The Disastrous Wish Amy Amendt
November 21, 2012
“Happy Birthday Raj!” my mother said as she walked into my bedroom. Today was the day; I was finally 13, no longer a child. Now my sister Indie would have to stop calling me her baby brother. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and sat up.
“Thanks Mom” I said in return. As I looked down at the end of my bed, I noticed a small package carefully wrapped in brown paper. “What’s this?” I asked.
“I have no idea.” She answered with an honest look on her face. “This morning when I woke up I heard a knock on the door. When I opened it the package was sitting on the front step.”
“Can I open it now?” I begged. Usually Mother made me wait until after dinner before I open any gifts, but I was hoping she would allow it just this once. “Please!”
“If you want, but save all the others for later.”
I carefully unwrapped the gift. What could it be? I asked myself. As soon as I got the first corner off I stopped.
“Mom, what is this? It looks dead. Do you know who brought it?” I asked, staring at the present. Who would send a gift like this, it was horrid.
Mom quickly grabbed the package from my hands and opened it herself. There in her hands was what looked like a dead monkey’s paw. As she threw the wrapping away, I saw a small sliver of paper fall to the ground.
“Wait!” I yelled. I sprinted across the room and picked up the paper. “They did leave a note. It says ‘Make three wishes and pass it on.’ What can that mean?” I questioned. Could it really work? It seemed so unlikely.
“We might as well try it.” She suggested. “What harm could it do?”
“After school,” I replied. “I need some time to think about it.”
On the way to school, all I could think about was the paw. Three questions went through my brain over and over again. Does the paw work? If so, what should I wish for? Who should I give it to next?
At school I couldn’t concentrate. The same questions kept taking over my mind. I could tell this problem wouldn’t change until I made that first wish. I forced my brain to only think of the second question. What to wish for? There were so many options.
I spent all of lunch choosing wishes and then changing my mind again. Why was this so difficult? I talked to nobody. I didn’t even dare to look at anyone else, for they might take my mind off my mission.
All day nobody paid and attention to me. No “Happy Birthday Raj” or “Why are you so quiet today?” I know I wasn’t the loudest person in class, but at least I talked to people and today I hadn’t said a word to anyone. Why did I have to be the only kid without a best friend?
After much pondering I made a decision, but I kept it to myself until I got home. There was nobody at school who knew about the paw and I wasn’t planning on telling anyone.
On the way home I stopped at the market just as I did every Monday afternoon and picked up the flour for mom to make bread with. With all my strength, I lugged the bag back to our house. When I reached the door mother was waiting for me. After I brought the flour into the kitchen, I sat down at the table to rest my legs.
“How was school?” Mother asked as she did every day when I returned from school.
“Terrible! All I could think of was the wish.” I answered, looking out the window.
“Well, did you make up your mind?”
“It’s as made up as it’ll ever be.” I replied. I knew if I kept thinking about it I would continue to change my mind.
Mom left the room, returning a minute later with the paw in her hand. She slowly brought it over to me and set it on the table. I was time.
I cautiously stood up taking a deep breath as I did so. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. My arm shook as I reached forward and picked up the paw.
“I wish for…” I stopped. All of a sudden I was so nervous I thought I might faint. Mother stared at me. I calmed my nerves and started over. “I wish for a best friend. I’m tired of being alone all the time.”
Nothing! That’s what happened. I knew it was too good to be true.
Just then I heard a scratch at the door. I raced to answer it and just as I opened it a boy around my age turned around. This must be my wish.
“Hello, my name is Ajay. My family just moved in next door.” The boy said gesturing to another house where a family was unloading their possessions from a wagon. “We have been living in our wagon for the past year and I’m so excited to have an actual house!”
“Hello, I’m Raj.” I replied. This was going to be a long friendship.
Months later, I had forgotten about the paw completely. I had been spending all day every day with Ajay and I was so tired of him.
“Why won’t he leave me alone?” I complained to mother one morning.
“Why don’t you just use another one of your wishes.” She suggested. “That might cheer you up.”
This time I knew what I needed to do right away. If he wouldn’t leave me alone on he own, I would just make him. I sprinted to my room to fetch the paw from its place under my pillow. When I returned, I was ready to wish. I stood up and quickly closed my eyes.
“I wish Ajay would just leave me alone.” As I opened my eyes, I already felt much better. “I think today is going to be a great day!” I told mom.
“I’m going to the market to pick up something to make for dinner.” Mother said, walking out the door and down the path out of sight.
As soon as she was gone I returned the paw carefully under my pillow and began to read.
Nine chapters and three hours later, Mother hadn’t returned yet and I was beginning to worry. “Where could she be?” I asked, peering out the window. I walked out the door and looked down the road. With no luck, I returned to my room and continued to read. Twenty minutes later and still nothing, had something happened to her?
