Did a simple ring hold the power to change a person’s life through magic?
Such a thought never crossed Ian’s mind before entering the antique store with Lilah. Rings were for marriage proposals and Super Bowl victories. Magic versions of this jewelry existed only within the pages of a fantasy novel. Never in real life.
Ian hoped to be proven wrong. Reuniting with Lilah hinged on him being wrong.
He studied the ring she bought from the antique store, turning it over in his hand. Runes were inscribed on both sides of a silver casing bordering a clear quartz gem. It reminded him of a senior class ring a student would order to celebrate their high school graduation
This ring housed powerful magic – or so the shopkeeper claimed to him and Lilah. Runes and gem worked together to channel energy to grant a wish to the ring bearer. Ian dismissed their claim as superstitious nonsense but kept those feelings to himself.
“Yeah, it’s pretty. It will look good on you.”
Those were his only words when Lilah insisted on buying the ring.
Ian felt thankful she made the purchase. This offered the only certain path to undo that horrific hit-and-run that broke her body and broke his soul. He sandwiched the ring between his thumbs and index fingers and stared at the clear quartz, letting his eyes swim in the gem.
One wish.
He only needed it to grant one wish.
“I wish for Lilah’s life to be restored to her,” Ian said. “Grant my wife the same robust energy and good health she enjoyed before the accident.”
After he said these words, the runes glowed for exactly 13 seconds and returned to normal. His eyes slid back to the urn resting atop the bookshelf in his home office. The lid popped off with the force of a cork sailing free from a champagne bottle and smashed into the ceiling. A howling wind rolled from one end of the office to the other, forcing Ian to squint and clench his teeth.
Ashes rose from the urn in a swirling cloud and drifted from the urn to a spot directly above the floor. Flames sprouted from the ashes and Lilah’s cremation reversed before his eyes. Bones were restored first. Then organs, muscles, and skin followed. Her mangled limbs became unbroken again. Eyes went from glassy to vibrant in an instant.
Flames and wind both vanished, leaving Lilah whole and unbroken again.
“You’re alive.” Tears streamed down Ian’s cheeks. “It worked. Oh my God, it worked.”
Lilah’s lips twisted into a confused frown. She blinked rapidly like a person trying to rouse themselves from a deep slumber.
“Where am I?” Her eyes drifted down to her chest and widened. “Where are my clothes? How come I’m naked?”
Ian sprang up from the leather office chair and raced over to his wife. He embraced Lilah and planted a kiss on her lips.
“I’ll find you some clothes,” he said, pulling back to look into her brown eyes. “I’m just so happy we’re together again. Three months without you felt like an eternity.”
Lilah’s brows knit together.
“I died, Ian. I went to heaven or paradise. Whatever you want to call it. Why am I here again?”
He stepped back and showed her the ring in his hand. Lilah’s face fell when she laid eyes on it and she dipped her chin to her chest.
“What have you done?” she whispered.
Ian frowned. He expected a much more joyful reaction from his soulmate. Not an ounce of gratitude for a wish that restored her life to her.
His hands trembled. Ian tried to steady the tremors, but they quickly morphed into deep muscle spasms. He let out a scream.
At once, both legs snapped. In the identical spots where Lilah’s were broken during her fatal accident. He collapsed to the floor.
“Didn’t you remember what I told you?” She looked up from the floor and fixed teary eyes on Ian. “To grant a wish, the ring balances the scales. Restoring one life requires sacrificing another.”
“I … thought … I’d …”
The sheer pain forced Ian to trail off before completing his thought. Ribs snapped inside him. Blood started filling his lungs. He sobbed and groaned as he tried to crawl toward her.
“I’ve missed you deeply, Ian. But I also knew our separation was only a temporary deal. Life exists beyond this one.”
Flames sprang to life. His body started to crumble. Ian silently cursed the ring as the last remnants of his energy ebbed. Draining his life away instead of taking the life of the drunk asshole who first killed Lilah seemed deeply unfair.
This ring had a warped sense of balancing the scales to grant an innocent wish.
If you enjoyed this horror story, browse my other short stories in the Strange New Worlds archives. Please check out the Deer Falls horror series as well, available at Amazon and other major booksellers.
Friday the 13th Sale
To celebrate Friday the 13th, you can get a $1 off the regular list price for the eBook edition of Feral Lands — the survival horror anthology from Samak Press. This sale is going on at these select major book retailers on Friday only.
Grab your copy to own before the sale ends at the stroke of midnight.
I love the idea that the resurrected one complains about being taken out of heaven/paradise. Haven't seen that take before, but I don't read that much horror/fantasy.
Liked this one: a great read!