RADIO

Little Tommy staired at his reflection in the water. Of all the parks he visited with his family this one was his least favorite hands down. But he liked the wishing fountain, he liked looking at his reflection, stirring the water, watching his face dissasimble pixilate and then reform quivering and whole again. He could see years of accumulated wishing coins winking at him through his own reflected face. Tommy could never shake the feeling that he would probiabley be rich if he ever jumped in and fished every last nickel and penny out from within, but he never did the coins in the fountain where more than just currency. They where peoples wishes. There was no way he was willing to invite the bad luck assosiated with taking peoples wishes. He sat on the side of the fountain feeling the sturdyness of it, as this was maybe his favorite part about the fountain. It was so very permenant and so very untouched. Countless ages of bird droppings had made its dark anchiant cement piebald and gangely weeds clung to the sloping surface of it. It felt so old and unchanged, it just plashed and gurgled and sat minding its own busness graciously accepting the wishes of hundereds day in and day out and it lasted forever. Tommy reached into his corteroys and pulled out 73 cents in change. He had been saving it for awhile now and it wasn't his biggest wish ever but it was better than nothing. He yelled his wish in his head and moving his lips with the words of it and dumped the coins into the fountain where they sank to join there bretherin.

"That makes 22 dollars and 17 cents in total" he told the fountain "How about I get my wish now?" "What did you wish for this time?" Came a voice, Tommys head shot up to see his older brother Marcus.

"Same thing as always Marcus."

Marcus paused for a beat "Seriously you cant think of anything else you might like?"

"There are plenty of things in the world I might like. Like vedeo games, a set of shen gaurds or a million dollars or something. But I dont want anything more than what I wished for."

"I see" Replied Marcus who had joined his brother on the fountain "You sure do like this dumb old thing don't you bro."

Tommy itched his nose and put his chin in his hands "It's not dumb Mark"

"How come you never go with mom and dad?" he asked

"I've told you this like a thousand times Marcus I dont like this park it's my least favorite"

Marcus paused and for awhile all Tommy could hear was the percalation of the fountains water, and the wind through the fall leaves. About a minute later Marcus responded "Yeah I guess its my least favorite too"

Tommy turned around and nelt into the grass. He dipped his hand into the fountain water and let the tips of his fingers brush the coins on the bottom. The water was always surprisingly warm even in the colder months. The sleeve of his sweater brushed the waters surface and he would probiably have grass stains on his cortorys. This always happend at this park. But his mother never seemed to mind cleaning thease stains out.

About 10 minutes later his mom and dad walked up to the fountain. "Its time to go" Dad said quietly

"You dont have to tell me twice" Tommy responded, This made Marcus laugh. He liked making Marcus laugh "I would rather go to hell and back then see this place next month" Tommy said

"Watch your mouth" Dad snapped, but Marcus just laughed

One month later Tommys family returned to the park and Tommy had managed to hoard a whole 5 dollars and 85 cents. As his father parked their minivan tommy gazed at the fountain. "No different than last time" he said to himself

Mom and dad ignored him but Marcus said "No not one bit"

Tommy began walking tward the fountain, he could feel the coins jingle heavaly in his pocket when his father stopped him with a firm grip. "Your going to come with us today son, visit the fountain some other time" Tommy had expected this to happen sometime, but why today? Why not next month? He staired at his fathers stern face which looked visably older then their last visit to his least favorite park. Only the fountain remains unchanged. Tommy was surprised he didn't argue with his dad, he just followed reluctantly. He decided he would make a wish with twice the monitary value next time they came. Dad sauntered onward and Mom marched close behind. Tommy stayed to the back of the pack with Marcus dragging his feet through the shrapnel of broken leaves. They passed many more stone monuments just as old and just as perminant as the fountain, but much meaner looking. Some where intricate, some plain, and some where so old they no longer resembled anything, and some where so new that they looked perversly pretty. Tommy only looked up from the ground a few times. They walked for 5 solid minutes before coming to a stop in front of one of the monuments. It was one of the newer ones, the perversely pretty ones. Tommy did not want to look at it, he wanted to be back by his fountain. He felt his fathers hand on one shoulder and his older brothers hand on the other. "This is my least favorite park" Tommy barely mumbled. His fathers hand and his brothers hand squeezed in unison "I know son" said his father. Tommy broght his face up slowly to look at the face of the stone. The stone was glossy, multi-facited, and cut briliantly, and there where little rivers of quartz in it. Tommy read the name on it, he read it over and over. His brother lifted his hand and leaned down next to him. He smiled so widely "Everyone dies Tommy, What makes me so special? Look around you bro, look at all the graves. We are all waiting for the end. Then we move on. I stopped living but that doesn't mean you should too"

Tommy looked up at his dad and then at his mom, He turned back to where Marcus was but saw nobody. He breathed deeply in and then deeply out before he started cried. He didn't want to stop living but he knew he would some day. "Happy birthday Marcus" Tommy said and his mom and dad quietly echoed his words. Tommy could have sworn he heard the wind echo back a thank you. On there way out of Tommys least favorite park they passed the fountain. He did not run over and toss his change in, but he did look at it. He staired at it from the inside of the van, from the moment they pulled out of the parking lot to the moment it dissapeared over the horizon. And even then he kept looking...