Nana's wish shop smelled of cinnamon and warm brass. It was Wren's first morning as keeper, and the wishes woke up grumpy. Little glass jars glowed dim on the shelves, half-done and muttering, rattling against the wood. On the counter lay Nana's open ledger. Three names were underlined twice. Below them, in Nana's loopy writing: 'Mend these before the wishes turn, or they'll run wild by nightfall.' Wren swallowed and read the first name.

The second name was Old Marta, who lived alone by the well. Her jar was pale blue and cold to the touch. The note said she'd wished to 'never feel lonely again.' Wren tucked the jar into her coat and hurried to Marta's cottage, but the door stood wide open and the rooms were empty.

Inside, the cottage was crammed with people Marta did not know. The wish had pulled strangers in from miles around to keep her company, and now they wouldn't leave. Marta sat squeezed in a corner, more overwhelmed than lonely. 'Make them stop,' she begged Wren.

Wren tried to shoo the strangers out the door, but the wish only summoned more to fill the gaps. The cottage groaned, packed wall to wall. Wren realized force wouldn't work. She had to change what the wish was really asking for, not just fight it.

Wren knelt by Marta and asked what she truly wanted. 'Just someone to share tea with,' Marta said. Wren whispered exactly that into the jar. The crowd melted away, leaving one warm friend at the table. The blue glow turned soft and steady. Mended.