Spin Cycle: Wishes

The Spin Cycle topic this week is wishes.

I don't like making wishes. Birthday candles send me into a mild panic. The same goes for falling stars and wishing wells.

I can't ever decide what to wish for. It must be exactly the right wish, phrased in exactly the right way. And unfortunately, I never feel like I get it right. Should it be a selfish wish? Should it be a wish that would profit all of mankind? I never know which way to go, and I'm afraid I'll get it wrong.

I realize that this peculiar fear is not rational. I know that the wish is most likely not going to come true. It's just silly fun.

But what if it's not.

Over the past few days, I have given this a bit of thought, and I think that I can trace this peculiar fear of mine back to one thing: "The Monkey's Paw".

Do y'all remember the story of "The Monkey's Paw? I first heard it when I was a little girl, and Mama told it to us on a Girl Scout camping trip. Mama was the A #1 best ghost story teller in the world. She was great at setting the mood with the flashlight under her chin. She always scared the pee out of us.

I have just done a little web research, and discovered that "The Monkey's Paw" was originally a short story by W.W. James, first published in 1902. Here's the full text of the original story, but I'll share with you the short version, as I remember it from Mama...

Once upon a time, there was an old couple who lived in isolated cottage with their beloved only son.

One night, an old friend came to visit, who had just returned from many years in India. After a few brandies, the friend started telling stories about the mysteries of the East, and pulled from his pocket a small dried up, mummified paw.

He said it was a monkey's paw, which had had a spell put upon it  by an old fakir, who wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He told them that it would grant three wishes to whoever possessed it, but warned that it was evil, and the consequences could be dire. He tried to throw it in the fire, but the old man saved it and put it in his pocket.

After the friend had left, the old man took out the monkey's paw and examined it. The old woman and their son gathered around, and they all decided to wish for 200 pounds, the amount it would take to pay off their little cottage. The man held the paw in his hand and said "I wish I had 200 pounds." Immediately, the monkey's paw twisted in the man's hand, like a snake. But no 200 pounds appeared, so they all laughed, and decided that it was just foolishness.

The next morning, the son went off the work. After several hours, someone from the factory where the son worked appeared at the door, and told them that he was sorry to tell them that their son had fallen into the machinery, and had been crushed to death. To help ease the old couples pain, the company which owned the factory gave them 200 pounds.

The old woman freaked out, and told her husband he had to use the monkey's paw again, that he had to wish their son alive again. The old man, realizing that the paw was, in fact, evil, tried to get rid of the paw, but the distraught old woman grabbed it and wished "I wish our son was alive again!" The paw jumped in her hand.

Suddenly, they heard a sound. It was a slow, dragging knock on the front door. The old woman rushed to the door shouting "My son!", but the old man, realizing what had happened, grabbed the paw, and used his last wish. The paw twisted in his hand just as his wife reached the door.

The old woman opened the door, and their on the front porch was nothing but a pool of blood, and a bloody trail where their mangled and mutilated son had dragged himself home, back from the dead.

Needless to say, this story left a lasting impression. If you make a wish, you must be very, very, very specific, or fate would bite you in the ass.

For instance, if I wished for a great new acting job, I may get one. But only after an actress originally cast in the role, was killed in a tragic and mysterious accident, leaving the job to me.

If I wished for Jude to grow up to be a happy and successful man, this may happen. But in achieving this, he may also become heartless and cruel, stepping on others as he climbed up the ladder of success.

If I wished that the traffic in Los Angeles was better, the city might be hit by a mysterious and deadly virus, which wipes out half the population, leaving the streets deserted.

You see my concerns.

Is this crazy? Should I try to work through this phobia? I guess so.

In the meantime, the next time it's my birthday and I close my eyes and think really hard to make a wish before I blow out my candles, know that in reality, I'm just thinking about what I have to do tomorrow, or putting together a mental grocery list.

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For more spins on "Wishes" visit Sprite's Keeper.

Comments

[VandyJ]

Yeah, you've got to be careful what you wish for. You might get it but not quite the way you meant to.
Fun spin!

[Sprite's Keeper]

Ooh, that version gave me shivers. I've heard several versions of The Monkey's Paw, usually involving the son dying and wishes 2 and 3 end up the same way.
I think the Simpsons told that story best though. :-)
You're linked!

[Lynn @ Curly Girl's Music World]

Spooky! I reminds me to be very careful what stories I tell Julianna and Isabella!

[MamaBadger]

I knew I should have stopped reading the minute I read "Monkey's Paw"...

Now I may never wish again.

[CaJoh]

Just like the old adage: "Be careful of what you wish for-- you may just get it" I tend to want to get a wish just right as well.

Great Spin!

[Ellie Belen]

Yes, this is my problem as well. That story ruined me for wishes. I fear that if I wish something, especially something selfish, the result will be an ironic twist.

[Kate]

Love this spin, great reminder!