"What the hell is this?" asked Cassandra, holding up the object that Kim had purchased.
Kim was beginning to regret bringing Cassandra to her family's country lodge. She had been the spoiled 'Queen Bee' in high school, the head cheerleader and most popular girl. In college Cassandra found that she was a small fish in a much bigger pond, but she had not lost the snobby and superior attitude. But Cassandra was Melody's best friend, so Kim felt obliged to invite her to join them on their vacation trip.
"It's a monkey paw. The store owner told me that it will grant three wishes. But you have to be careful. He warned me that once a wish is made, it cannot be undone, just modified. I thought it might be fun if we made a few wishes this weekend, " said Kim.
Cassandra scoffed. "That's all you brought? Anna brings some kid's board games and you bring this piece of junk? What are we - like 12!? At least Melody brought some tunes, even though they are just vinyl records. It's going to be a long weekend."
Cassandra dug into the box of liquor she had brought along, producing a bottle of tequila. She opened the bottle and took a long swig.
"I think it's kinda neat. Can I see it?" said Melody.
Cassandra shrugged and handed it over. Melody looked over the strange shrunken hand. Three long gnarled fingers were outstretched, the fourth finger and thumb curled over the desiccated smooth palm. A few hairs dropped off the furry backhand of the object.
"So how does it work?" asked Melody.
Cassandra rolled her eyes. How could anyone be dumb enough to believe in something so stupid? Actually, Melody might be that dumb. If she weren't so attractive, Cassandra probably would not have been friends with her. But Melody had the body of a model. She was tall and thin with beautiful long hair. But her height - Melody was over six feet tall - made her self-conscious, so Melody did not realize how beautiful she really was. But the guys did - and so Cassandra quickly befriended Melody, trying to horn in on the hot guys vying for her attention.
Cassandra herself wasn't bad looking. Her years of cheerleading had given her a trim, athletic body. And she didn't consider her height of 5'4" to be short or undesirable. But her breasts had never really developed into more than a small B-cup. Padding and her popularity had masked her inadequacies in high school, but in college the guys had a much wider selection of girls from which to choose. And Cassandra was no longer their top choice.
Cassandra looked over to Anna in the corner, sorting through the board games. At least she was better than that nerd. The girl had thick glasses and always wore baggy clothes. Cassandra suspected that she trying to hide her obesity. Or maybe it was to hide her pale skin from the sun. In high school Cassandra would have avoided losers like that, but in college Anna was a necessary evil to help her pass her classes.
At least she was better than Jill. Jill was short, barely five tall. But she made up for it in muscle. She constantly worked out, developing the physique of a fitness instructor. Cassandra suspected she was a lesbian, with her tomboy look and her masculine behavior. Her short haircut certainly didn't help. Cassandra could swear that Jill was checking out the other girls as she chugged a brew and leaned back nonchalantly against the bar.
Cassandra took another long drink of tequila. Kim was explaining how the monkey paw was supposed to work. She didn't know much about Kim. She just seemed like an average girl, nothing special. Just the typical girl next door that everyone ignored. But Melody seemed to like her so Cassandra had to tolerate her company.
"Really? That's all you have to do? It seems so easy. What should we wish for first?" asked Melody excitedly.
Cassandra was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. Slightly drunk, she grabbed the monkey paw from Melody's hand.
"You know what I wish?" slurred Cassandra. "I wish......"