Let me tell you a story. This is how it all began. I was in the middle of a very beautiful valley where there were green trees with colorful flowers blooming, a rainbow in the sky, a gurgling river with such clean water flowing, and happy rabbits and deers playing around. There was a path with a soft-shining white light at the end of it. Amazed and curious by the light, I walked along the path towards it.
As I drew my steps towards it, the figure of a very pretty young girl was seen. Her skin was as white as snow and she wore a glimmering white dress. She smiled at me and said, “Hello, Miranda. Long time no see. Oh, you look prettier!”
“Thank you but who are you?” I asked in puzzlement.
“Don’t you remember me? I was your best friend when you were six!”
Wait, my best friend? Oh, my God! I suddenly remembered that she was my imaginary friend when I was six-years-old. “You are Brooke aren’t you?” I burst out laughing.
“Yes, it’s me,” she giggled. “Miranda, I don’t have enough time. So, let’s go straight to the point.”
“What? Do you have something to tell me?”
“For some reasons, I will grant your three wishes.” She paused for a moment and then, continued. “You have three wishes to be granted, Miranda.”
“This is claptrap,” I chuckled. “I am sixteen, Brooke. I don’t believe in these things anymore.”
I could anger burning in her eyes. “So you are telling me that you don’t believe in me? I don’t exist, huh?”
“No, of course you do!”
“Then tell me your first wish now,” she said.
Let’s see if this stuff was real. “My first wish is, I want to meet everyone who I loved. I miss them all.”
Suddenly, there was a thick smoke all around me. I gasped for air and after a little while, I fainted.
“Miranda! Oh, Miranda! Say, something. Please, say something. Wake up!” I woke up and saw my sister, Debbie who had tears rolling down her cheeks and her hands were holding my arms tightly.
“Why are you crying, Debbie? What happened?” I tried to ask her but I could not talk. I could not even whisper. I could not open my mouth! I tried to move my arms around her and comfort her but I could not move them! What happened to me?
Suddenly, there was a man with a long white coat walking towards me. “I’m very sorry,” he said. He threw his sight on Debbie. “The percentage of her waking up from the coma is only fifteen percent.
Coma? What was he talking about? Fifteen percent?
“No, doctor. Please help her. Do anything you can to wake her up. Don’t worry about the payment.” Debbie wiped the tears on her flushed cheeks. Did she say doctor? Am I in a hospital? What happened to me? I tried to recall everything that had happened to me before but I just remembered seeing Brooke, my imaginary friend.
Wait. I was at my school before that. How could I get into the gorgeous garden? Oh, it was just a dream! I was waiting for my mom to fetch me up so I sat under a tree. Then, I fell asleep. That was it! Then, why am I suddenly lying here?
“Miss Debbie, what we can do now is just pray for a miracle to happen,” he sighed. “The drunken man who drove his car too fast and hit her should be put in jail for his entire life!”
I could feel my heart aching. I was hit by a car driven by a drunken man? Now, I am suddenly in a state of coma and hoping for a miracle to happen. Why is this happening to me? What have I done?
Then, I could see my mother and my other siblings stepping inside the room. My mother was crying while my brothers looked at me with sympathetic looks. They talked among themselves about me, saying how they were worried about me and how much they loved me. I was touched by their concern and knowing that they still cared about me.
When I was hale and hearty, they seldom talk to me nor even want to meet me. They were all busy with their jobs and with their own lives. Sometimes, I felt like I was not needed in the family but here, in this room, they were all worried about me. I did not mind staying like this forever just to have them around me.
As time passed by, groups by groups of people come to visit me. All my flesh and blood had come and visited me and so I was very happy to know that they still care for me. Then, there were my teachers, my friends, and my old friends.
Suddenly, there was an unfamiliar man who’s very wild and woolly, knocked on the door and walked slowly towards my bed. My mother stood up and shouted, “Why are you here? You should be in jail! Are you happy now, seeing her in coma?!”
My brother walked towards the man as if to show him the way out.
“Please let me see my daughter.. Please.. I miss her so much.”
Daughter? Is he my father?
