Writing a Story — 25

Write the appropriate ending to the story given below.

after Somerset Maugham

The Third Wish

(after Joan Aiken)

Once Mr. Peters was driving in his car at dusk. He entered a straight, empty stretch of road and heard a faint crying, and a struggling and thrashing, as if somebody was in trouble far away in the trees. He left his car and climbed the mossy bank beside the road. Then he saw the gleam of water. Coming closer he found that it was a swan that had become entangled in the thorns growing on the bank of the canal.

The bird struggled all the more frantically as he approached, looking at him with hate in its yellow eyes. Nevertheless he managed to release it from the thorns.

Then the swan floated in to the bank once more and in a moment turned into a little man all in green with golden crown and long beard, standing by the water. He had fierce glittering eyes and looked by no means friendly.

"Well, Sir," he said threateningly, "You have rescued-by pure good fortune-the King of the Forest from a difficulty, you should have some fabulous reward."

"I expect three wishes, no more and no less," answered Mr. Peters, looking at him steadily and with composure. He stood for some minutes reflecting on how he should use his reward. Finally he said:

"My first wish is to have a wife as beautiful as the forest."

A tremendous quacking and splashing broke out on the surface of the water, and he saw the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, with eyes as blue-green as the canal, hair as dusky as the bushes, and skin as white as the feathers of swans.

"I am your wife”, she said. "My name is Leita."

Leita made him a good wife. She was gentle and friendly, busied herself about the house garden, polished the bowls, milked the cows and mended his socks. But as time went by Mr. Peters began to feel that she was not happy. She seemed restless, wandered much in the garden, and sometimes when he came back from the fields he would find the house

One evening he was returning home along the river path when he saw Leita in front of him, down by the water. A swan had sailed up to her and she had her arms round its neck. She was weeping, and as he came nearer he saw that tears were rolling, too, from the swan's eyes.

"Leita, what is it?" he asked, very troubled.

Think of the ending to the story and write it in the space below.