Chapter 1: Before The Wish
1302 Words
Everyone was already at the dining table.
It was the usual one—wooden, square, four chairs. His mom and sister sat opposite each other, leaving the other two seats open.
Little Damson rushed into the room.
“Stop running and come have your dinner,” his mom called.
He dropped into his seat quickly. His plate was already there. The food wasn’t as hot anymore—it had been sitting for a while, waiting for him.
He didn’t care.
He picked up his spoon and started eating.
“Damson, stop—we haven’t even prayed yet!” Misha snapped.
The room went quiet.
He froze.
“Oh… sorry,” he said, lowering his head.
His mom didn’t say anything at first. She just looked at him, a slight frown forming, then went back to serving the food.
There was a small tension in the room now. Not loud. Just there.
Damson waited, watching as she served everyone one by one.
He shifted in his seat.
Why was this taking so long?
“Okay,” his mom finally said. “Misha, pray.”
Misha bowed her head and started.
Damson didn’t listen.
He was watching the clock.
11:07.
His chest tightened.
As soon as the prayer ended, everyone started eating, but Damson rushed through his food.
“Mom, I’m done. I’m going to my room. Please don’t disturb me,” he said quickly.
Before anyone could respond, he stood up and left.
He had been waiting all day for this.
Damson rushed into his room and looked at the digital clock above his bed.
11:11.
He froze for a second.
Then quickly moved to the window.
The night was quiet. The stars were faint, but still there.
He closed his eyes.
For once, he didn’t hesitate.
He made his wish.
For a moment, everything felt… different.
Like the air shifted.
A light breeze slipped through the window, brushing against his brown curly hair.
His eyes snapped open.
He turned back to the clock.
11:13.
He stared at it for a second, unsure of what just happened.
Then he stood up slowly.
Maybe it was nothing.
He went to freshen up, preparing for bed.
A few minutes later, he lay down, staring at the ceiling.
The room was quiet again.
“Do wishes really come true…” he murmured softly, “…and if they do… will mine ever come true?”
He didn’t have an answer.
He kept staring at the ceiling, his thoughts running in circles, wondering if he was just being foolish.
Slowly, his eyes grew heavy.
And with that thought still in his mind…
he fell asleep.
Damson woke up a little later than usual.
“Damson!! Do you want to spend all day in bed? You’ve got fifteen minutes before the bus leaves!” his mom shouted from outside his room.
The noise from downstairs slowly pulled Damson out of sleep.
He didn’t wake up fully at first—just shifted slightly, still half lost in his dream.
A few seconds passed.
Then his eyes opened properly.
“Damson!!” his mom’s voice echoed
He sat up quickly, still a bit drowsy, trying to understand what was happening.
Before he could even think straight, he heard Misha’s voice downstairs
At the dining table, Misha sighed loudly.
“Mom, I would leave Damson alone if he doesn’t get ready on time,” she said.That was when reality hit him.
He jumped out of bed and rushed straight to the bathroom.
A quick panic started building in his chest.
The cold water hit his skin quickly as he tried to finish faster than usual.
“I’m late…” he kept thinking while hurrying through everything.
After his bath, he hurried back into the room and grabbed his clothes.
Light blue shirt. Dark blue shorts.
But when he looked for his blazer—
It wasn’t there.
He paused.
Looked again.
Nothing.
His movements slowed for a second, then he started checking everywhere, faster this time.
Under the bed. On the chair. Behind the door.
Still nothing.
Frustration started creeping in.
“I can’t be late because of this…” he muttered, his voice rising slightly as he began moving things around in a rush.
The panic was now mixing with anger.
Downstairs, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
“Good morning, Mrs. Jameson,” Jade said politely as she stepped into the house.
She glanced around and asked, “Where is Damson?”
His mom pointed upstairs without looking up, already busy with morning chores.
“Up there,” she replied briefly.
“Damson! Where are you? The bus just left!”
It was Jade.
A dark-skinned girl his age, 13, with thick curly hair. She went to the same school—Sheldon secondary School. Misha was already in Year 11, preparing for her final exams
Before he could respond, he spotted his blazer under the bed.
He grabbed it and rushed downstairs.
“What did you say? The bus already left?” Damson asked, breathless.
Before Jade could answer, Misha cut in sharply.
“See what you’ve caused now. We’re going to have to walk, and We’re already running late.”
“If we walk fast, we might still make it before assembly starts,” Jade said quickly.
Damson nodded.
“I think Jade is right.”
He grabbed his bag from the sofa, and they all rushed out."The school isn’t even that far if we hurry."
Damson says as they started walking fast.
“and besides we always walk back from school everyday,” Jade replied.
They didn’t slow down once.
Every step felt faster than the last as they moved through the road toward school.
Damson could already imagine the assembly starting without them.
At the gate, Misha split from them.
Now it was just Damson and Jade running toward the assembly hall.
They arrived just in time—tired, sweaty, and out of breath.
After assembly, Damson couldn’t shake the feeling.
Today felt… slightly different from his usual days.
He just didn’t know
As he walked through the hallway, he and Jade talked about their classes.
“What class are we having?” Damson asked, slightly confused.
“I think it’s Maths—Mr Benson’s class,” Jade replied.
“Ohh… I actually like his class. Now that we’re in Year 7, I’m excited to see how it’ll be,” Damson said.
They moved toward their lockers.
As Damson reached for his, a sudden movement passed beside him.
A light breeze brushed past him.
He paused.
Something about it felt… different.
He looked up slightly.
For a brief second, he caught a glimpse of someone walking past.
He didn’t see clearly—just enough to notice.
Then—
“Damson!”
Jade grabbed his hand suddenly.
“We’re going to be late!”
Before he could react, she pulled him along toward the classroom.
Damson glanced back for a second.
But the person was already gone.
He frowned slightly.
Something about that moment stayed with him.
“…what was that?”
- Writer
