Something in the Well

Ivy hid a ring inside a wooden fish. She painted the fish gold. She tied the ring to its belly with thread. Then she put it in the water with forty plain fish. She had one hour before the festival began.

The village square was already busy. Children ran between the stalls. Men carried boxes of lanterns. In the middle of the square stood the old stone well. Next to it sat a long trough of water.

Every year, the village held a fishing game at the trough. You paid a coin and took a net on a pole. You caught one wooden fish and kept it as a prize. It was the oldest game of the festival, and Thea loved it.

Ivy had a plan. Thea always played the game first. She always tried to catch the biggest fish. This year, the biggest fish was gold. It carried the ring. Thea found it in front of the whole village.

Ivy stood by the trough and checked her work. The gold fish floated near the edge. It was fat and shiny. She smiled and let out a long breath.

"You look happy," said a voice behind her.

Ivy jumped. Thea stood there with two paper cups of apple juice. Her hair was full of flowers.

"I am always happy," said Ivy. "Is that bad?"

"It is, with that face," said Thea. "What is your plan?"

"Nothing," said Ivy. "Drink your juice. The game starts soon."

The bell in the square rang twice. The old woman who ran the game stepped up to the trough. She held a pile of nets on long poles.

"Who wants to go first?" she called.

"Thea does," said Ivy, and pushed her forward.

Thea laughed and took a net. She looked at the fish. The gold fish drifted slowly toward her. Ivy held her breath.

Thea dipped the net into the water. The gold fish floated in. She lifted the pole with a cry of joy.

Then the fish slid out of the net. It fell back in the water with a plop.

"A hole!" said Thea. She turned the net over. A hole as big as a hand sat in the middle. "This net is broken."

"Try again," said Ivy. Her voice was very high. "Try again, quick."

But the gold fish already floated away. A small boy bumped the trough with his elbow. The water shook, and the gold fish floated toward the far end. There, a narrow stone arch led under the wall. The fish slipped through it.

Ivy stopped breathing.

Under the arch, the trough joined the well. The water ran into the dark hole in the ground. Nobody could reach that part, not even with a long pole.

"Oh no," said Ivy. "Oh no, oh no."

"It is only a wooden fish," said Thea. "Do not worry. There are forty more."

"It is not only a fish," said Ivy.

Thea looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Ivy sat down on the edge of the well. Her knees were weak. "I put something in it," she said. "I wanted to ask you a question. I wanted it to be a nice surprise. Now it is at the bottom of the well."

Thea stared at her. Slowly, her face changed. "Ivy," she said. "Is it a ring?"

"It was a good plan," said Ivy. "It was a really good plan."

Thea started to laugh. She laughed so hard that she had to hold the well wall. Ivy stared at her. Then she laughed, too. They both laughed until their sides hurt.

"All right," said Thea at last. She wiped her eyes. "We cannot leave it down there. Think. What do we have?"

They looked around. The old woman gave them a worried look from the stall. The children crowded around. A tall girl said, "What is in the well?"

"A ring," said Thea. "A very important one."

The children gasped. In a minute, everybody knew.

Ivy looked down into the well. The water was dark and still. A spot of gold sat on the water, far from the edge. The fish floated there and turned slowly in a small circle.

"It floats," said Ivy. "It is not on the bottom. We only need to reach it."

"The net is too short," said Thea. "And it has a hole."

"Then we fix the hole," said Ivy.

She took the scarf from her own neck. She tied the scarf over the hole in the net. She pulled the knot tight.

"Now it is too short," said Thea.

"Then we make it long," said Ivy. She turned to the crowd. "Please, who has a long pole?"

A man ran off. He came back with a long pole from a lantern stall. Two girls tied the net pole to its end with a belt. A boy found a ball of string and tied the knots tighter. Soon the net on the pole was twice as long as before.

Ivy took it in both hands. She leaned over the well wall. The old woman held her belt from behind.

"Left," called Thea. "A little more left."

Ivy moved the net. The scarf trailed in the water. The gold fish turned toward it. Thea watched without a word.

"Now," said Thea. "Lift. Slowly."

Ivy lifted. The net rose from the well with water pouring from the scarf. The gold fish sat in it like a small king. The crowd cheered. A bird flew up from the church roof.

Ivy brought the pole in and put the net on the stones. She shook all over. She bent down and cut the thread with her teeth. She pulled the ring free. It was wet and shiny.

She stood up and turned to Thea. She wanted to give a long speech. She practiced it for a week. She forgot every word.

"Thea," she said. "Will you marry me?"

Thea did not answer with words. She took the ring from Ivy's hand. Then she held out her hand to the whole square. She slid the ring on her own finger.