AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Whoever wrote this letter truly believed this necklace could grant wishes. And that anticipation humming through the air—the anticipation that feels like a shooting star waiting to be wished upon ...?
Maybe it’s this necklace.
Maybe it does grant wishes.
“What would be the harm in wishing?” I ask the necklace quietly.
It winks at me like there’d be no harm at all.
I nod.
Exactly.
There’s no harm.
I could wish for a holiday to the French Riviera for my sister and Mom. I might wish for a little stone cottage with blue shutters outside the city. I could wish for my mom to get the raise she’s spent the past five years hoping for.
Or ...
I could do what a genie never does, and I could wish for something for myself.
Ever since Dorene told me Fiona turned Max down, there’s been a niggling in my chest, a twisting in my stomach, a warmth in my blood.
What if Max finally noticed me? What if, just for a moment, he saw me? And if he saw me, maybe he’d find that he liked what he saw.
I don’t know if he’s the love of my life. I don’t know if I’m the love of his. But for three years I’ve been cleaning his empty home, hearing the echoes of his past, and wishing I could help fill the emptiness that’s always lingering in the closed-up rooms and the cold, barren halls.
I stupidly fell in love with him at first sight. I’ve always thought that maybe if he saw me— reallysaw me—then he’d fall in love at first sight too.
“I wish ...” I whisper, feeling wild and daring. “I wish that Max loved me. I wish that we were married.”
I stare at the necklace, my mouth dry, my heart stuttering. A cold sweat lines my forehead. I wait, breath held, for a violent lightning strike to carve out of the sky and smack me for daring to make such a pronouncement.
My lungs ache as I stand there, muscles tight, eyes unblinking. Waiting.
Then, slowly, my heart settles into an even rhythm, my muscles loosen, and I let out a long, slow, ragged breath.
Nothing happened.
I laugh. Of course nothing happened. What did I expect?
Besides ...
“What were you thinking?” I ask myself.
I lean down, stare at the necklace.
“I take it back,” I tell it, speaking as firmly as possible. “I don’t actually want that. I take it back.”
How awful would it be, really, to blink and find yourself married to a man who barely knew you existed a second ago? No, thank you.
And to magic someone into loving you? That’s even worse.
I wag my finger at the necklace. “No, thank you, magic necklace. No, thank you. I take back my wish.”
With that, I reach forward and snap the lid shut. It gives a sharp click as I reset the clasp.
I sigh and press my pointer finger to the gold filigree—a pretty pattern of gold violets and a twisting vine. Time to head home. I’ll find Dorene. She’s probably finishing the kitchen. Tonight I’ll help Emme with her science project and make a pot of onion soup for dinner. Life goes on, wishes or not.
