The Wish

Professional football player Glenn Thorton and his sister Natalie were called to their parents home for an urgent meeting. They both arrive around the same time and have a brief conversation on the porch about why they were there.

“So you think dad has cancer?”

“Come on Natalie, why would you say something like that?”

“Because I am a doctor and also because I didn’t want to say that mom has cancer.”

“Maybe neither one of them has cancer. Maybe they’ve decided to sell the house.”

“Yeah that makes no sense. We’ve both offered to buy them houses and they’ve decided to stay here. So why would they sell the house now?”

“Look, let's just get in there and see what they’re talking about.”

Soon as they go in they see a strange woman standing there. Then they see their parents both standing there looking very distraught. Natalie leans over and whispers to her brother.

“I bet that’s the doctor.”

Then their father starts to speak.

“Glenn, Natalie, I need you both to please take a seat. Now as you know your mother and I never had much money. We struggled a lot trying to give you guys the best lives that we could. Well I didn’t want that for you all once you became adults so I made a wish for you both. The wish was simply that you would grow up to be financially well off. Son, your wish was granted in the form of your athletic ability. That’s what allowed you to become a professional football player and make a good living for yourself. Natalie, your wish was granted in the form of intelligence which is what allowed you to excel in school and ultimately become the doctor that you have become. That career also provides you with a financially stable lifestyle.”

“Dad, what do you mean granted? I busted my ass to be the best football player I could be. I worked hard to get where I am.”

“No son, you did not. Let me introduce you to Samantha. Now Samantha is the woman that had granted the wish and now she’s here to collect payment.”

Natalie becomes irate and starts to speak.

“Wait, I know that you didn’t call us over here to try to get us to give this strange woman some money! How the hell could she grant your wish? What is she supposed to be God or something?”

The woman starts to snicker and then she proceeds to answer Natalie

“No sweetie, I'm not God. You can pray and have faith and hope that your prayers are answered or you can allow me to grant your wishes.”

“So what are you, some kind of witch or something?”

“I’m not sure that you people have a real name for what I am. I’ve been called a witch, a fairy, god, I’ve even been called a demon quite a few times but I am simply a business woman that has the ability to grant wishes. Those wishes come with a price and your family owes me that price.”

Glenn has had enough.

“Listen, I don’t know who the hell you are and I don’t care. Apparently you’ve brainwashed or hypnotized my parents into thinking you’re the cause of my sister and my success. Now for the sake of my parents I’m willing to pay whatever it is and get you on your way. So how much do they supposedly owe you?”

The woman smiles with delight.

“Now that’s what I like to hear.”

“Son please listen to me. It’s not that simple. Her price is not money!”

“Then tell us whatever she’s here to get so that she can be on her way!”

The woman once again begins to speak.

“So Glenn, you’ve had a good football career. You’ve made enough money that you should be able to provide for a family if you choose to have one. So now for you football is over. My price for your wish is your career. Now Natalie, I’ll give you a choice. I know you’ve been married and have a child. Now you could decide between keeping your career or your family.”

Natalie still isn’t satisfied with the explanation that was given and turns to her mother for support.

“Mom, are you hearing this!”

Her mother takes a deep breath and begins to talk to her.

“Yes baby I am. Just like I heard it all of those years ago when your father first introduced me to Samantha and told me what he had done.”

“And you believe them?”

“I didn’t at first but now I have no choice after all that has happened. See Glenn when you were a little boy you were very undersized. You were very small and not at all athletic. There was no way that you were ever gonna be able to play football. Natalie, you were not very smart growing up. I could barely teach you to read until you were about eleven years old. All of that changed with the tree.”

“What tree? The pear tree daddy planted in the backyard?” Glenn asked confusingly.