“You have never carried your responsibility, dad and you had almost killed your own daughter! You don’t have the right to meet her!” said my first brother.
He is my father! I had never met him since the day I was born and I had always longed to meet him. Now, he was here, in front of me! Even though he left me, I still loved him as my father.
“Hi, Miranda”
Oh, no! Where am I? I was in the garden again and Brooke was standing right in front of me. “Did I fall asleep again?”
“Your first wish has come true,” said Brooke while smiling.
“What? When?”
“You have met everyone that you loved, haven’t you? Now, tell me your second wish.”
I was shocked to know that I had first wish granted. However, there was still a sense of disbelief in my heart.
“Nonsense. They met me because I’m in the state of coma. Stop being silly, Brooke.”
“Just say out your second wish”
“I want to get well from the coma” I knew this was a dream. I would not get well, it was obvious.
“No, I can’t do that, Miranda,” said Brooke.
“Why? Because all of this is just a dream, isn’t it?”
“Miranda, you are dying! You are dying! That’s why you were given three wishes, Miranda! Three wishes before you die!”
I was surprised by the words exuded from her mouth. My heart stopped beating for a while. No. Impossible. This seriously was a dream.
“If all of this isn’t a dream, I wish my family would forgive my father and accept him in the family.”
The thick smoke appeared again. But this time, I did not faint. I was back in the room where I was lying in a coma and my family was fighting with my father.
“Stop it, Alex! Don’t say that to your father! Whatever it is, without him, all of you wouldn’t be here. Remember that!” said my mother. I could see her sore eyes filled with tears. Then, my father fell on his knees and cried. “I’m sorry. I’m very very sorry. Diana, Miranda, I’m sorry. Debbie, Alex, James, please forgive me. I’ve changed. I really hope to come back to you guys. If I couldn’t get the second chance, just forgive me for what I’ve done..”
“Dad,” my second brother, James took his arm to stand him up. “I forgive you, dad”
“Me too. I’m sorry,” said Alex. My father wiped his tears and looked at my mother with hoped that she, too, would forgive him. “Yes, david. I forgive you” Then, all of them hugged each other and cried. I hoped I could join in this happiness with them.
“There you go. Your second wish,” Brooke suddenly appeared beside my bed.
“I trust you now” I said to her. Oh, my God! I was talking! How did I open my mouth? I tried to move my fingers and it worked! Then, I brought up my hands to see it more clearly. It was moving!
“Miranda, that’s your soul, not your body,” said Brooke. “It’s time for you to go, but tell me your last wish first.”
I nodded my head and said, “My last wish would be, I want them to stay like this forever. I want them to be happy, although without my presence.” The room suddenly began to spin and changed into the sky. There were soft white clouds everywhere.
“Tuut… Tuut…Tuut…”
“Oh, my God! Alex, call the doctor!” The room suddenly got hectic, everyone went nervous. Miranda’s heartbeat was suddenly getting faster. The doctor went into the room with the nurses and took the incubator but it was too late. Her heart stopped beating. Everyone burst into tears. They were bound to be on their last legs seeing a member in their family dying.
I opened my eyes slowly and saw myself in a very familiar room. “Am I in heaven?”
“Miranda! Wake up! It’s getting late already!” My mother suddenly came in and knocked on the door fiercely. “Wake up! Wake up! Wash your face!”
Were all of the things that had happened to me just a dream? I woke up and ran to my mother and hugged her. “I love you, mom!” My mother was astonished but I did not care about that. I ran out to the living room and saw my siblings having a chat. “Hey guys! I love you all so much!” then, I kissed them one by one on the cheeks.
“Wow, you are so happy today, Miranda.” My father walked in with a cup of coffee in his hand.
“Dad, you’re here!”
I guessed what happened before was not a dream. I hugged my dad. As I closed my eyes, I saw Brooke smiling at me.
“I could not grant your last wish, Miranda. They were very sad without you. Thus, I changed your last wish to what you wish before which was you wanted to get well from your coma.”
If I have three wishes, I would not ask for anything else but happiness and blissfulness. I had three wishes granted and I was very happy about it.