You have three wishes. You can ask for anything you want. What would you ask for?
No doubt the first story that came to your mind when you read three wishes was Aladdin.
Aladdin found a lamp from which a genie emerged who then granted him three wishes.
Now imagine if whatever Aladdin wished for, had horrific consequences? What if it was a horror story?
Monkey's Paw is basically about the consequences of desiring something and having it come true.
Like they say: be careful what you ask for, it may just come true.
The story is about a family of three; Mr and Mrs White, and their son Herbert.
When we first meet them, they are having a joyful evening with father and son playing chess. Not long after, they are visited by Sergeant-Major Morris who has just returned from his service in India. He narrates several tales from his time in India but Mr White is interested in the talisman his friend had mentioned earlier.
Reluctantly, the Sergeant-Major brings out the mummified Monkey's paw that he got when his friend died after making his three wishes.
He explains how a fakir put a spell on the paw to simply prove that fate determined people's lives and those who sought to interfere did so to their sorrow.
Sergeant-Major has already made his three wishes and would like nothing more than to see the talisman turn to ashes. He throws it in the fireplace but Mr White quickly retrieves it.
It's about three wishes after all. Mr White claims he has everything and would have to think real hard about what he would wish for. Mrs White makes jokes about needing four hands so she could do her housework more efficiently.
Sergeant-Major dryly adds that the wishes not be wasted on such mundane and ludicrous things. After dinner, he leaves while the family try to decide how to use their wishes.
Eventually, Herbert brings up the fact that there are two hundred pounds required to "clear" the house. It is settled then that the wish be used for two hundred pounds and Mr White holds the Monkey's Paw in his right hand and makes a wish. And then he screams because he thinks the paw turned into a snake. His wife and son make light of his situation and by bedtime Mr White, too, is convinced that he had imagined the talisman move.
The next day, Herbert leave for work while the parents go about their daily routine. Sometime later, Mrs White notices a stranger in nice clothes hesitating near their gate. When the stranger finally walks through the gate, Mrs White welcomes him in and he states he is from the company Herbert works in. The parents immediately assume something terrible has happened to their son and the stranger informs them of an accident at work where Herbert was caught in the machinery.
Mrs White asks if her son is okay and the stranger lets on that her son is in no pain. Mrs White understands the meaning behind his sinister assurance and weeps while Mr White collapses after learning their son is dead and the company will hand them compensation of two hundred pounds.
A week passes after Herbert is buried when a grief-stricken Mrs White comes up with the plan to use the Monkey's Paw to bring back their dead son.
Mr White has learned his lesson by now. Even though he believes the compensation of two hundred pounds was a coincidence, he doesn't want to take chances anymore. Things did go bad after the talisman came into their lives.
He tells Mrs White that Herbert's body was a mangled mess and he had to be identified through his clothing. Mrs White doesn't care and coerces her husband to make that wish.
He does and immediately regrets it because he doesn't know in which state is son may return. He did forget to add that his son be brought back in one piece.
Mrs White eagerly waits by the window but her son doesn't turn up and she retires to her bedroom.
In the middle of the night, a knock on the door rouses the old couple and Mrs White rushes downstairs, certain it is her son who must have taken his own sweet time to come because the graveyard was two miles away. She urges Mr White to come help her open the bolt on the door but her husband panics. He is sure that it is not his son beyond the door but a monster. He requests his wife not to open the door but she doesn't care enough to listen.
He finds the Monkey Paw again and wishes for his son to be dead once more.
At the same time, Mrs White has managed to open the door.
The knocking has stopped.
There is no one outside the door.
This short story is horror fiction at its best. The concept of having whatever you desire but dealing with such terrifying consequences is definitely thought-provoking. The story reminded me of the movie Wish Upon which dealt with this similar concept but had high school as a backdrop and selfish teenagers.
As human beings, we will hardly ever be satisfied with what we have. It is inherent in us; the need to have more, the desire to make our life comfortable. And if anyone comes to us with the prospect of having at least three wishes being fulfilled, who wouldn't go after it?
This story serves as a warning to be careful what you wish for.
We can't stop ourselves from wishing for things, but we can be cautious while making them.
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