Be careful what you wish for

Fifteen year-old Jenna Styles walked towards the door as the door bell rang. She looked at the grandfather clock standing in the living room and frowned. It was one in the morning. Who would be visiting at this time? Jenna's parents were out of town and her ninety year-old grandmother was fast asleep in her room.

Jenna silently marched towards the door and unlocked it. She turned the door knob and slowly opened the door. Jenna looked around but she could not see anyone. Strange! She thought. She took a step outside. Her foot knocked on something hard on the ground. Jenna looked down to see a black box, lying at her feet. It had a silver ribbon running around it with a big bow right on the top. Someone had left a gift.

Jenna picked it up. It was a little heavy. She looked around one more time to see if the person who left the parcel was still around. She couldn't see anyone. Jenna walked back into the house and locked the door behind her. What could this possibly be? Who was it for? Jenna turned the box around, looking for a name. There was no name.

Jenna walked into the living room and switched on the television. She didn't want to go back to sleep. She was awake at 1 am simply because she wasn't in the mood to sleep. Just couple of days back she had found her boyfriend, Will, cheating on her. What was even worse was that he had been cheating on her with none other than her own best friend, Katie. She wasn't even that pretty but clearly, Will found her more attractive. But right now Jenna was distracted from all of that. Clearly this mystery box was far more interesting than her sloppy love life.

Jenna increased the volume of the TV and jumped onto the sofa with the mystery box on her lap. "Ok, now let's see what you are." She calmly removed the silver bow and started unpacking the box. She opened the lid of the box which revealed a glass ball. A crystal ball? She wondered. Nah! That's a myth! Jenna didn't believe in magic. However the crystal ball sure was amazing. It had a nice bronze stand and the glass was simply shinning. It was so beautiful to look at. She looked hard at the ball leaning closer towards it. Closer... closer... closer... The tip of her nose was now almost touching the surface.

'You have one wish!' Jenna jumped back as the words flashed across the crystal ball. "Wow, interesting effect!" The surface must have some kind of heat sensor inside it. That's why it flashed just as she went closer, she thought. "Ok," Jenna said, as if she was challenging the crystal ball. "Since I don't believe in magic I'll make one wish! Let's see if it works!" Jenna smiled. Only one face appeared in her mind as she thought about what she wanted. How many times had she wished for Katie to disappear? Nothing had happened before, and she was sure nothing will happen now. But she wanted to try it anyway. "I wish that Katie Simpson will disappear forever!" She looked around, half expecting something to happen. Flickering lights? Earthquake? Nothing! Oh how stupid! She thought, laughing at herself. She looked at the TV to watch the last ten minutes of Fright Night, and turned it off. Horror movies are stupid, she thought as che put the crystal ball back into the box and carried it into her bedroom. An hour had passed since she had opened the door. It was now time to sleep.

Jenna had had a peaceful morning the following day. She had forgotten all about the crystal ball, and hadn't seen Katie or Will the entire day. She followed her normal routine of classes and had a normal lunch. During the first lecture after lunch her principal, Mr Matthews had come running into the classroom and had said something to her class teacher, Mrs Smith. Mrs Smith had immediately cancelled the lecture and rushed out with Mr Matthews.

"I wonder what that was about," Jenna said to Mary, the girl who sat beside her.

"Oh dint you hear?" Mary asked.

"Hear what?"

"Katie is missing," Jenna's heart stopped as she looked at Mary.

"Missing?" Jenna muttered.

"Yeah!" Mary continued. "No one has seen her since last night. Her parents say she went to bed but in the morning when her mom went into her room she wasn't there! No one has heard from her and none of her friends know where she is!"

"Oh!" Was it her fault? Jenna wondered. She had wished for Katie to disappear! "I gotta go."

Jenna picked up her books and ran out of the classroom. She couldn't stay for another lecture. She packed her bag and ran home, straight into her room and shut the door behind her. She threw the bag onto her bed and picked up the mystery box off her dresser. If the crystal ball had really done it maybe she could reverse it back. She didn't have any intention of actually hurting Katie. Where was she? Was she ok? Could she be... dead?

Jenna opened the box to pick up the crystal ball. No! The box was empty! Where was it? Jenna looked around, trying to think if maybe she did not put the crystal ball into the box last night. As she searched the dresser she suddenly spotted something that wasn't there before. A glass doll stood on her dresser. It had long blonde hair, wore a stripped pyjama and had dark eyes. Katie! Jenna picked up the doll. She felt tears curling up in her eyes. She wanted the spell reversed! "I wish for this spell to reverse!" She screamed. She looked at the doll as she suddenly felt her hand become stiff. She dropped the doll onto the bed as she felt herself shrink. No! This wasn't happening! "Noooo!" Jenna screamed.

Katie opened her eyes and looked around. Was this Jenna's room? How did she get here? She wondered. Where was Jenna? She stood up and sported a doll lying on the ground. She picked it up. This doll looked so much like Jenna! It was even wearing a cheerleader costume! How stupid of Jenna to keep a doll of herself! Katie thought, laughing. She picked the doll up and put it into a black box she had spotted on the side of the dresser.

"Jenna!" Katie called out. "Wherever you are, I'm going home!" Katie walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Cigarettes... Is it worth all the trouble?

It pained my heart as I watched him walk out of the door. All this time we were so close. We had been best friends or even closer. I will never be able to define what kind of friendship we had. Whatever it was, right now it was shattering. Crashing into pieces. Why? Just cos of one cigarette?

What is it with guys and cigarettes anyway? Cigarettes, which guys are willing to die for... Cigarettes, which they would sacrifice anything for... including their friends and all their loved ones. Was is just an addiction? Or is it like a drug that you can never give up once you get into? Was it worth sacrificing your friendship for a cigarette?

