Rye didn't know what she was doing as she parked in front of the tiny store. There was only one other car in the lot of the shopping center, and it didn't sit well with her. She was at a loss as to what she was doing there. It was her day off and she needed to be cleaning her house and trying to catch up on her sleep, but here she was…at the friggin wish factory. It all boiled down to hope, it was stupid, but there it was. She was only nineteen, and she was living like a worn out middle-aged dropout. She had hope that her life wasn't going to be like that forever, so she wanted to give it a try. Still, it was foolish, and it was this back and forth that had kept her in her car for the last ten minutes instead of getting out and going in. Rolling her eyes, she shut her car off and climbed out. She made sure it was locked and that she had her pepper spray on her keychain firmly in hand as she walked through the dimly lit entryway. She saw only a counter and a small round table up against the wall. There wasn't any merchandise or wall decorations, the uneasy feeling began to surround her, and just as she was trying to back out without being heard, a voice sounded from behind the counter.
"Ah, welcome to the wish factory, I do apologize for the state of our store. We are brand new and just getting started." Rye looked around with a puzzled expression and couldn't keep from asking the obvious question.
"Why are you opening if you have no stock?" The man moved forward gracefully, almost as if he was floating and she found it be incredibly unnerving. He was extremely tall, had to be at least six five and his eyes were, well they were a bright purple. She found herself staring at them until she shook her head, thinking they had to be contacts. He smiled serenely at her as he gestured her towards the table. Rye clenched the bottle tightly in her hand as she walked over, never turning her back to him and took a seat. He walked over soundlessly and sat across from her.
"I can understand your confusion, but I assure you what you read was real. I am called Grady, and I am but a servant of the Other, we have come to balance out this realm. There is too much despair, lying, grief, and crime. Too many innocents suffer needlessly because of the selfish, and we have come to cure it." Ryleigh knew that her mouth was open as she stared at him, she couldn't help it. What kind of nonsense was this? He smiled knowingly at her as he spoke again.
"I understand your confusion and your skepticism, but you are entitled to your complimentary wish. What will it be? You can have anything that your heart desires, and I will make it so. Though choose wisely because the next wish you don't get to choose, and it certainly isn't free." Ryleigh stood up as she eyed him, it was just too weird, she had to go.
"You know, I think I'm okay, my curiosity got the best of me, and yeah, I'm gonna go." He smiled again and gestured towards the door.
"Of course, you are free to leave; you are no prisoner. If the ad found you though, you have been deemed a worthy candidate. Of which wish, that I do not yet know, but you may take your leave. I do urge you to at least take your complimentary wish. Only speak what you wish, and it will be." Ryleigh had enough of this dude and the way he talked.
"Okay so if I asked for a million dollars to miraculously show up in my account for me to use as I want with no repercussions or taxes, could you make that happen?" Grady bowed his head and spread his arms out in front of him.
"Is that your wish, Ms. Jameson? Think wisely before you answer as this is the only free wish you will get." Ryleigh felt a shiver go down her spine as he said her name because she was pretty sure she hadn't given it. Rolling her eyes, ready to leave she threw her hands up.
"Of course, that is my wish!" Grady stood up and walked over to her and took her hand.
"Before I grant your wish, I would like to know your motivations for such a sum. You do not seem like a greedy girl, so please indulge my curiosity." Rye was taken aback by his question and the fact that she was suddenly calm and knew that he'd never harm her. She swallowed and without knowing why she answered him honestly.
"Well, the money would pay off all of mine and my mom's debts. She's got a lot of hospital bills because chemo isn't cheap and isn't fully covered by her insurance. Not to mention my car is falling apart, we're going to lose our house, and I am killing myself working two jobs." Grady gave her a sad smile and nodded as he placed his free hand on top of hers.
