Wishes

A Story by E.H. Koski

Long ago everyone was able to make one wish to the Bestower who would grant it and change the person's life forever. Until it was Leroy's turn to make his wish.

There once was a time when all people were given the chance to get their hearts desire by the granting of a single wish. The people would wait until they came of age, and they’d go to see the Bestower. The Bestower was someone all the people waited to meet in their lives, even though everyone only got to meet the Bestower once. The Bestower looked different to each person, the Bestower changed their looks and personalities to make the people who came more at ease.

People loved the Bestower, and the Bestower loved them all back. The system was simple, and no one every complained about it. Life was easy, life was predictable. If someone was unhappy with their lives for a long while, they’d finally go and take their turns with the Bestower. They’d have to be over a certain age, as was customary. But after that point, they could go see the Bestower whenever they pleased.

Many people wished for simple things; things so many before them have wished for that it was rumored even the all-knowing Bestower forgot how many have asked for these things. These things were what everyone wanted, but harder to find by themselves and without the Bestower’s magic. So they came to the Bestower to aid them, aid them in finding the love of their lives, aid them in being billionaires, aid them in being famous, aid them in gaining knowledge they couldn’t acquire themselves.

This was the way it had always been for all time. No one was sure where the Bestower came from, but there were tall tales and rumors, as there always are. Some said the Bestower was once a person themselves, and that everyone came to them for help and eventually gained a greater knowledge of the universe, and was able to help everyone with such ease that it was no harder than breathing to the Bestower. Others thought the Bestower came to them from above when the Bestower saw how forlorn and gloomy the world they lived in was, and from then on helped everyone be happy.

There were many, many tales of how the Bestower came to be the Bestower, but all of them had one thing in common. The Bestower was here to help make people happy. It was obvious that the Bestower loved seeing people happy. Everyone was happy. That is, all except one.

The one that was unhappy has as many rumors about him as the Bestower does. No one was quite sure where he came from, why he was so full of anger, or why he did what he did. Very few know the story of the Bestower, much less the story of the unhappy one, and even less know the name of him.

His name was Leroy. Or, so he called himself. Leroy was born with hate filled inside him. He was the exact opposite of the Bestower in every way. Leroy was a simple man, and he hated that. He wasn’t smart, all knowing, handsome, or magical. And most of all, he hated seeing everyone so happy. He wanted more from life, he craved unpredictability. This caused him to play tricks on anyone he could in his younger years. He would find pleasure in seeing someone get confused and upset, since this was so rare in the community. He dreamed of causing more havoc, more chaos. But, he did not possess the power to do so.

When Leroy came of age, he paid his visit to the Bestower immediately. The Bestower welcomed him with a smile, appearing to him as a beautiful maiden, one with an evil look about her. One that could make you uneasy just by her staring at you for too long. Leroy smiled at her, and was surprised to do so since he hardly ever did smile unless he was observing someone fall into one of his clever traps.

As always, the Bestower asked Leroy what his heart’s desire was. He had planned this for so long, was so ready to feel the Bestower’s power coursing through him. He stated that he wanted her powers, her abilities to grant wishes. This had surprised the Bestower. No one had ever asked for this before, and the Bestower was faced with a problem they had never faced before. The Bestower had no idea how to grant Leroy’s wish. Once the Bestower explained this to Leroy, he grew angrier, the hate that had born in him and that had been growing his whole life now bubbled and increased.

Leroy demanded that the Bestower share her power, but again the Bestower declined his wish and asked for him to choose something else he desired more than anything. This went on as Leroy argued and let his hate grow inside. With each passing moment the Bestower became more hurt and saddened that they couldn’t grant Leroy’s heart’s desire.

Pure hate now filled Leroy from head to toe, and if anyone else in the community had seen him, they would’ve run away in fear. They had never experienced or witnessed such anger, nor had the Bestower. But this only made the Bestower feel more and more miserable. The Bestower apologized again and again, but this only made Leroy reach his limit.

He screamed, his face red and a deep growling in his chest. He screamed at the Bestower that if he couldn’t have his wish, no one else should. He wished that no one would ever get their wishes granted by the Bestower ever again.

The Bestower had no other choice but to grant this terrible wish, since it was in their power to grant. With a heavy heart, the Bestower began to cry as Leroy stomped out in a rage. The next wisher came in after him, only to find the sobbing Bestower. News quickly spread of Leroy’s wish, which came to be known as the last wish. Quickly, the happiness in the world drained, as did the happiness of the Bestower.

People no longer got their heart’s desire by the aid of the Bestower, and many people grew angry because of this, becoming like Leroy himself. The world seemed dark. People forgot about the Bestower, since they were worthless to them now. The Bestower vanished, as did Leroy. Things seemed hopeless for many, many years. Generations pasted, and the people began to forget what happiness was, returning to the state that they thought they must’ve been in before the Bestower.

But, a sort of miracle happened. People noticed that some of us could get our heart’s desire without magic to get it. They worked for it, and chased after their dreams. Things didn’t seem as hopeless. Some still get depressed, feeling like they will never be happy. Thinking that if only they could have their wishes come true, then they’d be happy. Others say this as an opportunity; an opportunity to find adventure, to live life to the fullest extent, just to they could get to their heart’s desire.

All of us are chasing after our heart’s desire, and even though we don’t have a Bestower to grant us our wishes, doesn’t mean that they won’t come true. We can be our own Bestower’s.