I read a story about a man, who’s lust for gold changed his daughter into a golden statue. Said man wished for the gold touch and got his wish but was not careful for what he wished for. The man then had to have his hands removed if he wanted his daughter back. He would remove his hands and the ability to turn items he touched into gold. This did not end well for the man but he did get his daughter back and they both lived Happily Ever After.
A young prince was strolling through his father’s castle when he heard a faint scream from the royal courtyard. He ran outside to see an old woman who had fallen in one of the bushes. “Are you okay?” the prince yelled as he ran towards the old dame. “What are you doing in my father’s bushes?” exclaimed the boy in a laughing tone. He helped the old lady out of the bushes and asked once more. “What are you doing in my father’s bushes” said the boy.
“I was famished and decided to pick a few berries from this lovely bush!”
“How did you fall into the bush then?”
“Some of the neighborhood rascals thought it would be funny to push a poor, defenseless old woman into a bush.”
“I am indeed sorry miss-” the boy paused. “What is your name, madam?”
“My name is none of your concern, prince” said the old woman.
“I’m sorry, that was nosey of me.” The prince said embarrassingly.
“May you help me?” said the old woman as she picked the berries from the bush to put in her woven, brown basket. The boy helped the woman pick the berries but felt strange around the old woman. Something was wrong but he couldn’t quite figure out what. “Thank you, young man.” said the old woman with a smirk. “What is something you want most in this world?” The boy was frightened but off-guard. “Anything?” said the young prince, eager for a reward for a leisurely task. “Anything you want and more!” exclaimed the woman, whose eyes were turning a dark crimson colour. The boy thought about all he wanted and remembered his dog, Rascal, who passed three months before. “I want Rascal back” said the prince.
“Rascal?”
“Yes ma’am, my dog who passed three months ago. He meant the absolute world to me.”
“Your dog? Rascal?”
“Yes ma’am…”
“Not wealth? Or power?”
“I am a prince. I have wealth and power. I just want my lovely, little dog, Rascal.” said the boy with a smile. The old woman smirked then chuckled. “You will have your wish, my boy, and you will have your little Rascal once again.” The old lady then waddled off the courtyard without another word. “Wait! When will I see Rascal?” The boys voice echoed and had no answer but the wind.
That night, as the boy slipped into his bed, he heard a scratching at the door. “Go away!” said the tired prince “I am fine!”. The boy heard the scratching once more and eased up in his bed. “Yes? What is it?” said the boy in a groggy voice. More scratching came from the door and the boy thought of what happened earlier in the courtyard. The young prince stood from his bed and tiptoed to the wooden door. He slowly eased it open to see a small collar on the floor with the name “Rascal” embedded in it. The prince picked up the collar and looked with shock. “Rascal?” The boy said hesitantly. “Rascal? Here, boy!”. Suddenly he heard a faint panting coming from behind him. The prince did not know what to think but he turned around to find a ghostly apparition staring up at him. The boy was stunned but not scared and he kneeled before the apparition. “Rascal? Is that you?” said the prince. The apparition started rising to the ceiling. The boy looked up to see the apparition making a circle. It stopped suddenly and hit the ground, causing a huge puff of smoke to fill the room. The boy coughed and waved his hand desperately to clear the room of smoke. When the room cleared up, the boy could see a small dog with wavy fur and chocolate brown eyes. “Rascal!” screamed the boy in excitement. “Its really you!”. The boy lunged to give his little dog a hug but went right through him. The boy turned to see sadness in his dog’s eyes. “I’m sorry Rascal, but it seems that I can’t hug you. I just go right through you.” said the sad prince. Although the prince was happy to see his dog again, he was sad that he couldn’t pet him or hug him. The prince stood up and got back into his bed and invited the dog to lay with him. “Here, boy, you may rest with me!”. The dog leaped onto the bed with excitement and made a small ring at the prince’s feet to lay in. “Goodnight, Rascal” said the boy. The prince smiled as he went into a peaceful sleep.
