Before Every Fall || An Original Fiction

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you will stop at nothing till it finally becomes yours? Let’s say you met with a mystical creature- your fairy godmother or anyone, who says you can wish your dream into reality but for a price. You were deeply obsessed with that which you desire, and every moment you spent without it being in your possession feels like an eternity of torment. What would you have done? First make the wish and later pay the ultimate price?

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I spent most of my life brooding over the most trivial of things. I get jealous and frustrated easily, even though poor as a church rat, somehow I could still miraculously afford a three square daily meal, I could sleep soundly sometimes if I wanted to, but my obsession often deny me peace of mind most times.

I had a friend I so much admire, rich and of flamboyant lifestyle. He could do almost anything, usually found in the congregation of ladies, having fun as he would call it. Though we were best of friends, people however do not see us that way. I was seen as the poor lad down the street who saw and exploited an opportunity to become friend to a rich dude, Charlie.

Truth is; for some reason, Charlie loved being around me. I don’t seem to have anything of interest, so it still comes to me as a surprise that someone as big as Charlie would want to keep me around. People have this frustrating habit of picking even the least of details, and making a rumor out of it. Starting with one person, then another, and it continues in a circle until it doubles back and gets spoken right in front of you. However even though tongues wag ceaselessly, I just didn’t care. I guess when something feels good, you just go on with it.

It was one of the few good out of the many bad happening to me ever since in such a long time and I wouldn’t allow anyone to ruin that for me, I concluded within me.

Then it happened.

I thought it was all dreams. Of course, no one would expect a creature as such to pop up out of the blues this 21st century. Even though I was opportune listening to fairy tales, night of every full moon when I was still much younger, nonetheless it never felt so real until I met one. I don’t know exactly how it happened but it happened, and while that might seem great at first…you will soon find out in my story “all that glitters are not always gold".

Well, the creature appeared to me and introduced herself as my fairy godmother.
She said to me, “I could make your wish come to fulfilment but…there’s a price to be paid”.

My thoughts weren’t thorough, not even for a second. I was ready to have a go at what she was offering but indifferent to her warning.

“Anything?!” I asked, seeking reassurance sort of.

“What is it that you desire young lad?”

I have never been so shaky before.

Having stammered hard in a couple of attempt at trying to get the right words out of my mouth, I answered eventually.

“I wish to have a golden touch”, I had replied with an only thought of surpassing the likes of Charlie in their wealth. Perhaps I should have been more thorough in my thinking before I answered, but I was awed by this mystic presence, and cowered such that words just found their way out of my mouth.
Well, what’s done can’t be undone, a wish has been made.

I bat my eyelids severally, a part of me hoping it was nothing but a dream because all was just happening too fast, too fast to process for my medium sized brain.

That wasn’t all.

I heard the fairy godmother enchant in a tongue so ancient and lost. Suddenly, a violent wind wheezed past, and then everywhere was silent and still.

The fairy godmother said to me, “finally it is done” and then disappeared into thin air, a resounding echo of “remember…a price is to be paid” lasted a while.

There wasn’t much of a difference after she left, so I pinched myself hard and it pained a great deal. That way, I definitely knew I wasn’t dreaming. I was bamboozled by the events that followed which ushered me into a whole new order of life, another shot at life, and I was ready to enjoy it to the fullest.

Morning of the following day, after the whole fairy godmother incident, I had stepped out of my wretched apartment and was out strolling to enjoy the fresh evening breeze, and then it happened. A lady’s pen fell to the ground and I hurriedly bent down to pick it up but surprisingly it turned gold as soon as it met with my touch. I gave the pen back to the owner who was much overjoyed to have a golden pen. She in so much amazement forgot to say a “thank you”, but instead spread the news instantly and it grew like wildfire like any other gossip talk swiftly making it way to the top of the community’s trending.

Everything spurred around and I became a point of focus.

Until then…

I had considered my life meaningless. I still cherished those golden moments when everyone seemed to have forgotten Charlie and had their binoculars on me. I had good intentions but it came with a scavenging urge for revenge of wrongs done to me in the past. It however didn’t take long for those memories of hate to awaken, they rushed back as if they knew vengeance time was ripe. It had to be done anyway.

I gifted presents of gold to those that found favour in my eyes, also to my heart’s delight and satisfaction while those in my “dark diary” as I would call it, were shunned by me and my newly found allies.

It felt good seeing the whole world revolve around me.

To be continued!

Written and compiled
By @aduragbemi
Erinkitola A. Aduragbemi
13th October, 2019