Piper sat on the small bench near the pond, her tiny hands folding colorful paper into small, delicate boats. Each one carried a wish — not written in ink, but whispered softly as she creased and folded.
"Maybe this one will reach the stars," she murmured, her eyes sparkling as she set the yellow boat into the water. It drifted slowly, carried by a gentle ripple.
The morning sun shimmered across the pond's surface, turning every tiny boat into a flickering light. Piper smiled, watching them sail away as if her dreams were traveling with them.
A passerby stopped to look. "Are you selling them, little one?" he asked kindly.
Piper shook her head. "No, sir. They're wishes. You can make one, if you'd like."
The man chuckled softly and took a red boat from her box. He closed his eyes for a moment, then placed it gently on the water. "Thank you," he said, smiling as it floated off.
Soon, others began to stop — children, parents, joggers, old couples. One by one, they folded their own small wishes into boats. Some whispered, some laughed, some simply smiled. The pond began to fill with color — yellow, pink, blue, green — a little fleet of dreams setting sail under the midday sun.
Piper watched them all, her heart swelling with something she couldn't quite name. Maybe happiness. Maybe peace. Maybe both.
When the last boat disappeared behind the reeds, she looked down at her empty box and grinned. "Guess I'll have to make more tomorrow," she said softly.
And somewhere out on the pond, the little boats carried her wishes — not for riches or fame, but for kindness to find its way back to every heart that had stopped by.