Here is a story I wrote in 2018.
The Lady of the Well
The lady of the well had resided in her watery home for as long as any could remember, longer even as those who were there when the well came to be were long in their graves. She sank into its depths when she was alone, enjoying the quiet, surfacing only when called.
Some knew she lived there and would call out to her, asking for a favor or a wish to be granted. Some would toss a coin in with a loud PLUNK that would alert her to their presence. Although sometimes she missed the sound and only saw the coin floating down towards her, gleaming in the bits of light that reached so far down.
Some didn't know of her home, they only knew it as a holy well and hoped it would give them guidance. They would pray or cry quietly, waiting for a sign. Sometimes they seemed to find it on their own, but sometimes she gave it to them in the form of a calm bubbling, or the water changing temperature, or a coin somehow floating to the surface. Those who cried out to the universe, but not her, for help, still found their wishes granted. The lady of the well wasn't one to stand on ceremony. She saw her purpose as helping those who needed it and so she did so. It was why she had agreed to be the lady of the well all those centuries ago.
One day, a PLUNK alerted her to a visitor. It had been a while since she'd had one, the weather had changed for the worse and that meant fewer pilgrims to a dank holy site. She quickly swirled her way up the well and, as she drew closer, she could see a young woman who was peering down. She must know of me thought the lady of the well, so she allowed herself to surface.
As her face broke through the water, she was prepared to recite her normal greeting, but the words stuck in her throat. There, staring at her expectantly, appeared to be her own face. It wasn't that the lady of the well spent an inordinate amount of time examining her own visage, but she was struck with such familiar certainty. And yet, she knew this young woman couldn't be her, she was in the well and the young woman was not.
The young woman smiled upon seeing her confused look, "It's okay, fair lady, it is your turn to live in the outside world once more."
The lady of the well blinked. She had silently wished for this, but it wasn't a wish she could ever bring herself to grant. Leaving the well meant leaving desperate souls without a helper. Where would they turn if she left the well without its magic? "Are you real?" asked the lady of the well, unsure of what else to say to this vision in front of her.
"As real as you, my lady." The young woman, who appeared identical to her, gently took off her shoes and laid them beside a small pack that she'd brought with her. She then removed her long dress and undergarments and lay them on top of the pack, protecting them from the muck that surrounded the well. In a fluid movement, she joined the lady in the well, causing only a soft splash. She swam up to her and pressed her forehead to hers, "It is your turn, use it well my lady."
The lady of the well felt a stream of information hit her form that small touch. Customs of the day and her new identity flooded into her brain, preparing her for life outside. Without realizing it, she had begun to climb out of the well. The cold air sent goosebumps down her skin before she remembered the change of clothes. She donned her new identity and turned back to the well. The young woman was looking at her happily.
"You'll look after them?" the lady of the well asked, hoisting the pack in an unsteady manner that betrayed her hesitation.
"As well as you always have, my lady," said the new lady of the well before diving to the bottom of the well.
The new young woman turned around and walked to town.
(Prompt by me but encouraged by Emily Kleeman)
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