i_love_freddie: (Freddie)
Silver ([personal profile] i_love_freddie) wrote2016-02-26 09:57 pm
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LJ Idol Friends and Rivals - week 11: Monkey's Paw - Wishes gone wrong

If you had one wish – what would it be?

Childhood is all about wishes. “Blow out your candles and make a wish,” “Be good and Santa might bring you that new game you wished for”, “Speak to the fairies at the bottom of the garden and make a wish only they can hear”, “Say a wish out loud and the wind will carry it for you.”

So innocent.

No one ever said anything about a price. But for every wish that is heard and granted, there is something taken in return. Balance – that is the way of things. That price could be anything; maybe something you don't even realise that you need until it is no longer there.

Everyone in this world has something that they want. How many have made a wish casually out loud, not thinking about what they have said. And what if the price of granting that wish was the life of someone you cared for? A treasured belonging? Youth? Beauty?

What about if what was taken in return was your soul?

One wish. No rules, no restrictions. Next time you go to blow out those candles on your birthday cake, stop and think about it for a second.

What would you wish for? What would you be willing to sacrifice in return?

[identity profile] halfshellvenus.livejournal.com 2016-02-28 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
I love that you have a "creepy" tag, and that you used it for this.

If this were how wishes truly worked, when they were granted, then yes-- you're wreaking havoc with every one of them, and who knows what price is being paid? :O

[identity profile] favoritebean.livejournal.com 2016-02-28 07:47 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, this is super creepy. Especially given that when anyone tells me to make a wish, "I wish I was a fish," immediately pops into my head before I can stop it. I would imagine that would be instant death, unless were were at the ocean.

What would I wish for? Given for the possibility, I generally wish for goodness in all. I reckon that would come with a steep price tag. But if it meant no strife or war, I might be willing to make whatever sacrifice required.

[identity profile] rayaso.livejournal.com 2016-02-28 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree -- this is delightfully creepy! Next time I make a wish, I'll wonder about the price. Gee, thanks!

[identity profile] ellison.livejournal.com 2016-02-28 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow this was really impactful in such a short space, well done!

[identity profile] uselesstinrelic.livejournal.com 2016-02-28 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Poor kids! All i can see is kids blowing dandelion puffs and then melting away with them.

[identity profile] sinnamongirl.livejournal.com 2016-02-28 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooh, now I wonder if I've been trading stuff for years and never realized it. I'm going to have to pause now before ever thinking "I wish..." again :) Good entry!

[identity profile] whipchick.livejournal.com 2016-02-29 11:23 am (UTC)(link)
Such a great question! I've spoken before about making sacrifices for one's art, and how one must make choices about relationships and pastimes to make time for writing, and this reminds me of that for sure.

[identity profile] eternal-ot.livejournal.com 2016-02-29 12:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Er..well..This would stop me from wishing..If I have to sacrifice something in return. On a lighter note..I wouldn't mind giving away my calories if I wish for not gaining them when I hog on junk-food..:P

[identity profile] dee-aar2.livejournal.com 2016-02-29 02:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Grrrr you really took the pure joy away from wishing with this thought provoking question. But will I stop wishing ... guess not .. the sacrifice usually gets unnoticed I suppose. Or maybe I better start analysing What I lost when I gained something .... Ugggghhh ...

[identity profile] adoptedwriter.livejournal.com 2016-02-29 03:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I like the eerie aspect to this. It's an interesting question when you think more about it. AW

[identity profile] ellakite.livejournal.com 2016-02-29 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Your question is an easy one for me... and I think I already know what price would be paid for my wish to come true.

In a nutshell: Something very, very bad happened to me in my past that I wished had never happened, and it so shaped my outlook on life that for decades I thought I could never get over the memory... and so I often wished I could go back in time and do something different so that I could avoid that pain.

The thing is, looking back on the incident in question, I know with absolute certainty that if I had somehow avoided the bad thing in question, someone I care about would have paid the price in my place... and knowing that I had someone close to me suffer in my stead would have made the memory so, *SO* much worse.

An excellent, thought-provoking piece. Thanks so much for posting this!

[identity profile] murielle.livejournal.com 2016-02-29 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)
We really do need to think before we wish!

[identity profile] inteus-mika.livejournal.com 2016-03-01 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
In many ways, the sacrifices we make when we wish are our own, as we forego the easy path to make our wishes come true.