Have you ever had the chance of a lifetime?
The chance to make a wish, to have whatever your heart desired.
A long time ago, my brother, cousin and I all went out for a walk through the farmer's fields. We walked through crops, over hills and even past towns. We always enjoyed walking, we'd just walk and talk until the day was done. I wasn't always the smartest or bravest child, so I pretty much relied on my brother, to get me through the hard ways of life.
This is when things started to take a turn, one day, when I was little, I was passing by an old house. It was decrepit, abandoned. The type of place that didn't look like it would occupy anyone. Something around the back of the house caught my eye. Carefully making my way around the house, I saw a small stream, and also what appeared to be three small necklaces, with tiny skulls on the bottom.
I thought they were really cool, so I grabbed them up in hopes to give them to my brother and cousin. As I was about to leave, I heard a faint voice beckoning me to return. I don't really know what made me turn around, but when I did, I saw a hooded figure, standing before me. I was so allured to this thing, but I was cautious enough to not make contact with it.
The creature, told me. "Have you ever made a wish?"
Simply talking to this tall creature, caused me to fall on my back.
I threw the necklaces out in front of me, and apologized to this cloaked figure, hoping it wouldn't be mad at me. Though, it didn't scold me, it didn't forgive me either, merely push my thievery off for a moment. I felt bad that I had taken those skull necklaces
"I'm sorry, please forgive me." I pleaded.
The creature didn't move. His cloak tilted down and gazed upon me, and ask the very same question to me again. "Have you ever made a wish?"
It took me a moment, to realize what he was asking me.
"Y-yes.." I weakly responded. "I've made lots of wishes."
The ominous creature stood up straight and look down at me, almost as if it was pleased.
"Would you like your wishes to come true?"
I was frightened, frightened yet intrigued at the same time. Could this horrific creature, truly grant my hearts greatest desire? Figuring this was a type of a scam, or some of the local kids we're just playing a prank on me, I agreed.
Though when I answered yes to his question, he handed me three necklaces, similar to the ones I had with the little skulls on them, though all these had on them was just a simple metal ring, like a washer tied to the end of the necklace.
While I examined the rings, I looked up and this mysterious shadow, was gone.
The next morning, I awoke to my brother violently shaking me. He told me to get up right away, as I got up I saw my cousin sitting there, already wearing one of the necklaces. "Don't take those, they're mine!" I shouted. Yet he didn't listen, he simply shoved me back and said, "I wish you would shut up!"
Without realizing it, my expression of anger quickly faded, and I walked towards my bedroom. My brother inquired as to what was wrong, and I told him nothing was wrong with me, though when my cousin tried talking to me, it was almost as if I couldn't even hear him.
That night, my brother asked me, where exactly did I find these necklaces, and I answer him, I told him, "The shadow gave them to me, they make a wish come true." When he heard that, his face lit up with excitement, he looked down at the necklace around his neck and shined it as he stared with a grin.
I told him to make sure he thinks very carefully about what he wishes for, it could be anything, but I had a feeling our cousin already wasted his wish on me. My brother was always the smarter one of the bunch, so naturally, he just hung onto it.
The next evening, our cousin awoke to a creature standing over his bed, he was in such shock, he couldn't even manage to scream. The creature, told him to return the necklace, that his wish was done. After the creature vanished, our cousin woke up, in a frightful panic, telling my brother and I about the creature, and how he wanted the necklaces.
I told him to hand it over, and that I would take it to the creature, since I already met him once, my cousin agreed and fearfully gave me the necklace. He begged my brother to give up the small charm, something about the creature visiting him, truly feared him. I almost felt bad, but I knew what he was going through, it was the same exact feeling I had, when I first saw it.
My brother, being the tough kid he is, refused to hand it over. I knew this would be the case, so I allowed him to keep it, as for my cousins necklace, I rushed down to that old house, across the tiny stream where I met the creature, standing there ever so patient.
I knelt down in the dirt and placed the necklace at his feet. But what he said to me, confused me greatly.
The creature simply said, "You still have one more wish..."
In my mind, the creature gave me three wishes, so wouldn't I still have two left? That apparently wasn't the case, you see my brother had made his wish. He wished for a thousand american dollars, and it was justly granted. The necklace shined, and there appeared in his hand, one thousand american dollars. He was so excited, he had never seen so much money in his life.
Actually, neither of us had. Though, sure enough the following night, the creature came to him and asked for him to return the necklace, I again had to take the necklace down to the creature, knelt by his feet and place the necklace in the dirt.
As I looked at the creature, it simply tilted its cloaked head at me.
I felt a wave of uneasiness as I ran back home, I was the one to make the last wish. I thought and thought about what I truly wanted in a wish. Did I demand, fame? Or would I be happy with fortune? Then I began thinking logically for a moment.
"Who gives out free wishes?" I said aloud to myself.
That's when I realized, I probably have made a deal with the devil. My heart sank instantly, I felt cold and my breathing grew short. That's when I made my wish. That night, the creature visited me, and asked me to return the charm and to bring the others. I fearfully agreed.
The next evening, I told my brother and cousin, to accompany me to the place where I had gotten the wishes from, and they did, though it took a bit of persuasion on my part. As we arrived to the very spot where the creature was supposed to be, all that was there was a bunch dead trees, and a place to set the final necklace down.
I was shaking. I didn't know what was going to happen if I placed my necklace down, though I swallowed my fear and set down the small silver ring. Through the woods I could see the creature appear, this time its face looked skeletal instead of shrouded, and it was walking towards us. I wasn't sure why but I had the distinct feeling it wanted to hurt me and my family.
I told them to run, as we did, we ran down the dirt road and through the fields, but it wasn't any use. The creature caught up with my cousin and snapped his throat with its bare hands. I screamed this time I was truly scared, I realized to pay for these wishes, we had to give our lives.
My brother and I, we ran as fast as we possibly could, to evade this creature of the darkness. After a chivalrous act to protect his younger brother, he threw me out of the way, as the creature stepped towards him. The creature placed a finger on my brother's forehead, and he simply collapsed.
I was in tears at this point, I screamed and pleaded for the creature to stop, but its gaze fell upon me now. I rose from the dirt and ran as hard as my legs would carry me. I managed to evade the creature long enough to write this message.
But after all these years of playing hide and seek with death, he always seems to find you one way or another.
-Signed Christopher Thomas Born 1807
Written by CreepyPastaJr.