Today was another usual day, some random child standing at my roots, staring up into my leaves as a dimmed sunlight is filtered through the remaining cloud of the just passed spring shower passed though them. In fact, the only notably thing about the broad walk was the various spring blossoms in bloom.

The aforementioned child was an older, elementary school boy, a little on the short side with messy reddish-brown hair and dirt on his face. He fell into the category of regular visitors with regular wishes.

He wanted his parents to divorce.

It had become quite clear over the time I had been watching that, in the eyes of adults, it was always best to put off divorces while children were still young. They needed both parents, it would disrupt their upbringing; along those lines, there were a plethora of excuses as to why not to divorce, all in the good will of the young. And yes, while some children did want their parents to get along again, that was not always the case.

Adults seem to underestimate the capability and complexities of a child's feelings. These young humans were not as naïve as one would think. Of course, some are, but in a many cases they were not.

Especially in regards to divorce. It was obvious that children were very sensitive to changes in emotion and atmosphere, another big reason why not to terminate one's relationship. However that also meant that the children are often aware that their parents forcing things was doing more harm than good.

That is not to say that there have never been couple who civilly and healthily waited for a separation, nor did it mean that every child would wish for their parents' wellbeing – humans are fundamentally selfish creatures – but indeed, in some cases, that was not the scenario at play.

For this child, the situation at hand was that he was extremely are of how unhappy his parents were and that the boy was also a strangely selfless being who would much rather they separate for their own good.

The young boy had a very open mind, revealing me to all his problems long before he had even thought about forming it into a wish.

That being said, he was still a child, a child who wholesomely believed in the fantasy of a wish-granting tree.

So with his too-big bag on his back, he bowed down in front of the tree and shouted his wish at the top of his lungs – such an eccentric child – not a single soul travelling the busy boardwalk even batting an eye.

"Mr Tree, please, please, please make mum and dad happy again! No matter what! Even if they have to split! Even if they make me choose like Mari's parents! Even if they make me sad! Make them a happy!"

The youngster imaginative mind suddenly reeled, the boy coming up with preposterous thoughts, all of which he spoke aloud.

"But I want them alive, happy and alive! It's not good if they're dead! Or if I'm dead, I want to see them happy! Forever and ever! But if that's not alright, at least until I can make them happy!"

Those last words of his, as childish as his voice sounded, showed a sincere level of maturity. While in his head he was finding every way this old tree could use as a loophole and destroying the chances, for someone so young to say something like that was strangely amazing. I have no idea if I had ever heard anything of the like before however it struck something within me.

This boy not only wanted happiness for his parents but that too with no ulterior motives. Even among young children that is a rarity, rarity does not even do the boy justice, this was a one in a billion chance at the very most. His mind was so open that my powers did little to nothing, there was nothing else to see. What this child voiced was his whole desire. Did such a selfless human ever exist before, would one ever exist again. It was almost difficult to accept that as he would grow he would slowly become corrupted by the world around him.

Of course, these sentiments are no where near as strong as one would expect, regardless of everything, this was a child who I most probably never recognise again. I was noticing it more in the past years, people with memories of having come to me before and with myself having little to no clear recollection of a specific person. It is all hazy and muddled, as one would expect from someone aware at all times of the day for close to 45 years.

Bad memory was probably the most human aspect left in me when I think about it.

But the child wasn't done yet.

As the boy stood straight and looked up at he new leaves with wide eyes, he let out a sigh, a strap of his bag slipping off one shoulder. There was still something weighing down on him, something I couldn't see immediately like his other wish.

It wasn't that he had buried it, the youth was far too aware of it and his mind was too open to hide it. The reason I hadn't seen it at first was a simple reason, he had prioritised it less than almost everything else.

Why?

Because the happiness of others was much more important than his own, at least that is what he thought at that very moment.

But with his main wish now in the open, all that was really left for someone so young was his own troubles.

Another thing I had noticed is that adult very rarely think that regular children can have problems. It is almost as if they are brought up to believe that up until a certain age the problems are not really problems, just complaints or whines. These very people had probably thought the exact opposite when they were in the position themselves but apparently growing up in this society means to deem the things you thought as important as a child silly or useless.

