Amanda gazed up at the night sky, every star glistening like a jewel. "How does it work, Grandma?" she asked, with her right hand closed tight.
"First you find Polaris. It's right above the Big Dipper. It's very bright, and it points north."
She turned a full circle, then looked at Grandma.
Grandma stepped in back of her and crouched. Using a gnarled finger, she pointed out the famous constellation.
Amanda bounced on her toes, smiling. "Oh, I see why they call it a dipper! It looks just like your soup ladle.
"Yes it does. Now that you've found Polaris, put the button over your lips. Then whisper your wish. You can only have one a year, so choose carefully."
"Okay, Grandma. I know exactly what I want!"
"Wait a second, Sweetheart. The button is very particular about what kind of wishes it will grant. The wish has to be for someone you've never met. You can't have even heard about them."
Amanda's smile disappeared. "You mean I can't wish for a pony, or a real car like the one my Barbie drives?"
Grandma gently hugged her. "No, not for yourself, or your family, or even any of the movie stars or other famous people on TV. But you could wish for that for a stranger."
Amanda scrunched up her face, looking at her sparkly blue shoes. Then she moved a short distance away from Grandma, and looked up.
She lifted the old ivory button to her lips, and whispered "I wish that the boy I'm going to marry when I grow up would get a shiny blue car for Christmas this year."
Eleven years later, Amanda lugged her book bag down the granite steps of Halderford University. She sat down on the last one, and wiped her forehead with her sleeve.
"Here, use this instead," offered a deep yet quiet voice.
She looked up, and saw a white silk handkerchief. In back of it was a well tanned face, and deep brown eyes.
Amanda smiled, and took the little piece of cloth. "Thank you. It seems like the older we get, the heavier the books are that we have to carry."
The young man picked up her bag, and offered his hand. "You're right, this is heavy! Want a ride?"
She accepted the outstretched hand, and got up. Despite the beautiful weather, the walk would have been unpleasant with the heavy bag. "Sure, thanks! I'm in the dorm."
A few seconds later, she was sitting in his blue Toyota Camry. The interior was as immaculate as the outside. "This car is beautiful, it's almost as if it's never been driven. And yet it's an older model?" she asked.
He patted the steering wheel fondly. "Yeah, I won it when I was a little kid. There was an essay contest at the mall. Over five hundred adults entered, and somehow I was selected. I found out that I'd won on Christmas morning, and begged to drive it to school every day."
She chuckled at the thought, then stopped. "Oh my God!" whispered Amanda, her eyes as big as saucers.
"As you can guess, my parents kept it for me until I was old enough to drive. We'd take it around the block once a week, with me sitting on my dad's lap and "helping" him drive, but other than that, it only left the garage for maintenance."
When she didn't respond, he glanced her way. "Is something wrong?"
Unable to speak, she simply nodded.
"Are you sure? You sort of look like you've seen a ghost."
She smiled, regaining a little composure. "I'm fine, really. I just have a lot on my mind. I really do appreciate the ride, I wasn't looking forward to walking home with all those books."
He nodded. "I'm new here, but according to my schedule I'll be leaving at this time every Friday. I'd be happy to give you a lift."
Amanda looked out at the campus grounds. The lush green grass and large shade trees were ideal for weekend outings as well as outdoor study. "This is a perfect place for a romance," she thought.
Eight years later, Amanda stood outside of a small but tidy two story house. "Look up at the stars, Renee. Do you think you can find the Big Dipper?"
A little girl made a couple of quick jumps, then pointed. "There it is!"
Amanda beamed. "Right. Now, I have a surprise for you... my grandma gave it to me when I was about your age. In a way, it helped me to meet your daddy. I'll tell you all about that before you go to bed tonight, but first I want to show you how to use Grandma's magic button."
Cover image made in Canva Pro using their gallery
