Shaking your head, you decide to just follow the path outside the park wall. Running your right hand along it as you walk, you try and concentrate on how you came out in a completely different town. You look up and see a woman in a black jacket and sunglasses walk by talking on a cell phone. At least the people here seem normal...
You eventually notice that you've stopped walking on paved path and have moved to a dirt path. You stop and look up finally, and you see that you've reached the end of the wall. A dirt path winding through a thick forest stands ahead of you, right as the park wall ends and continues on the right. Looking back, you see nothing familiar. You don't really know why, but you feel like the forest is safer than the town you've come out in. Shrugging, you let your hand go off the wall and follow the path into the trees.
It's quite misty in the forest. The path seems to be free of overgrowth and fallen sticks, luckily. The sounds of the forest come out of the mist, slighting menacing without visual stimuli. A crow's cry, chirping crickets, a woodpecker, an owl (how late is it?) and even a distant wolf howl makes you shiver. The sky overhead is dark slate gray, but it does not seem to be threatening rain.
After fifteen minutes of walking, you begin to wish you'd brought a coat. The shady boughs of trees and the shrubs that line the path make heat a difficult thing to come by. The mist isn't helping either. You shiver and rub your hands together. You decide that if you don't find something soon, you'll just turn around and head back to the park.
Ten minutes later, you've had it. The howls, cries, and wind silently rustling the leaves overhead are way too menacing. Plus, it's way too cold. The path has gotten very twisted and erratic, doubling back on itself a few times. Suddenly, your foot strikes a tree root and you stumble through two tall, large bushes. You notice that the path continues under the bushes. Why was it hidden? Your curiosity piqued, you swat at the branches and leaves as you walk through until you break through onto a clearing.
You've come in on the lower corner of the clearing, with thick trees on your left and the clearing continuing on your right. The clearing leads up to a hill, with stone steps cut into it. In fact, the path leads to the bottom step. The steps wind to the top of the hill, where an old fashioned wishing well sits, surrounded by swirling mist.
The well part is made of old stone, covered in moss. The wooden cover looks weathered and is covered in ivy. You reach into your pocket and feel a few coins jangling around in it. Shrugging, you figure you'll make a wish or two before you go back to the park. You follow the path to the base of the steps and walk up them, the well coming closer and closer in the mist. The mist washes over your face, cold and refreshing, as you climb. You finally reach the top and look down. The hill slopes down on the other side, wide and clear of trees or bushes. The mist is too thick at the bottom to tell if there are more trees or not.
You turn back to the well and look into it. You see yourself in a sphere of sky and cover. Standing back up, you notice a weather beaten, overgrown sign hanging on the well:
WISH WISELY.
Well, that's sensible. You fish a quarter out of your pocket and hold it up, looking at it framed by the misty, gray sky. You think long and hard about the wish, but you finally settle on one. You rest the quarter on your thumb and flick it into the air. It spins and falls down into the hole, where it hits the water with a plop. Before you look away, you could've sworn you saw a green light swirling in the water.
You examine the sign again and notice that half of it is covered in ivy. Puzzled, you pull the vines away and notice there is a caveat written under the motto:
THIS WELL IS VERY OLD. BE SURE TO BE VERY SPECIFIC WHEN WISHING, AS IT IS EASY FOR IT TO GENERALIZE!
Gulping, you think about the ambiguity of your wish when you suddenly begin to feel strange. A cramp rises in your stomach and you put your hands on well's lip. Moaning, you begin to feel the changes starting as you remember your wish...