24-Hour Short Story Contest

(The contest was Sat. I wrote this story in a few hours. The topic was a woman walking along a river with black water with a burlap sack that had something in it. The setting was autumn and a storm was approaching. The word count couldn't be more than 1100.)

Sack of Wishes

Red, orange and yellow leaves swirled on the undulant river, contrasting against its black water. Distant rumblings along with a bitter wind promised a pre-season winter storm. Haley shivered, walking faster and trying to ignore the muffled diatribe emitting from the burlap sack in her arms. Its weight was a burden. But she didn't falter.

Today was her birthday. The hands of age created an autumn landscape across her face. Haley's life hadn't been easy. She was one of those types of people where opportunity landed on every doorstep except her own. She wasn't a complex person. Her most intricate aspect was a talent for laying blame on everyone except herself, when it came to the failures in life.

It took forty years to figure out why her life was wrong. And not much longer to figure out what she should do about it. The answer was to confront the person who's been responsible for making her dreams come true and get an explanation as to why they never matured into reality. Haley waited until she reached a landmark birthday and then set a trap which netted her prize--the one she carried in her arms.

The burlap sack was getting heavier. She mustered up her strength, pausing to get a better grip on it. For the moment no sounds escaped the sack. It had become a dead weight. Her destination was around the bend. She would make it somehow, even if she had to crawl, dragging the bag behind her. The storm moved closer and she wanted to be home before it arrived.

Sunlight danced across the black river. Around the bend was a small cove hidden behind a colossal oak that had fallen into the river during the bizarre storm of '54 that swept across the area leaving chaos in its wake. Haley was born that night, as thunder roared. This cove was her favorite childhood hideaway spot. As a child she played there, pretending it was her kingdom.

Finally Haley was at her destination. The cove held a calm that soothed her worries away. She paused to watch the black whirlpools on the river's surface. On a limb of the fallen oak sat a bull frog, looking as if it had been expecting her. She dropped the weighty burlap sack on the riverbank, ignoring the expletives that hissed in rapid fire. The enemy wasn't very happy to be trussed up. Before she opened the bag, Haley found a sharp rock that was big enough to maim and easy to control. She quickly untied the ropes at the sack's closure and jumped back as the contents struggled to escape from the dark scratchy folds.

In a defensive stance with rock raised, Haley poised, watching the small figure crawl out of the sack. It looked frail, but she wasn't fooled by its delicate appearance. Fairies were notorious for their power of endurance. This one sat on the damp ground before Haley was no exception. It was the Birthday Fairy--the very fairy that granted birthday wishes.

Her face was made of smooth porcelain. Gold spun from her head in soft cascading curls. A yellow dress woven from flower petals made a halo around her body. Her gossamer wings stretched and then relaxed. If Haley's resentment hadn't of been so intense she would have stood in awe, enchanted by the stunning vision. The fairy looked like a shiny coin in the midst of autumn's orange-reds. An expression of confusion and ire marred her features, as she searched the bag.

"Looking for this?" Haley pulled a sparkling wand from her pocket and dangled it above the fairy's head.

"That's mine. What's the meaning of this, Haley? How did you find me?" The fairy's voice sounded like wind chimes singing in a soft breeze. But her expression was as thunderous as the storm that approached.

Haley was temporarily stunned. "You know my name?"

"Of course I do. And Happy Birthday! Fifty looks good on you." The fairy beamed at Haley, proud that she remembered her age. After all, she had millions of birthdays to remember for just that day.

Smiling back, Haley said, "Why thank you." Then she caught a cunning look flash across the fairy's face and quickly put up her defenses. "We're not here to make small talk, Miss Birthday Fairy. We're here to make the wrong right."

The fairy sat on a rock to examine her wings. "Being enclosed within that sack has bent my wings. This will slow me down. No birthday wish for you this year, Haley."

"You'll be fine. Fairy wings have regenerating abilities. I did some research at the library. I believe in the old fairy myths. They hold answers. When it's time to make a birthday wish, you appear in one of the candle flames. I watched for the brightest glow and stuffed the candle in the sack."

"I'm impressed. But I don't have time for this. I've got to finish today's birthday wishes. After all they only come once a year." The fairy rose, brushing sand from her dress. She held out her hand. "Please give me my wand and I'll forget this happened."

"Sorry but I can't. Not until you grant me all my past birthday wishes that didn't come true." Haley pointed the wand at her, as she raised the rock above the fairy's head. "Or I'll crack your head with this rock and throw you into a whirlpool. Even fairies can't survive that."

"Getting every wish granted can be a dangerous thing, Haley. Mankind isn't wise or strong enough to handle all they desire. If dreams are easily obtained, you will never work hard to earn their rewards."

"I want my wishes granted now." Years of frustration made Haley unreasonable. She made a menacing gesture with the rock. "I'll bash you."

The fairy sighed. "Do you see that frog on the tree? That's Jasper Combs who wished to be a frog prince every year of his life. Believe me; you don't want all your silly wishes to come true." She could see the determination in Haley's eyes. She wasn't going to back down and time was slipping away. "Very well. Pick one only. I promise to grant it no matter what it is."

Haley knew when to compromise. She dropped the rock and made her wish. "I want to live a fairy tale life."

In the midst of the storm's arrival, the fairy's laughter rose above the storm's fury. Rain pelted the glossy cover of the fairy tale book that rested on the riverbank.