THREE WISHES
I mind nothing but my husband's death. That is the solitary thing that is ruling my brain now. Thisight, I’m driving alone in my husband’s favorite white mini cooper. I have a sonata black leather watch on my wrist and a mobile in my handbag, and I don’t want to see the time. But every time I try to see the time on the car's display, that starts to move like a glitch. I don’t know why this is happening like someone is hacking and playing with my fear.
My husband was the reason I’m driving alone this night. I’m trying to overlap my memories that happened at his funeral and something isn’t properly sitting in my memory. Like one part of my brain remembers something and the other part is blanky blank. I’m driving through a dense forest trail and I asked myself, "Should I definitely go this way?" But there was no other way to go.
Well-developed trees on both sides of the road. Only one light was visible across the road and that is definitely the reflection of my car's headlight. There were no street lamps, no moonlight, and no other vehicle. I wish fireflies would provide some company all the way. But unexpectedly, even mosquitos were not there to bite me.
While I’m driving on this lone road, that seems to me that all the deepening darkness in this world was persistently haunting me. I can see black clouds chasing me everywhere I go. I want to get out of this mess so I start listening to cheerful songs. Suddenly, the glitching of time stopped, but the bizarre thing is, I forgot the time the next second when I see the time. "Every time."
If I see the time as 11.00 PM, the next second I blink my eyes, I forgot what the time was. I was inquiring myself again what was the time. So, when I see the time, I kept telling the time to don't forget, but I couldn’t control my mouth from telling random numbers like 11.20, 11.30, 11.12, 11.01, etc. I’m telling myself not to see the time in my whole life again. After that, my specific focus was only on listening to songs.
Suddenly the wind began blowing hard, the clouds were all chasing me together, I was hearing a noise I had never heard before, the sound of the thunder frightened me, I don’t know what the hell is going on. Except for the light of my car, many lights appeared on that road, but no other vehicles, so my song stopped abruptly. My eyes were glazing over, I can't see properly through the front glass. In the middle of the road, a dazzling flash of great lightning struck as if there is a connection between the sky and the earth. The lightning looked like that possesses my husband's image. Like he is standing inside the light looking at me. I thought it naturally feels like that to me because I lost my husband. Because of the grief. My car is also not running properly, it’s drifting like a snake here and there on the road and I cannot handle it. My left leg rashly pushed the brake, and I parked my car in the middle of that horrific road. The engine turned off.
The mighty trees that had prospered on both sides of the road were become known as trees with no leaves, like the body of a man with no flesh, just the skeleton, trees with only branches. Those trees suddenly started growing. It grew beyond its sustainable growth, and all the trees continued to grow as if they were fighting fiercely with each other. The roots went under the earth and shook my car from the bottom. I’m trying to start my car, and when I press the start button it turned into something jelly-like substance and my fingers slide inside smoothly, but somehow my car has started.
I took out my finger from the start button and grabbed the steering to get out of that place. Suddenly terrific sharp thorns were naturally growing out of the steering. The thorns naturally pierced my fingers, but that felt nothing. I shed no blood too, but that is climbing inside my hands rapidly. I did see that and felt that thorns were infiltrating my hands. Even though when I took my hands off the steering that was growing continuously. I have no idea what is going on around me. When I’m trying to open the driver's door, my right hand reached the door handle, and the sudden change made me so numb. All the doors became like a wall. There was no handle and no glass and everything became like a formidable wall. I can’t see what is happening outside my car. I’m wondering if there were any chief ghosts who intentionally tried to freak me out.
I started to cry, and the tears don’t fall down either. My teardrops were going upwards, floating gently in the air like there is no evidence of gravity only inside my car. Suddenly, my floating tears started to burst one by one and I couldn't see my own tears. They were gone like an unstable nucleus in the bonded atom that we cannot see with our eyes. I’m still trying to open the door of my car. I don’t even know if my screams will go out of that car. I’m moving to the back seat of the car, closed my eyes, and lay down.
