Why must mysteries be solved?

The well was beautiful. People came from all over to stare at the well. It was the only part of Mountxase that was interesting. Everything else seemed more average than the most boring town ever. The well had a statue of a beautiful girl on it and mythical wish-granting power. 

Well, it used to have mythical wish-granting power. Now, all it had was a thin layer of algae growing on its bottom, and a crap ton of coins. Like, two million dollars in coins. There were vintage coins, newly minted coins, and coins that had been there since the well was dug in 1600.

Jay Nautalis was tall for her age and looking at the well with a stern expression. She didn't believe in magic. But she'd run out of options. So, with two quarters, five dimes, six nickels, and eleven pennies, she walked up to the well. With a deep breath in, she stated her wish and dropped the coins in. 

Remember earlier when I said that there was like, two million dollars in that well? I was exaggerating. There's actually 1,999,998.59. The cost of a wish in 1600 was roughly two million dollars in today's money. One wish. So, without realizing it, Jay had finally paid off the wishes in the well. You see, the well keeps careful track of every wish that had ever graced its waters. But no one had paid off their wishes. The well decided that all these wishes were a part of one real long complicated wish. 

Finally, the well got to do something. It had been years since it was able to do anything. So, all the wishes came true. The problem with this was that it could only grant wishes inside of the town. So all the tourists who had made wishes and then left would have to pass their wishes on. 

Most of the wishes were asking for crops to grow, or people to fall in love with others, which weren't a problem. The biggest problem was the whole raising people from the dead thing. The well didn't know what to do with those ones, so it granted one person with the ability to do that. One wish asked for the warmth of fire. The well gave pyro control to the person closest to it. A young girl named Jay.

...

Jay stared at the wall of glowing blue drops of water that had rose out of the well. They hovered in the air and sparkled in the weak light of the early morning sun. Then they started moving. Most of them stayed in formation, holding the shape that they had taken. Jay saw a few of them shoot off into different directions. One of them turned yellow and sped away toward one of the houses. 

Another turned yellow and shot right at Jay. 

It was like her bones were on fire. A fierce heat forced its way through her body. She couldn't see it, but her eyes glowed yellow for the time of the transformation. After the heat alleviated, she fell to her knees, not strong enough to keep her feet, and not knowing what to do.

...

The well considered. Dam construction could work for this wish, but so could a well trained hydro controller. 

...

After about an hour, people decided to investigate the glowing blue well. Children had sprouted wings, ghosts had asked for directions. Even though it was the middle of winter crops had sprouted, the finest they had ever been. The mayor looked out at the well through blinds that were only open a crack. 

It was his responsibility to keep this town safe, and he would not hesitate to do so. But it was the well. The Well. The well that had protected the town from bankruptcy for centuries. The well that was the life of the entire town. This town wasn't itself without the well.

But he chose to stand up and walk out to see what was happening in the well.

......

Jay stared at the well. It had been a few hours since she had made her wish, but it was still going. Three drops of water glowed in the air and at the wall of glowing blue drops of water that had rose out of the well. They hovered in the air and sparkled in the weak light of the early morning sun. Then they started moving. Most of them stayed in formation, holding the shape that they had taken. Jay saw a few of them shoot off into different directions. One of them turned yellow and sped away toward one of the houses. 

Another turned yellow and shot right at Jay. 

It was like her bones were on fire. A fierce heat forced its way through her body. She couldn't see it, but her eyes glowed yellow for the time of the transformation. After the heat alleviated, she fell to her knees, not strong enough to keep her feet, and not knowing what to do.

...

The well considered. Dam construction could work for this wish, but so could a well trained hydrokinetic. 

...

After about an hour, people decided to investigate the glowing blue well. Children had sprouted wings, ghosts had asked for directions. Even though it was the middle of winter crops had sprouted, the finest they had ever been. The mayor looked out at the well through blinds that were only open a crack. 

It was his responsibility to keep this town safe, and he would not hesitate to do so. But it was the well. The Well. The well that had protected the town from bankruptcy for centuries. The well that was the life of the entire town. This Mountxase wasn't Mountxase without the well.

But he chose to stand up and walk out to see what was happening in the well.

......

Jay stared at the well. It had been a few hours since she had made her wish, but it was still going. There were only three glowing drops of water left in the air, and they finally dispersed.

People had left the comfort of their home to see what was going on, including a young lady named Ruby. She rubbed her collarbone and looked down at Jay. "What happened?"

Another girl with glasses snickered and pointed at the small mountain of coins in the well. "Inflation. The wishers haven't been keeping track of inflation. I guess the well thought all the wishes from the last two hundred years were all part of one big complicated wish. And we hadn't paid it off. But she did, so now all the wishes came true."

The mayor pursed his lips and looked down at Jay, disdain in his eyes. How had thousands of his ancestors who were all richer than anyone in the town, not been able to unlock wishes. How did this little imp manage something that people had been trying for centuries. 

She looked up at him, her soot-stained cheeks bearing trails of tears. The well had not granted wishes for centuries, but now... Now they had a number. They knew how much a wish cost. The mayor's heart filled with greed and he felt something strange happen to his hand. It was turning to dust before his very eyes. 

One of the wishes was that those seeking power would not find it.

.........

So after that, the town became a monarchy of sorts. The town was huge. It sported several acres of crops, many houses, and of course, the extended land that the well had given them. Everyone adopted a new name to help rid themselves of the identity that had defined them for so long.

King Conch was kind and the designated king of the land, voted by the people. Since this town was in America, the people still believed in democracy. But, a monarchy had such a romantic feel to it that the people did not vote for a president. It hadn't occurred to the people that a king or president should rule over a country. They weren't even a state. 

The townspeople didn't care. 

There were a lot more people in the town then everyone knew there to be. The well had granted the life of several people who had died as children. That meant that the population of elders and children sky-rocketed. This wasn't that big of a deal. It meant that there were more people for the king to worry about and appoint to different jobs. 

......

The day that the well had granted the wishes had happened a little over twelve years ago. Jay Nautalis was now nineteen years old and working for the royal family as a guard.