Evening descended slowly, staining the sky crimson. At the edge of the abandoned field outside the village stood an enormous ancient tree, as if it had been waiting for someone for centuries.
Adam hadn't meant to come here. He was just walking, trying to clear the storm inside his head.
He had lost his job three months ago. His father's medical bills were unpaid. Friends had drifted away. Life felt like a dark pit with no exit.
He stopped in front of the tree.
It looked strange—its bark dark and scarred, almost burned. No birds chirped. There was no wind, yet the leaves trembled slightly.
With a bitter laugh, Adam muttered,
"If only I had some money… at least I could pay for my father's treatment."
He said it jokingly.
His phone vibrated.
A bank notification.
A massive amount of money had just been deposited into his account.
His hands trembled. The number was real.
He slowly looked up at the tree. The leaves were still moving.
But the air was perfectly still.
A cold sensation crept into his chest.
Then something struck him.
His father's old watch—the one he always wore.
It was gone.
He searched frantically. Nowhere.
That watch wasn't just an object. It was the last gift his father had given him before he died.
A faint marking appeared along the bark of the tree.
Almost like words forming.
"The first wish is granted."
Adam stepped back.
If this was real…
What would the second wish cost?
And the third?
His phone rang again.
An unknown number.
A voice whispered on the other end,
"You've already used one. Remember… you only have three."
The line went dead.
Adam looked at the tree once more.
This time, there was no fear in his eyes.
Only desire.