Flash! Fiction 3 by Peter McMillan - HTML preview

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"So what?" muttered Sam

"So, make a wish. You know. We always make a wish," said Johnny.

"You go right ahead, then. Makes no never mind to me," said Sam coughing, his joints popping as he lay down, his back to the fire.

"Sam? You know how we always make one single wish and it just about never comes true?"

Sam grunted.

"This time I'm gonna be real smart, Sam. I'm gonna get my wish cause I'm gonna wish I could wish forever."

"That's mighty clever, Johnny boy," said Sam with uncharacteristic sarcasm.

"Here goes. I wish I could wish forever and ever. Know what that means, don't you Sam? Now, I can wish for somethin, and in half an hour I can wish again, and I can keep on wishin tomorrow, and the day after ... until the day I die. Why don't you make a wish, Sam? I'll give you one of mine."

"If I do will you leave me in peace."

"Sure thing, Sam. Your wish is my command," said Johnny chuckling.

"Okay, I wish I had one of them great big Willy burgers we had back in Odessa and a pitcher of cold beer to wash it down. Even with this damned cold, I could go for one with all the fixins — onions, bacon, cheese, tomatoes, pickles, mustard, and that hot sauce. You re-23

member, they're so big, no bun can hold em? Damn if I wouldn't be in hog heaven. I'd eat that thing in four bites and swill that beer in one go. Now ... look wacha gone and done, Johnny. Got me all hungry and ain't nothin round to eat. Now, leave me be."

#

"Sam! Sam! Look! It came true! Your wish. It came true! It's a miracle or somethin."

Sam raised his heavy lids and rolled over part way to see what Johnny was on about. Sam's eyes nearly sprang out of their sock-ets.

"Good God o'mighty! This cain't be real."

He sniffed, reached out to touch, then jumped up, kneeling in front of the plate Johnny had pushed over his way. Before Johnny could get in another word, Sam had licked the plate clean as a whistle.

"I wish you hadna done that, Sam. That was damn greedy."

After a thunderous belch that frightened a small animal out of hiding, Sam said, "You said you could wish for anythin you want anytime it suited you, so wacha need my wish for?"

"I guess you got a point, Sam. Wish I'd thought of that first," answered Johnny.

"Why don't you just wish up somethin for yourself?"

"Nah. I guess I kinda lost my appetite. Sam, I wish I could see things the way you do."