Episode #1: The Perfect World

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In a world as vast as ours, there bound to be many inexplicable events. They are what we call supernatural events. And I am here to tell you one of them. Whether you believe it is up to you. Who am I, you ask?

Well, some call me “Fairy Godmother”, some call me “Wicked Witch”, some call me “Trickster Djinn” and others call me by less flattering names. How flattering my name is depends on how my clients perceive my services. But my name does not change the nature of my job  –  I grant wishes to my clients as long as Fate allows them to find me.

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So tell me, have you ever heard of “Kelbsio”? No? Don’t worry, she is nobody. So let me tell you a story about this woman, Kelbsio. Why do I know her story? Because she was my client. But don’t worry if you don’t know her. Like I say, she is nobody.

“Please! I just want you to grant me the ability to go anywhere I want! You grant any wishes as long as people can find you, don’t you? And I found you!” she begged.

I set my empty porcelain teacup down with a firm clink and looked closely at the lady in front of me. She had no aura, yet she was alive. It was almost like looking at an intelligent walking corpse.

“How curious,” I murmured as my eyebrows arched at my observation. “I can grant your wish.”

Kelbsio’s face brightened up but fell when I held up my hands and continued.

“But that said, I rarely warn people regarding the consequences of their wishes. The last one ignored my warning in favour of her vanity and had me grant her wish of seeing who the fairest of all is. For a while, it was her. She knew and wanted to hear it. However, beauty is such a fleeting and meaningless concept. Her story did not end well,” I paused and picked up my teacup, which was somehow filled with tea, and drank deeply. Kelbsio’s hands clasped together but her thumbs rotated around each other as she waited.

“As with the others, I’ll grant you your wish. It’s a simple wish. But then, simple wishes are often the most complicated,” I set my teacup down with a firm clink again. “Here, take this key. It will allow you to go anywhere you want. Just say where you want to go before you open any door with it.”

“Thank you! Oh, you are my fairy godmother!” she grabbed the key and ran to the door of my shop. “I wish to go home!” She stuck the key in and opened the door. Then she slipped through the doorway.

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“I wish to go to my husband’s office!” Kelbsio twisted the key and opened the door. She was having whale of a time. Friends were amazed that she could make dinner for her family and still make it for their gathering; her children were surprised at how fast she could appear in school with their forgotten assignments; neighbours were puzzled at her ability to buy groceries without leaving the house; and she was having more time to herself without the hassle of travelling.

“Oh, Kelbsio! Erm…what are you doing here?” her husband stood up as his secretary jumped away from his lap.

“Hello. Brent.”

“Hi, Mrs. Tanner! I, er, just have a few documents for Mr. Tanner to sign,” his secretary, Jannah, flashed an awkward smile. “Well, that’s all, Mr. Tanner! I’ll, erm, I’ll just have to submit the papers,” she said as she gathered some papers.

“Those are blank writing papers, Jannah. And at least come up with an original excuse, like pretending to be my little girl sitting on my husband’s lap so he can practise his bedtime story-telling skills.”

“Oh, erm…” Jannah winced and shot an imploring look at her employer. Brent only waved her out.

“So Kelbsio, what are you doing here? Is there anything you need?” her husband started to fold his arms, thought better of it, and leaning on his office table, his hands pressed on the edge on his sides.

“Well, I thought I could surprise you for dinner. Turns out you are in the…heat of things and I got a surprise instead,” Kelbsio replied, her words icy enough to restore Arctic to its former glory.

“Kelbsio - ”

“No, Brent, right now I don’t want to hear your excuses,” Kelbsio cut her husband off. Her hands fingered the key as she turned and left.

“Wait, Kelbsio! Kelbsio?” Brent followed his wife out the office door but for a moment, was bewildered. Except for his illicit lover sitting at her desk near his office door and other office personnel, Kelbsio was not in sight. He turned to Jannah. “Where’s Kelbsio?”

“Huh? No one left your office, Mr. Tanner. You are the only one who came out,” Jannah frowned. “Is everything all right? Is she…”

Jannah did not complete her question. Brent Tanner did not give his answer.

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Kelbsio looked at the key in her hand. The key had brought her to many places. Sometimes, she even cheated and went overseas in a blink of an eye for a two- or three-hour holiday. She could have escaped from the madness of her life but she was no coward. She stared down at the problems and solved them. That was what her mother taught her. Her husband’s extra-marital affair was no exception.

She stood in front of her bedroom door and took a deep breath. If she did it right, she would be able to change the lives of everyone. “I wish to go to the perfect world where my husband will not betray me,” she slid the key into the keyhole easily and turned.
Her perfect world was just a step away. She hesitated for a moment. Then she stepped through and closed the door behind her.

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The office door swung slightly open. Brent Tanner leapt to his feet, dumping Jannah who was on his lap onto the floor.

“Ouch, Brent, what the hell?” Jannah groaned. “That hurts!”

“You didn’t close the door properly! What happens if my wife walks in on us?” Brent hissed at her.

“Huh? Wife? What wife?”

“My wife, Kel..Kel…” Brent struggled with his thoughts for a while. “You know what? I have no idea why I said that. Let’s lock the door this time.”

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Kelbsio tried to go to her perfect world. But her perfect world did not exist in the first place and by going there, she ceased to exist. That is why I said at the very start of her story, that she is nobody and that I was looking at an intelligent walking corpse.

Is this a frustratingly inexplicable event? Do you believe it? Of course not. You don’t know what has just transpired, do you? And even if you do, you did not experience it. So naturally you do not believe it.

It does not matter. What matters is, do you have a wish? Am I your “Fairy Godmother”? Or your “Wicked Witch”? Or your “Trickster Djinn”? Be careful. Tell me your wish and I will grant it. That is, of course, if you can find me.

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Originally written for The Weekly Knob.

Well, this is a story I wrote a while back for a prompt requiring the use of “key” in the story. Four years ago, to be precise. Back then, I just wanted to write a ridiculous piece of story about granting wishes.

The character slowly grew on me as I outlined her morally ambiguous personality. I also wanted to explore the idea of “be careful what you wish for”, because I’m fascinated by mythology and fantasy. But I got busy with my masters degree education and later, my day job.

Then Crispina noted that I should finish the stories, rather than tease about them in another flash fiction I wrote for Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge. After another epic bout of procrastination (four months…), I’m now in the process of reviving my passion for a character I created long ago – The Witch. It’s time for her to emerge from the dusty attic to face the world again.

I hope you will enjoy this story. I will also release another story of her soon.

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