When I closed my eyes to escape from that bizarre situation, I experienced the lightning and my husband’s images like a ghost inside my eyes of the darkness. I don’t want the ghost to be my husband. I wish he would come to support me to overcome this nonsense situation. I’m missing him so much. Suddenly I opened my eyes. My husband's car, the trees, and the clouds were all becoming normal. Suddenly a noise come from the left passenger door as someone knocked on the windshield. Am I going to face another strange situation? I barely know how to defend anyone if they cause me trouble.
I step out of my car and searched for the person who knocked on the windshield. He has placed his car ahead of my car on the roadside, leaning back comfortably on his car and looking at me. He looked like he possess the appearance of a comic hero of “Devil’s driver”. He is fully black. His skin, his pants, his leather hoodie which is covering him from the top of the head to the bottom of his big muscled thighs.
"What happened? Why have you parked in the middle of this lonely bewitching road?” even though he is not opening his mouth wider, the voice that comes from his larynx made the voice harder “Is there something wrong with your car?”
As my body is filled with frightening, I don’t have any instant thoughts about what to tell this stranger. I don’t know if I should tell him what just happened to me, to those trees, to the clouds, and to my car. At the same time, I was wondering that if that was only my imagination, I would be embarrassed for telling this to a stranger. I don’t want to be embarrassed. So, I said “Nothing,” like nothing happened. To be honest, I’m scared of this devil’s driver too.
I stepped back into my car and starts to drive on that lonely dark road again. Nothing goes very well after that too. My car started to go here and there. I stopped and step out of my car, and I wondered what is wrong with the car.
A puncher.
While I’m looking for the stepney and tools and he was looking at me. That man was standing in his place without stating anything. Finally, I had no stepney, and no tools in my car. After an audible sigh, I had an idea that I can go with him instead of fixing this. But also I don’t want to do that. I’m walking directly to his car, and I took the stepney and necessary tools that were in his car without asking permission. I’m replacing the punctured tire like a pro, and I didn’t know exactly how to do that.
He gives me something to consume in a golden cup and he went to his place and leaned against his car as before. I had no idea what was that. Yet I drink that, and it is utterly delicious and hot. After I finish changing the tire, I walk to give him the tools and the cup. He was not there where he was. His car is also missing. I refused to look around, instead, I dropped those tools and the cup down there and sprinted to my car.
On the way, I keep thinking of something in my mind. What has just happened? I’m overwhelmed with fear, excitement, and confusion. I need to get to where I’m going quickly, but where was I going? That is a question within me from the start, and I don't have the answer. I directly made my way from the forest road to the primary highway. After that only my fear and anxiety subsided.
I’m not alone on the highway road. There are vehicles going on this extended road, which is an exceptional comfort for me. I don’t know where this highway goes either. But. I’m gradually going along the side of the road.
Several vehicles ahead of me. I push the accelerator a little more. To my right side, a container truck comes more hastily than me. I see the driver of that loaded truck, holding liquor in his hand. He had tied a red cloth to his head, and I cannot see his face in that darkness. I see if any vehicle is coming behind me. But nothing came of it. I ask him where this road goes. He never speaks to me. I asked him again. He looks at me for a while, and he says nothing. I also did not talk to him after that.
I don't know what he was thinking in that situation, suddenly he made a horn sound from his truck. We were both looking at each other. He gave a slight smile, and he hit my car with his truck and pushed me to the left side of the road, and he is gone.
My car fell upside down. I’m upside down. My right arm and head were severely bruised and bleeding. My blood looks very watery, and my body covers with full of blood like sweat that comes from all of the pores of my skin. My body color is changing gradually to red because the blood came from all the pores. I couldn't move my body. I really wish that the Devil’s driver would come and help me.
While I was trying to open the door of my car, another massive truck comes on the road. I couldn’t get that truck is coming towards me. I’m screaming for help, thinking as if my voice could go outside. The truck is honking its horn coming near me, and it strikes me like we hit an insect with our hand. And he is gone too.
Then?
