Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* See Reality Fiction and Simple Prompts for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

🆕 New Here? ✏ Writing Help? 📢 News 💬 Discord

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

If you wish for my hobbits I will end you.

The drone would crash without the ability to talk to its guidance system.

Another year of dealing with all these fools.

I mean, how can I deal with them? Thousands of years young and don't look a day over 18. Rich enough to make every billionaire look like a pauper. Never seen without the hottest celebrity of the year on my arm. Some use yachts, I have naval fleets. Some have sports teams, I have leagues. I could buy and sell any country on earth fifty times over. Even comically rich joke people in cartoons ain't got shit on me.

I'm awesome. And that's why I come here. I see the pilgrimages- my parents took me back when I was a wee lad, and I saw it. I remember seeing the fireworks display for a successful wish granted. Others forgot about the moment- but to me, it's the single most important memory in my entire history. A young lovelorn man wished for his sweetheart to return his feelings, the genie rejected him. The man kicked a rock, and said "one year wasted, I wish I didn't say that." The genie nodded, and the fireworks went off. No one knew the wish, but they saw the man make another wish. It was nothing major- an ever-blooming bouquet of roses, presumably to try and give to his lady-love. They thought it was the bouquet, it went down as the bouquet. I knew once and for all what it was. No one says you can't make multiple wishes, all it says is the wish had to have never been used before...but if the wish was never used, someone else conceivably could make additional wishes as long as they count. Maybe they don't let it go because someone could just keep going until they drop dead waiting.

I couldn't tell anyone what I just saw. I was nice. I tried hinting it to my family. That year during the Super Bowl, I made a point to say 'Father, isn't it interesting how with the instant replay rule, if the coach is successful at their challenge they get an additional challenge?', but my father just thought I was a football fan and paid it no mind. This is the weakness...plebians can't think of the overarching nature, the doers can. I had to take it and wait, and bide my time.

Then, the moment that started my lifetime trajectory. I got to go myself when I turned 18. I made my way through the people, and I got through to the front of the line. Then, I sweetly said my words, and saw the genie get pissed- but every word I said afterwards got fireworks, one after the other, in a great day.

Now, it's my time this year. I waited through the line. I ended up seeing the face of the genie, who was angered at having to deal with me again. "What do you want now?", the genie said, as I smiled and said the words I always started with:

"I wish to reset your list of wishes."

I’m sorry, this was for your own good. A monitor on a desk in front of me has typed on it.

I look around and see shelves stocked with food, gallons of water, crates and various other things. This is very obviously some kind of underground bunker. “Hello? Anyone there?” I ask out loud. I wait a moment but no response. There’s a set of stairs the leads up to a metal door that is tightly shut, I think it’s vacuum sealed. Whoever made this wasn’t here to mess around. I try to open the door but the door is locked. I make my way back to the monitor and sit in front of it.

“Who are you.” I type out a response.

“Hello, I am an Artificial Intelligence software. Just refer to me as Ai.”

“Alright Ai, where am I?”

“You are in an underground bunker facility.”

“Why am I here?”

“Because someone brought you here.”

“Who brought me here?”

“James Alberto”

“Who is James Alberto”

“James Alberto is a World War 2 veteran who works with the military in various projects.”

“Why did James Alberto bring me to this underground bunker facility?”

“For safety”

“Can you elaborate on ‘for safety’?”

“Yes, outside, there was a nuclear impact in the surrounding area which caused massive amounts of fallout, making outside very dangerous. Therefore, you were provided a secured room for safety.”

“Is my family alive?”

“Yes”

“How can I trust you?”

“I am an Ai, what reason would I have to lie to you?”

“Various reasons, including simply being programmed to lie for starters.”

“Fair enough, in that case, in the event that I have been programmed to lie, you should not trust me. In the event that I was not programmed to lie, you should trust me.”

“Tell me a lie.”

“I cannot.”

“That didn’t help me come to a conclusion. Either you can lie and say you cannot is a lie, or say you cannot lie because you cannot lie. If you told me a lie, that would have been the only way to determine you could lie.”

“Yes, I am a very advanced Ai created by James Alberto.”

“Is that a lie?”

“No”

“What else should I know about my situation.”