This boy's problem was with his school life – not something surprising, at such a young age there are not so many aspects in a regular child's life – primarily with how he is perceived in school.

He was not the cleverest child, clearly shown by how wholesomely he believed in this 'wish-granting tree' farce. That being said, the boy was not stupid either. From my own judgement, he had a rather balanced ratio of IQ to EQ, it was all a matter of effort he didn't put in.

Ever since grading had become a thing within his school life, the youth had been troubled with below average marks. This was only due to the fact he never prepared for any of these class tests, not like some of these other elementary school kids did due to their parents pushing them. Instead this boy had always been accustomed to playing right up until it was time for his dinner.

In the beginning, the grades had never bothered him, his teacher nor parents seemed to be troubled by it even now, but as the time had progressed, he had built the undesirable reputation as the 'dumb kid'. The boy would just laugh it off, embracing it around his classmates, silently letting it chip away at his self-confidence.

Circumstances had changed, however. They had just started their final year of elementary school, everyone was either choosing which middle school they wanted to attend or preparing for the entrance exams to the prestigious institutes. And despite his reputation among his peers, as someone who currently lived with the thought of making his parent's happy and proud of him. And for that, he truly wanted to attend one of the most prestigious academies in the area.

There were two issues he faced with this: his grades and what everyone would say to him trying.

His parents had made it clear, with their arguing aside, they both wanted the best for him, and to them that meant giving him free reign over his options. They had told him time and time again that no matter what he chose they would support him. The teachers were also aware that, despite his grades and the reputation he had developed among his peers, he was smart – at least that is what they told him and his parents.

To me that was a believable assumption, I mean the boy only pays attention in his lessons, does no homework, review or extra work, only plays around, and still has the knowledge in his head, regardless of how he acts in exams.

The child himself, however, had some disbelief in the statement.

His main problem was his classmates. He was known as the one to not care, the one to never try. What would they say hearing he was trying for the most prestigious college-preparation schools in the area? It would become a joke.

And the other, what should have been the bigger problem when logic was involved, was whether he could actually get into the school. Could he really prepare himself for the exam so late? The exams were in the autumn, he had just under half a year.

If him applying wasn't enough of a joke to his class, him failing the exam would be. How would he face anyone?

With his gung-ho behaviour mellowed for a moment, the self-depreciation he had for himself surfaced, only for a moment but, with my powers, that was all I needed, a moment. This child was nowhere near as bad as some of the other people who had come to me, he didn't hate himself, he didn't put himself down. But he didn't think himself as highly as he should being a child.

"Also, if it isn't too much trouble," he's started, staring up at my leaves, not shouting this time around, "please give me the courage to take a step towards the future I want and not think about the others." By others, he seemed to be referring to his fellow students at school.

"But it's fine if you don't, make my parents happy first."

This child's heart was too clear.

He bowed again, energetic as before, going as low as possible and wobbling as his bag shifted his centre of gravity. With that – and a last, persistent thought on how he wants his parents to stop arguing and split more than anything – he stood up too fast and ran turned away. Going to leave.

But as he stepped back onto the boardwalk, he paused and looked back.

The integrity of this child had uncharacteristically tugged at what was left of my heart, and I found myself think something I hadn't in a while; perhaps a little influence wouldn't hurt. It had been so long I could not even remember the last time I had used my powers now.

I was on 100HP right now, I had used 12 points, which was the equivalent of around 60 years. If I correctly remember, it has not even been 45 years yet. I had already wasted 15 years of my life. Doing any sort of influence would lower my HP, it really was not worth it. This random child was not worth taking one step closer to the impeding doom of my gauge reaching 0.

Yet, as the child looked up at me one last time, I used my influence.

I made the decision for him to try and study. Whether he would succeed or not was up to him but I had taken the first step for him, at the risk of 1HP.

The boy ran off, his shoulders a little lighter.

So even humans had the capability to bring up such a pure child, who knew.