In the evening

Min-ho walked to the well and collected a few of the bottles, and proceeded to the cave to meet Si-ri.

Meanwhile, Si-ri was lost in thoughts of Min-ho.

"My skin tingles, where he touches me. My heart beats erratically whenever he comes closer to me. His voice, his face is good but it's something with his smile where my brain dwells on. Every time he smiles looking at me it seems like everything will be fine. His smile gives me hope for better tomorrow. I don't know what Min-ho thinks about me but all I know is that, I'm falling for him. Hard."

Si-ri's state of trance was disturbed by Min-ho's arrival.

He stood in front of her, all wet as it was raining heavily. As always, he flaunted his smile to Si-ri, and handed her the bag.

"You're all wet, come I'll give you some clothes to keep you warm." Si-ri gave her father's clothes to Min-ho and asked him to change.

"Thank you, these are the wishes I collected from the well, while I change you can start going through the wishes," he says before walking away.

Si-ri opened the bottles and started reading the wishes of people.

Min-ho came back to see Si-ri's depressed face.

"What happened? Is everything alright?" asked Min-ho.

"I don't know whether I should laugh or cry after reading these people's wishes," said Si-ri.

Min-ho took one paper and read it aloud, "Oh! Lord Lucian, I have immense faith in you. I only wish to marry the love of my life Yoona. Please make her mine." Min-ho made a disgusted face and grabbed another one to read.

"Lord Lucian, there is a man named Ji-ho. He is a cruel and ruthless brat, always demeans the poor people and even torments innocent animals. It's my humble request to you, turn him into a dog." Min-ho burst out laughing hysterically and said, "I wish I could make this happen."

Min-ho goes for another read while Si-ri was busy scouting some logical and genuine wish from the pile of letters.

"My most beloved God Lucian, shower me with your blessing to be the winner in gambling."...argh... "What should I do with these kinds of idiots," said Min-ho in total distress.

Si-ri called Min-ho with a beaming smile and handed him a letter that holds some sense and an expression of neediness.

"My mother has been suffering from fever for many days, now she has become so weak that she couldn't even walk properly. She is the only bread earner and I am too young to do any labour. We are starving as we don't have anything to eat. We can't even afford a physician. Please save my mother. I don't have anyone else besides her."

Min-ho felt a sharp pang in his heart while reading the letter. He shifted his eyes to Si-ri and asked, "Can we save that child's mother?"

"Of Course, I just need some time to prepare that potion," said Si-ri as she took a book and started preparing that potion.

Si-ri quickly handed over the potion to Min-ho and asked him to hurry up.

"Wait. You know that child?" asked Si-ri

"I guess I know the lady. Don't worry, she'll be fine soon." Min-ho assured Si-ri.

Si-ri gave him some fresh fruits and some other edibles for them. He left quickly. Luckily the rain had stopped.

Meanwhile Si-ri occupied herself in reading the left over letters.

Min-ho reached the hut, gave a gentle knock on the door, and hid himself beside a tree while leaving the potion and foodstuff on the front of the door.

The girl opened the door but found no one. As she was about to close the door, a bottle full of liquid grabbed her attention. From the note, she learned that her wish had come true. Tears of happiness were flowing from her eyes. Min-ho finally felt inner peace.

She quickly ran to her mother.

Even under the light cotton sheet, her mother was radiating heat like the oven. She wanted to cry from the sharp pangs that consumed her body but there was no strength in her voice, only warm liquid was flowing out from her eyes.

"Mother, see Lucian sent me this potion to heal you. Yesterday, I requested him to heal my mom quickly." The little girl's eyes were glistening like a glass with the moist layer of tears that covered them. Wiping her tears, she gave the potion to her mother.

The sick lady couldn't understand what her daughter was saying. She had lost all hope to survive, after taking the potion she silently prayed to God to save her for the sake of her little daughter. Warm tears came out from her eyes and she wrapped herself in a profound sleep. The young girl lay down and enveloped her mother by the warmth of hope that the next morning she'll be fine.

Next Morning

As the girl roused from her heavy slumber. She rubbed her eyes and turned around to look for her mother. But to her shock her mother was not in the bed.

