Thanksgiving is almost a week away and I have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for specific things everyday, but I want to carry that Thankful attitude all through-out the year. I am choosing to share a short story I wrote many years ago called “Be Careful what You wish for” I feel it is relevant for this season. It has a message that we all could use. Enjoy
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
Sarah Vermillion sat quietly on the window seat in her parlor staring out at the weeping willows that surrounded her yard. She got up and grabbed a box off of the table which carried several vases decorated with Daisies. She ran out the door and began dressing the tables that were graced with lace table cloths on them, lovely she thought, but it would have pleased her more to have roses. Dean was throwing a birthday party for her, his one and only true love. Dean came up behind her and hugged and kissed her neck, greeting her, “Hello beautiful happy birthday” he says. She said, “You have wished me three happy birthdays since we have been up, are you trying to age me.” He said, “My dear you are as young to me today as you were when I first looked into those beautiful blue green eyes.” They had been married for eight years. Deans adoration was all consuming, gracing her with a compliment everyday. He owned a small horse farm and worked incessantly to please Sarah and give her all that his money and back would allow. He was ambitious and believed he would have the biggest horse farm in the state one day. The guests began arriving and Sarah’s best friend Shelley and her daughter Bell were sharing in gossip when a strapping young man approaches Bell and kissed her with a passion that made both Sarah and Shelley blush. Shelley said, stop now young ones that is shameful in public. The teenagers giggled and ran off.
Sarah secretly was jealous, she had fantasized many a day and night about what that kind of passion would be like again. She yearned for it and could not be satisfied with the true love of which she was blessed. They all had a wonderful time and the night left only Sarah and Dean. He kissed her and said, “Sarah, “you look more beautiful with every year that passes.” She smiled and reciprocated his compliment with a kiss, very unlike the kiss she had witnessed earlier, hers was reduced to his strong cheek. He sensed something was wrong and asked, “Darling what is wrong do you feel well?” She says “yes why?” He said, “You seem down.” She said, “Guess its the birthday blues.” He smiled the warm smile that she had seen thousands of times and said, “This will pass my love, tomorrow is a new day and I am thankful for another year with you.” She did not return the sweetness instead she kept thinking about the passion between Bell and John. Dean asked are you coming to bed. She said, “No it is only nine o’clock.” He said, “Well darling I have to get up early tomorrow and I am beat. Night my love as he kissed her gently.”
She began to reflect and she started getting angry. She looked around at the one story house and thought how small. Overlooking the beautiful decor and expensive rugs and lace curtains that seemed to dance for her each day when she opened her windows. The birds singing all around her as if serenading her. She felt resentful saying to herself, Shelley has a house twice the size of mine, and as she thought further she really got upset saying, as a matter of fact all of our friends have bigger and more lavish homes. She went to sleep dis-satisfied and awoke the same way. She got up with Dean and began making his breakfast, she had to milk the cow. She looked at Dean and said, “I am so tired of soiling my hands on this farm, why can’t we have servants like Shelley?” Dean said, sweetly with sadness in his eyes, “I am sorry Sarah it wont be much longer and we will hit it rich.” She shot back at him, “I have heard that for eight years and meanwhile I live in a one story house, carrying blisters on my hands working the garden.” Dean said, “Its not like you are in poverty Sarah, we do well and better than most. Have you wanted any good thing? Look at your dresses how they make you shine and the jewelry that you love showing off. I know our home is small Sarah, but it is nice and almost speaks to you saying, come and rest and relax awhile, he chuckled.” She was not amused and she grabbed the milk bucket and stormed off to the barn.
He followed her and said, “I am sorry I will do better I promise, please don’t be unhappy Sarah because your happiness is my desire always. Can you give me a smile before I hit the dusty trail.” She did muster a half-smile and a peck on the lips was all he got. He did not care, he was satisfied but unfortunately she was not. She grabbed the garden tools to begin a flower bed over to the left of the house. She began to dig and had hit something hard, she thought it was a rock and hit it harder and realized it was medal. She dug and dug and pulled a medal box out of ground. It looked ancient and had a lock on it. She immediately got excited and her imagination went wild thinking of the possibilities of what could be hidden inside. She went to the barn and busted the lock and opened it and gold dust came up and hit her in the face causing her to cough. She clears her throat and sees a burlap sack. She pulls the sac out and found a beautiful bottle. It was fat and covered in jewels, topaz, gold and rubies. She felt as if it were breathing. She dug deeper in the box and found a letter. It read
Whoever may find this, no matter what day or night
you will be given wishes thrice
whoever may find this, no matter what year it be
Be careful what you wish for, you only have three.
Think before you ask, so that your heart may stay true
Be careful what you wish for, because it can come back on you
You cannot wait to wish for what you may desire, there is only an allotted time
Do not wait long and let this opportunity pass you by
So open the bottle once your wishes are made
and stand back and be amazed
When your wishes are made, close and reseal
It will never work for you again no matter how you feel
The wishes cannot be taken back once they are made
So be careful what you choose to say
Return it to the ground where it can remain
Leaving it for the next that desires change.
