The wise man sat atop his hill of bones reading his Book of Endless Pages.
The weather was perfect as it was wont to be in his domain. The wise man paid no attention to his surroundings, only the book; only the pages - only the bones.
One such tattered page withered to the point of disappearing. The wise man sighed closing his book. It was time to await another lost soul. The wise man breathed in the perfect air awaiting.
The woman appeared behind a tree stump. Confused but giddy, she skipped across the pond to stand before the old man. She grinned, bowed. Cheeks flushed she was afraid of looking the old man in the eyes. Once she did, however, she couldn't look away, as the old man's visage reflected humanity's plain beauty.
"What can I do for you, child?" The wise man asked.
"I wish for a husband that loves and respects me with all his heart!" She said opening her arms wide as if asking for a hug.
"That is... outside of my power to grant, child." The wise man said sorrowfully.
The woman started crying into her palms, anguish clear as day in her mournful sobs. "Will I never find happiness?" She managed between sobs.
"Perhaps," The wise man tried. "ask for something to enhance your attributes, not for others to align with them."
The woman gathered herself and her wits. She took a deep breath. "I wish to have a more loving face." She said, self-serious.
The wise man smiled mournfully. "And thus, it is done, child."
The woman's face started to rearrange in a way that would appease the men of her village more. The wise man marveled at the shallow nature of humanity, and the depts to which one goes to cater to it.
The woman soon disappeared and the man went back to reading his book. In no time for some, and eternity for others, another page vanished, and another applicant appeared.
"What can I do for you, child?" The wise man asked.
The applicant in question was young, male, and fit. His jawline was chiseled to perfection and his confident smile said he knew how to wield it. He didn't seem s nervous as the woman before. The man bowed his head in reverence all the same.
"I wish for the ability to attract anyone I wish!" He said in a particularly shy way.
"Child, I cannot grant you what you already possess." The wise man said sadly.
The applicant's face displayed shock and awe. He looked at his hands in disbelief then back at the wise man. "How could this be?"
The wise man sighed, another inexperienced applicant using their wish for naught. "If you possessed the confidence which you display you would understand how your perception of yourself is misaligned with the perception the world has of you."
The applicant looked up with stark realization. "Then I wish -"
His voice started to fade as his body did. Once addressed, you could only ask so much of the wise man. The applicant wanted his opportunity by expressing his doubt. The wise man hope that his wisdom was engraved with the young man at least.
A page fell out of the book as the wise man opened it. Peculiar. The next applicant had a strong soul indeed.
And indeed the person radiated something the wise man had seen all too often in his realm - greed. The wise man raised his hand before the applicant could talk.
"Be warned, child. I may be generous, but I can also be unforgiving and callous. Thread wisely." The man narrowed his eyes but said nothing, so the wise man continued as commanded. "What can I do for you, child?" The wise man asked.
The applicant looked around, drops of rain falling on his bald head. The weather became soiled. Bad sign.
The applicant attacked the wise man with eyes wide and mouth narrowed. The old man didn't resist, he wished to see how the mortal would continue. The mortal turns out when in the old man's eyes.
The old man screamed as blood trickled down his cheeks. The applicant in return cackled like a banshee. He then grabbed the wise man's throat and started to squeeze and squeeze and -
His skin started to feel hot. So hot that chunks of it started to melt. His screams that followed were of agony, not of maniacal joy. The wise man got his answer on what kind of applicant this was. Oh well. The man's screams were soon drowned out, leaving behind nothing but his bones.
The wise man always asked himself if he judged the soul fairly. And he always found himself agreeing. Not before contemplating the book, however. One never knew how their horizon could get expanded.
This, the wise man sat atop his hill of bones reading his Book of Endless Pages.
This is the first draft of the story. Written by Jovan Gjorgjiev, ©️ 2023.
Obligatory shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
This was a really quick write-up! Any and all criticism of this work is therefore unfounded and unaccepted! Thank you! 😂
Cover image source.
I hope you have a fantastic day! 🙌
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