The One Last Wish Box — a short story
As they were running, getting chased by the royal guards, all they could wish for was to get back to the dusty and old wreckage they called home. But life doesn’t work as we wish for it. They hid behind a hay cart and took a deep breath.
“We need to get out of this castle as soon as possible, Matilda; the number of troops is just rising any second,” Matthew said while panting.
“Yes, yes, I know, don’t stress me out, just let me think,” Matilda responded.
As they could hear the sound of the soldier’s boots getting closer, Matilda had an idea. She turned to Matthew and said, “We have to jump, brother. east side walls are not protected that well, that’s our only way out.”
Matthew, who didn’t trust anyone more than her in the world, didn’t waste a second and grabbed her hand and started running towards the walls on the east side of the castle, where from there you could watch the beautiful moonlight shining on the great sea. As they were being chased by the guards, they got closer and closer to the edge of the castle’s walls.
Matthew jumped and looked back to watch his sister jumping along with him. With the thoughts of freedom and wealth, all he saw was a spear right into her sister’s heart, shouting out of pain and falling down with him unconscious. At that moment, all the thoughts inside his head went away; he wasn’t seeing her sister falling; all he could see was his whole world going down with him. She was all he had left in life.
He started burying her, with blood replacing his tears, as he had nothing to lose. He didn’t even have the time to mourn her as he heard the sound of soldier’s boots crashing on the ground, marching towards him. He ran away to a pub outside of the city, sweating, hungry, and tired, but that didn’t matter. He was all lost in his thoughts of what he could do to save her sister’s life, blaming it all on himself. He recalled his conversation with Matilda the other day.
Matilda: Matthew, this job is too dangerous, forget about it.
Matthew: We can do this! I mean, do you get how much gold we are talking about here? This can build us the home that we always wanted! That little farmhouse with the broken mill that we always dreamed about, the one that I should fix every day to work!
Broken heart with a limitless hatred for himself, he heard these two men whispering to each other. Have you heard that King Julian’s castle has been robbed? Yes, it seems like they missed the most important treasure in the vault, the “one last wish box.” Oh, come on, Maxwell, stop with these Superstitions. It is real, Oliver; I’m telling you, I saw that it can even bring a person back to life!
He didn’t waste any time; a door had been opened to him, and he had to try it. He got out of the pub, stole a fresh horse, and went back to the city, right to the castle which he had just got out. The guards were reinforced after the robbery, but he knew his secret way inside. He got himself to the vault only to see that soldiers were taking out a filthy old little box. That was his last chance; he didn’t hesitate; he ran out of shadows, fighting to death with no fear. He killed the guards ruthlessly, taking so many wounds. He stood up, as blood was flowing out of his body and pain being replaced with it.
While leaving the vault, he started a fire to distract the soldiers, wearing a long cape to not get recognized; he ran to the edge of the east walls. As the sun was rising and shining more every second, the light of his life was getting dimmer.
He got himself to the beach, where the sun was rising to the pure blue sky. He lay beside his sister, taking a deep breath, holding on to his emotions. He didn’t have much time left; he had taken too many wounds to be saved. All he had to do was wish for his sister to come back to life; what was stopping him from doing that?
He started crying at his sister’s dead body, asking for forgiveness. “I’m sorry, sis, but I don’t want to die,” Matthew said. The hatred for himself was growing as he felt being selfish. “It was my fault!!! I’m the one who should be dead!”; Matthew shouting while tears were flying down on the sand that covered her sister’s beautiful blue eyes. As he was losing consciousness, he finally did it; he said the words, “I WISH…”.
Years passed by, but the hatred for himself didn’t go away. He was still living inside that wreckage in the middle of the jungle where he couldn’t call it home anymore, being hunted by the memories. Looking at Matilda’s bed being empty every day was torture for him.
“I have to end my life; this is not fair; I just can’t take it anymore,” Matthew said with crying and sleepy eyes.
So, he decided to hang himself to get rid of the pain and the guilt. He went to the old tree that he and Matilda used to play hide and seek and put the robe on it, saying to himself, “At least I will die with your memory.” Right at that last moment of stability under his leg, he heard a child crying. He stepped down to find a kid with such beautiful blue eyes, just like her sisters. That’s how life works; maybe that was her sister’s way of telling him to forgive himself. He had to protect the kid; he had to protect the little Matilda.
Soheil Erfani Tabar © 2023. All rights reserved.
