The Book of Stolen Wishes

Between the sirens and the explosion of chaos in the streets, I was finding it a little hard to concentrate on how the hell I was going to get us out of this mess. I mean, I'm an unemployed middle aged dad, not a hero by any means. This is not how I planned to spend my Tuesday, but it sure is one hell of a way to die.

The day started off like any other day. I woke up in a rush, due to sleeping through the alarm. My daughter, Rosemary, urged me to hurry because she was going to be late for school again.

"Dad, hurry up! Come on! I made you a sandwich for lunch and here's your coffee. Ok, we have to go now!!" She said urgently.

"I'm coming." I said as I quickly threw my work uniform on. " What would I do without you, kid?"

" You'd be lost." She said with a smirk on her face.

"Rosey.." I paused.

"Yeah, Dad?" She replied.

" I love you kid." I said with a smile.

"Me too, Dad." She smiled and we rushed out the door.

I made it to work, late again. I tried to sneak in but my boss, Mr. Charles, was standing at the door waiting for me.

"You're late, Mitch." He said with a scowl on his face.

I started apologizing, "I know. I'm sorry, sir. I accidentally slept through the alarm and then…"

He cut me off," I don't care what excuses you have. This was the final straw. You've been late five times in the past two weeks. I'm sorry, Mitch, you're fired."

"Wait!" I pleaded, "please, don't do this. Give me another chance. I need this job. My daughter has her surgery coming up in..."

"Mitch, I'm sorry. I have given too many chances. I like you, but when you aren't here to open, you cost me money. I'm sorry. '' Mr. Charles turned around and closed the door.

I didn't know what I was going to do. Rosemary has an enlarged heart. She has to have surgery and I needed this job. All my savings have been drained from all the doctors appointments. If something happened to her, I would be destroyed. At ten years old, she didn't deserve this. She deserves more than what I had given her.

The wind was blowing hard in Indianapolis as I was walking back to our apartment. It was cold and rainy and the perfect way to top off the morning I have already had. The whole way home I was wondering what I was going to tell Rosey.

Out of an alleyway, an old ragged man appeared next to me. I nearly ran into him when he stopped me. "Sir, would you consider helping out an old timer like me? Anything would help."

"I'm sorry I don't have any money," I shrugged him off.

"Sir, please, any little bit would help," he pleaded.

I stopped and dug into my pocket and all I had was five bucks. "Here you go sir. It's not much, but I hope this helps."

He smiled and thanked me as I turned around to go on my way.

"What's your name, Son?" He stopped me again.

I turned back around, "My name is Mitch."

"Well. Mitch, you look like you've had better days" he said in a kind voice.

I found this ironic coming from a bum. "Yes, I lost my job today and as the day goes on, it seems to just keep shitting on me more and more. It's just been a rough one."

"I think I may be able to help." he said as he reached into his pack and pulled out this little black book. He continued, " I have had this book for a very long time, but it only works for someone special. This book made whatever I wrote in it come to life. It made my thoughts come true"

"Wait, if that's true, then why are you out here panhandling on the streets?" I questioned him in disbelief.

The man shook his head, " This book has a price. Just be careful with it. If you misuse it, it will misuse you. Maybe you can do better than I ever did."

I grabbed the book and opened it up. It didn't look like anything special, just a ratty old notebook with empty pages.

"You said it had a price? What…?" as I looked up, the old man was nowhere to be found. It was like he vanished.

When I got home, I stripped off my wet clothes and I sat down at my table. I looked down and saw that little black notebook that old bum gave me. I thought about what he had told me and about how he had to be crazy, but I guess it couldn't hurt to see what happened.

I pulled out a pen and opened up the notebook and began to write something that I wanted, " I want a chocolate milkshake.."

As I was writing these words, I felt the world shift. It was like an energy flowing through my fingertips. I looked up from the notebook and on my table was the most amazing and appetizing milkshake that I had ever seen. My mind was blown. "I was dreaming, right?" I thought to myself.

I reached out and picked up the drink and took a sip. To my amazement, it was the best milkshake that I had ever tasted. I then grabbed my pen and started writing all kinds of things. I wrote that I wanted a new car, my favorite pizza, a new guitar. I wrote about all kinds of things and all of those things happened.