She jumped out of bed quickly, her heart pounding in her chest as thoughts clouded her mind. She was not expecting a negative outcome after yesterday. Shouting for her mother everywhere her voice was filled with heaviness from the fear of losing her mother, on the verge of tears she heard a familiar voice call out to her. Turning around she rushed to her mother and hugged her.

"My child, why are you crying? See, your mother is fine now. I was busy making your breakfast," said the mother. She pampered and kissed her daughter.

Wiping her eyes she said, "Mom, you are fine now, we must go to the well and thank Lucian for healing you."

"Of course my child,'' said her mother.

The duo went to the well and lit a candle to thank the divinity.

Si-ri was getting lots of letters and she started healing people stricken by calamity by making potions for them. Min-ho was always there to help Si-ri in making potion be it ingredients for the potion, bringing the letters or delivering the potion at midnight to its destination.

One day Si-ri got a weird letter and she looked helpless.

"What happened?" Min-ho asked her.

She gave him the piece of paper and said, "I really wish to help this man but I've no idea how".

Min-ho read the letter,

"To whomsoever received this letter

I never believed in God. I just heard the rumour and came here. Last night I lost my beloved wife and daughter. She was on her way to meet her mother when some robbers robbed her and killed them. I'm not requesting you to make them alive. I know it's even impossible for Gods. My only wish is to meet them one last time as they say those who die like this their soul wanders for eternity. I want to give them salvation by knowing their last wish so that they could leave this world. As for me, I have already lost my happiness, my love, my world. But meeting them, seeing them will surely lessen my pain otherwise I won't be able to live with this pain. Please, make it happen."

Min-ho's heart ached reading the letter, "That must be really painful."

"I know. I have gone through every book that I have. Even in the Book of the Devil too there is no mention of any potion to see the dead."

They both were trying to think of some way to help the man when Min-ho suddenly got an idea. He approached Si-ri and asked,

"Can you make a potion for a better sleep?"

"Yes, But how will that help?" asked Si-ri.

"It can. When I was a kid my mother used to tell me that the people who really love us approach us through our dreams after their deaths to meet us for the last time before leaving the world."

"The man might not have been sleeping well due to the trauma. If we give him a potion that drags him to deep sleep chances might be there he would meet up with his wife and daughter in his dream," said Min-ho.

Si-ri looked at him astonishingly. "Well, you are not that silly after all" and started making the potion.

"Wait, did you just call me silly? I am the most wise person in the whole town, don't underestimate me," said Min-ho in a boastful manner.

Si-ri only replied to him with a gentle smile.

"Here you go." Si-ri gave him the potion with a note on it.

Min ho reached there, knocked on the door and as always hid himself.

The man opened the door; his eyes were swollen from crying. He looked at the bottle filled with a liquid and lifted the bottle to reveal a note.

"They are waiting for you. Drink it and meet them in your dream".

Without any second thought, the man drank the whole bottle in one go as if he had been thirsty for a long time and within seconds fell into an abyssal sleep.

Soon his body was at the surface of sand. The moment he opened his eyes, above him was the clear blue sky more vivid than ever before. He woke up engulfed in full oblivion; in front of him lay the view of the endless roaring sea. The cool waves were licking his feet, fizzing and bubbling like brine. The man stood still, facing the soft breeze inhaling the briny aroma. The melody of tides washing the shore was soothing and soporific to his ears.

Lost in the tranquillity of gentle hue of gold beneath feet, cold onshore breeze blew humming a serene melody across his ears and adoring the gurgling and the gushing of the waves, a sudden giggle brought him back to his senses.

He turned around in precocity only to find his wife and daughter beaming with smiles looking at him. The little girl immediately grabs her father's hand, interlinking their fingers and clinging on tightly, it made him feel alive.

The man wrapped his arms around his daughter and cried like a child. There was a rawness in his crying as his pain was still an open wound. Suddenly, a gentle touch on his shoulder made him look around. It was his wife, still looking fresh and beautiful but with a lot of grief in her eyes.

"Stand up my dear and stop crying," said the lady.

He wiped his tears, stood up and said in a weak voice, "I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you. I won't be able to forgive myself ever."

"No dear. It was not your fault; don't blame yourself for what happened."

He couldn't control his emotions and hugged his wife. The lady gently rubbed him and comforted him while he sunk into the warmth of her side. He felt the heaviness, pain and miseries of his heart started to melt down. All he could hope was to stay in her arms forever safe from miseries of the world. Sadly, he could only hope.