"Thank you for answering so honestly; I am truly sorry for everything you've endured, without complaint I might add. Your money is in your personal account, not the one your mother has access to so that you may distribute it where it needs to go without fear of her dipping into it to buy more beer. You'll find that it was made as a lump sum deposit due to an unexpected inheritance that is tax-free." Ryleigh felt the tear slip down her cheek as she looked up into the depth of Grady's eyes. She pulled her phone out to check her bank account, but somehow, she knew the money would be there. When she unlocked her bank's app, she gasped when she saw the balance in her account. She looked up at the kind face of Grady and back down at her phone. She sputtered her response, thinking she must be dreaming.
"But, I only asked for a million, this is so much more than that!" He continued to smile his kind smile, showing no sign of pity at all.
"Consider it a gift from myself as I know your exact situation. I also know which wish you are tasked with if you will accept it. I think you'll find it most agreeable." Ryleigh jerked back as if he'd smacked her. This was the catch, and she should have known before she opened her mouth.
"Wait, why would I be tasked with a wish, doesn't that defeat the purpose of a wish?" He let go of her hand and motioned towards the door.
"Go home now, Ms. Jameson and get your life in order as you see fit. I will call upon you soon to offer you your next wish and explain the rules. You may decline it, but if you do, you will not be offered a wish ever again. The money will remain yours as that was your freebie. Be safe going home and please do purchase a new car, yours will not last another week, I'm afraid."
Ryleigh walked out to her of the shop in a complete daze and drove straight to the bank. When she asked about her deposit at the counter, the teller greeted her warmly and ushered over to the bank manager who began to explain the need for different account and savings as the FDIC only covered $250,000 per account. He expressed his condolences to the loss but excitedly got the paperwork ready for her to disperse the money into savings and high yield accounts. Grady had given her a sum of over 20 million, and she was speechless as to what do with it. When she got home, she immediately called her job at the warehouse and told them she quit. She then called her bookstore job and told her that she had to take the following day off, but would be back to work the day after that. Her mother eyed her suspiciously as she sat at the table in their kitchen and paid off debt after debt. Once she'd finished paying off the most important things, her mother towered over her, standing with her crutches.
"Sweetie, what the hell is going on in here? I heard you call your boss and quit the factory, and you can't do that! How are we going to live? You know I hate to put you in this position, but I can't work, and you know it. You've been in here spending money like crazy that we just don't have. What did you do, did you get in with some bad people to get money? Please tell me you didn't do anything illegal." Ryleigh looked up at her mother and pursed her lips.
"The purse strings are closed. I found the paper you were trying to hide from me showing that I had control over your disability check. You're going to wean off the alcohol, and it's going to be locked up and dispersed to help you cut it out completely. I've paid off the mortgage and your medical bills. I've also hired a therapist to help you get more active and eventually you'll be fitted with a prosthetic for your leg. We're going to be fine mom, just fine.
Ryleigh was so relieved at being out from under it all. She still worked her part-time job to get out of the house and to give her mom some privacy during her therapy sessions. She kept waiting for Grady to show up and she was terrified that he was going to tell her that there'd been a mistake and that she had to give the money back. After a month of getting her life back together as he suggested, it happened. She had let her guard down and convinced herself that she'd never see him again, but when she got home from the bookstore one overcast evening, Grady was sitting on her porch swing looking as serene as ever. She approached him cautiously, shoving her long strawberry tresses out of her face. He stood up at her approach and bowed to her with a smile. He glanced around the small house with a growing smile.
"Ms. Jameson, I am so pleased to see you again, and looking far better than the last time we met." Rye smiled back at him and walked over to him, not afraid, just leery.
"Hi Grady, this is a surprise. I honestly thought that you'd forgotten about me by now." Grady shook his head and chuckled at her.
"Nonsense, I just wanted to give you plenty of time to get your affairs in order before I came to offer you your wish. Upon settling your free wish, it was pressed upon me which to give you. If we may go inside, I'll present it with the rules, and you may choose to accept or deny." Ryleigh took a deep breath and moved to unlock the door; sure she'd be able to resist what he had to offer.
"Sure, come on in, I finally got my mom to start sleeping in her bed again so we should have the front room to ourselves." His smiled widened as he stepped inside and walked over to the living room.
"That's genuinely great news; I am very happy for you. Now, if you will sit, I will start the explanations." Rye was cautious as she sat across from him and he seemed amused. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a key fob. He kept it in his hand, palm open and faced her as he began.
