Make up for your mistakes and use your benefits for good!

Cameron Madden
MSMU Class of 2028

(4/25) Some time ago, there lived a kid in the woods. This child’s name was Klyde, and Klyde’s birthday was coming up. Klyde’s parents loved him very much, and were planning to give him the best present possible, and since they were wizards, they could make it the most magical gift ever! So, when his birthday came, they gave him a box nearly twice his size! Inside, Klyde found himself a tall, darkened piece of wood with rubies stuck to the top.

"What is this?" Klyde had asked, holding the large object next to him. "It is your birthday present, a magical staff for you to practice your magic on!" Klyde became excited, as he had not been able to learn magic at his young age, and now he was finally able to start training to become a wizard! Just then, the parents pulled out a smaller box and handed it to Klyde - it was a surprise gift! When he had opened it, a strange blue ball arose from the top and hovered in the air above. Klyde was scared at first, and tried to back away, but the orb followed him wherever he went! He then asked his parents what this was for.

"It is an extra gift, passed down by your grandfather! It is an orb of wishes, which everyday can grant up to one wish for an entire week; be careful though, you cannot reverse the wishes you make!" Klyde’s eyes widened and immediately he took off to the front yard to test out this new present.

"I wish for a tree house!" he shouted, and a ladder dropped from the branches above, into a small house on top of the trees. He climbed up and played all around the house, until he grew bored and dropped down. He wondered what better he could wish for, and dreamed the rest of the day about how the orb was a better gift.

Not too long after the next day arose, and immediately Klyde awoke and set out for the fields. In between reeds and grains, he and the orb went away. Somewhere nearby he and the orb lay, where he thought and thought between his wishes to say. "Alright," said Klyde, "I wish for the field to be growing candy, not grain!" and so it became. Soon the field’s rows turned to chocolate, with peppermint sticks and pods of sugar being sowed to the ground. He ran through the fields, picking as he went; until the farmer came out and found Klyde in his field. "Hey!" said the farmer, whose food was now gone. "How dare you remove all the work I had done!" And so, he chased Klyde all the way out, past the field, forests and all in between. Klyde did not mind, and went back all the way home, dreaming of what more he could do with his magic orb.

The next day came, and Klyde sought to do more. As he went out of the house and into the town, he found townspeople, all dressed up in gowns and soon realized he had not brought his money. He suddenly jumped and turned to the orb and said, "I wish that everything in this town was free to me!" Once said, the shopkeepers looked up; they saw little Klyde and wondered what was up. Klyde came to the shoemaker and asked him for new shoes, and without a hitch, the Shoemaker gave him the best pair he knew. Then he went to the barber asking for a haircut, and suddenly the barber walked up and cut his hair for free. Next, he traveled to the toy shop and soon he walked out with his cart filled to the top. As he was leaving the townspeople came out and said, "how dare you do this all without paying!" Just like before, Klyde ran off.

For the next couple of days Klyde used the orb for whatever he saw fit, and without caring about the consequences. He didn’t practice with his wand, and did not become any closer to being a wizard; he simply played with the orb, and grew more bitter and selfish. After his 6th wish, he knew not what he wanted. And so on the 7th day, he went around the area to see what he could do. He stopped at the field where he found the farmer, now hungry and tired, without crops to water. He went to the town and saw stores closing for they had nothing to sell and now were not well. Everywhere he went, there were people that were hurt, by the wishes and actions that he created. Klyde was distraught, he didn’t know what to do. Now nobody liked him, and there wasn’t anything he could do.

That was until he came back home, where he had left his other present - the staff in his room! If he could learn to become a wizard, then he could fix all of the problems he caused. The only problem was he did not learn - he spent his time wishing, instead of earning. He thought it doomed, and knew people would suffer and hate him until he realized he had one wish left to make.

"Orb!" He exclaimed, "I wish to know how to be a wizard, and use magic with my staff!" Without hesitation, all manner of color and sound now glowed from his staff, and when he had touched it, it sparked greatly and flew to his hand. He now was a wizard, and could fix his mistakes at last! He went to the farmer and tapped the candy fields with his staff. It was raised and replaced into crops; vegetables, fruits, and honey on top! The farmer was glad and thanked Klyde for fixing his mistake. Next, he went to the townspeople, and to every store he went to, paying the people double what he owed them. And all over the country, Klyde used his magic to help others; even those he did not use the orb against. He learned that it is okay to wish, but to learn from his mistakes and to be selfless and kind is the real gift he received!