“See son, that’s just it. I never planted that tree. That was just what your mother and I told you. When Samantha showed up and told me that she could grant my wish I was very skeptical. That was when she took me to the backyard and showed me the tree. Then she said think of one thing that you could never do that you always wanted to. Now I was short and could never dunk a basketball. That was the first thing that I could think of and so that was what I told her. She told me to eat one of the pears from that tree. So I ate the pear and then she told me to try and dunk the basketball. Not only did I dunk the ball but I did a 360 tomahawk jam. So after that I took her deal and kept the tree. So as you and your sister consumed pears from the tree things started to change with you both. Glenn you got bigger, faster and stronger and that was when you started playing football. Natalie, you became more and more intelligent with each pear and that’s how you became a medical student and then a doctor.”

Natalie has heard enough and she decides that she’s going to leave.

“You know what. I’m way too intelligent to listen to any more of this so I’m going to leave and y’all can figure this out.”

Samantha who was pleasant for the most part becomes a little irritated.

“So are you saying that you are not going to make the choice?”

“I’m saying fuck you! Witch, fairy, or whatever the hell you are!”

“Ok then, suit yourself. I’ll just make the decision for you.”

“Do whatever you have to do.”

Natalie then goes to leave and gets a call on the phone. After whatever was said on the other line she collapses to the floor and starts crying hysterically.

Samantha then sarcastically says “Why, what’s the matter my dear.”

Natalie jumps up and charges towards Samantha.

“Take it back please!”

Glenn then picks up the phone and the doctor on the other line tells him that his brother-in-law and niece were killed in a fatal car crash.

Natalie was still screaming at Samantha to take it back.

So eventually Samantha agrees. “So I take it that you’ve decided to give up your career instead of your family!”

“Yes, yes! I’ll do anything! Just bring my family back!”

Just then Natalie’s phone rings again. She answers it hesitantly.

“Hello.”

On the other line was her husband Tony.

“Baby what’s wrong!”

“Where’s Kayla?!”

“She’s right here. Why?”

Natalie hangs up the phone and turns to Samantha

“Thank you so much.”

“Now a deal is a deal.”

Just then Natalie’s phone rings again. Once again it was her husband.

“Honey, we must have gotten disconnected. I was calling because the hospital called me looking for you. They wanted to know if you would be available for a shift tonight?”

“Um, I'm not an emergency room doctor.”

“Well you’re not a doctor at all. They said they were swamped tonight and some of the cleaning staff called out so they need your help.”

“Ok honey I’ll give them a call.” Natalie hangs up the phone.

“You made me a janitor!”

“Listen, your father’s wish was for you to be financially stable. Now your husband still has a decent job. You still have a job and you get to keep all of the money that you already earned as a doctor. Or I could make that phone ring one last time. It’s up to you!”

Natalie, clearly confused and distraught, slowly walks toward the door. Her father tries to comfort her but it doesn’t work. He just simply says “I’m sorry baby.” as she walks out of the door.

Samantha then turns to Glenn.

“Now as for you.”

“So I don’t have a choice.”

“Well I don’t know of anything that you love as much as your football career. Or maybe I do.”

Just then his mother collapses to the floor. She’s dead!

Glenn’s father immediately drops to the floor next to her. He holds her head in his arms and pleads with his son.

“Glenn do something!”

Glenn then yells at Samantha.

“No, not my mother!”

“Ok so be it.”

His mother then gets up off of the floor but his father does not. He’s dead.

“Listen. I’ll get to keep all of my money right?”

“Sure do.”

“Ok then take my career.”

That’s when Glenn hits the floor.

“What have you done?”

“Oh I thought that you’ve chosen your career? Now I don’t know that much about football but I don’t think you can play with only one good knee.”

Glenn’s father now wakes up and becomes very angry with Samantha.

“Ok Bitch! You’ve gotten what you want now, please leave my home!”

“With pleasure. Nice doing business with you all.”

The father then goes over to Glenn and picks him up off of the floor.

“Come on son. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

As they walk out of the back door towards his father’s car in the driveway Glenn turns to look at the pear tree. The tree slowly starts to die. First the pears, then the leaves, then the entire tree turns to dust.

The mother looks out of the window as her husband and son pull off in his car. Then she closes the curtain. She then calls out for Samantha to come back.

“You rang my dear.”

“Yes, I want to make a wish!”

The End.