"This is the Channeler. It has two buttons as you can see and I will explain what this is. You need to get away and live the perfect life meant only for you. You've truly had a tough time, and this will take that away and let you choose the life you want. There are rules; however, that must be followed strictly. It may seem easy, but I assure you it has taken down a great many." Ryleigh looked at the fob dubiously; it looked so harmless. Sensing her disbelief, he held out his hand.
"I will demonstrate what this will do for you, and then I will explain the rules and the consequences. Please take my hand and then tell me one of your favorite television shows, a show you love to talk about and sometimes wish you could be a part of." She took his hand and shrugged her shoulders; she had no idea what show to give him. She hadn't had time to watch tv in so long that she said the first thing that popped into her head.
"I don't know, how about the Flash?" He smiled and bowed his head pressing his thumb to the left button on the fob. He began walking towards her television, taking her with him and reached out to touch it. He waited patiently as she hesitated but reached out to touch the top of the tv as well. Instantly she felt a heaviness and the sense of being jerked forward. Her vision blurred for a couple of minutes, causing her to panic, but then it suddenly stopped. She glanced around to take in her environment, and her mouth dropped open at what she saw. She was standing inside the flash's command center at Star Labs. Grady let go of her hand and smiled.
"Go ahead and look around, interact. You'll get five minutes in this universe before we must go back so I can explain everything to you. Do not worry, they will know who you are, and you will know what to say." She turned around in a full circle and came to a stop at the suit. Barry's suit was right there, and she couldn't help herself as she reached out to stroke it. She jumped at the sound of a familiar voice coming from behind her.
"Hey Rye, I'm so glad that you stopped by, I was really hoping that we could talk." She turned around suddenly and came face to face with Barry Allen. She glanced around the room and saw only Barry, Grady was nowhere to be seen. She looked back at Barry and knew instantly why he was so cautious towards her; it was crazy as she had memories of conversations that had never taken place. She took a step towards him and tilted her head.
"Hi, Barry." He grinned, reached forward and took her hand.
"I know I probably shouldn't have told you, but I couldn't bear the thought of not telling you. I mean, you agreed to marry me, and this is such a big part of why I am the way I am, you deserved to know." Suddenly their love story was in her mind. She was in love with him? It was so foreign yet so strong, the pull to him. Still, she also felt the betrayal of finding out his secret after dating him for so long. She took a step back from him, her hand slipping out of his.
"I don't know why I came here tonight; I guess I just wanted to see it for myself. You really are the flash…and you didn't tell me." He ran a hand through his hair, apparently terrified he was about to lose her.
"Babe, I don't have an excuse. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. I didn't want you to be a part of this, but I love you, and I want to be with you and start a family with you. We couldn't do that without me telling you." Rye shook her head, seeing the options in front of her, but she had the evidence in her head, and she wanted to answer truthfully as if it actually had happened.
"How did you expect me to react, Bar? We've been dating for over a year, a year, and you've kept this from me. I just think that I need some time to process before I can give you a proper answer." She saw a tear fall down Barry's face as he shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded.
"No, I get it, I understand. I'll back off and give you the time you need, and I'll respect whatever decision you make." Suddenly the room dimmed, and Barry seemed to freeze. Grady appeared next to her and held his hand out to her. She gratefully took it; she was so confused about what just happened. He smiled as she placed her hand in his and pressed the button on the right. The pulling sensation returned, but it wasn't as bad. After a few minutes, her vision returned, and she was back in her living room. She sat down slowly on her couch and glared at him.
"What the hell kind of virtual reality was that?!" He sat down beside her and chuckled at her reaction.
"That, my dear Ms. Jameson, was not a virtual reality experiment. You truly were in Central City having a conversation with your lover, Barry Allen AKA the Flash. When you enter their dimension, you are a part of the story, good or bad." She couldn't process it; she was still a little dizzy as she stared at the mysterious man in front of her. He held up the fob in front of him and smiled once more.
"Intrigued?"
