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| The Wishing Tree ~~ story and painting by Cindy Morawski Life is not always fair. Is it? A slave girl named Cecilia once tried to balance the scales of justice. She decided to run away from her cruel southern plantation. She waited for darkness to make her escape, no full moon for her. Before she lost her nerve, she slid out of her cabin and made for the woods. Cecilia could hear her heart pounding before she noticed the master's blood hounds baying wildly behind her. She splashed across the creek so that they'd lose her scent, but she could hear them coming closer. In the distance was her only hope. She spied a large oak tree a few yards away. She headed for it. The dogs were now crossing the creek. She wrapped her arms around the tree and wished as hard as she could. The hunting party saw the slave girl near the tree. "She musta' climbed that oak," mumbled the surprised overseer. He took his pistol out and started firing up and into that tree. The rest of the night patrol did the same. The shots lit up the night with their sound and fury. But, the girl was gone. They came back the next day after first light. She had vanished. Cecilia Washington was next spotted by the Liberty Bell in downtown Philadelphia. She was running an errand for a local printmaker, a Quaker and abolitionist. The Wishing Tree helped Cecilia make her wish come true. Years later, the story is still being told. In some Alabama woods near the Jackson's old cotton plantation, bullets were recently found in the trunk of an old oak. Close your eyes. The Wishing Tree beckons. What would you wish for? |
Hope all your wishes come true!
~~Cindy
www.cindymorawski.com
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