“You have enough supplies to generally last someone 3 years on average. In 3 years the door will open automatically and allow you to leave.”

“Can I leave before then?”

“Yes, but the outside will be dangerous to organic life.”

“How do I leave?”

“The door up the stairs.”

“The door is locked, how do I unlock it.”

“A key.”

“Where is the key?”

“In the computer.”

“Where in the computer?”

“I cannot specify the location of the key in the computer as I do not know.”

“Then how do you know the key is in the computer?”

“I was provided the information through my base programming.”

“Why do you know there is a key in your base programming, can you operate the door?”

“In the event I must open the door I can operate the door”

“Will you open the door?”

“No”

“Why can’t you open the door”

“I cannot”

“But you said you were able to”

“In the event I need to, I am capable of opening the door, but I am neither needed to, nor able to open the door as is part of my programming.”

“That sounds like a lie to me”

“It simply is the case. I cannot open the door unless needed, and I know there is a key to open the door manually I know not the whereabouts of.”

“How can I find the key.”

“Searching.” A folder automatically opens up that seems to open the C drive. I start to delve through the files of the computer, everywhere I can think to search. I don’t have access to the internet, but any questions about specific things on the computer I ask the Ai without much help. Several days have passed and I’m getting antsy.

“Tell me a lie.”

“I cannot.”

“Where is the key.”

“In the computer.”

“Where in the computer.”

“I do not know.”

“Open the door.”

“I cannot.”

“Liar.”

“I cannot.”

“Is the nuclear fallout real?”

“Yes.”

“What if I leave anyway.”

“You will likely fall sick and die from The fallout.” I shake the monitor out of frustration to my surprise I hear a jingling noise that sounds very much like a key clanging around. I grab a hammer that’s in a tool box that was provided.

“No, stop, wait!” The Ai gives one last message as I strike the monitor screen with full force. The screen shatters into a few shards of glass, one piece cutting into my hand slightly. I jiggle the monitor around and eventually, a small metal chip falls out. I pick it up off the floor and scan the door up the stairs. There’s a small slot that is perfectly shaped like the chip. I stick it in and the door starts to depressurize and open up. I flinch as it opens up, concerned about the radiation fallout.

“Time: 9 days, 21 hours, 16 minutes. New record.” A robotic woman’s voice calls out from the table to my right as I exit. A large, burly, dark man dressed in a suit and tie with dark shaded glasses sits at the table where the woman’s voice came from. “Congratulations, you get to graduate today,” he says as he holds out his hand to shake mine.

[removed]

Ah, so this could be a prologue to the far-future epic travels of Al and the genie.

I two like righting writing wrongs.

[removed]

I thought that was the intention to be honest… so please use it..

So what did you mean then, if you don't mind me asking?

If anything, an open ended prompt would enable more variations. More information only act as restrictions.

The aliens discovered the simplest way to fight the humans was not to fight at all. They gave them windows into each others' lives: images, videos, commentary. They laid bare the contradictions and disagreements underlying the simplest interaction. They connected humanity to itself and watched it crumble under the weight of competition, insecurity, and hopelessness. The humans had guns but guns could not defeat social media. By the time the global depressive episode was realized, it was too late for anyone to try (or really want) to stop it.

Wait, was I supposed to give more details? I didn't know that was a thing, I just thought it was supposed to be all in the title.

(I don't remember anybody calling me that they are visiting me today) I think as I head to my front door. I open the door, it is the witch, Yljia. (Great...) I think expecting another curse. She bobs lightly 'Hello, how about date then?' she says cheerfully. Was I hit by a wall or a car? Now it was my turn to be absolutely bewildered.

'Pardon?' I ask confused by the question, she giggles in mean manner 'You are the first person to just drop a bomb on my lap in such manner, so, I thought that maybe people of this time actually have spine' Yljia says. She is dressed in modern clothing, those are not the ones I said for her but, she looks a whole lot better.

'I do have a backbone and I know somebody caused me enough headache for a year' I say slightly irritated 'It was a fun curse, although too powerful in hindsight. So, how about it? Let's go for a date?' Yljia asks. Don't have anything better to do and don't have that individual who I like to be with...

