It was a regular summer afternoon in the small village of Rajpur. Ali was hanging out with his friends near the local tea shop. The sun was scorching, but the cool breeze from the river gave them some relief. They were talking about the usual stuff—football, exams, and who would win the next cricket match. Nothing out of the ordinary.

But then, as Ali was sipping his iced lemonade, his friend Sameer casually mentioned something that changed everything.

“Yaar, you know that old well near the forest? My dadi says it’s magical. Grants wishes. But it’s dangerous too.”

Ali nearly spit out his lemonade. “What? Dangerous? Wish-granting? Are you serious?”

Sameer nodded seriously. “I heard from my uncle, who heard it from his friend, who heard it from someone else. It’s said that once you make a wish there, you get what you want... but there's always a price.”

Ali’s mind buzzed. A wish-granting well? That sounded like something straight out of a Bollywood movie.

“Imagine, Ali, if we could wish for unlimited pizza. Or like, get those new sneakers we’ve been eyeing for months,” Sameer added, grinning.

“Unlimited pizza? Bro, I’d wish for that right now!” Ali laughed. But deep down, he felt curious. What if there was some truth to it?

Later that evening, after everyone had gone home, Ali couldn't shake off the thought of the well. He was always up for a good adventure. “What’s the worst that could happen?” he muttered to himself as he grabbed his flashlight and sneaked out.

The moonlight was faint, and the village was unusually quiet. The well was located on the edge of the forest, hidden behind a thick tangle of trees. When Ali reached it, his heartbeat quickened. The well stood in front of him, ancient and stone-covered, with vines crawling all over. A faint, eerie glow came from inside the dark water.

“Here goes nothing,” Ali whispered, lowering his voice as if the well could hear him. He took a deep breath and leaned closer.

“I wish... I wish I could get all the answers to my chemistry exam tomorrow.”

As soon as he spoke, the air around him seemed to thicken. A strange chill ran through his spine, and the glow from the well flickered.

"Um, hello?" Ali said, feeling nervous. "Anything happening?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed from the depths of the well. It wasn’t loud, but it was clear and deep.

“Your wish has been granted… but at a price.”

Ali stepped back, nearly tripping over a rock. “What the—did the well just... talk?” He shook his head, thinking it was just his imagination.

But as he made his way back home, everything felt... off. He couldn't explain it, but the air seemed heavier, and the trees looked darker than usual. “I should have just wished for pizza,” Ali muttered. “What did I get myself into?”

The next day at school, Ali couldn’t believe his luck. The chemistry paper was ridiculously easy—almost as if someone had given him the answers. His mind was blown. “This is insane!” he thought. “I got everything right!”

But things started to get weird. That night, when he went to sleep, his room seemed colder than usual. He woke up to strange noises—whispers, like someone was standing right behind him. He turned around, but no one was there.

The next few days, things got even stranger. Ali began noticing odd things happening around him. Small items like his phone, books, and even his shoes were missing for a while, only to reappear in the most unexpected places—like inside his bag, under his pillow, or even in the fridge.

One day, while sitting in class, his friend Rani looked at him in confusion. “Ali, why are you always so lucky these days? You get every answer right, you always win at cricket... and what's with your sudden obsession with buying expensive stuff?”

Ali didn't have an answer. He felt like something was pulling him down, but he couldn’t figure out what. That night, Ali finally decided to return to the well. This time, he wasn’t going to wish for anything. He was going to demand answers.

He stood at the edge of the well again, staring into the dark water. “What’s going on? I didn’t ask for any of this!”

The same deep voice echoed from the well. “You asked for answers, and now you have them. But every wish comes with a price. What you gain, you lose in equal measure.”

Ali’s mind raced. “What do you mean? What have I lost?”

The voice was calm. “You’ve gained answers, success, and good fortune. But someone close to you will face the consequences for your greed.”

Ali’s heart sank. “No, no, this isn’t what I wanted!”

The water inside the well began to swirl, and suddenly, everything went silent. Ali’s phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a message from Sameer: “Bro, my dad had an accident. I don’t know what happened. I think it’s because of that damn well.”

Ali’s stomach dropped. He ran back to the village, his mind spinning. He knew what he had to do. No more wishes.

The next morning, Ali went to the well, and for the first time, he didn’t ask for anything. Instead, he said, “I want to undo everything. Take it back.”

There was a long silence, but then, the water calmed. “Your wish has been granted. But remember this, Ali—greed never goes unpunished.”

As Ali walked back to his village, he realized something important. Wishes could be tempting, but sometimes, the price was more than you were willing to pay.

From that day forward, he never took things for granted again—no matter how magical they seemed.