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t was a boiling hot day by the water as the sun beat down mercilessly on the city of Ridgeline. This summer was considered one of the hottest ones on record and people took every chance to cool down that they could in order to escape the heat. Most stayed indoors with the shade and the air conditioning, watching the latest TV shows, while others ate lots of ice cream and drank ice cold lemonade and water. In the neighborhoods around the town, young kids enjoyed their summer vacation by running around and playing, exploring the world around them and engaging in fun, imaginative games. The parks were filled with people having picnics and playing in the grass, playing catch with their pets and looking at the pretty flowers.

The most attractive place to cool off was by the water. People had flocked towards any water source they could and splashed down into it to cool off. Streams and rivers in the nearby woods were the target destination for teenagers and young kids, while public pools were for the families. But the most popular location was the nearby beach, where crystal clear water and cool sea breezes attracted hundreds of citizens to its shores for a day of fun and relaxation. 

It was still an early morning when the beaches finally opened and the first beachgoers were allowed onto the shoreline. This specific day was supposed to reach triple digit temperatures before noon so there were already several hundred people making their way to the beach, umbrellas and towels in tow as they were ready for a day in the sun. Within half an hour, the whole shore line was packed with people. It was a bright and sunny day and the beach couldn’t have been more pleasing to the citizens.

Along the beach, two young children were digging in the sand with their shovels, collecting enough in their pails to make a sandcastle. They had already dug a large hole by their stuff, but they wanted to make the largest castle they could so they continued to dig and dig.

“I’m gonna take this back” the older boy said.

“Okay, I’m going to get a little more!” the younger boy replied, still digging away.

“You can’t carry all of that”

“Can too!”

“Can’t!”

They stuck their tongues out at each other as the older child turned away. The younger child, filled with determination to prove their worth, began digging faster and deeper. He would show that he could carry that much sand. They would see.

Faster and deeper they dug. Deeper and deeper. And dee-

*WHUNK*

Something smashed into the shovel and made a loud, metallic sound. The child tilted his head in confusion as they leaned in closer to whatever they had hit. They started clearing away more of the sand and noticed that whatever they found was large and looked wooden. 

Maybe it was a hidden treasure chest!

He felt his heart starting to race at the potential of what could be inside it. He began digging faster and faster until he managed to clear a portion of the the top, but it was so large that it seemed to go deep into the ground and into the walls of sand around the hole that hadn’t been cleared out. But from what they could see, it didn’t look like anything that they had ever known.

It was metallic and heavy, but the material that made it up seemed to be wooden and some kind of other soft molds. There were very intrinsic carvings and patterns all over it and what looked to be a bunch of gibberish letters, almost like it was some kind of text. The child couldn’t even really tell what the shape of the thing was, since so little of it was uncovered. However, there was one part that stood out from the rest. In the middle of the uncovered artifact was what seemed to be a large blue-green button that was glowing faintly. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem of this world.

The child’s excitement grew as much as their curiosity.

“What is that?” 

The younger child jumped and tried to hide the discovery from the older child that returned. 

“N-nothing!” the younger tried to lie.

The older brother wasn’t buying it as they jumped into the hole.

“What is it? Is it some kind of box?” they asked, kneeling down and getting a closer look, nudging the younger out of the way.

“I don’t know” the younger said, returning the shove.

The two began to push each other back and forth, getting slightly more annoyed at the other. Suddenly, they heard a voice.

Young ones, please don’t fight”

They froze and looked around for the source of the voice. A gentle and almost heavenly chuckle echoed around them.

I am right here. In the ‘treasure’ or ‘box,’ whatever you wish to call it” the voice chimed. The voice sounded like a woman’s voice. It was calm and serene, but it sounded mature and older, like the voice of their mothers. Just not as nagging or annoying. “I was hoping for the day when someone would find this. And I am very glad that you two were able to.”

The kids looked at each other in disbelief. The voice laughed in amusement, a crystal, joyous laughter.

“There should be a large blue-green button revealed to you. If you press it and turn the dial underneath it, I will grant you any wish you want. For the both of you” the voice said.

“Any wish? So we can wish for anything we want!?” the older child asked excitedly.

“Anything” the voice responded, “all you need to do is open the box. Be cautious, however, as anyth-...” 

The younger child looked over at the older one who was inching closer towards the box and saw something gleaming in their eyes. 

