Indulgence
By Any Unborn Child
"I will grant you one wish."
"You mean…like an Arabian genie?"
"Yes…but you only get one wish. Not three."
These were the words, the sentences that came from each other's lips that haunted the most of all.
It was unlike anything Elmer had experienced before. When he first boarded the great ship, he thought that it would be just an escape from his usual, mundane life.
But he never expected to be under water, in the bottomless sea, near Death's door, and asking for one wish.
One wish….
Just one….
He had never dreamt of this, nor had he thought of this to be reality.
A wish….
"One wish….."
There he was, floating in the water, in these gentle yet unforgiving arms, as the sea was a harsh mistress, he smiled as he thought of the one wish that was his to be granted.
"All right, my one wish is….."
He felt that his wish was his own, one to have and not toss aside.
His one wish, as he floated in the water, was to live.
To live to the fullest.
In this life, his one life and his own only, was his to live.
To live and be immortal.
To see Huey.
To keep smiling.
He smiled.
He knew that his wish was granted as the water seemed to disappear from all around him, and that he was spared from Death's cold grip.
He kept smiling.
With this wish, Elmer was saved. For one moment, it was as if he finally knew the true nature of happiness…the feeling that slowly washed over him, filling his heart with so much fortune and gladness, and then having that feeling escape him the next second.
Remembering this feeling, he held this meeting, this chance occurrence with the sonorous, almost seductive, voice of the demon, close to his heart. Oddly enough, in his truest of hearts, he thanked him for giving him that experience. He thanked him because it was about as close to true happiness as he would ever have.
To further this appreciation, he smiled. He smiled all the time. He smiled even when he felt the slightest bit down. He smiled at strangers, wishing them a good day whilst they raised their eyebrows in perplexity. He smiled at his closet friends, so that they would have the happiness that he had at that moment. He even smiled at the brief, passing glances of those that he would probably never see again.
He just kept smiling, even when he didn't need to. He smiled because he was happy or just wanted to brighten someone's day, so that they would be just as happy as he was. Just so that they would know that there was even just a slice of goodness in their life, because they didn't knew whether it would be their last day on Earth.
Because they wouldn't get the wish that he had granted, by the demon's voice that he kept close to him, to remind that life was so precious, so fast-paced that the happiness that everyone believed was long-lasting was truly the only thing that passed by so quickly.
It was almost indulgent, holding on to that moment, the moment when his wish was granted, the moment that he spoke to the demon.
But still…even if it was only for a short time, it was worth it.
Because in that moment, he truly experienced what it was like to have his breath taken away from him.
Who knows? Maybe he'd hear from him again someday…