The prince woke up to find his dog missing from the bed. “Rascal?” said the boy. Then there was knocking at the door. The prince got up and listened. “Young prince! Your breakfast is ready!” called the voice from the other side of the door. “One second!” yelled the prince. The prince got out of bed and dressed in some casual clothes. He ran down the stairs and into the dining room. Many plates were laid out but only three had food on them. The prince sat down and awaited his mother and father. “Good morning!” said a voice behind the prince. The boy turned around. “Good morn-” the boy froze. A tall, slender apparition was staring right back at him. The ghost was wearing a butler’s suit and had a small black mustache. The boy recognized the butler. He was the butler that had passed in his sleep five years before. He was a good man and loved working for the king. “Hello, little prince.” The ghost said. “I know that you can see me”
“Why are you here?” said the prince
“I died here, silly boy!”
“Yes, but-”
“But what? I died so I should have moved on? I don’t believe in such nonsense. I’m still the king’s royal butler as far as i’m concerned.”
“But how long have you been here?”
“Oh! About five year or so!”
“You’ve been here the whole time?”
“Yes! Only now can you see me! Isn’t it brilliant?”
“Wha-”
“There is nothing but loonies around here! Maybe now I can talk to someone who isn’t sobbing or wailing!”
“Who are you talking to, boy?” said a voice behind the prince. “Have you finally gone mad?”
“No, father, I just thought I saw something.” said the prince. He turned around to see his father, the king. He had on his royal robes and had a butler at each side. He was a fat and tall man. “Leave the poor boy alone” said his mother. The boy began to eat when he was interrupted by a quiet hissing sound. The boy put down his fork and stared at his parents who were talking to each other. He slowly turned his head to the right to see an old man in rags and chains. The old man looked dirty and his eyes could pierce armour. The old man hissed again. “Shame on your family. Shame on you.”
“What?” whispered the boy
“Shame on your family! Shame on you!”
“What did I do?”
“Shame!” the old man let out one final hiss and then disappeared. The boy turned back to his breakfast. He sat silently. The boy was startled at what had just occurred. He picked up his fork and began to eat again when the old man suddenly appeared on the left side of the boy and screamed into his ear. “You killed me!” The boy let out a loud scream and fell to the floor. “Stop! No! I didn’t kill you! It’s not my fault!” The king had ran to his boy who was laying on the ground in tears. “What happened, my son, are you okay?”
“The old man! The old man in chains!” Screamed the boy.
“The old man in chains?”
“Shame! Shame on my family! Shame on me!”
“Listen, boy, calm down!” The king picked the boy up, sat him in his seat, and held his hand tightly. The boy began to calm down. “What happened?” said the worried king. “I saw an old man in rags and chains” whimpered the prince.
“What did he look like? Where did you see him? What did he do to you?”
“He was a ghost! He was standing over there!” The boy pointed to the right of him.
“A ghost?” said the king.
“Yes! He screamed in my ear that I had killed him!”
“That is nonsense boy! There is no such things as ghosts! Maybe you just need some more rest. Go to your room and rest yourself there.” the king said as he lifted the prince out of his chair. “Okay, father.” replied the boy. The boy walked to his room and laid in his bed, closing his eyes. “Help me” said a little voice. “I’m lost.” The prince turned around to see a little girl with no eyes. “What do you want from me?” said the boy.
“I need help!” The boy was hearing whispers all around him. ghosts and apparitions were closing in on him from each side of his bed. “Help me! Help us!” called the voices.
“What do you want from me!?” yelled the boy.
“We want you!” called all the voices. “We need your help!” The boy jumped out of bed and ran to the courtyard. He saw the old lady from the day before. He ran to her. “Please make them stop!” pleaded the boy. “I can’t take it anymore!”
“What are you talking about?” said the raspy old woman, picking berries.
“The wish you granted for me. I want it gone!”
“You made your wish and that is final.”
“Please! I’ll do anything!”
“Anything?” The old lady’s eyes were turning a deep shade of crimson.
“Anything! Anything you want and more!”
“I want your soul!” said the old lady in a deep, dark voice. “You give me your soul and I will grant you one final wish.”. The boy was hesitant but desperate. “Okay…” said the boy. “You may have my soul.”
“Excellent” The old lady let out a deep, growling laugh. “What do you wish?”
“I want everything to go back the way it was! Before this terrible curse of a wish!”
“Is that really what you want?”
“Yes! That is all I want!”
“Your wish is granted” The old lady cackled and then everything turned white. The prince woke up feeling refreshed. He walked down stairs and waited for his mother and father. The prince ate his breakfast, thanked the butlers, and left the table. The young prince was strolling through his father’s castle when he heard a faint scream from the royal courtyard. He ran outside to see an old woman who had fallen in one of the bushes.
