Ever come upon a wishing well and thought of throwing a penny in it? In Richard Dansky’s “Wishing Won’t” a penny isn’t nearly enough to appease the forces waiting at the bottom in his hair-raising short story of supernatural enchantment. You can find this story in Dansky’s MEETING IN THE DEVIL’S HOUSE collection.
You don’t have to wish for an opportunity to come along to showcase your best short story. Get one ready for the current Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition. Submissions are open now!
The Plot
The main narrator is Uncle Terry, and he tells a bedtime story to a young boy. It is later revealed that the child belongs to his sister. Terry begins his tale by laying a few ground rules. The story takes place in a town very much like the one they are in, the tale involves a boy named “Terry”, but he will refer to him as “Terrance” to avoid confusion, and the story is set in a not-too-distant past.
As the tale unfolds, it appears young Terrance has a bit of bad luck in that he is relentlessly pursued by school bullies and their ringleader, Oscar. The only advice his father offers is to “be strong” and “push back” but this strategy only makes the abuse worse until one day, things change.
Terrance regularly ran into the woods to escape the boys but one day he runs further than ever before and ends up near a well. He discovers that the well contains…something…at the bottom. In the beginning, Terrance throws insects into the well and this appeases, and then pleases the voice at the bottom. When Terrance offers the well its treats, Terrance is treated to something in return. A Zero bar. An action figure. All the things that boys like. But, if Terrence wants more, he has to do more. He begins to think bigger. The well encourages this.
Because the well wants more.
It wants something that Terrance LOVES. The voice suggests Terrence’s mother and father, maybe even his sister would do. Terrance rejects this request and decides to kill two birds with one stone by luring his main nemesis, Oscar, to the well as an offering.
But an offer based on HATE instead of LOVE causes problems for Terrance. Problems that he would rectify years later.
What Lies Underneath
Wishing wells have long been seen as a cultural expression of beliefs in magic and the ability to control fate or gain benefits through the supernatural. Usually, advantages are invoked from the well’s spirits by tossing coins into its cavernous mouth. “Wishing Won’t” deviates completely by suggesting that offerings should be more personal in nature. The well asks, maybe even tempts, Terrance to put some skin in the game if he wants to reap the rewards and give it something that Terrance cherishes. Without spoiling anything (this is a horror story!) the situation spirals.
Everything has a price, and, in this case, Terry tells a story of the price paid by Terrance. Is it meant as a cautionary tale to the young child Terry is tucking into bed? Not quite. And that is where the horror begins.
And last, there is a story within a story. Almost as if the real truth is buried underneath the revisionist truth of the story. Terry hints that he IS Terrance and that the story’s events DID happen, therefore the ending of the story within a story, could also BE what is to come.
What Makes It Killer
“Wishing Won’t” does not lead where the reader expects. It subverts the notion that a kindly uncle or familial guardian, think the Grandfather in Princess Bride vibes, is simply soothing a youngster off to sleep with a fanciful tale. In this case, the ending is much more sinister.
Dansky does a fantastic job of giving a fairytale quality to an unsettling notion of safety – for both the interwoven protagonist and the sleepy boy listening – that is both creepy and dangerous yet weirdly non-threatening at the same time. The story is presented with a psychopathic glee that is hard to resist.
Hint – do yourself a favor and pick up the entire book! Find my review of MEETING IN THE DEVIL’S HOUSE at Goodreads.
Short Story Title: “Wishing Won’t”
Publisher: Twisted Publishing