“Wait,” he said, pulling the older one backwards, “don’t you know the old fairy tales? The hero is tempted with a wish if they free the trapped creature and when they do, it turns out to be evil.”

The older one scoffed and brushed the younger one away. 

“Fairy tales are just made up stories to make you feel good about yourself. When you really have the chance to get what you want, you need to take it!” the older one said, crawling eagerly back towards the box.

“Hold on, we can-”

The younger child was silenced by a sudden kick from the older child. A dull thud was heard as their foot slammed into the younger child’s jaw, knocking the young child backwards and face first into the sand, leaving them dazed and dizzy.

“These wishes are all mine! I won’t share them with a wimpy loser like you, you worthless orphan!” they maniacally screeched.

The older child aggressively slammed their hand on the button. Slowly, the button began to glow brighter and raise up from the rest of the chest. Then it split into eight parts, each one slowly peeling backwards before sliding down into the rest of the chest. When all the pieces had moved, a large spiral slid up from a hidden panel that had revealed itself as each piece moved. It glowed the same blue-green as the button with a panel in the middle that was had a hand shaped imprint in it. The older child, their eyes filled with greed and desire, hastily placed their hand on the imprint.

Suddenly, a crackle of electricity surged through the box and towards the older child’s hand. Before they could move, a metal dome swiveled over their hand from another panel that opened on the box and clamped down violently, encasing their hand. Just as the child realized something was going wrong, a powerful surge of electricity jolted their body. Large bolts shot out from the box and the clamp, zapping the walls of sand around them and leaving red hot panes of glass from the sudden increase in heat. The older child convulsed and seized as electricity surged through them and the box. Then, their body began to turn bright blue and green light before it was absorbed into the box, which instantly became silent as fast as it had come to life.

There was a silence before the woman’s voice came again.

The poor child didn’t heed my warning. I had try to say that any evil desire would end in tragedy. Unfortunately, he was so filled with his desire that he didn’t hear me.”

She sounded sad, somber, and sullen. As though she was disappointed that one of them had to suffer such a fate. 

The younger child, who had seen everything, was terrified and scared, tears beginning to well up in their eyes. Their companion had not only disappeared, but, what had really shook them, was how remorseless he had kicked him to get to the box.

My child,” the woman’s voice said gently, “do not be afraid. I can see that you are in great pain. Please, come closer to me and let me help heal you.”

The child scooted backwards desperately, tears streaming down their face.

“N-NO! You just want to eat me, just like you did to...*hic*...to my b-brother!” he screeched.

The voice was silent as the young child wept, never breaking eye contact with the box.

“You consider them your brother, but you heard them yourself. Did he consider you to be a sibling? Calling someone a ‘worthless orphan’ doesn’t sound like someone who can be considered a family member” the voice stated.

The young child had already considered that reality and it was slowly breaking them. 

Come, place your hand on this box. I can see that you do not have the same desires as your brother. You will not suffer the same fate” the voice assured them.

The child slowly began to make their way towards the box and slowly placed their hand on the inprint. The metal dome again appeared over the child's hand, but it covered it in a warm glow. It was similar to placing a hand near a cozy fireplace in the middle of winter. That warmth began to carry up their arm where it reached their chest and dispersed throughout their body, filling them with warmth. The heat even began to soothe the pain of their jaw.

Just then, the box began to shine brightly and shake. It rumbled and trembled, beams of light pouring out in every direction. A sudden whirlwind of air began to swirl, large gusts of wind causing sand to fly everywhere. 

Speak your wish, my child. Tell me what it is you want” the voice called out. 

The child only had to think for a moment. Their mind began to fill with memories of hardships and loss. The life he once had, the suffering of being alone, and the torment of being an outsider in another family. A lack of compassion and care from a family that didn't seem to care for him and the yearning for acceptance and love. He already had a wish, one that he prayed for every night in bed. 

“Someone to love me!” he cried out. 

Everything then seemed to intensify. The rumbling of the box began to violently shudder, the light became blinding, and the winds became a typhoon. Then suddenly, a flash of light shot out from the opening spiral on the box and screamed into the sky above. Higher and higher it went until it exploded in a gigantic explosion. The light was blinding and the child closed their eyes to shield themselves. 

 

Then it was quiet. 

No shaking, no lights, no wind. Just quiet. 

 

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