Inescapable

Inescapable: A short story

        It was a cold, foggy day. Marsha and her mother were cleaning out the attic. Rummaging through old boxes, discovering things that triggered old memories or objects that were completely useless. Marsha had her long brown hair pulled up in a pony tail and was wearing a casual pink t-shirt and jeans while trying to make sure she didn't loose her glasses.

        Small thuds came from the roof  "sounds like it's starting to rain" Marsha's mother pointed out while Marsha dug through a box she had found in the back of the attic covered in dust. "I can hear" Marsha said back while pulling something out of the box that seemed delicate due to the fact that it was wrapped in bubble wrap fairly well.

        Marsha shuffled over to a table that was in the middle of the room and placed the object on it as carefully as possible. Slowly and delicately she unwrapped the bubble wrap to find a beautiful, small vase inside.

        "Mom!" she yelled since her mother had gone back down stairs "Can you come here for a sec', I found something". "Ok I'll be right up!" her mother yelled back. Once her mother came upstairs Marsha showed her the vase. "Well isn't this vase lovely, I don't know how we got this though".

"You mean it's not yours?" Marsha questioned. "No but you can have it if you'd like" her mother said giving the vase back. "Sweet, thanks!" Dashing off to her room vase in hand.

        After sitting on her bed examining the vase she felt something rough in rigged on the bottom. She gently turned it over to find words engraved in the bottom. "Place a flower in me and make your wish. You only have three and each comes with a-". "A what?" She asked herself trying to discover the missing word.

        She's not sure whether it's true or not but she decides, " If this really works I could have what ever i want". She bolts outside and yanks the first flower she finds from its root. Once she got back to her room she sat on her bed thinking, wondering if her wish would actually come true and what would she wish for.

        After sitting, staring at the vase she finally decided what her first wish will be. "I wish for 5 dollars" she mumbles with the vase on her lap. The vase shakes a little but nothing else happens. "I guess it really doesn't work" she sighed with disappointment and then headed downstairs for lunch.

        Later that night, half asleep Marsha hears her parents arguing. She is unable to hear most of what they say but the word "bankrupt" comes from hem repeatedly. "I wonder whats going on" Marsha thought to herself worried about her parent.

        The next morning while shoving down a bowl of cereal, Marsha's parents placed a $5 bill in front of her. "That's all the money we can give you for your allowance. We're sorry but it's all we have, we have gone bankrupt" They told their daughter with sorrow in their voices.       

        Once finished her cereal Marsha says "thanks" to her parents, put the bowl in the kitchen sink, and creeps upstairs. She plops on her bed and starts glancing between the $5 bill in her hand an the vase-with-one-flower on her dresser. "Did this thing really work?" She says to herself in shock. "Nah, It was probably just a coincidence... right? Maybe I should use another wish just to make sure..."

    After snatching another flower form the garden and placing in next to the other flower in the vase, Marsha placed the delicate vase on her lap and after a few minutes of debating, she made her second wish. "I wish for an iPod 5 for my birthday" The vase shook slightly and then came to a stand still. She placed it back on her dresser and headed off to school.

    Once Marsha returned from school she came in to find her mother crying on the couch with a strange, small, white box in hand. Marsha tried to ask her what's wrong but her mother just gave her the box not saying a word.