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Wishesprologue
He set up the camera the same way his father had always set it up. He adjusted the tripod until he found the chair to focus on. Satisfied with the angle, he slid down the stool that added at least a foot to his 4 feet 4 inches tall frame and ran to the chair in focus. He counted, and at the count of three, he pressed the record button in the small remote control and smiled before the camera.
"Hi. My name is James Russell Geller and tonight we're going to find out if wishes really come true." His demeanor was serious, and his dark brown eyes showed a fierce determination, stubbornness, that had predominantly marked his personality in all his seven years.
He is just like his Daddy, people had always said. Proud and predominantly stubborn is his character, and what consequently earned him the title, 'Little Ross.' He had always insisted that he took after his mother, but even she agreed that he is an exact replica of his father both in appearance and personality. His growing love for science is the final straw to convince everybody that he is, indeed, a 'Little Ross.'
Careful not to make much noise, lest he got busted for taking his Daddy's camera without his permission, James kept his voice low until it was barely over a whisper. "And our accomplice for tonight is none other than the star of all seasons, Starlight Starly," he continued as he held up a faded star that looked like a Christmas décor.
It was.
It was the same treetop decoration he specifically picked to top their Christmas tree three years ago, but the same one that never made it to the top. Nevertheless, it was the star that kept his hopes up throughout the years, and the same one that had kept him believing that wishes-upon-a-star do come true. It was an unusual star to be wishing upon, being the fake star that it was, but being the young and stubborn little boy he was, James made Starly work for him. Who was to say that Starly couldn't make his wishes come true? He cast wishes on Starly before and his wishes came true.
Tonight, however, James needed Starlight Starly to prove herself again. Tonight would determine whether he'd become a better believer tomorrow or whether he'd lose faith in that whimsical childhood idea.
The sudden slamming of the door caused James to jump out of his seat. Soon, his little sister, his unpredictable four-year old little sister, Emma, came careening into his bedroom, clutching the cordless phone with her pudgy hands. She was already clad in her angel costume that she would be wearing for the community Christmas program that they were both participating in, but her honey-blonde curls were still a messy tumble on top of her head.
"James," Emma called to her older brother, her tiny voice urgent as she handed her brother the phone. "Call Aunt Monica. I'm an angel for the play and Daddy don't know how to fix my hair!"
"Sheesh, Ems!" James exclaimed, clutching his chest as if his heart would jump out of his ribcage. "Can't you knock? You scared the crap out of me!"
"Daddy said it's bad to say crap," Emma reprimanded her older brother. "Crap and dammit, because those words are only for Uncle Joey…" Her voice trailed when James ran past her and hurriedly shut the door closed. Immediately, she noticed the camera in the middle of the room. She covered her mouth with her hands and gasped loudly. "Oh no! James! Why do you have Daddy's camera? Daddy's gonna get mad…"
James stood behind his talkative little sister and immediately covered her mouth with his hand before she attracted their father's attention. Of course, he knew he would suffer his father's wrath if he found out that he took the camera, but that was why he was trying to keep his voice down to keep it a secret. "Ssshh!" he sternly commanded the little girl who was struggling to get his hand off her mouth. "I am going to return it later. I'm just borrowing it for my research," he reassured before Emma could tell on him, which he was sure she would.
Emma had always done that in the past, which was why James often wished that Emma never learned how to talk properly. His life used to be peaceful, but when Emma started talking clearly, his tell-all sister always got him into trouble with his Daddy. It was annoying, really; but despite that, he loves his little sister.
"Why?" Emma demanded when she managed to free herself from her brother, her deep blue eyes full of curiosity.
"Because I'm making a documentary!" James explained in a whisper.
Emma wrinkled her brow. "A what?"
James shook his head. His sister would never understand what a documentary is. Emma is four, and all she wants is dressing up her Barbie dolls. "A documentary…you know, the shows that Daddy always make us watch on the Discovery Channel?"
"The dinosaurs?" Emma asked incredulously.
"No…It doesn't have to be always about dinosaurs," James patiently explicated. "It can be about anything. At least, that's what Daddy told me…"
"Like Sesame Street?" Emma pressed curiously.
"Sure." James shrugged his shoulders. Who cares anyway what Emma thought what a documentary is? He never learned what it was until he was six.
Before James could say another word, Emma ran in front of the camera and waved and smiled. "Hi, My name is Emma. Today we're going to sing ABC," she said gaily in front of the camera, much to her brother's chagrin.
James immediately pressed the red button to stop the tape. "Emma, c'mon. Just leave. You're holding me up here…"
"What are you doing?" Emma demanded whiningly. She obviously wanted to be part of her big brother's 'play' but he was not letting her.
James scratched his head. He was already getting a little impatient, but he knew he couldn't yell at his sister and make her cry because that would only make their Daddy go to his room. "I'm going to make a wish, okay?"
"A wish?" Emma innocently repeated. "Why?"
"Because I want to wish that Mommy will come home so she can live with you, me, and Daddy again," James replied. "I miss her. Don't you?"
"But Mommy lives in Italy…" Emma pointed out.
"I know that!" James snapped. "That's why I said I want to wish that she will come home."
"But Daddy said Mommy will not come home anymore because he has a girlfriend…" Emma continued.
James sighed, growing impatient by the second. "Kids!" he mumbled as if he wasn't a kid himself. "Well, if you don't stop asking questions Carrie will become our new mommy. Do you want that?"
Emma winced at the thought. "No," she said slowly, shaking her head. "I already have a mommy and that's Mommy." She sighed, her face pensive momentarily. "Is Daddy really going to make Carrie our new mommy?" she asked worriedly.
"He might if I don't make this wish," James replied as a matter-of factly.
Emma pulled a gagging face, a trick she learned from her older brother. "Eww! I don't like Carrie…"
"I know. Me too," James agreed, making the same gagging face. "That's why I'm going to wish so hard that Mommy will come home tonight."
"Will that make Mommy come home?" Emma wondered out loud.
"I don't know," James replied truthfully. "That's why I'm making a documentary so I'll know if wishes come true."
"A what?" Emma asked again in the same incredulous tone when she heard the word 'documentary' for the first time.
James shook his head. "Never mind…"
Without even bothering to shoo his sister away, James pulled the low stool next to the chair Emma was occupying and sat there. "We don't have time so, let's just do this together. It might work better anyway if there's two of us wishing hard for it."
Emma grinned excitedly, eager that her brother finally let her join him in whatever he was doing. "Okay, what will I do?" she asked enthusiastically.
James rolled his eyes. "Just sit and look pretty," he told her.
"Okay!" Emma couldn't care less that that was all she was going to do. As long as she could be in her big brother's game, she was happy.
On the count of three, James had the camera rolling again. After a long pause, he smiled. "Hi, I'm James Russell Geller," he introduced in front of the camera. He paused again, waiting for his sister to introduce herself. When Emma did no such thing, he nudged her arm and whispered, "You're supposed to say your name…"
"Huh?" Emma was baffled at first, but when she finally caught on what her brother asked her to do, she turned her biggest, cutest smile and flashed it in front of the camera. "My name is Emma."
James cleared his throat before continuing. "Tonight, we're going to find out if Starlight Starly will grant our wish. I've made many wishes before, but this one wish, Starly won't give me. I have been a good boy. Really. I've been stubborn and I believed, but Starly still won't give me my wish. So tonight, I'm going to make a wish again." He took a deep breath and took his 'star' and held it close to his chest. As per ritual, he closed his eyes and sent his wishes with Starly. "Dear, dear Starly. Please make Mommy come home because me and Emma miss her so much! Please, please make it happen. I'm stubborn. I believe…"
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