A modern folktale about wishes, timing, and five very unexpected sons.

Once upon a not-so-distant time,
there lived a woman who had five sons.

Now, don’t get her wrong—she loved her boys.
Each one brought his own chaos and charm,
muddy shoes and missing socks, laughter and noise.
But deep down, she had always dreamed of one thing:

“A daughter. Just one little girl with braids and ribbons.”

So when she had her first son, she smiled.
“With the next one, maybe…”
Second son.
“Well, maybe the next…”
Third. Fourth.
By the time the fifth boy came along,
she looked up at the sky and sighed.

“Okay, universe. You’re hilarious.”

🌿

One day, while walking home from a quiet visit to the temple,
she crossed paths with a wandering monk.
The monk stopped, looked her over kindly, and asked:

“I hear you have five sons?”

She chuckled, a little tired.
“Yep. Five.
Though if I’m honest, I always wished for a daughter.”

The monk smiled knowingly.
“Ah. That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

The monk raised a finger, as if revealing a secret from long ago.

“You don’t remember…
But in a past life, you had five daughters.
And every time one was born,
you went to the temple and prayed:
‘Please, let the next one be a boy.’
You did that five times.”

She blinked.

“…So what you’re saying is—these five boys…?”

“Are your five prayers come true.”

Her mouth fell open.
Then slowly, her eyes narrowed.

“But that was supposed to be back then!
Why now?!”

The monk shrugged and smiled.

“Well, you did say ‘next time.’
You never said when.”

She stood there, stunned for a moment—
and then burst out laughing.

“Alright, fine.
From now on, my prayers are going to be very specific.”

🌸

And so, each night after that, she knelt beside her bed and whispered:

“Dear heavens, in this life, this year, this body—
please send me one daughter. Healthy, joyful, and just one will do. Thank you!”

Will that wish come true?

Well…
Let’s just say we might find out in her next lifetime. 😉

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🌱 Moral of the Story:

Be careful what you wish for.
Especially when you forget to add a deadline.