Most guys I knew did not smoke. I thought the new generation of modern guys did not smoke at all. But I was wrong. I wish I could go back into the past and erase my words of asking him not to smoke. Even though I was 100 per cent allergic to smoke, and even if the smell of cigarettes could harm me or even kill me, at least I would've had my friend! At least he wouldn't have changed. He had had the opportunity to chose between my friendship and his beloved cigarette, and he chose the second. I felt pained and crushed. This wasn't right! I had to be ok! I had to be fine!

"I'm fine!" I screamed out trying to convince myself. But was I fine? I did not know. Why did a cigarette have to come in between? It was the stupidest reason I could think of for a good friendship to shatter. But my allergy came in between. He doesn't understand the problem I have for smoke. The doctor had once advised my father to stop smoking because it was affecting me! How could I hang around all day long with a person who has smoke filled in his lungs?

I closed my eyes and flashed back to all the happier days. He used to call me at least five or six times a day. But not anymore. Now he hardly ever calls me unless I called him first. He's forgotten me! He wants time alone. I have to let go! I have to leave him alone.

"Ok!" I said to myself. I'm not going to trouble him again. He was a free person. He can do whatever he wanted. I had no right to tell him what to do. After all it was his life! He'd call me if he wanted to. If he doesn't call me, that means he doesn't want me or my freindship. He can move on. He can be happy. If cigarettes are his happiness, then I wont stand in the way. I'd have to let go.

I decided to put all my thought into paper and send it to him. He would be happy and move on with his precious cigarettes. I'd go back into the same old lonely lifestyle I've always been in. And maybe I'd continue to hope and pray that someday he would stop smoking. And when that day comes he'd remember me, and call me... I wiped out my tears and smilled at myself, as I picked up a paper and started scribbling down my thoughts.

A very special gift from God

Facebook… It’s a word that has touched so many young hearts in the modern world. This is the number one way of keeping in touch with all your friends. In the same way, you also get to meet new friends. I was a Facebook addict, and this is how I met my best friend Ryan.

Ryan and I had worked in the same company for more than two years but surprisingly had never met each other. On that day when I had the friend request from him I wondered who he was. After looking at his picture I realized that I had seen him around in office. I accepted the request with doubts in my mind of what sort of a person he was, but soon I realized that the decision I made that day, was hundred percent the right thing to do! It was far more the best thing I’ve ever done, as that simple friend request led into a life time of a beautiful friendship.

Ryan and I started chatting online, and each time we chatted we ended up with lots of laughter. We spoke about our families, work, and even our own separate love lives. My heart and mind felt relaxed with him. Stress just disappeared. I was not worried about anything. I was happier than ever, and I knew that so was he.

However in between the happiness I found out that Ryan, unlike me, had a heart breaking past. He lost both his parents three years back, and had since lived with his mother’s sister. His aunt loved him a lot, but Ryan felt lonely as he had no parents or siblings. He eased his pain by talking to me even more often. By this time Ryan had taken a very special place in my heart, and surprisingly had become one of my best friends.

Then one day Ryan told me something that made my heart stop. Ryan had a very rare heart condition, where one side of his heart was very weak. He had had it since birth, but had found out only couple of years back and had continuously taken medication for it. He was due for an operation in two months time and had to fly overseas for this to be done. I was worried. I prayed for him whenever I thought of him. Ryan always spoke as if that very day was the last day of his life. He believed he was going to die. But I didn’t! I knew God wouldn’t take him away right now. God made us meet in a very unusual way, and ended up making us best friends. God couldn’t take him away from me just like that! I didn’t want him to.

The problem with having a heart disease was the very fact that there was a high risk involved in the operation. I was worried because I knew Ryan was suffering. Every night he suffered from chest pains. A simple cold or cough could make him feel worse. The operation had to be done; the risk had to be taken. I prayed for him over and over, and I asked him to do the same. If there was one person who could make his pain disappear, it was God! I knew it!

Months passed in a flash, and I had to say goodbye to Ryan as he left the country one week prior to the operation. He asked me to be safe, and promised me that he would call me as soon as the operation was done. I was happy that his aunt was going with him, as I knew it would make him stronger. I spent most of my day praying. I did lots of charity work, behalf of Ryan, praying for a cure. I was worried as I had not heard from him since the day he left, but I also knew that God was watching over him for me. And I was confident that he would be cured.

Finally it was the day of the operation. I woke up in the morning and ran to church. I asked Jesus to watch over my best friend, who was now at the operation theatre. I had tears in my eyes as I looked at the clock. Time passed, and I felt eased as I came home. Something about that hour in church made me feel good. I felt that everything was going to be ok. After a long sigh, I smiled. I thought about the way Ryan used to come on Facebook, just to chat with me and bug me. I had enjoyed those conversations so much. I smiled to myself, thinking of the way Ryan used to be there for me whenever I needed a friend. He had once stayed up all night just because I was stuck at work doing overtime, and he could not sleep until I had safely reached home.

There it was… The call I had expected! My mobile was ringing! I ran and answered the call.
“Ryan!” I said. I was breathless, but was full of hope.
“Don’t worry!” he said. “The operation was successful. I’m gonna live forever!”

I smiled in between tears of happiness. God had answered my prayer! My best buddy was alright. Now we could be friends forever. Life was amazing. We get so many ups and downs, but there would always be a happy ending. I waited impatiently for Ryan to come back. Then we could meet again, have a coffee, hang out in the same way we always have. I smiled. This was far most the biggest gift I’ve ever received from God. God had given me my best friend back!