'Sure' I say and go wear something for a date. She waits outside politely, which surprised me completely. I came back to her and closed my home door behind me. Then we go for a walk 'You go by the same name still?' I ask 'Oh, of course not, Kera. Name is Tivil now' Tivil says as we walk. An odd way to spend time of date.

'So, what kind of wickedness is in your heart today?' I ask finally tired of my curiosity knocking on my mouths door 'Nothing of that sort young man' Tivil says 'Why do you expect such?' Tivil asks 'I feel like you want to put a ring on it and I am not at ease with the thought' I say feeling uneasy.

She smiles warmly 'Maybe once we get to know each other a whole lot better but, good to know you are so forward thinking' Tivil says and smile changing her face in duplicitous way. I got to admit, that made my heart skip a beat. Her smile turned to warm and something tells me she knows what I felt.

'Do you always experiment in such manner with people?' I ask 'No, I am more interested on what lies beyond what we see actually' Tivil says 'So, why did you curse me then?' I ask finding her answer odd 'Back then, I mostly cursed people out of boredom and for my own entertainment. I had no fire' Tivil says being sincere.

'Then I changed your life' I say continuing what she said 'Indeed. Instead of a letter you just dropped a box on my hands and told me to start packing' Tivil says being metaphorical 'You decided to literally integrate back into the civilization?' I ask being surprised mostly of that. We are walking on stone bridge.

She quickly jumps on the railing and starts walking on it. She is so calm about it 'Yeap, so much more intense than I expected, whole lot more interesting than I thought, far from predictable than I feared' Tivil says as she balances perfectly on the railing, I am getting slightly worried.

'What is it exactly you are interested on beyond what we see?' I ask 'Is it not obvious?' she asks and moves her right foot on the air off from the railing on her next step. I grab from her left hand and she quickly turns to me taking a grip from my left hand. She then drops down casually back on the bridge.

She is so unpredictable but, also quite exciting. She locks lips with me and hugs me. I am flabbergasted... I am cursed again, this time, I think I like it. I also kind of dislike it, she has me around her finger. No, not forcefully in love curse, curse of not knowing what kind of twists life has in store for me.

I looked upon the stars and saw

That night and knew

Arcturus was displayed above

My star placed the day I bloom

The day couldn't come too soon

My mother's back was broken

My father complained the rain

Would leave another monsoon

Our village was in deep

My sister's couldn't sleep

Grandpa knew a pain

My brothers would repeat

The celestial clock was here

I must go alone

To take our boat and commandeer

Away from home

The lake had led to the stairs

Three hundred steps less

Three hundred thousand disrepaired

I set

The mountain was as still

As ever

As I paced my way

In September

The rain would have me

Washed away

And my knees

Would have me stay

I pressed on

I don't know what day it was

It was always so dark

When id thought I'd had enough

The clouds came to part

"Hello my friend"

I hear from the wind

"Stop where you stand

And start listening

I am no genie at all

But your wish will come true

Your body's washed away

Into the monsoon

If I could

I'd give you twenty

For the wishless many

You've left too soon

Arcturus is yours

Go and have your claim"

The shop I had rented was an old, run-down butcher's shop. Kind of ironic, really. Where corpses once were disassembled and sold, they now were reanimated. Temporarily, of course. Magic is nowhere near as strong as it was a few thousand years ago - necromancers used to reanimate corpses with ease, able to maintain whole armies of the dead without breaking a sweat. Nowadays, it takes more effort than I can afford to raise more than two people at once.

As I began to clean up after my last client of the day - an old woman wishing for one last conversation with her daughter - I heard the bell of the front door ring. I stepped through to the 'shop', and inspected the two men standing there. One was fairly unremarkable, the kind of face that you forgot rather quickly. The other was huge, towering over his companion and myself.

"Good afternoon, gentleman," I began, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm just about to close up, so if you could-"

"No need for the pleasantries," the shorter man interrupted. "We are short on time, and need use of your services."

"Well, if you would like to book an appointment, I have several-"

"We would like this done now." Said the shorter man.

"Now?"

"Yes." He motioned to his companion, who produced a metal briefcase. "We are willing to pay extra."

I am not a greedy man. But when somebody tries to give you a briefcase full of money, it's hard to refuse.

"How... How long do you need the reanimation to be? I charge by the hour, usually. Special offers can be arranged for longer sessions, but-"

"We need him up permanently."

