The Last Flower on Earth

One Wish

I flip open to the first page, before reading I try to take the book off the pedestal, but the back cover won't come off. Some type of magnetism is holding it in, probably so people don't steal it.

The back of the cover had stacks of notes one on top of the other in numerous different languages, the first one was in Latin, then in English. The note says thus:

"If you have found this book, there is one thing the [scribbled out] must know, you have received a singular gift, you may only write your request once. If you write twice your life will be the price. Your request must be etched in your own blood."

I continue flipping through the numerous translations of the note until I find a second English one.

"There are only a couple of common wishes that are banned here. These have a price of your life as well. No wishing for more wishes, no wishing for Heaven, No wishing for people's death, and no wishing to become God. If you are reading this. Please make the right decision." Their signature was also etched out.

There is nothing about time travel-related wishes or wishing people back to life so I believe I'm in the clear.

I flip through the pages to see the kind of wishes people have made in the past, this should give me an example of what to write.

Wealth, My Family, Endless Money, My Sister, A Private Island.

I continue to filter through the numerous different languages that are present until I reach the piece of fabric that separates what has been filled to what hasn't, and the most recent wish was in perfect English.

"A Global Cleansing." I stumble over my own words as it is so difficult to wrap my head around this wish, why on earth would somebody write such a stupid and selfish wish?

"Unless Martivich, it wasn't a human who made the wish." The pages flip back to a seemingly random page. "Sixteenth line down, that's Imerian writing."

"What does it say?"

"Couldn't tell yah. That's old Imerian, pre-One World." Clair walks over and places her hand on my shoulder. "You know what you're wishing for, right?"

I turn around and slap her hand from my shoulder. "I don't, I know of two wishes I want and I can't quite pick between them."

Clair shakes her head. "No, don't say it. Don't say what I think you are going to say."

"I want to control my own future, I'm tired of being powerless and afraid. I will pick the wish I want. So, I shall pick between fixing the world and getting Emma back. Not your wish of destroying the Imerians, because I'm better than them, I won't blindly hate like them. Because if this book can do what it's advertised to do, then I can wish for Humans and Imerians to co-exist in peace."

"That's... not possible." Clair's hands were forming fists.

"The rules don't say that such a wish is impossible. So, I will wish for the world I desire, even if that means going against what you want. Because where were you when the war started you omnipotent douchebag! Where were you when my second family turned into a bloodbath of endless trauma? And if you are a god then why didn't you save Emma!" I was shouting at this point, "Because if you wanted to rig my opinion in your favour then you should have saved her dammit!"

We were both about to snap from anger, I could see it in her eyes that she was at her breaking point.

"The Imerians took away the only person I cared about." She pulled an amulet from under her shirt. "This was worn by the one I love more than anything and an Imerian killed her. And I only want them back, so if the Imerians were to never exist then she wouldn't have died, I would have been able to tell her how I actually feel." Clair falls to her knees crying.

"Stand up." I stretch my hand out for her to grab. "I have to think about this."

I leave the building and sit on the porch steps staring endlessly, longingly into the tree line. I eliminate the possibility of both wishes.

Should I bring Emma back, or should I save humanity? I play around with the wishes in my mind and weigh the pros and cons.

After making my decision I walk back into to house to see Clair missing again.

"I've made up my mind," I exclaim aloud, "I know what my wish is." I stab my palm, the tip of the pen has enough of my blood on it to make magic happen.

I write my one, and only wish, onto the page.

"I wish for-!"