secret just between us,’
‘ ‘ ‘  In their excitement the girls were smiling. Julia knew that there were many secrets in her Grandpa’™s garden but his one she’™d never heard.
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œAlright, come close and I’™ll show you.’
‘ ‘ ‘  The girls crowded close.
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œI pluck a Nasturtium leaf. You see – it’™s almost like a small, green plate ‘“ round and shaped a little like a saucer. Now into it I splash a drop of water from the fountain. There! Now what do you see?’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œHey!’  It’™s like’  the diamond in Gandma’™s ring!’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œThat’™s right, Julia. Like the diamond in Grandma’™s ring.’  Isn’™t it pretty! But more ‘“ much more than this, it rolls on the leaf like magic. It’™s very hard to keep it in any one place.
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œNow it’™s true secret is it is a magic drop. What you must do is to hold it very steady in your hand so it won’™t fall. Then, holding it very steady, raise it to your lips. Now the most important part . . .!’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œOh, Julia ‘“ you lost it!’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œNever mind, Naomi. We’™ll try again, won’™t we, Julia. So you see, you must hold the leaf very steady when you raise it to your lips.’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œNow what, Grandpa?’, through bated breath and tight lips.
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œNow make a wish ‘“ a very special wish ‘“ and see if you can’  catch the drop in your mouth. Careful! It’™s not easy. Not easy at all!’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œWell done, Julia . . .’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œJulia did it! Now will her wish come true?’, said Naomi brelessly. ‘œWill it come true?’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œWell. It’™s Julia’™s birthday tomorrow. Perhaps that’™s as good a time as any to see if Julia’™s wish will come true, eh Naomi?’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œCan I make a wish, too? Please! Can I!?’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œof course you can, Naomi but of course we mustn’™t use the same leaf, must we. Pluck another and we’™ll try.’
‘ ‘ ‘  Now there are two things you must remember if you want your wish to come true. Keep tight the secret of the leaf and never tell your wish to anyone. Remember.’
‘ ‘ ‘ 
‘ ‘ ‘  That is how Julia and Naomi both came to make each a wish.
‘ ‘ ‘  Having got that bit of excitement over and this being the Sabbath, it was a very good time for a gift. This being so, I decided not to wait for the morrow to present to Julia the gift we had bought for her. Of course it came with a pronounced and beautiful ribbon.
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œOh, Grandpa!’ Julia’™s shout of excitement reached her Grandma’™s ear who came quickly to see what it was all about.
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œWhat’™s it little girl. Why the great shout, Julia?’
‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œDon’™t you see, Grandma – Grandpa?’  My wish!!’