Life

“A wish by the heart…”

The three of them stared, confused by the Angel’s words. It took only one more sentence to turn that confusion into pure fear.

“Ming, was it?” the Angel asked, voice slow and deliberate.

Ruby’s eyes went wide. His hands trembled. Part of him wanted the wish to be true, but he knew anything that good had to be a trap. Fear hollowed him out.

Sunflower flashed a quick signal to Lance: Get Ruby away. I’ll distract her.

Lance nodded. They shifted, preparing to move.

But before Sunflower could take a single step, the edges of the sky turned pitch-black. The centre glowed a violent red. The sun vanished. Clouds dissolved. Even the forest darkened.

The Angel’s golden radiance flickered on and off, like a dying light bulb.

“I, the Angel of Perseverance,” she intoned, her voice echoing like a cathedral bell, “witness thy wish. Child of Cavern may be granted another chance to write her story.”

Her wings—each larger than a village—unfolded as she slowly rose higher.

The trio froze, unsure what to do. Sunflower’s eyes caught movement far above: something red, small, and swarming.

Rose petals.

They flew as if alive, a flock of crimson swirling down to where the Angel had stood moments before. The petals spun faster and faster, forming a living vortex. For a full minute nobody spoke. Nobody moved. All waited to see what would emerge from the centre.

Sunflower looked up again—and shivered.
The Angel’s wings had stopped moving. Her golden hair no longer shone. She was smiling. The smile of a devil.

A hand broke through the spinning petals. Then a foot. Then a body.

A girl with blond hair, wearing a bright red dress.
Ruby knew that face.

His knees buckled. Tears streamed down his cheeks as a laugh burst out of him—half hysteria, half relief.

“Why did I think it would work? How could I believe life was so cheap?”

He glanced again. The girl’s skin was dark red. Her eye sockets bloomed with floral stigma. Where her nose should have been there was only a hole. Her mouth was formed from petals; her teeth were yellow grains of pollen.

She stepped forward, hand raised as though blind.

“Is that you, Ruby?”

Ruby’s heart lurched.

“Ming!”

He ran to her, embracing her.

“What is this? This isn’t my body…”

Ruby clung to her, voice cracking.

“You died! But it’s okay. The Angel accepted our wish. You’ll be okay now.”

He turned to Sunflower and Lance, expecting wonder.
Their faces showed only horror.

“Ruby…” Ming’s voice trembled.

He looked back.

“I can’t see anything.”

Ruby stopped breathing for a heartbeat.

“I’ll ask her. Just hold on.”

“Ruby… I can’t breathe. I don’t know if I can breathe much longer…”

He laid her down gently.

“Don’t worry. I’ll ask the Angel. You’ll be back to normal.”

Ruby stood and shouted:

“Please! Angel of Perseverance! She can’t see or breathe properly!”

The Angel, now stripped of golden light, smirked.

“Your one wish is over. Seek help elsewhere.”

Ruby stared, stunned.

“Then what’s the cost of a second wish?”

“There is none,” she replied, smiling playfully. “Because no one gets a second wish.”

Ruby’s mind spun. He heard Ming scream.

“Ruby! Ruby!”

He rushed back to her.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” He held her tight, terrified.

“I can’t breathe! It hurts!”

Ruby scooped her up and bolted toward the forest.

“Hold on. I’ll take you to a hospital. You’ll be fine!”

Sweat poured down his face.

“Why did you wish for me to suffer?” Ming sobbed.

Ruby stopped cold.

“No! I did it for—”

Her scream cut him off.

“Why? Why?”

Ruby tried to soothe her, running again.

“Stay calm. You’ll feel better. I’m sorry. We’ll get through this.”

Ming’s cries grew sharper. Her body convulsed. With her last flicker of strength she whispered:

“I hate you.”

And she died.

Ruby fell to his knees, clutching what was left of her. Her bright dress blackened. Her hair withered. Her head fell off. In seconds her body collapsed into petals.

Sunflower and Lance arrived, rage and grief boiling inside them as they watched Ruby’s horror.

Ruby could only hold the remains, weeping.

The Angel’s smile lingered.

“Now it’s my turn,” she murmured.