She half believed it and thought, if this letter is true, then this is what she had been waiting for. She thought, I do not need to think about my wishes I know what I want. The first wish was for an exciting young man. The second wish was for wealth, bigger house and servants. The third and last wish was for long life. She opened the bottle and nothing happened. She was expecting something supernatural to take place and nothing was different. She was disappointed and placed it back in its home and left it. A few days later she had forgotten all about it. Shelley asked her to go to party. Shelley knew that she was on her own for a few days. Dean was out-of-town on business. Shelley filled her in telling her that, the hosts name was Seth Cranston. She went on to explain that he was a very powerful and rich man who owned three saloons. She told her that her husband Robert was trying to make a very promising business deal with him. Sarah joyfully accepted her invitation. They stepped inside of a gorgeously decorated ball room. The floors were shining like glass, Sarah could see her reflection in them. They mingled and had some drinks, then the music started. Sarah did not have a suitor there so she was compelled to go to the veranda which was breath-taking. The moon was full and it was a warm and windy night. Magnolias and roses glistening from the moonlight, the scent of jasmine in the air. It was a perfect night as far as Sarah was concerned. A servant brought her out a drink and she thought, this is the life, I could get use to this. It wasn’t as if she had not been to parties with the rich, but the problem was it was over at the end of the night. She craved this life. She looked back and caught the eye of the host Seth Cranston. He was tall and very handsome. Hair as black as night and chocolate-brown eyes that melted her. She quickly looked away. He began to come over to her. She was excited and scared with anticipation.
The closer he got the more nervous she became, after all she was a married country girl who milked cows and worked the garden, what would she say. As he was approaching her she quickly wiped her hands on her dress getting rid of the evidence of her nervousness, which was sweaty palms. He put his hand out and introduced his self, “I am Seth Cranston who might you be?” She told him her name and they shook hands. The rest of the night they were inseparable. They talked and danced till the party was over. He asked her if he could see her again? She said, “I am married.” He said, “The way you have looked at me all night says differently.” She instantly knew he did not care that she was married and then the tidal wave began.
Sarah got up to the sound of loud saloon music. She looked out her window and sees nothing but a brick wall. She goes into the water closet and looks in the mirror and sees that fifteen years had passed. Looking at all the lines and scars that marked her now, she saw more than fifteen years stretched across her face. Seth was killed over cheating people. She did not grieve but instead prayed many a night he would die in his sleep. Her dream man turned out to be unfaithful and a woman beater. She took countless beatings over twelve years. She survived them all and felt that, that was an accomplishment. She was left with nothing, everything was sold to pay off Seth’s debts. She worked at the saloon as the cook and bottle washer. She often wondered about Dean and had lived in regret of making those wishes so long ago. She was desperate and decided to go back to her and Deans horse farm, and dig up that box and hope and pray after all these years that the force that resided would not know it was her. The words rang in her ears from the poem, “It will never work for you again no matter how you feel.” The very words that excited her fifteen years ago, now haunted her. She did not care, what did she have to lose. She took a coach ride to the farm. The driver pulled up and she was astounded the ground was barren, no longer rich and vibrant, no more vegetables, no more horses running the property. The fence was rotting and broken. She walked to the house and could see how worn down it had become, the shutters were missing, blown off by the winds that use to dance for her through the curtains. She was saddened as she stepped inside the house with memories flooding her. Seeing the day play out when Dean bought the house and farm. She remembered how happy she was. Remembering getting the rugs and furniture and how cozy she felt then. She went over to the window seat covered in dust and she sat down staring out at the weeping willows that actually seemed to be weeping now. It was totally quiet and no birds were serenading her. It was abandoned and lonely.
She was on her way to the box. She knew she could not have Dean ever again, she had heard many years ago he remarried and hit it rich, and did end up having the biggest horse farm in the state. He lived on hundreds of acres and had a three story house and two children. She grieved for her discontentment all those years ago. Her only hope was the box. She opened it and proceeded to make her wishes. She wished that she could undo her wishes and turn back time. She wished she could find contentment in life. She wished she would have appreciated what she had. After the wishes there was nothing out of the ordinary just like before. There was no change. She understood how important choice was and that her third wish would be to live long and even that one backfired because she was left to suffer, with no take backs. She had forfeited true love for excitement. She had snubbed her little cozy house to now be in a hotel with a view of a big, ugly brick wall. She followed the beast that all human beings have, which was her emotions and impulses. She chose the temporal over the permanent. So the moral of the story is be careful what you wish for.
I prefer happy endings but for this story just like real life, choices do not always turn out well. I was inspired long ago to do this story because of all the discontented people. This story is written for all of those who have the “grass is always greener on the other side syndrome.” This story is written to all those who leap before they think, living out of their emotions and not counting the costs. For all of those who can’t see their blessings instead curse them. Let us count our blessings today, and purpose to be happy with what we have, and who we have to share it with.
By Kimber Renee
The Screaming Author Blog 