I paused a moment and thought about what I wanted most. I pressed the pen to the paper and wrote so carefully that I didn't mess up a word.

"I wish my daughter would live a long and healthy life."

At that moment, I felt chills come over my whole body. I felt all the blood rush from my face and then the world turned black. That's all I remember.

As I woke up, I heard Rosey's voice, "Dad!! Wake up! Are you okay?"

I opened my eyes and saw Rosey over top me with worry in her eyes until she saw me wake up "Rosey? You...you look so good. How do you feel? How's your breathing?" I sat up quickly and grabbed her face.

"Dad, I'm fine. Actually I have never felt better. I was on my way home and the next thing I remember was waking up on the grass next to the apartment. When I woke up, I felt better than I ever have. But what happened to you? Are you okay?" She was concerned about me.

"I'm fine, kid. Don't worry about me" I jumped up excited with tears in my eyes.

I then explain the whole story about this mysterious little black book and what it does and all the things I wrote.

Her and I spent the rest of the day writing down wishes. We wanted a dog and a new tv. Then we made a big wish. I wished for twenty thousand dollars to put in Roseys college fund. At that moment, I started to scream. It felt like my body was being torn apart. Then out of nowhere, the money appeared in a black duffle bag. The odd thing was that all of the bills were marked and there was a GPS tracker.

At that moment, I realized that this black book was not granting my wishes. It was stealing things from other people and with each wish it was taking more of me. At that moment, I heard squad cars zooming up outside of my apartment and I knew that there was no way they were going to believe me.

I looked at Rosey and sternly said, "Grab the book, leave the money. We have to go. Now!"

So, now we are where we started with the police chase, crashed cars, chaos, and confusion. I don't know how we are going to make it. As I'm driving, I'm trying to write in this book to try to fix this but nothing works. The more I wish for the weaker I get. I realize that I am now dying from these wishes. I'm wishing for road blocks and for flat tires and for them to go away, but my wishes are not coming true as I meant.

Rosey takes the book and reads the inscription on the back, " if the things you wish do not turn out right, you must take back the wishes to turn back time. For if you want your wishes to come true, Each wish will take life from you."

"Just take all the wishes back, Dad. It will all go away. The wishes are killing you, dad." She pleads across the car.

"Okay, I will. Just hold on!" I quickly pull the car over.

The police pull up all around us as she and I sit in the car. I write in the little black book one last time.

"You are surrounded! Get out of the car with your hands up!!" One police officer exclaims.

I look down as I write, " I take back all of the wishes I made except for the one I made about Rosey."

But nothing happens.

So, I write it again, but still, nothing happens.

"Dad, you have to give back all the wishes!" She yells at me as the police grow closer.

"No! I won't do that! I can't! " I yell with tears in my eyes.

The cops continue to get closer. I decide to make another wish. I am weak and I don't know if I am going to make it through this wish. I think about the warning that old bum gave me about this book. I think about what it would take from me. I don't care anymore. I refuse to make Rosey go through life being sick again. She deserves a good life. Not a life of sickness. So, I write my last wish.

"I wish that Rosey will grow up happy and healthy and loved. I wish that she lives a long life and finds a good man and has an amazing family. I wish that she always knows that I love her. And I wish that I can watch her grow up. I just wish for a good life for her."

I feel my heart being squeezed and I feel my body being ripped apart. The book lights up like lightning bolts. I start yelling and Rosey cries, screaming my name and then nothing. Just a deep, infinite black. My heart stops and I feel life being pulled from my body. I can't see anything but a pin sized light in the distance growing closer and closer until I could see nothing but light. Then I felt peace.

It's been a long time since that day. And I have seen my beautiful girl grow up and have a family and live a happy life. She visits me from time to time with my grandson, Caleb. He has her eyes. They come and talk and I listen. When your home is the Greenville Cemetery, it definitely leaves you with a lot of one sided conversation, but I have gotten to watch her grow up healthy and safe and loved, just like I wished for, but not how I meant.

I will leave you with one last word of advice. Be careful what you wish for. Whether it's a cup of coffee or twenty thousand dollars, you never really know what it costs. Lastly, if you ever see an old bum in Indianapolis on a rainy day and he offers you a little black book, well….run! Run like hell and whatever you do, don't take that damn book!