I finally decided that the only thing left to do was to go out and look for her. The first place decided to go was the market. That was the most logical place for her to be.
As I rounded the corner before the market I suddenly knew something was wrong. Nobody was in sight and it looked as if a herd of elephants had tromped through it. There were hundreds of broken boxes littering the ground and all of the merchandise was scattered everywhere.
After searching through every stand had resulted in failure, I knew it was time to go to the police.
I marched through the entrance and right up to the front desk, where a man who was clearing not Indian sat looking through files.
“Hello, I’m Sergeant Morris. How can I help you?” the man asked. He was wearing the regular uniform, but somehow it didn’t look right on him. It doesn’t matter, I concluded. I was here for much more important reasons.
“My mother went off to the market around three hours ago and hasn’t returned. I went looking for her and the market looks like a wreck.” I explained anxiously.
“Haven’t you heard?” Sergeant Morris asked, surprised by my confusion. “There was a random shooting there just over two hours ago and three people were killed. I am very sorry to tell you, but your mother was one of them.”
“Who were the other people?” I asked. If what I was thinking was true, I had done a terrible thing.
“The two others were an elderly lady and a boy who looked to be around your age. The boy’s name was Ajay.”
“Oh no!” I screamed. “What have I done?”
“I’m sorry to ask, but what are you talking about? This can’t be your fault. There is nothing you could have done to change it.”
“I could have done everything!” I yelled, running out the door.
The rest of the night I lay crying on my bed. I was alone. My dad had passed away a few years earlier from disease and my sister had moved to America with her husband. I had the whole house to myself and I wasn’t ready for it. I missed my mom so much!
As the weeks went on since the day of my mother’s death, I became sadder and sadder. I stopped going to school, talking to people and almost eating altogether. I was thin as a stick and people were beginning to worry. Depression had taken over my mind and all I wanted to do was sleep.
Just as I was laying down for one of my long naps, my pillow fell from its place on my bed. There sitting on the sheets was the monkey’s paw, which I had forgotten about completely. I suddenly knew what to do.
I leaped up and ran out the door with the paw in my hand. Sprinting toward the police station, I thought about my decision and knew it was the right choice to make.
I walked up the steps and through the door, knowing this was where I needed to make my final wish. I closed my eyes, holding the paw tightly in my sweaty palm and spoke.
“I wish I was dead!”
Just as I finished my wish, I threw the paw at Sergeant Morris who had been sitting at the front desk and collapsed to the ground motionless.
November 21, 2012
“Happy Birthday Raj!” my mother said as she walked into my bedroom. Today was the day; I was finally 13, no longer a child. Now my sister Indie would have to stop calling me her baby brother. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and sat up.
“Thanks Mom” I said in return. As I looked down at the end of my bed, I noticed a small package carefully wrapped in brown paper. “What’s this?” I asked.
“I have no idea.” She answered with an honest look on her face. “This morning when I woke up I heard a knock on the door. When I opened it the package was sitting on the front step.”
“Can I open it now?” I begged. Usually Mother made me wait until after dinner before I open any gifts, but I was hoping she would allow it just this once. “Please!”
“If you want, but save all the others for later.”
I carefully unwrapped the gift. What could it be? I asked myself. As soon as I got the first corner off I stopped.
“Mom, what is this? It looks dead. Do you know who brought it?” I asked, staring at the present. Who would send a gift like this, it was horrid.
Mom quickly grabbed the package from my hands and opened it herself. There in her hands was what looked like a dead monkey’s paw. As she threw the wrapping away, I saw a small sliver of paper fall to the ground.
“Wait!” I yelled. I sprinted across the room and picked up the paper. “They did leave a note. It says ‘Make three wishes and pass it on.’ What can that mean?” I questioned. Could it really work? It seemed so unlikely.
“We might as well try it.” She suggested. “What harm could it do?”
“After school,” I replied. “I need some time to think about it.”
On the way to school, all I could think about was the paw. Three questions went through my brain over and over again. Does the paw work? If so, what should I wish for? Who should I give it to next?
At school I couldn’t concentrate. The same questions kept taking over my mind. I could tell this problem wouldn’t change until I made that first wish. I forced my brain to only think of the second question. What to wish for? There were so many options.
I spent all of lunch choosing wishes and then changing my mind again. Why was this so difficult? I talked to nobody. I didn’t even dare to look at anyone else, for they might take my mind off my mission.
All day nobody paid and attention to me. No “Happy Birthday Raj” or “Why are you so quiet today?” I know I wasn’t the loudest person in class, but at least I talked to people and today I hadn’t said a word to anyone. Why did I have to be the only kid without a best friend?
After much pondering I made a decision, but I kept it to myself until I got home. There was nobody at school who knew about the paw and I wasn’t planning on telling anyone.
