The children stood around Huey's well without speaking.
They had agreed to make two wishes each.
Only Panther had one wish left.
"Are you going to stand there all day?"
Huey said, sounding irritated.
Cy nudged Panther.
"It's your turn," he said.
Panther nodded but didn't say anything.
"Are you running out of wishes?" Huey asked.
Panther still did not speak.
Bobby let out a loud sigh.
Jane tapped her foot.
Cy kept turning his head.
Clearly they were all annoyed.
But no one said a word.
"I wish everyone would say what they are thinking," Panther blurted out.
Huey's fins started to open and close.
Panther put her hand over her mouth.
"No, Huey. That wasn't a wish," she cried.
"But you wished it,"
Huey said, his fins turning purple and blue.
"What I meant was . . ." Panther tried to explain.
But it was too late.
Huey granted her wish.
"Now go away," he said.
Cy placed Huey in the bucket.
As he lowered him down, Cy muttered,
"I'm sick of doing this every time."
His siblings stared at him.
Cy slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Why did I say that?" he said in a surprised voice.
"That's because you're mean," Jane cried out.
She, too, then covered her mouth.
The children suddenly felt uneasy with each other.
"I think we should go home," Panther suggested.
The children headed out of the woods.
Panther walked ahead of the others.
She had much to think about.
Suddenly Cy called out from behind, "Will you slow down?"
Panther spun her head around and shouted:
"Why don't you walk faster?
You're such a slowpoke!"
"Slowpoke? Who are you calling slow?" yelled Cy.
"You always think you're better than us!"
"Well, I am!" Panther shouted back.
"Shut up, both of you!" exploded Bobby.
Stunned, Panther and Cy stared at their younger brother.
"Did you tell me to shut up?"
Cy said in a low, angry voice.
"Yes! You're acting like two baboons!" Bobby shouted.
"You're the one who looks like a monkey," Jane yelled at Bobby.
Soon all four children were shouting and screaming at each other.
"So this is how you really feel about me," wept Panther.
"I thought you cared about me," cried Bobby.
After a while, the children ran out of things to say.
"This is the worst wish ever," sniffed Jane.
Panther didn't say anything because in her heart she agreed.
Without speaking to one another, they all continued to walk.
As they got closer to town, the children heard shouting everywhere.
"I don't like you!" shouted Mr. Keefer to a young woman.
"Well, I never liked you either!" she shouted back.
Then the children spotted Aunt Martha with Lamb.
She was speaking with Farmer Jenkins' wife.
"Your hairstyle is ugly!" Mrs. Jenkins said.
"What?" Aunt Martha touched her hair.
"Well, you dress like a fisherman!" she said.
"Oh, really? It's better than dressing like an old lady!" Mrs. Jenkins shouted.
The two women looked as if they were going to wrestle.
Panther ran up to them.
"You don't mean that," she said in a pleading voice.
"You two are friends."
"She's no friend of mine!" yelled Aunt Martha.
"She's certainly not my friend!" Mrs. Jenkins shot back.
Panther's eyes filled with tears.
"Oh, what have I done?" she moaned.