AS HER WISH
Someone is waking me, and I'm opening my eyes, I can see my husband and I'm lying in my bed without a single scar. I suddenly wake up and stand away from my bed. My body is full of sweat like the blood thing that happened at the last minute of my dream. This is my birthday. Shit, that was my dream. How could these types of dreams come on my birthday? On a memorable day?
I can see my husband is alive now, in reality, and he is facing his back and doing something in the kitchen after he wakes me up. I think he is arranging something for my birthday and that thought gives me some energy. I should get a shower now and I’ve to erase all the memories of my horrible dream. I go inside the bathroom and open the shower tap. That isn't working. I'm planning to cleanse my face at least. I'm opening the tap and the water is coming out with force, not the shower tap, the washbasin one.
I place my hands under the water and am ready to scatter them on my face. I closed my eyes and scattered the water on my face like it was getting rid of the memories of my dream. When the water caresses my face, I can suffer some pain but not get wet. I open my eyes and could see the water flow coming from the tap like normal. But, I'm hearing some unusual sounds inside my bathroom other than the sound of water flowing. I can hear these words, "As your wish." I close the tap, I'm hearing the unusual noise even louder and louder. My bathroom started to glow, but I didn't turn on the lights.
I turn my head to my back, and I can see hundreds of fireflies flying in my bathroom. I cannot see clearly because of the dazzling light coming from the fireflies. Those flies suddenly attacked my face like a group of friends trying to take a piece of cake when cutting. I forcefully shook my head like a cow and I got out of the bathroom, locked and leaned my back on the door. I can feel the pain and fear on my face.
My husband is standing in the kitchen as same as before. As I lean on the bathroom door, he turns to face me and comes towards me. His face has no expressions, and he holds a knife in his right hand. Now, he is standing in front of me. He makes a joker smile on his face telling me "As your wish" and suddenly he slapped me with a non-human force.
His left elbow starts to tighten my neck, and I cannot suddenly adapt to the situation that I didn't anticipate. He is trying to stab me in my abdomen with his knife. I'm holding his right hand to not get stabbed. I opened the bathroom door, kicked him inside, and locked him. I can hear his screams because of the fireflies scratching his skin from hell.
I got out of my house and was craving help. Walking through the streets and thought about the fireflies and the unusual behavior of my husband. I see the man who was in my dream is now sitting in a café across the road. I run across the roads without seeing if any vehicle comes to hit me.
When I’m trying to cross the road, a white minivan strikes me from my side and I’m being thrown near the cafe. I'm lying on the road near the cafe with little blood on my hand. No one comes to help me but the Devil’s driver comes near to me.
"Give me a hand," I beg him.
"Do you know why you are here?" He asked me without any empathy.
I said "I don't know anything about this chaos that is happening to me." and started to cry to save my life.
"As your dream's wish, I am here."
"Then help me," I screamed hysterically.
"I know you couldn’t understand any of these. I will make it clear."
He took me and gave me a chair to sit in. He gives me a drink, and I start to hear him.
In your dream, I came as an official ambassador from the hell. I received an order to kill you and took you to hell. You had a wish in your dream that you needed some fireflies to assist you out of that dark way. As your wish, fireflies appeared from the water drops and flew in front of you in reality, not to help you but to kill you.
You had a wish in your dream that your husband would come and help you to get out of that mess. As your wish, your husband came near you in reality, not to support you but to slay you.
After that, I offered you a drink in your dream. That is your wish drink. That helped you to fulfill your wishes not to help you but to kill you. Because you should have died in your dream but that didn’t happen. Your husband had woken you up before you died. So, your wishes tried to kill you in reality.
You had another wish. Do you remember?. You wished I would come and help you from the accident right? As your wish, I am here. Not to prevent you. But to kill you.
I'm not going to make scars like the fireflies or try to stab you in the abdomen like your husband. You will die on your own.
Now you are drinking that I gave you right? That will help you, not in a good way, but you will die peacefully by consuming that.
WELCOME TO THE HELL
Jagadeesh
Guidelines for the competition : https://www.fanatixxpublication.com/write-o-mania-2023