On the way home I stopped at the market just as I did every Monday afternoon and picked up the flour for mom to make bread with. With all my strength, I lugged the bag back to our house. When I reached the door mother was waiting for me. After I brought the flour into the kitchen, I sat down at the table to rest my legs.
“How was school?” Mother asked as she did every day when I returned from school.
“Terrible! All I could think of was the wish.” I answered, looking out the window.
“Well, did you make up your mind?”
“It’s as made up as it’ll ever be.” I replied. I knew if I kept thinking about it I would continue to change my mind.
Mom left the room, returning a minute later with the paw in her hand. She slowly brought it over to me and set it on the table. I was time.
I cautiously stood up taking a deep breath as I did so. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. My arm shook as I reached forward and picked up the paw.
“I wish for…” I stopped. All of a sudden I was so nervous I thought I might faint. Mother stared at me. I calmed my nerves and started over. “I wish for a best friend. I’m tired of being alone all the time.”
Nothing! That’s what happened. I knew it was too good to be true.
Just then I heard a scratch at the door. I raced to answer it and just as I opened it a boy around my age turned around. This must be my wish.
“Hello, my name is Ajay. My family just moved in next door.” The boy said gesturing to another house where a family was unloading their possessions from a wagon. “We have been living in our wagon for the past year and I’m so excited to have an actual house!”
“Hello, I’m Raj.” I replied. This was going to be a long friendship.
Months later, I had forgotten about the paw completely. I had been spending all day every day with Ajay and I was so tired of him.
“Why won’t he leave me alone?” I complained to mother one morning.
“Why don’t you just use another one of your wishes.” She suggested. “That might cheer you up.”
This time I knew what I needed to do right away. If he wouldn’t leave me alone on he own, I would just make him. I sprinted to my room to fetch the paw from its place under my pillow. When I returned, I was ready to wish. I stood up and quickly closed my eyes.
“I wish Ajay would just leave me alone.” As I opened my eyes, I already felt much better. “I think today is going to be a great day!” I told mom.
“I’m going to the market to pick up something to make for dinner.” Mother said, walking out the door and down the path out of sight.
As soon as she was gone I returned the paw carefully under my pillow and began to read.
Nine chapters and three hours later, Mother hadn’t returned yet and I was beginning to worry. “Where could she be?” I asked, peering out the window. I walked out the door and looked down the road. With no luck, I returned to my room and continued to read. Twenty minutes later and still nothing, had something happened to her?
I finally decided that the only thing left to do was to go out and look for her. The first place decided to go was the market. That was the most logical place for her to be.
As I rounded the corner before the market I suddenly knew something was wrong. Nobody was in sight and it looked as if a herd of elephants had tromped through it. There were hundreds of broken boxes littering the ground and all of the merchandise was scattered everywhere.
After searching through every stand had resulted in failure, I knew it was time to go to the police.
I marched through the entrance and right up to the front desk, where a man who was clearing not Indian sat looking through files.
“Hello, I’m Sergeant Morris. How can I help you?” the man asked. He was wearing the regular uniform, but somehow it didn’t look right on him. It doesn’t matter, I concluded. I was here for much more important reasons.
“My mother went off to the market around three hours ago and hasn’t returned. I went looking for her and the market looks like a wreck.” I explained anxiously.
“Haven’t you heard?” Sergeant Morris asked, surprised by my confusion. “There was a random shooting there just over two hours ago and three people were killed. I am very sorry to tell you, but your mother was one of them.”
“Who were the other people?” I asked. If what I was thinking was true, I had done a terrible thing.
“The two others were an elderly lady and a boy who looked to be around your age. The boy’s name was Ajay.”
“Oh no!” I screamed. “What have I done?”
“I’m sorry to ask, but what are you talking about? This can’t be your fault. There is nothing you could have done to change it.”
“I could have done everything!” I yelled, running out the door.
The rest of the night I lay crying on my bed. I was alone. My dad had passed away a few years earlier from disease and my sister had moved to America with her husband. I had the whole house to myself and I wasn’t ready for it. I missed my mom so much!
As the weeks went on since the day of my mother’s death, I became sadder and sadder. I stopped going to school, talking to people and almost eating altogether. I was thin as a stick and people were beginning to worry. Depression had taken over my mind and all I wanted to do was sleep.
Just as I was laying down for one of my long naps, my pillow fell from its place on my bed. There sitting on the sheets was the monkey’s paw, which I had forgotten about completely. I suddenly knew what to do.
I leaped up and ran out the door with the paw in my hand. Sprinting toward the police station, I thought about my decision and knew it was the right choice to make.
I walked up the steps and through the door, knowing this was where I needed to make my final wish. I closed my eyes, holding the paw tightly in my sweaty palm and spoke.
“I wish I was dead!”
Just as I finished my wish, I threw the paw at Sergeant Morris who had been sitting at the front desk and collapsed to the ground motionless.