One Wish (Irish)

One morning, a woman gathering herbs saw an injured bird. She carefully picked it up and took it home. Her father made a box for the bird. Her blind mother tucked soft cloth into the box. Her husband brought food for the bird. The woman gave it water to drink.

In time, the bird gained strength and its injury healed. There came a day when the woman opened the door and the bird flew out. She was happy to see the bird fly yet missed its cheerful chirping. 

The next morning, when the woman walked outside, the bird flew on to her shoulder and said, “Because you cared for me, I grant you one wish.” The woman thanked the bird but wasn’t sure what to ask for. “May I have a day to think about it.” 

“I will come to you tomorrow. Be prepared to tell me what you wish for.”

That night, the woman told her mother, father, and husband about the gift of a wish from the bird. Her father said, “Wish for gold.”

Her mother said, “Wish for my eyesight to be restored.”

The husband said, “We have been yearning to have a child. Wish for a child.”

In the morning, as the woman worked in her garden, the bird flew on to her shoulder and asked, “Have you decided what to wish for?”

“Yes,” said the woman. “I wish for my mother to see her grandchild lying in a golden cradle.”

The bird said, “So it shall be.” 

And it was.

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