Ask and You Shall Receive

It all started on a dreary Saturday afternoon. Rain hammered the windows of my bedroom like an angry swarm of bees, trapping me inside with nothing to do. I had already played all my video games, read all my comics, and even tried organizing my room. I was bored out of my mind. That’s when the phone rang.

“Jake, get down here!” Mom shouted from downstairs.

Groaning, I slid off my bed and headed downstairs. Mom was standing by the door, her raincoat already on, keys jangling in her hand.

“I’m heading to the grocery store, but I need you to pick up something from your uncle’s house. It’s important, and he’s expecting you,” she said, looking at me seriously.

Uncle Richard lived only a couple of blocks away, so it wasn’t a big deal. But the idea of going to his place always gave me the creeps. His house was huge, old, and filled with strange antiques and odd collectibles. The whole place smelled like musty wood and something else I couldn’t quite place. But I didn’t have much of a choice.

“Sure, Mom,” I replied, grabbing my jacket and heading out into the pouring rain.

The walk to Uncle Richard’s was short, but by the time I got there, my jacket was soaked through. I rang the bell and waited, shivering slightly. A few moments later, the door creaked open, and there he was—my weird, eccentric uncle.

“Ah, Jake! Come in, come in,” Uncle Richard said with a wide grin. His eyes sparkled in a way that always made me uneasy.

I stepped inside, wiping my feet on the old doormat. The familiar smell of old books and something metallic hit me as soon as I entered. Uncle Richard’s house was packed, floor to ceiling, with shelves filled with bizarre trinkets, ancient statues, and jars of things I didn’t want to ask about.

“You’re here for the package, right?” he asked, his grin never fading.

“Yeah,” I said, trying not to let my discomfort show.

“Wait here,” he said and disappeared down one of the long, dim hallways.

As I stood there, waiting, my eyes wandered over his collection. There were skulls from who-knows-what animal, rusty swords, shrunken heads… and then, I saw it.

On the corner of a low table was a small stone statue—about the size of a soccer ball. It was shaped like a hunched-over creature with long, twisted arms and hollow eyes. Something about it was both terrifying and intriguing. I stepped closer, feeling a strange pull toward it. It looked ancient, maybe even older than the other stuff Uncle Richard collected.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in my mind—soft but clear, like a whisper. Ask and you shall receive.

I froze, looking around the room. No one else was there. The sound came again, more insistent this time. Ask, and it will be yours.

My heart pounded in my chest. Was the statue talking to me? I knew it was impossible, but it felt so real. Almost without thinking, I muttered under my breath, “I wish I wasn’t so bored all the time.”

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a cold breeze swept through the room, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I stepped back, startled, as the statue’s hollow eyes seemed to glow for just a second before returning to normal.

Uncle Richard returned, holding a small brown package in his hands. “Here you go, Jake,” he said, handing it to me. I nodded, trying to shake the weird feeling creeping up my spine.

As I left his house, I couldn’t stop thinking about the statue. Had I imagined the voice? Maybe I was just tired.

The next day, things got…strange.

It started small. I woke up to find my phone buzzing with notifications. Dozens of text messages from friends I hadn’t heard from in months, all of them wanting to hang out, play games, or invite me to parties. My social media was blowing up, too—more likes and comments than I had ever gotten in my life. Suddenly, I wasn’t bored anymore. People were practically begging for my attention.

At first, it was fun. But as the day wore on, things got overwhelming. No matter where I went, people wanted to be around me. Friends, neighbors, even random kids from school started showing up at my house. They wouldn’t leave me alone, not for a second. It was like I had become the most interesting person in the world overnight, and everyone wanted a piece of me.

By the third day, I was exhausted. My phone rang constantly. Friends kept pounding on my door, asking if I wanted to hang out. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t even think straight. I wanted to be left alone, but no one would listen.

That night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, wishing for it all to stop. And then it hit me—the statue.

I sat up, my heart racing. The statue had done this. I had asked for excitement, for my boredom to go away—and it had granted my wish. But now, I didn’t want it anymore. I needed to stop it.

The next morning, I rushed back to Uncle Richard’s house, my mind made up. The rain had cleared, but a thick fog clung to the streets. I rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. I pounded on the door, shouting for him, but no one came. Desperate, I tried the doorknob—it was unlocked.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The house was silent, even more eerie than before. I made my way to the room where I had seen the statue, but it was gone.

Frantic, I searched the room, throwing things aside, looking for any sign of it. That’s when I heard the voice again, faint but unmistakable. Ask and you shall receive.

“I want it to stop!” I shouted, my voice shaking. “I want everything to go back to normal!”

A cold wind swept through the room again, and for a second, everything seemed to go still. I held my breath, waiting for something to happen. But nothing changed.

I stumbled back, feeling dizzy. As I turned to leave, my foot caught on something, and I fell to the floor with a loud thud. When I looked down, I saw it—an envelope.

I picked it up, my fingers trembling. The envelope was addressed to me, in Uncle Richard’s neat handwriting. I tore it open, my heart pounding as I read the single sentence inside:

Be careful what you wish for… you might just get it.

And that’s when I realized—I hadn’t asked for the attention to stop. I had just wished for things to go back to normal.

And normal… for me… was being bored.

As I opened the door to leave Uncle Richard’s house, I froze. Standing in the doorway, staring back at me with a twisted grin, was… me.

The other me stepped forward, eyes gleaming. “You wished for excitement, didn’t you?” it said, its voice a perfect echo of mine. “Well, I’m here to take your place. You asked, and I received.”

Before I could scream, it shoved me aside and walked out the door, leaving me trapped inside the house.

Forever.

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