Short Stories
Be Careful What You Wish For
The Lamp lay on the table. It gleamed in the lazy afternoon sunlight that drifted in through the curtains at the window, casting a golden tinge sporadically through out the room. Time slowed to a crawl as Luke stared at the lamp, unsure what to do next. Five minutes ago, Luke had accidentally rubbed up against the lamp, and with a large BOOM a genie actually appeared. It was more of a wraith then animal, and it was almost the size of an average man, but the wraith was clouded in shadows, and when it appeared, a cold chill rippled through out the room. It had dark, blood red eyes, gleaming with terror and disastrous intentions. It had said that Luke was to be given three wishes, for the three hours of darkness. Luke being an up and coming theologian understood this and the symbolism behind it well. The wraith suggested in a serpentine tone that he should wish for money, or for the world to open their eyes to “knowledge”.
` Luke thought for a second, and then replied, "for my first wish, I wish to know the depths of God's Love for me, so I may spread this love to others, and bring them to the light of Christ.
"So you wish it," the genie replied, "So it shall be."
There was a blinding flash, and for an instance, Luke thought his body would explode, He lurched from the ground, and hovered in the air, surrounded by darkness. A small voice in the back of his head told him this was how Luke really was, lost in his sin and evilness. A small pin prick of light shone off in the distance. It grew and grew, until it covered all of Luke's range of vision.
"This is Christ, the one who was pure," the voice echoed softly. Suddenly, a wail pierced Luke's hearing, and struck him deep to the core. The light shifted to a blood red, and Luke thought he was going to be crushed by the weight that had fell on his shoulders. He screamed in pain, and begged for help, his scream blending with the wail piercing his thoughts, when suddenly a third roar rang out in sequence with the others. It was a roar of anger and of loss, and it enveloped everything around it. As the roar grew louder, cover all other sounds; the red became a deeper bloodier red with every passing moment. When Luke thought he was going to be destroyed by the sadness he felt, the wailing and roaring stopped and the weight was lifted.
"Christ sacrifice for you, cleansing you of your debts and your Sin." the voice explained.
Everything went black yet again, but three moments later, the blackness was replaced with a glorious yellow light, and the proud roar of a lion could be heard in the distance. The golden light replaced the darkness, and the darkness never again returned.
"Death where is thy sting? Grave, where is thy victory?" the voice exalted. Slowly, the light diminished, and the familiar living room came into view. Luke fell to the floor, amazed by what we had just witnessed.
What seemed like an eternity later, Luke rose from the floor, eyes darting from the golden crucifix hanging above his mantle, and the lamp sitting underneath. Amazement and fear of the Lord shone across his face, as he came to turns with what he just experienced.
Almost impulsively Luke lunged for the lamp, brushing it as he landed. Another FLASH rang out across the room. A familiar Wraith stood beside Luke, gazing down at him with eyes full red.
"Back so soon?" the wraith creaked. His voice screeching with the sound of dead leaves and hellish whistles. With a crackle, that may have been intended to sound like a chuckle, the wraith grabbed Luke by his shoulders and lifted him to his feet. The moment the Genie's ghastly appendages touched Luke's flesh, he felt the grip of death, and a cold, dark, gray mist filled his vision. Just as the mist clouded his full vision The voice roared in his mind "RELEASE HIM, FOUL DEMON, LEAST YOU BE RETURNED TO THE DARKNESS FROM WHENCE YOU CAME!" In the blink of an eye, Luke was standing on his feet, the wraith standing 3 paces away.
With a gulp, Luke wished for the wisdom to understand what he had experienced, and to be able to bring others to the Light. The wraith chuckled, and muttered something about once being the "Bringer of Light," when the room was again filled with the glorious yellow light. The voice resounded in his head, but spoke from the Light too. "Who ever wishes to acknowledge me before men, I shall acknowledge him to my Father." And so it went for an immeasurable amount of time, Luke conversing, and the Voice answering his questions. When asked why the sacrifice was made, the voice simply responded with a chuckle and “Child, you don’t always have to understand the Why, just know the What, know that the sacrifice was made out of love for you. For your benefit." After a time Luke again fell on his face, and when he arose, careful not to brush the lamp, he stored in a trunk and locked it for a time until his last wish could be contemplated fully. And so, for many years Luke went among the people and spread the good news, like no one had done for centuries before him, starting a new movement of faith, truth, honesty, and love through out the world.
Years later, when Luke was in his middle ages, he fell in to a deep depression from the sadness of the lives he was sent to heal. It became unbearable, to the point where Luke rushed back to his home, and opened the trunk sitting below the crucifix. He grabbed the lamp and rubbed it one last time. The thunderous Crash that resounded through out the old house seemed louder, maybe from the years without it, or maybe something to do with it being Luke's last wish. The Wraith smiled a dastardly crooked grin, full of malevolence. Before the traitor could speak, Luke rushed out his wish to find true happiness in the Lord his God. The grin faded from the genies face, and he faded away. The lamp fell to the floor and broke in two, revealing an inscription written on the inside of it.
"The one who realizes this true power and defeats temptation by making every wish to benefit others or to give glory to the Lord in heaven shall break the temptation of this lamp, and shall cast the one known as Lucifer back to the depths of darkness." Although it was not the lamp that held Luke's gaze. It was the Cross. Tears streamed down his face as he stumbled towards the wall. He clumsily reached up and grasped the shining figure of love, and held it near his chest, cradling it. He was found hours later by a close friend who had known Luke since childhood. Any attempt to talk to him was responded with the indistinguishable thick-tongued speech of the handicapped. Although very few knew of the lamp, no one knew what really happened with the last wish. Some say he stared at the Cross in pure amazement and Awe of God's sacrifice. Others reasoned that he had some lapse in brain power and was just distracted by the shinning qualities of the cross. Regardless of the reasoning, Luke had seemed to have found complete and unadulterated Happiness. A week later, Luke returned to his Father to share in His glory in their defeat over Evil.
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