Breaking the hug his wife said in a melancholic voice, "We don't have much time, so listen to me carefully. I never wanted to leave you alone but you know, it's all about destiny. All I would say is thank you so much for filling my life with happiness and giving me so much love in all these years. Even if we couldn't afford the luxuries of life but being your wife only made me feel like I'm the richest. You are also a doting father to our daughter."

"Whenever I was not around, you didn't eat or wait for me for hours to eat together. Please don't do that anymore and take good care of yourself. There is a new set of clothes in my closet that I made for you. Wear it on a good occasion."

"You are still young; you should marry a nice girl. It's hard to spend a life without a partner, we all need a partner to share our life, so don't be alone."

Then she called her daughter who was making a sand castle. "Time to go, my child. Come and give your father a kiss." The little girl gave a soft kiss to her father.

"We are leaving but always remember I and our daughter will always be here in your heart as long as your heart beats. Even though you have lost us but you will still have our love with you forever. Whenever you miss us, simply place your hand here and feel us," said wife, placing her hand on his chest.

"Promise me that you'll lead a happy life and will marry again." Her eyes were brimming with tears.

"I promise," said the man crying hysterically.

The lady kissed her husband for the last time and said sobbing in pain, "This was my last wish, to see you before leaving. Never forget that I love you so much. Take care."

And the duo of mother daughter walked towards the blue sea without a backward glance leaving behind the man with memories only.

"Don't go....Please. Don't leave me." He was blabbering while a strong flux of golden rays made him open his eyes. He woke up and found himself all wet from crying in his dream.

Dream is the place where your desires live in fantasy, the 'you' whom you wanted to be, the things you despair to have. Everything you want to have. It's heart wrenching to think that the moment you open your eyes, everything's going to be lost again.

The man tried to connect the dots and eventually recalled everything from the bottle of potion to his dream. With eyes shut, he placed his hand on his heart and experienced the lightness and peace as if lots of knots gripping his heart had been unknotted and released. He went to the well, lit a candle and thanked the divine power for fulfilling his wish.

Min-ho caught him while going somewhere for his work and became happy.

In this way, Si-ri and Min-ho together collected blessings.

At midnight, Nyang visited the Tree of Paradise and to his surprise the tree again came to life. Every branch was full of green beautiful leaves but there were no flowers on the tree yet.

"Few blessings more and the tree will bloom with beautiful blue flowers." Nyang mumbled in his thoughts and left to inform Lord Yong of the good news.

Meanwhile, Min-ho continued helping Si-ri with the letters. They were both happy that only a few more wishes needed to be fulfilled.

"Si-ri, what will you do once your curse is gone? Will you go back to the palace to your biological parents?" asked Min-ho.

"They might be my biological parents but I only love my father. He is the one who has gone through so much just to keep me safe; I'll never leave my father. I'll never choose a man who disowned his daughter instead of protecting her. I'll lead a simple life with my father. I'll also make lots of friends," answered Si-ri with happiness.

"You know what Min-ho, even after my curse will end, I want to heal people like I am doing currently. Being a prisoned girl for years, I too have seen all colours of life, be it the dull colour of grief, depression, isolation, the dark colour of separation from your loved ones or the bright colours of happiness. Therefore, behind every letter I can understand the hidden pain and emotions. There is something magical when you become the reason for someone's smile and I will continue to practice this magic throughout my life."

"Yes, you are the reason behind my smile too." Min-ho muttered in his thoughts while gazing at Si-ri fondly.

"What is your ambition?" Si-ri asked him.

"Well, I want to educate children who are forbidden in the norms of our society. When you helped to educate me, I came to know the value of education. Secondly, I want to secure a decent position in the palace, so that the upper class people would never underestimate any lower class people and lastly I want to marry my girl," answered Min-ho.

She gave him a shocked look; she felt a pang in her heart as she asked, "MY GIRL? So you... love someone?"

Min-ho smirked and said, "Yes, she is my world."

Burning rage filled Si-ri's body, with a tint of envy. The moment Min-ho turned to see Si-ri's expression; he met with her burning hard stare. She glared at him as she thought of the most brutally cutting thing she could do to tear him down.