The Monkey's Paw
Chapter 2: The First Wish
Tuesday, the very next day…
It was around seven ten in the morning and the two brothers had just reached school. The two then split from each other, leaving to join their separate groups of friends who were conveniently waiting for their arrival.
"Hey everybody!" Alfred waved to his circle and ran over to join them while Matthew shyly walked to his Russian, Cuban and Dutch friends.
While Matthew's group left the area to go somewhere else, Alfred's group stayed where they were. Alfred quickly pulled everyone in closer as if he were to tell them an important secret.
"You guys have to check this out! I picked it up when me and Matt went to the mall yesterday." He pulled out the slender golden tube from his pocket, showing it to his group of friends. "I can't get it to open though. I really want to know what's inside."
"Here let me try!" One voice rang out.
"No! I want to!" said another.
"You're too weak! Let me do it."
The other boys in the group began to argue and soon they began to fight, each claiming that they were the one who would be able to open the tube.
"Hey now! Let's not fight over this!" Alfred yelled above the shouting voices. "I know!" His interjection caught the attention of the others. "We'll just pass it around until one of us is able to open it."
The boys then positioned themselves into a circle and Alfred passed the tube to the left. One by one, each boy tried but all of them failed in opening the mysterious cylinder. Finally, the golden tube was handed to the shyest and weakest boy in the group, Kiku Honda. As soon as he touched the tube and held it in his grasp the bottom portion slid out, revealing a bandaged grey thing.
Kiku suddenly screamed, dropped the artifact, and backed off as if he had touched something considered a taboo. He went as far as he could while still remaining in the circle of boys. Alfred had barely enough time to react when Kiku dropped the case and he somehow he managed to grab his treasure without it falling to the ground.
"Jeeze Kiku! What's your problem?" He looked up at the now trembling Japanese boy hiding behind his Greek friend.
"Th-that object…Alfred, it's cursed…W-why do you have it?" The scared boy quietly asked.
"You know what it is?" Alfred asked excitedly. "What is it Kiku? Really! I want to know!" By now he had run up closer to the boy, getting in his face. He became very excited, wanting to know more about the mysterious bandaged thing inside the tube.
"I-it's called a monkey's paw."
"A monkey's paw huh…What does it do?"
Kiku opened his mouth to answer but was swiftly cut off by the first morning bell. Kids all around the group rushed to their first period of the day. One by one Alfred's friends left, including Kiku. He guessed that he would have to question what the boy had said during lunch…or he could just research this "monkey's paw" on his own, after all, web design was his first class and nobody did what the teacher wanted them to do. They all went surfing on the internet instead, which was way more fun than making some boring website.
When Alfred reached his assigned computer in his class he immediately went and started looking up information on the monkey's paw. What he found sparked his interest in the relic even more.
"Wow, it grants the holder wishes! How cool! I can't wait to tell Mattie!" Alfred squealed in his chair. What he missed however, was the notion of doom that wisher gets in exchange for his wish…
When school ended, Alfred met up with his brother by the front gates. Together, the two started their walk home.
"Hey Mattie, guess what!"
"What is it Alfred?"
"You know the thing, the relic from yesterday?"
"Yeah, I do. I was there when you got it."
"Well Kiku managed to get it open."
At his brother's words Matthew stopped dead in his tracks. He turned and faced his brother, a look of horror in his normally kind and gentle eyes.
"What!?"
"I said that Kiku managed to open the tube."
"H-how!? Alfred! The shopkeeper, Mr. Yao said not to open it!"
"Hey! I wasn't the one who opened it! It was Kiku! And who cares about what some creepy Asian guy said. It's not like the thing will hurt anyone."
When he was done with his part of the argument, Alfred continued his walk, his brother frozen in his tracks.
"Al! Wait!" Matthew cried, as he ran to catch up with his brother. "How do you know that it would do anything bad?"
"I looked it up in first period. The things called a monkey's paw. Here look." He pulled out the tube and easily opened it. Alfred then proceeded to pull out the grey, wrapped paw. "I read that it'll grant the owner wishes."
"How many wishes do you get?"
"I don't really know…does it really matter? I've got a great idea! Let's try it out! We'll wish for something and then see if it'll happen!"
"I don't know Al…What if something bad happens…"
"Stop being such a worrywart Matt. Let's see…I wish…I wish for it to rain tomorrow. Yeah, that'll work. The weather man said it was supposed to be sunny tomorrow so if it rains, we'll know if the wish came true." He proceeded to place the paw back into the tube, unaware of the cracking sound coming from the inside of the golden relic.
"I hope you're right Al…about it being safe…"
Wednesday Morning
"Mattie! Mattie! Matt!"
Matthew was awoken by the harsh shoving of his shoulder and the sound of his name.
"Look! It's raining! I told you the paw granted wishes!"
"What are you talking about Al?"
"Come here and I'll show you!"
Matthew sleepily got out of bed and walked to the window in their shared bedroom. When he became aware of his surroundings, he heard the pitter-patter of rain against the sidewalk and the outside glass of the window.
"Oh my God Al! What have you done?!"
"Me!? I've done absolutely nothing! I just wished on the monkey's paw and it granted my wish! How awesome is that?" Alfred then proceeded to do a little dance of victory. "See, I told you the paw was magical. And look nothing is wrong with us, we're fine."
"But…but Al! Don't you wonder where the water for the rain originated? I mean it wasn't supposed to rain today, so where did it all come from?"
"Mattie, don't be such a spoilsport and stop worrying. You worry yourself way too much for our age."
"But Al! Everything sees so suspicious. I mean somehow Kiku manages to open the tube. Then you find out that it magically grants wishes! And then because you wished for it, it somehow started to rain! It doesn't make any sense! All this seems too perfect, almost too good to be true. There has to be a catch somewhere. I know there is..."
"It's all in your head Mattie. If you were to take the time and actually enjoy the moment, you'd see that this happens to be a perfect opportunity that we just so happened to stumble upon. You don't need to worry."
"But…but Al…"
"What did I just say?"
"I don't need to worry…"
"Exactly."
Alfred then gathered up his school clothes and walked into the hallway in the direction of the bathroom. Matthew stayed where he was, gazing out the window at the pouring rain. A slight pout formed on his face.
"It just seems so weird…" he whispered quietly to himself.
Little did Alfred and Matthew know, earlier that morning a few people enjoying their nice walk in the park noticed that all the water in the central pond was gone. There was nothing that could explain the odd occurrence and it left visitors puzzled as to why the pond was drained.
Yay for a new chapter! I totally didn't do my APES homework because I wanted to write this! YAY! I hope that everything makes sense. Like I said before, I'm trying a new style for this story instead of like the one in The Boy with the Purple Eyes. I think for that story, it won't be updated till maybe Friday or Thursday...This story however will hopefully be completed soon. I want it to be shorter than TBWTPE. I also need to get back to my other story, A Secret Hidden From You. I've been neglecting that one :( Anyway, I hope that this chapter wasn't as boring as I think it is...but I assure you, after this one, the wishes get better so the story will get more exciting. OK now that I'm done, I'm going to bed...good night!
PS Read and Review! :D