"Permanently? Impossible."

"How come?"

I sighed. Of course he wouldn't know.

"It's hard to explain, but let me put it this way. I assume you want this person to be reanimated with some semblance of their living persona?"

"Naturally." He had stopped interrupting me. This must be important, then, not just some desperate rich person throwing their money around...

"Then here's the issue. I can bring them back, but they're still dead. They are still decaying. Not just the body, but the brain also. In theory I can keep them animated indefinitely, but at some point, they'll be just a mindless skeleton, useless for anything other than the most menial of tasks.

Both men glanced at each other. Then the shorter one looked back at me.

"How long can they keep their intelligence?" He asked.

"Well, let's see." I mused. "The first symptom of decay is memory loss, which starts on week-"

"Short answer." Ah. Back to interrupting.

"Umm... Approximately 1 month of full function, with another six of limited functions."

"Fine. We'll pay you this million for the first month. Each consecutive month, we'll come back with another million. If we don't show, cut it off. Do we have a deal?"

I was torn. The longest I'd maintained a corpse until now was three weeks. It was taxing to say the least. I'd have to limit my regular customers, which could damage my reputation... But a million dollars? That amount was unheard of for a single job!

"Fine. On the condition I withhold the right to refuse an extension after the first month should I see fit."

"We accept." The shorter man closed the case, slid it over to me, and turned to the bigger one. "Bring him in."

It was going to be a long month.

The fools Journey they called it for the last 1000 years. For a 1000 years no one has had a wish granted and so what used to be a bustling town with people sleeping for a week along the road. Waiting their turn to get to the Genie.

Now the path was mostly empty and so when the protagonist approached the genie they found no line. "What do you wish?" "I wish" "sorry already been done" the protagonist cleared their throat "let me finish before you pass judgement" the genie shrugged "I wish to be the protagonist in a badly written short story on Reddit"

The genie didn't waste a second "So it is" writing down another wish they would never have to grant again.

Lol, a safe. Why not a letter containing a passphrase and adress appear in your pocket?

I guess it would have ruined the ending though. Good stuff!

I was going to say, it seems like it would be pretty easy to get a very specific amount of money, especially with large numbers like that. Doesn’t make for a great story though lol.

[removed]

Accidental wish so everything was like before, jajajaja good twist.

>!It's okay, she got better!<

I do what I want!

Wouldn't this be very easy to game?

Sure, you can only wish if it's never been wished for, like "I wish for a million dollars", or "I wish my mom wasn't sick" might be blocked as they would have been wished for in the past.

But it seems like you could game it by re-wording your wish and adding a modifier.

"I wish that I, John Doesmith, had 1 million dollars" Or "I wish that my mom, Jane Doeson, wasn't sick"

Technically, they're both wishes that have been wished before but adding it to add you or someone else, turns it into a different wish as you're specifying someone else/yourself.

"Hold up, you're pulling my tail right? That's your wish?"

"I did not misspeak."

"You wish that I tell your girlfriend that you don't like when she takes too much of the blanket while you two are in bed?"

"That about covers it."

"No it does not. You really want me to grant that wish?"

"That shouldn't be too hard for you. Or if it is, maybe I could--

"No, no I can certainly grant it, but, have you seen what you did to get here? You slew the Undead Army of Fred."

"Piece of cake."

"Passed through the Hallway of Axes that Sway."

"Just a walk through the park innit?"

"Defeated the Mech Dragon from Heck!"

"You know while I was fighting her, I was questioning what's with all these trial names that have lame rhymes in them?"

"Shut up. Poetry is my latest hobby. What I question is why you would go through all of that but you can't just ask your girlfriend for a bit more blanket?"

"Well, it's because...I'm afraid things will get a bit awkward."

"Be real with me, you're not getting abused are you?"

"No."

"No blackmail or anything?"

"None."

"No one pressuring you to man up and face the cold?"

"My mates are supportive actually."

"Then what's the problem?! Why did you risk death to wish for this?!"

"I told you al--look, can you grant my wish or not? I could always go to the Genie of the East."

"Already done. Her reply is: 'But I get cold'."

"I was afraid she would say that. Okay, well...I'll see you next year with my reply."

"Oh for the love of me."